Acts 7:57-60 57But after crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and rushed with one mind at him. 58Then after casting him out of the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And they were stoning Stephen, while he called out and was saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And after saying this, he fell asleep.
These verses are brief yet descriptive of several significant events. In verse 57, the Sanhedrin gave their verdict of Stephen in a visible way by screaming, putting their hands over their ears, and charging toward him. Instead of humbling themselves before God and heeding the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they went the opposite way and lived out their rebellion by taking out their anger on God’s prophet. They concluded that Stephen was blaspheming and lying about seeing a vision of Jesus and God’s throne. Luke does not mention any formal verdict of guilt, only the emotional reaction of the mob of the gathered council of Jews.
The Sanhedrin did just what Stephen described that their ancestors did. Because of that, they would face the same outcome as their ancestors. Sadly, history tells the story of the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, the loss of many lives, and many elements of Jewish culture, all within a generation of Stephen’s speech. We cannot say for sure that the fall of Jerusalem was the result of God’s judgment upon the leaders, but the parallels with Jeremiah’s day are significant and noteworthy. Minimally, on an individual level, each of these leaders rejected the good news God offered through the apostles, Stephen, and other early believers. These people knew what the Scriptures say about Israel’s rebellion, but failed to see it in their own lives. What kept them from faith? Part of it was their traditions that had strayed from the heart of God. Another issue was their fear of losing control and the desire to keep their power and influence. The new Jesus movement threatened all of that.
Their next significant act was to take Stephen outside Jerusalem and stone him. Jerusalem was considered a holy city, so such a deed needed to take place outside of it. The punishment of stoning for blasphemy is described in Leviticus 24:16. It is a terrible and slow way to die, as the blows continue to injure, eventually maim, and then cause concussion, bleeding, and death. John 18:31 suggests that the Jews did not have Roman approval to put someone to death. The mob was so overwhelmed with anger that it bypassed any such regulation.
A third item Luke notes is the introduction of Saul, who becomes one of the key characters in the second half of the book. Witnesses describes those who heard Stephen’s testimony. They could have been part of the Sanhedrin, but that is not clearly stated. They could have heard the whole ordeal as bystanders and acted on behalf of the Sanhedrin or on their own. The exact persons who stoned Stephen is not significant. Luke may include the word witnesses here because of the mention of Saul. It is possible that Saul heard all that Stephen said. Saul was a scholar of the Old Testament and knew it well, as evidenced by the many letters he wrote contained in our New Testament. He could make the necessary connections between Israel’s history and the situation happening at that point in time. However, he was a witness to all that was happening at that point. The other witnesses took their cloaks off likely so that they could better throw rocks at Stephen. Luke notes that Saul was a young man. It is impossible to know Saul’s age, but it is possible he was in his 20s or early 30s.
The final significant note in this chapter is Stephen’s last words. His dying breaths were a prayer. He was like Jesus as he died on the cross. First, he cried for Jesus to receive his spirit, like Jesus prayed that the Father would receive his spirit (Luke 23:46). Stephen’s commitment and faith were totally in Jesus. He was confident that the Resurrected One would also raise him from death. Second, he prayed for the forgiveness of his executioners, like Jesus did (Luke 23:34). As Jesus taught, Stephen prayed for his enemies, who were ignorant, hard-hearted, or so blinded by their traditions that they missed God’s grace. Someone would have had to be close to hear his words. It is possible that Saul heard what Stephen said and later recounted it to Luke. Falling asleep was an ancient idiom for death, especially for Christians who believe death is only temporary, like sleep. Stephen and all believers will awake in the presence of Jesus. That is our hope. Stephen is a powerful example of endurance, faith, confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and courage to speak forth the gospel.
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