Teachers: this is the first recorded sermon presented to hostile Jews. The sermon in Acts 2 was presented to an astounded, curious audience of Jews and proselytes who were seeking an explanation for the visible coming of the Holy Spirit. The sermon in Acts 3 was presented to a curious audience of Jews (and presumably proselytes) at the temple who were astounded by a miracle of healing. The sermon in Acts 7 is presented to a hostile Jewish audience [the Jerusalem Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel] who despised the speaker and his message. Luke presented Peter's two court statements (Acts 4:8-12; 5:29-32) as brief responses to the court. These two previous encounters of the court with Jewish Christian leadership intensified the court's anger with Christian teachings. The speaker [Stephen] was arrested on the basis of false accusations.
Help your class understand that this sermon was presented in a completely different environment to a hostile audience. The court audience would NOT appreciate the points Stephen made as he applied Jewish history. The court audience would regard Stephen's declarations of Israel's misunderstanding of God's purposes in the law and the temple to be a rejection of the law and the temple.
The Situation: Belief in the resurrected Jesus created a tense, confrontational situation in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders [the Jerusalem Council] resented being held responsible for Jesus' death (Acts 5:28). Even with this tension in Jerusalem, the church grew. Jewish Christians rapidly increased in number there (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:1,7).
The students should understand that Jewish Christian converts to Jesus were increasing in number rapidly in a tense environment that would soon turn hostile and dangerous. Peace was not [and is not] essential to conversion to Jesus Christ. Peace was (and is--1 Timothy 2:1,2) helpful to spreading the message, but its absence does not destroy heart responses to the Savior.
In those conditions, two occurrences were predictable. First, rapid growth produces internal problems. Acts 6:1-6 verifies internal problems occurred. Second, external confrontations produce hostile actions. Acts 4:1-22 and 5:17-40 verify external confrontations produced hostile actions. Once external hostility began, it escalated.
Those two responses are predictable anytime there is rapid growth or serious external confrontations.
The Speaker and the Context: Stephen, who presented this sermon, figured importantly in the internal problems and the external confrontations. Internally, he was selected as one of seven men to oversee the distribution of food to widows. Greek-speaking Jewish Christians in Jerusalem complained that their widows were overlooked in daily food distribution. Stephen was one of seven to see that food distribution was handled fairly without favoritism.
Make certain that the students note that Stephen served in a significant role in both situations. No mention is made of the other six men being a part of both situations. Please stress this does not diminish the significance of their service. Stephen was not more "converted" or "motivated" than the other six. He was a man of exceptional ability. He used all his gifts to benefit God. That is what every Christian man and woman should do: use the gifts and abilities you possess to benefit God. The issue is not centered in what you do, but in how you use your abilities in service.
Perhaps this is worth noting. The more Christians effectively cared for the widows, the more they contrasted their devotion and service to that of the "religious establishment." Devotees to the synagogue were powerless to refute Stephen's understanding of the scriptures (Acts 6:10). His reasoning became even more powerful through the contrast in behavior, sacrifice, and service between Jewish Christians and the Jewish "religious establishment."
In Acts, Luke presents the growing circle of inclusion of the people who could accept the resurrected Jesus as Lord. When it began, the Jerusalem church included (1) Jewish residents of Jerusalem who spoke Aramaic and had family lineage in Palestine; (2) Jewish residents of Jerusalem who spoke Greek and had family lineage outside of Palestine; and (3) proselytes who were not Jewish but had converted to Judaism (2:5,10,14; 6:1). The circle grew bigger with the inclusion of Samaritan believers (Acts 8:5,6,12). It grew bigger still with the inclusion of people in Palestine who were not Jews or converts to Judaism, but believed in the God of the Jews (Acts 10). It grew bigger again to include people outside Palestine who believed in the God of the Jews, but were not Jews or converts to Judaism (Acts 11:19-26). It grew yet bigger to include people who believed in the resurrected Jesus and the God who sent him, but had little or no contact with the Jews (Acts 14:21,22 when examined in contrast to verse 19; Acts 16:33; 17:34). Steven's ministry in the Jerusalem church was involved in the growing circle.
Help students see the expanding circle of inclusion of converts. Verbally, we understand the fact that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Practically, we struggle to expand our circle to include converts who significantly differ from us culturally or socially. Remember, Jews looked with great disrespect on Samaritans. To include Samaritan converts was no small matter. The struggle to include people who were in no way Jewish obviously was more difficult (Acts 10, 15). From the beginning of Christianity, it was [and is] difficult to include converts to Jesus who are different. We must never forget that the difficulty is ours, not God's. God never loves "us" more than "them" or prefers to save "us" more than "them." Exaggerating our spiritual opinion of ourselves excludes us from God. God is repulsed by human arrogance and attracted by humble human dependence.
Steven also had a primary role in the external conflict confronting the church. Greek-speaking Jewish Christians complained that their widows were neglected in the food distribution (Acts 6:1). The congregation chose seven Greek-speaking male Jewish Christians to oversee the food distribution (Acts 6:2-5). The actions and convictions of one of these Greek-speaking Christian men [Stephen] produced a bitter reaction in a Greek-speaking Jerusalem synagogue (Acts 6:9). These Jews were offended by Stephen's powerful words. They (1) argued with him, (2) secretly encouraged men to falsely accuse him of inflammatory statements, and (3) used false witnesses against him at a court trial.
Stephen did not hesitate to use all of his gifts or abilities to serve Jesus. He committed himself to God's eternal purposes in Jesus Christ. He neither felt "I do enough" by helping oversee the food distribution to the widows nor felt "the price is too great" in trying to open the eyes of his people to God's work in Jesus Christ.
The Situation: Cyrenian and Alexandrian Jews who attended the Jerusalem Synagogue of the Freedmen attempted to discredit Stephen. They (and others) falsely accused Stephen of blaspheming the law and God. Their emotionally negative response caused Stephen's arrest and trial. At the trial, false witnesses accused Stephen (1) of speaking against the temple and the law, and (2) of altering ancient Jewish customs. Stephen's sermon is his statement of defense at the trial.
Much too often, Christians resort to unethical acts and behavior when their spiritual conclusions and concepts are challenged by God's purposes. Those who disagreed with Stephen felt justified in using deceit and false witnesses to seek to discredit him. The objective was "to win." They were "right." They lived by and presented "the truth." Thus using ungodly means to discredit someone who threatened their understandings of God's teachings and ways was proper. God never wants [or needs] His people to use ungodly behavior or concepts to defend or preserve His purposes. As Christians, we need to exercise great care not to defend our own pride. It is easy to use defense tactics to defend self while pretending to defend God. God's sincere followers are open to increasing their understanding of God's purposes. Those who belong to Jesus allow Jesus to be their primary example of the appropriate ways to defend God's purposes.
The Audience: The sermon was presented by a Greek-speaking Jew to the leaders of the Jewish nation. The sermons in Acts 2 and 3 were to inquisitive audiences containing receptive individuals. The sermon in Acts 7 was to a hostile audience prejudiced against the speaker. The outcome of the sermons in Acts 2 and 3 focused on the response of receptive listeners. The outcome of the sermon in Acts 7 was an emotional, hostile reaction resulting in the speaker's execution.
Do not miss the fact that a Jewish "outsider" was defending God's purposes in Jesus before a group of Jewish "insiders." Please contrast the outcome of the sermons in Acts 2 and 3 and the outcome of the sermon in Acts 7. The hearts of the audience make all the difference in responses to the message!
The Sermon: Many quickly read through the sermon as if it were (1) a review of Jewish history and (2) an emotional condemnation of the audience. The sermon's theme was simple: our ancestors [the Jewish people of the Old Testament] misunderstood God's purposes in His actions. The conclusion was simple: you make the same mistake our ancestors made.
It is easy to read the sermon with a degree of disinterest. It is important to read the sermon with a basic awareness of what Stephen said to the court.
Most of Stephen's quotations were from the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. Many of the Jews did not understand Hebrew.
Even among the Jews in Palestine, Hebrew was not a common language. Greek was the business language of their day. Because (1) many of the world's people spoke Greek and (2) many of the Jews interacted with populations who were not Jewish, it was necessary to translate Jewish scripture [the Old Testament] into Greek. Most Jews could not understand scriptures when they were read [or discussed] in Hebrew. The earliest Greek translations of Old Testament books were available long before Jesus was born. The Greek translation of the Old Testament was the scripture the first century church used. The original texts of the New Testament were written in Greek. New Testament books were written in the common, everyday Greek language used in market places.
Stephen's sermon is the longest sermon recorded in Acts. Verses 2-14 focus on the pre-Egyptian existence of their ancestors. It began by focusing on the unquestioned, accepted foundation of Israel: God's promise to and covenant with Abraham. Verses 9-14 state how and why the Jewish people went to Egypt. That was commonly understood. Verses 15-45 focused on commonly understood facts but commonly misunderstood purposes. This section focused on Moses. Note Moses wanted to help his people, but was rejected as a ruler and judge (verses 23-28). Note this rejected ruler and judge became God's appointed, commissioned ruler and judge (verse 35). Even after deliverance, the Jews rejected Moses as ruler and judge (verses 39-43). They misunderstood God's purposes in Moses' leadership, the law, and the tabernacle.
It is important for students to understand that Stephen's sermon focused on God's purposes, not on facts. The court did not dispute the facts Stephen presented. The court was angered because Stephen declared that Israel [including this court present and past] misunderstood God's purposes in those facts. [It is important to remember that this court interpreted and applied the law of Moses.]
David and Solomon built God a permanent dwelling place. However, Israel misunderstood the purpose of the temple. Their faith was in the temple instead of the God to be honored by the temple. God's presence is too vast to be confined to a building or a geographic location.
God acted in Israel to give Israel reason to place their faith in Him. Israel misunderstood God's reason for His acts. They commonly misplaced their faith because they misunderstood God's purposes. Thus, they placed their faith in the law instead of God Who gave them the law. They placed their faith in the temple instead of the God Whom the temple honored. It was an old, old problem. (See Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 9:1-6; Isaiah 1:10-15; Jeremiah 7:4.)
Too commonly, before the Babylonian captivity, Judah believed nothing bad could happen to them because they had God's temple. God would not let anything bad happen to the people who had His temple! Their faith was in the temple, not in God.
Stephen said his audience was like their ancestors. [For "stiff-necked" and "uncircumcised hearts," see Deuteronomy 9:5,6; 10:16.] God sent their ancestors the prophets, and their ancestors rejected and killed them. God sent them the Righteous One [Jesus], and they rejected and killed him. Their ancestors did not understand God's purposes in Moses, and the prophets told them so. They did not understand God's purposes in Jesus, and he told them so.
The prophets' messages commonly challenged Israelites to realize that they failed to understand God's purposes. The people did not like it, so they opposed and killed the prophets. Stephen told the court that they did and were doing the same thing.
Stephen did not oppose the law or the temple. He opposed their failure to understand God's purposes in the law and the temple.
Stephen did not oppose the law or the temple. He challenged the court to understand God's purposes. If they understood God's purposes, they would accept Jesus as God's promised Righteous One. They reacted to Stephen's correct understanding by rejecting his presentation of God's purposes and killing him.
Please be aware of the striking similarities between Stephen's death and Jesus' death: both were tried before the Jerusalem counsel; both were falsely accused; both were accused of blasphemy; both were accused of threatening the temple; both [in death] committed their spirits; both asked forgiveness for those who were responsible for their deaths.
Thought questions about people who follow God:
Why do people who hold studied, accepted convictions often resent the person who shares an understanding they need to consider? Why do we tend to exclude people rather than include people?
1. No committed person wants to consider the possibility that he or she was mistaken in a fundamental concept. To be mistaken in a fundamental concept means the person must rethink his or her convictions and views, and rethink his or her approach to convincing others.
It is easy for a committed person to see himself or herself as a judge rather than a follower. It is easy to focus on "what is wrong in their lives" instead of "how best can I serve God." As we increasingly see evil around us and increasingly view ourselves as godly people, we are certain God is deeply offended by the evil. God wants us to attack rather than save. When that becomes our conclusion, our basic Christian mission changes. Our goal becomes condemning evil instead of saving people. We become convinced our God-given mission is fulfilled by condemning evil. With that attitude, we increasingly become judges [installing ourselves in God's role], and decreasingly show compassion to those enslaved by evil. The more that attitude exists in us, the more resentful we are of any person who gives us valid reasons for rethinking our concepts.
2. If we occupy the role of being judges, we include only Christians who think like us and agree with us. We exclude Christians who do not think like us or who disagree with us. The more we become judges, the more difficult it becomes to include dissimilar Christians whose concepts differ with our concepts and thinking. We are comfortable with those who think as we think, who see as we see, whose concepts are our concepts. The key consideration becomes our comfort, not the complete message of scripture. The complete message of scripture makes all of us uncomfortable.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 2, Lesson 7