Stephen: Deacon and Martyr:
A Man who Found the True Way to Life

Easter Five, May 18, 2014


Acts 6:1–9; 7:2a, 51–60 [Stephen.]

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
And Stephen said:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6.) Today we are going to talk about Stephen: Deacon and Martyr: a Man who Found the True Way to Life

Stephen is known for two things. He was one of the first deacons of the church, and he was the first Christian martyr. First let’s look at his work as a deacon, and then look at his martyrdom.

A “deacon” is someone who does service for the church. The Bible word “deaconia” means “service.” At different places at different times and different churches, the work of a deacon can be very different. Sometimes a deacon is an assistant pastor or minister. The deacon will preach, teach confirmation classes, lead worship, perform the sacraments, and call on the sick and shut-ins. This type of deacon is ordained in a church service with prayers and the laying on of hands, just like a pastor, just like St. Stephen and the other six deacons in the Book of Acts. The requirements for a deacon today are the same as in the early church, as we read in Acts 6, “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” Some churches that do not ordain women to the pastoral office will ordain women, called “deaconesses,” to be almost like an assistant pastor, they can teach confirmation classes and do various kinds of ministry, but they usually do not preach or perform the sacraments. But like St. Stephen, they have a calling to serve the Lord and the Church. In some churches, a deacon is the same as an elder. Or a deacon might be any member of the church council. Or sometimes the deacon might be the church janitor or the one who rings the church bells on Sunday morning. But in any case, a deacon is a person who serves the Lord and the Church. There is the expression of “the priesthood of all believers.” It means that all Christians, like a priest or pastor, pray and speak the Gospel of love and forgiveness and are active in the ministry of the church. I have never heard of the expression “the deaconhood of all believers,” but I think it would be a good expression, because all Christians have the ministry of service to Christ and the Church.

The first duty of St. Stephen was to help in the “daily distribution to the widows.” The early church was a community that helped each other. Some rich people gave generous contributions to the church, and this money was used to help the poor members, like widows. It seems that “daily distribution” was food. I imagine that is like some churches in America that have a program called “meals on wheels,” where food is delivered daily to shut-ins. In the early church, such welfare service and food distribution was done by the deacons of the church. I am sure that when St. Stephen delivered food, he talked with and prayed with the widows.

Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, a man full of grace and power, doing great wonders and signs among the people. He was also an evangelist, speaking the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When some Jews disputed with Stephen, they refused to believe the Gospel. But Stephen was a good debater. In frustration, they brought Stephen to the Jewish council in order to judge him and have him silenced. This was the same religious court that condemned Jesus. Stephen realized that and it might have worried some people, but Stephen was confident and filled with joy that he would be able to speak the Gospel. Stephen was on trial, but in his speech, Stephen accused and judged the court. He said that just as people had killed the prophets of old, they also betrayed and murdered the “Righteous One,” the Messiah. He said that the court which condemned Jesus were murders. The accusers of Stephen were very angry. We read, “Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.” They were all riled up, but in the midst of that anger, Stephen was completely at peace. “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.””

Then it was like a lynching. They didn’t bother to get permission from the Roman governor to execute him, as they did in the case of Jesus. The mob cast him out of the city and started to stone him. Then Stephen is like the Lord Jesus. He trusts in God, he forgives his enemies. He said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. I like the way it says that he died. Peacefully, fully trusting God, he “fell asleep.”

And so Stephen became the first Christian martyr and the model for all Christians that have given their life to Christ. It is the model of confidence, peace, courage, fulfillment, and deacon-like service to Christ and the Church. When we read the history of the church and its martyrs, we find many who died peacefully forgiving their enemies, even praying for the salvation of their enemies. This is the type of love that can only be learned from the death and resurrection of Jesus. This type of love can only be empowered by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I have asked myself many times if I would be a martyr, or run away and hide to escape death. The Bible word “martyr” means “witness.” We witness to our faith not only in the way we die, but in the way we live. If something is worthwhile dying for, it is in the first place something worthwhile living for. If Christ is a part of your life, then he will also be a part of your death, no matter how you die. If Christ is with you while you are living, he will be with you when you are dying, and with you eternally. It is the love of Christ that makes your life worth living; it is the love of Christ that gives strength and dignity in the time of life and in the time of death, no matter what your life situation is or how you die. Stephen could die in peace because he believed in the Resurrection. He had a vision of Jesus standing and waiting for him in heaven. He knew that Jesus had prepared a mansion for him. That is the vision that we have too. It gives strength and dignity to our life as we serve Christ as his deacons. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” This is the Lord that we serve because he first served us.

Today we honor St. Stephen and all those who have died for the Christian faith. There are people today who face persecution and death just because they are Christians: fore example in the civil and religious unrest in Africa, in many Arab nations, and even in America by disturbed people with guns. We remember those who are persecuted in our prayers. We pray for their comfort and hope and strength. And this prayer also gives us hope and strength in our daily life as deacons in service to Christ, to the Church, and to the world.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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