Stephen Speaks & is Stoned: The Deacon Deals with Exodus and Dies for It (Acts 6:8-8:3)
Introduction: Costly Speeches
Talk is cheap, it is said. It is only words, we think.
But some people pay a high price for what they say. Salman Rushdie writes the Satanic Verses, and lives under the threat of death from a Fatwah[1]. A Danish cartoonist exercises free speech, but now needs round the clock protection[2]. And of course, that’s the latest version of the same thing. In a previous generation, Martin Luther King was assassinated for his views.
What we had read for us is Stephen’s great legacy. They were his last words. It was spoken on the day of his death. For after Stephen said these things, he was murdered.These words were sealed with the blood of the one who spoke them. He died for the content of this speech.
Context
Now we are introduced to Stephen in Acts chapter 6. And Stephen is brought before us because of grumbling in the church.
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained [literally, grumbled] against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. (Acts 6:1-2 NIV)
Do you know what grumbling is? Let’s just have a demonstration. OK, ready, grumble ... This under the breath chattering and murmuring and grumbling. I’m sure it’s not the first time for you or me. Fumm en num en num… Why does he always , why does she always , why do I have to, this isn’t fair, I feeling like punching his…. Fum en num en num.Well, it is going on in the Jerusalem church. See, the early church wasn’t perfect. Because it was made up of sinners, like you and me. It happened in Exodus (Ex 16:7,8,9,12; cf Nu 17:5, 10). They murmured because there wasn’t enough meat. And it happened in the early church.
Though they had better reason. Some people in the church were not getting fed. That doesn’t mean they missed out on a cup of tea and biscuit after church. Nor that they missed out on an ice cream after dinner. They were not eating at all, because this is in the days before social security. There is no widows pension. You either are provided for, or you go hungry. This was happening to the Greek speaking Jewish widows. They seemed to be overlooked by the Hebrew speaking church leaders. They were particularly vulnerable because they didn’t speak Aramaic, only Greek. Think of little old Chinese or Middle eastern ladies you see down the shops. Too old really to learn English. So they are vulnerable. And that was the Greek speaking widows situation. So the Greek speakers had a complaint.
The Apostles solution was this. We won’t do it ourselves. Because our job is to preach and pray. But it’s an important job. It needs to be done. So you choose seven men who you think are mature Christians. And we will appoint them to do the job. And Stephen is one of those men.
But Stephen seems singled out. He heads the list of the seven. He is described differently to the others. Luke goes out of his way to say that he is, chapter 6 verse 5, ‘a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit’. Chapter 6 verse 8, ‘full of grace and power’. Even performing miracles and signs among the people. Chapter 6 verse 10, no one can stand against him, because of his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke. And finally in chapter 6 verse 15, the whole court that observes him sees that his face was like the face of an angel. I’d say Luke is singling Stephen out, thinking that Stephen is special among the 7.
And perhaps it is for this reason that some enemies single him out. His enemies are people just like him. Stephen is (probably) a Greek speaking Jew from outside Judah. And those who oppose him are Greek speaking Jews from outside Judah[3]. But there is a big difference of course. Stephen has become a Christian, and the Synagogue of the Freedmen have not. And probably among this synagogue is a young Cilesian Jew, Saul of Tarsus.
These fellow Jews, fellow Greek speakers, bring charges against Stephen. The charges are simply this. According to his opponents, Stephen has been saying that Jesus will bring changes. He will destroy the temple. That’s a change. And he will change the Mosaic customs (Acts 6:14). This they interpret as speaking against the law and the temple (6:13). And this in turn is speaking blasphemy against Moses and God (6:11). Luke calls them false witnesses (6:13). But we don’t know what Stephen was actually saying. So the only way we can judge what aspect of the accusation was false[4] is by reading Stephen’s speech.
Stephen’s speech is the longest in Acts. And he surveys great swathes of Old Testament history. But he is not just telling the story of the Old Testament. Stephen has carefully selected what he wants to tell the people to answer the twin charges. They say I’ve spoken against the law of Moses and the temple. Well, OK, I’ll answer those charges.
Stephen’s summary of Genesis (Acts 7:1-16)
Stephen starts off by summarizing the Genesis story, from Abraham to Joseph. We looked at that last term before the holidays. And Stephen draws the same conclusion that you may recall I drew from it. Which shouldn’t be surprising, because I got it from Stephen, though I didn’t tell you that. Look at Acts 7 verses 5 to 7:
He [God] gave him [Abraham] no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.' (NIV)
We see two points here. First, that Abraham did not possess the land. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, he was looking forward to heaven, a better inheritance. And secondly, his descendants would have to wait 400 years to receive the land. In the meantime, they would be slaves and mistreated.
And both of these facts are important for both us, and for Stephen. They remind us that even Abraham didn’t receive the good things that were promised during his life. Abraham didn’t get to own the land, though God promised it to his descendants. Which reminds us that getting ‘land’ was not the important thing about Abraham’s relationship with God. Because Abraham didn’t get any land, except a burial plot, and he had to buy that, and he got ripped off. So if Abraham’s relationship with God was about ‘land’, he got ripped off. But Abraham’s relationship with God was really about Abraham trusting God for everything – the things he needed in the present, and most importantly, what God was going to do in the future. Abraham lived by faith, not by sight. And trusting God means waiting patiently for the good things God promises and faithfully enduring hardship. Stephen says this because the people who are accusing him over-value the land and the temple. They don’t understand why God gave the people the land. And they think that the fact God gave the land and the temple to Israel means that God will not do anything outside of the land and apart from the temple. But in fact, God is going to be working outside of the land and the temple.
He also reminds us that trusting God doesn’t mean that you will have an easy life. Stephen knew this. After all, he is going to die after he finishes speaking. The people in the Exodus had to learn this, too. Because in the desert, God would test them with various hardships, so that they would trust him.
Stephen’s summary of Exodus (Acts 7:17-50)
The first accusation against Stephen is that he speaks against the law of Moses. (6:13). They think that because Stephen says that God is going to change the customs, he is speaking against Moses and the law.
But saying that something was only for a limited time is not necessarily to speak against it.
Who likes steam trains? On our holidays we went on the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow. They put faces on the front of the Steam Trains so they looked like Thomas the Tank Engine. They had a men dressed up as the Fat Controller. It was great fun. The trains would let off steam and these huge plumes of steam. And they had great loud whistles. Steam Trains are great. Now that doesn’t mean I want SRA to convert all our Tangara’s and Millenium Electric trains back to steam engines. Because Diesel trains or Electric trains are much more efficient, much cheaper, much cleaner, much quieter.
It’s like Harley Davidsons. Harley Davidsons are old technology. They are noisy, bumpy, uncomfortable bikes. A modern Japanese bike goes much more quietly and comfortably. They are probably faster, too. I’ve never seen a Harley Davidson’s win a bike race? But plenty of Honda’s and Yamaha’s have. But people don’t spend tens of thousands on a Harley because they are comfortable or quiet or efficient. They get them because they are a Harley.
The Law of Moses
It is the same with the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses had an important function when it was given. It was the constitution of Israel. It showed how people were to act fairly and justly in Israelite society. It showed the people how they were to worship YHWH. It told them the fine print of how they could love their neighbor. But most importantly, it showed them that they could not get right with God by keeping the law. The law made them conscious of their sin, so they might seek a savior.
Stephen is accused of being against Moses, and his accusers say they are for Moses. But Stephen points out that Moses was rejected by Israel. He was rejected by the Israelite that was mistreating his brother (Acts 7:23-28). He was rejected by the people in the desert (v35). They wanted to worship a Golden calf rather than obey Moses (v39-41).
And the people of Israel now are the same. They are still rejecting Moses, even though they think they are defending him. For Stephen reminds them in Acts 7 verse 37:
This is that Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.' (Acts 7:37-38 NIV)
God said, expect another prophet like me.. When Stephen says this, he is drawing from another book of Moses, the book of Deuteronomy 18:18-19.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. (NIV)
A prophet like Moses is not just one who correctly predicts the future. There were plenty of prophets who did that. But none of them were like Moses. Because Moses set up a covenant. God used Moses to set up a whole way of relating with God for the people of Israel. Moses established a whole way of dealing with God, including a sacrificial system and tabernacle/temple worship, and laws about every aspect of life, including food, marriage, family and social life. No other prophet in the Old Testament was like Moses, setting up a whole way that God’s people would relate to God.
There was one Old Testament Prophet who wanted to be like Moses. Elijah. He was the only prophet left in Israel. The rest had been killed. And YHWH had been rejected by both King and people. So Elijah returned to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 commandments and the Covenant. He went there to see if God would do anything about the covenant that his people rejected. Would God set up a new Covenant through him? But God met him only with silence. Elijah was not to be the prophet like Moses. He would not set up a whole way of relating with God. He was not a prophet like Moses.
But Jesus was. Jesus was the prophet like Moses. That’s why Stephen was saying that Jesus would change the customs. Jesus would change customs like circumcision, and the food laws, and temple worship, and Sabbath observance. He would make it clear that we are not saved by keeping God’s law, but by faith. Because Jesus was like Moses in that he brought in a new Covenant. Only a prophet like Moses sets up a Covenant. Not just any Prophet can do that. Not even Elijah. And Jesus was that Prophet. And because the Covenant Jesus sets up is new, we should expect some things to change. Just like Moses brought in many new things, like a tabernacle, and a sacrificial system, and a Levitical priesthood, and only one place to worship God. So Jesus brings in new things. And these new things will show that the old things are now obsolete. They have done their job, and need to be retired. Just like a Steam Engine or a Harley Davidson. They are good for entertaining children or having tourist rides. But they are not really useful for serious commuter travel.
Stephen’s hearers should have known that the new Prophet like Moses would bring changes. The miracles Jesus did showed that he was the prophet Moses spoke of. Yet they did not listen.
We must remember this when we look at Exodus. At one level, we are looking at a Museum piece. We are seeing the way God dealt with his people under an old agreement.Some things will be quaint. Some things will be strange and foreign to us. And the laws will not apply in the same way.
Reading Exodus is a bit like looking at the black and white photos of your great great grandparents. You will learn things about yourself and where you came from when you look at them. You will see your own resemblance in their faces. For you are from the same family, so the family resemblance is there. But there are great differences, for you live in a different world. And you can’t go back to 19th century to live that life.
So it is with us. We will see reflections of ourselves in Exodus. Because their God is the same God. And the people of Israel were his people They were saved by the same God of grace who saves us. They had to respond in obedience in the same way that we must. They had to trust God beyond what their eyes could see just like we have to. And they saw God faithful to his promises just as we must. But they did it in a context that is now obsolete. And we do it in a new context, because Jesus has set up a new covenant in his blood. So when we look at Exodus, some things will be different, and some will be the same. The Temple It is the same with the temple. One of the most important things the Law of Moses did was establish a tabernacle.
The Tabernacle & the Temple
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance – the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, your hands established. (Exodus 15:17 NIV)
Thirteen chapters of Exodus describe the construction of the tabernacle. This was the infrastructure of Old Covenant worship. The tabernacle was a tent, basically a portable temple. The Levites moved it around in the desert. And after the people came into the promised land, a long time after it, God allowed them to make a permanent place. Moses said they that Israel had to worship only in one place, the place God chose. And God chose Jerusalem, during the time of King David. That is where Solomon built the temple. And when it was finished, God made it clear to his people that he dwelt among his people:
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place [after installing the Ark], the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service, because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple (1 Kings 8:10 NIV).
Both tabernacle and the temple had two rooms, and an outer courtyard. In the outer courtyard, people offered sacrifices. So it was a cross between an abbotoir, an outdoor BBQ, baths and picnic area. In the first room, the priests would burn incence, probably because all that blood and slaughter had a strong smell. They also kept bread on a table and kept candles alight. They went in that place, called the Holy Place, every day. But at heart of the temple was the Holy of Holies. That was the back room. Before the exile, it housed the Ark of the Covenant and the 10 commandments. And the priest could go in only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. And he went in only after lots of sacrifice. And he sprinkled blood over the top of the Ark of the Covenant.
But at the very time when God was filling the temple with his cloud and kicking out all the priests, Solomon pulls on the handbrake. Something's not right.This is what he says:
But will God really dwell on earth. The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! (1 Kings 8:27 NIV)
Solomon in the midst of big time legitimate hype, is having a reality check. He realises that God can't be put into a box. He can't pigeon hole him. He cannot say "Stay God ... sit God ... good God". God doesn't need Solomon or his temple.
And so there is a tension. God really dwells in the temple. They had the cloud to prove it. Yet he does not dwell there really. He does not dwell in houses made by men (Acts 7:48; 17:24).
Solomon's temple, if you like, has in-built obsolescence. Like when you buy something with a 6 month warranty, and after 6 months everything goes wrong with it! It has a limited shelf-life. It cries out for a better tabernacle, a better temple.
And this is what Stephen says He simply is reminding them what Solomon said at the opening of the temple. Acts 7:48-50:
"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:"'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?' (Acts 7:48-50 NIV)
And Jesus is the one who fulfills the temple. When Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn in two. That showed there was a new way to God. Not through the temple of stone, but through Jesus’ body. Jesus died to bring us into the very presence of God. And so his body is the real temple, which replaces the Jerusalem temple. And we can worship anywhere now, for we pray through the risen Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God as our temple, making our prayers acceptable to God his Father.
So as we read Exodus, we will read about the Law of Moses and the Temple. However, we will not read them Christianly, as Christians, without understanding that Jesus brings a new Covenant and has fulfilled the law of Moses. And we will not understand Jesus unless we see that he is the true temple, the place where we meet God.
Let’s pray.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy
[3] Barrett, 1:324
[4] See Seyoon Kim, Paul and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul’s Gospel, 23-24. ‘From the opponent’s point of view, the charge that Stephen criticized the temple and the law was literally true, insofar as he attacked the cult of the Jerusalem temple and thereby also the law that both required and regulated the cult. However, for Stephen, Luke and the other Christians who had come to believe that in Jesus Christ’s atoning death the cult was fulfilled and superseded, faith in him and obedience to his way was the true way of observing the law as well as the true cult. So, from their point of view, they were not cricizing the cult and the law as such; they were only criticising the existing cult system and the Jews’ current practice of law observance as not according to God’s will (p24).