Acts 6-7 (Summary): The Interchange between Stephen and the Sanhedrin March 6, 1992 H. Van Dyke Parunak

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1 Overview Acts 6-7 (Summary): The Interchange between Stephen and the Sanhedrin March 6, 1992 H. Van Dyke Parunak 1. The entire Stephen section is an alternation between Stephen and the Jews. Starts with Stephen the Hellenist among his Hellenistic fellows, but the two lines quickly diverge. a) Each successive reference to Stephen establishes him more and more in the line of the prophets and of the Lord Jesus. b) Each successive reference to the Jews establishes more clearly their sinfulness and wickedness, and draws a close comparison between them and one of the most wicked kings in Israel's history. 2. Consider the nexus of Stephen's sermon: 7:51-53, a) your fathers slew the prophets, b) and you did the same unto the Lord Jesus. c) This structure suggests a third point: you'll go on slaying those who follow God. Gal. 4:29, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now." 3. Lessons for us: all the world falls into one or the other of two great families. In which are you? a) We are called to stand in the line of prophets and martyrs, following them and our Lord in holiness and in suffering. b) Those who reject us also follow in the line of their father, the devil. A. Trace the Exchange 1. 6:8, Stephen works wonders and miracles via faith and power 2. 6:9-14, Hellenistic jews: false accusations. 3. 6:15, Stephen: face shines 4. 7: 1, Sanhedrin: inquiry. 5. 7:2-53, Stephen's defense: direct and scriptural. 6. 7:54, Sanhedrin: they gnash their teeth in conviction of sin , Stephen's vision: the Lord's encouragement to him. 8. 7:57-58, Sanhedrin: rejection. Note "cried with a loud voice" and "rushed upon him." 9. 7:59-60, Stephen: faith and love. He also "cried with a loud voice," but "kneel[ing] down," in prayer for them. B. The Jews: Echos of the Persecutors of Naboth The Jews' treatment of Stephen parallels that of Naboth in 1 Kings 21:8-13. Read 1 Kings 21: :8-10, cf. 6:9-14, false witnesses with a charge of double blasphemy (Stephen: Moses and God, v.11; Naboth: God and the king, v.10) :11, cf. 7:1, official inquiry. NB: In Naboth's case, at least 1

2 the people of the city felt pressured from the king. The motivation came from the top down. But in Acts, the accusation originates from the rabble. The Sanhedrin should have done their duty and detected the lie. 3. (7:54, conviction: pass over this for a moment.) 4. 21:13, cf. 7:57-58, rejection by taking the accused out of the city and stoning. 5. The rest of the Jewish segments fit so well, we are led to ask, What about 7:54, the conviction felt by the Sanhedrin? The one piece that doesn't fit into the sequence. But recall 1 Kings 21:4, Ahab's mope. In both cases we have a) a godly defendent (Naboth; Stephen) b) making a claim backed up by Scripture, c) a claim that an earthly authority (Ahab; the Sanhedrin) does not want to accept, d) resulting in a display of emotion (Ahab: moping on his bed; the Sanhedrin: gnashing their teeth), e) and that emotion is the real reason the defendent must die. That is, the Sanhedrin's wrath at being convicted of their sin is of a kind with Ahab's covetousness over Naboth's vineyard. 6. Application: In the context of Acts, we can see how Luke is portraying the established Jewish religious community as hopelessly corrupt, representing them under the figure of wicked Ahab in the OT. But Luke's interest is more than historical. He wants to warn us that when the Spirit convicts of sin, he touches the very deepest part of a person, and if they refuse to heed his conviction, they may resort to the worst conduct imaginable against us. C. Stephen: Echos of the Heros of the Faith Luke presents Stephen as the heir of the heros of the faith, starting with Moses and down through the Lord Jesus himself. 1. 6:8, wonders and miracles like Moses. cf. Exod. 7:3; Deut. 4:34; 6:22; 7:19; 26:8; 29:3; esp. 34:9-12. No one else in the Pent. is said to do "signs and wonders" or "wonders and signs." In fact, the expression is predominantly used in the OT for the works of God through Moses! 2. 6:15, shining face like Moses (Exod. 34:35). 3. 7:2-53, his defense and accusation are an echo of the words of David. a) With Stephen's narrative of Israel's history, cf. two of the historical psalms, Pss. 105 (God's blessings to Israel in Abraham, Joseph, and Moses) and 106 (the people's rejection). These match nicely 7:2-41, (the historical summary and the accusation of the Jews). 2

3 b) The remainder of Stephen's speech, 7:42-50, compares temple with tabernacle. Stephen mentions that David pitched a tent for the Lord; he must have in mind the narrative of 1 Chron. 16. After describing the tent that David pitched for the ark, 1 Chr. 16 relates a composite Psalm, from 105, 96, and 106, which David gave to Asaph to praise the Lord on this occasion. Thus the word that Stephen gives the Jewish religious leaders on this occasion of questions about the temple is the same as that which David gave the religious leaders of his day when he raised a tabernacle to the Lord (an act that might have been viewed with some suspicion, since the official tabernacle was still at Gibeon). c) Thus Stephen is like David in two ways. He reminds the people of God's goodness to them through their history and of their repeated wickedness in rejecting him and his anointed; and answers a charge of heresy with respect to the temple by recalling Israel's history as a pilgrim people. 4. 7:55-56, his heavenly vision. Would draw to the minds of his hearers at least four other biblical characters: a) Isaiah, in ch. 6:1, had a vision of the Lord seated on his throne. b) Ezekiel, in ch. 1, saw heaven opened (1:1) and had a vision of the heavenly throne-chariot. c) Daniel, 7:9-14, saw the Son of Man draw near to the Ancient of Days seated on his throne and receive a dominion from him. These three parallels suggest that Stephen is comparable with these three heros of faith. That itself is a hard pill for the Sanhedrin to swallow. Their anger is stirred even more by a fourth echo, this time not from scripture, but from a hearing they had held in this same chamber only a few months earlier: d) Luke 22:69 and Mark 14:62 record that the Lord himself told this council that they would see the Son of Man at the right hand of God in heaven. Now Stephen stands in their midst and claims to see this very vision, to which their eyes are blind. 5. 7:59-60, Stephen dies as his Lord did. Compare his two dying utterances with two of the Lord's seven last words from the tree: a) 59, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," cf. Luke 23:46, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,' and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." b) 60, he answers their loud cry of anger with a loud cry of intercession, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Compare Luke 23:34, "Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them; 3

4 for they know not what they do.'" 6. Stephen thus stands in the line of heros of the faith: Moses, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Lord Jesus himself. He is as faithful to the biblical standard as the Jews are faithless. The divergence between them could not be stronger or more complete. Summary Gal. 4:22-5:1. In Paul's day, the Jews held pride of place as the children of the flesh. Today, liberal theologians espouse a broader notion of the "children of God," but it is still true that some are only after the flesh, others are after the Spirit, and the flesh persecutes the Spirit. Be sure you're in the right family. Hymn: 183, "The Son of God goes Forth to War." Note 2nd stanza, about Stephen. Analysis The entire chapter is an interchange between the Sanhedrin and Stephen. A. 6:8, Stephen works wonders and miracles via faith and power (cf. ascription to Moses, 7:36). B. 6:9-14, Hellenistic jews: false accusations. C. 6:15, Stephen: face shines like Moses (Exod. 34:35). D. 1, Sanhedrin: quote p: inquiry. 1. quote f: 1 Ei)^pen de\ o( a)rxiereu/s, 2. quote: Ei) tau^ta ou(/tws e)/xei; E. 2-53, Stephen's defense: direct and scriptural. F. 54, Sanhedrin: conviction )Akou/ontes de\ tau^ta diepri/onto tai^s kardi/ais au)tw^n 2. kai\ e)/bruxon tou\s o)do/ntas e)p' au)to/n. G , Stephen's vision: the Lord's encouragement. Compare Ezekiel (1:1), Isaiah (ch. 6), Daniel (7:13, "son of Man") u(pa/rxwn de\ plh/rhs pneu/matos a(gi/ou a)teni/sas ei)s to\n ou)rano\n ei)^den do/can qeou^ kai\ )Ihsou^n e(stw^ta e)k deciw^n tou^ qeou^, 2. awareness quote paragraph a) AQ f: 56 kai\ ei)^pen, b) AQ: )Idou\ qewrw^ tou\s ou)ranou\s dihnoigme/nous kai\ to\n ui(o\n tou^ a)nqrw/pou e)k deciw^n e(stw^ta tou^ qeou^. H , Sanhedrin: rejection. 1. A: crying with a loud voice a) 57 kra/cantes de\ fwnh^ mega/lh sune/sxon ta\ w)^ta au)tw^n, b) kai\ w(/rmhsan o(moqumado\n e)p' au)to/n, 4

5 2. B: stoned him 58 kai\ e)kbalo/ntes e)/cw th^s po/lews e)liqobo/loun. 3. C: Saul kai\ oi( ma/rtures a)pe/qento ta\ i(ma/tia au)tw^n para\ tou\s po/das neani/ou kaloume/nou Sau/lou. I , Stephen: faith and love. the second B sections emphasize Stephen's control in the situation, laying down his life as his Lord had. 1. B: stoned him comment p--shift of character focus through a comment p. a) text: 59 kai\ e)liqobo/loun to\n Ste/fanon Repetition of the verb as transitional device. b) comment: quote p (cf. Luke 23:46, the Lord's cry from the cross) 1) quote f: e)pikalou/menon kai\ le/gonta, 2) quote: Ku/rie )Ihsou^, de/cai to\ pneu^ma/ mou. 2. A: cried with a loud voice: quote p Contrast "ran upon him" with "kneeled down". (Luke 23:34) a) quote f: 60 qei\s de\ ta\ go/nata e)/kracen fwnh^ mega/lh, b) quote: Ku/rie, mh\ sth/sh s au)toi^s tau/thn th\n a(marti/an. 3. B: stoned him kai\ tou^to ei)pw\n e)koimh/qh. 5