Acts 6:8 “Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11 Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” 12 So they stirred up the people and elders and scribes. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 They presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”
Stephen, along with six other Christian men, had been selected by the twelve disciples to handle the food distribution to widows, in effect, to be a glorified waiter. But Stephen literally WAS a glorified waiter because wherever Stephen went, God was demonstrating his power in signs and wonders and healings.
Now in Jerusalem there were a number of different groups of Jews, each group trying to prove that they were more religious and more dedicated than the others. One of these groups was the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Looking at the places from which these men had come, it would seem that some of them might have been slaves who had been given or who had earned their freedom and who had remained in Jerusalem. At any rate, the members of this synagogue would have been considered outsiders and just a little bit lower on the social/religious pecking order than Jews who were born in Israel. Perhaps these men picked an argument with Stephen in hopes that they would be able to carry the day and to portray themselves as defenders of the faith.
Unfortunately, things did not work out the way the Freedmen had anticipated. When these men tried to argue with Stephen, “they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.” Failing to win any argument, these men now resorted to hiring false witnesses so that the Sanhedrin became worried and arrested Stephen. (Remember that the Sanhedrin members refused to believe in any after life and also worked closely with the Romans. Members of the Sanhedrin were far more worried about suppressing this upstart cult and maintaining peace than they were about ascertaining the truth.) But when Stephen was brought into the court room, the Holy Spirit was glowing from his face, impressing all who saw him.
There is much more to the story, but let’s look at Stephen a little longer. Jesus warned his disciples in Luke 21:12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors. 13 This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses. 14 So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Stephen’s trial is the first recorded case in which these promises were carried out. And God did give Stephen all the right words. The only problem was that those listening to Stephen did not want to hear the truth and rejected what he said.
Facing accusations of any kind is always very difficult and unnerving. Most of us try our best but we worry that we might not be able to say the right things at the right time. We can take comfort in the story of Stephen. We can rest assured that if we are representing the Lord, at the right time He will give us the words we need and the grace to express ourselves appropriately.
Today business owners and church leaders and others find themselves facing stiff opposition from governing bodies in the matter of when to relax the COVID – 19 restrictions. Many times, these people may be called upon to defend their positions. If we pray, God will give us wisdom to make right decisions and the words we need to defend those decisions.
PRAYER: Father God, today we pray for all those who are trying to resume work, re – open businesses and churches, and otherwise resume more normal lives. Please give these people wisdom to make the right decisions and the courage and grace to defend those decisions. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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