Stephen and Saul

“dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:58)

 

Stephen and Saul at the time of the early church were extremely contrasting figures. But the end of their lives as the martyrdom was same one another. Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem and Paul in Rome while evangelizing for Jesus Christ. From the fact they had been in opposite position at first but they ended up the life the same looks, we can have two realizations. That how unrighteous and miserable in the past I was before becoming the changed in Christ, and yet the Lord forgave all wrongs and renewed me, these are. Saul became a great leader of the church in a new name Paul later, but Stephen has not left name especially except the martyrdom compared to Paul.

 

The event of Stephen’s martyrdom, clearly recorded in the Bible, makes his life and name shine forever. Not only being famous as the first martyr of the early church, but his brave posture testified Christ without submitting a bit in the face of death is as too great as not to be able to be compared to any other persons. Stephen asserted minutely Jesus is the Messiah prophesied from the Old Testament historically. The Jews who listened to Stephen’s words were conscience-stricken greatly, but rather flew at him gritting their teeth to kill Stephen. Even if one is a bad person in behaviors, one can distinguish which is a right thing or not. However, the guys in front of Stephen did never think what’s right, but they tried only to attack him with hostility. As we know, when the sun shines, the living seeds grow receiving the light, but the dead seeds wither and dry and rot away because of the light.

In Stephen’s soul, the glory of God and the heavenly throne of Jesus Christ were clearly visible. He informed shouting out to the crowd the glory of the sky he saw. But they had covered their ears because they didn’t want to hear that, and rushed furiously in order to kill Stephen. The story of experiences in faith that Christians confess is not a thing like the empty telling by a mental patient. Mental patient has no ability to consistently state what oneself has said or done. But Christians, even though they can’t interpret one’s own experience of faith one by one right now, can describe the process with one’s spiritual feeling. And with the passage of time and circumstances, the breadth of experienced understanding widens gradually. Thus the Christians’ eye need to note, only the glory of God and the throne of Christ in the heaven.

There were people who shouted out to kill Stephen with explosive excitement, and a young man named Saul was among them. Saul as an instigator of the pack, who made Stephen be killed by persecution. Meanwhile, Stephen being dying stoned cried out this, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” in loud voice. Steven, not only did he show the conviction of faith, but he showed also an amazing love for the enemy. Saul, on the contrary, approved the guys of killing Stephen. Through seeing this situation, we realize a fact Stephen was already a great teacher for Saul. Even if a man is of knowledge and good family and power, he cannot become a great teacher by those things. Stephen had an orthodox faith in Jesus Christ, and his soul was filled with grace of faith, looking at God’s glory and the Lord’s throne.

Moreover, Stephen prayed for his enemy with a heart of pure love. He was indeed a wonderful saint, with faith, hope and love. In Corinthians 13:13, Paul the Apostle mentioned faith, hope and love, and he said that love was the best of the three. We understand Paul because he had become a renewed person in Jesus, but Paul’s heart would had to be no choice but to do very heavy from that pain if he had thought of his past wrongdoings that caused Stephen to die. People usually try to judge his present by looking at someone's past. But true change by the Spirit of Christ cuts the past off from the present. And the rebirth through Christ demands him to repent it sincerely until death, on one’s sins. Paul the Apostle publicly admitted that himself was the worst of the sinners. He who really confesses one’s sins is a man who is a truly qualified person to say on Christ.

 

Stephen is the greatest man who evangelized Christ by giving one’s own life. On the other hand, Saul is a bad man who had killed the saints who follow Christ and persecuted the church. We could see the true love of Christ through Stephen being at the moment of death. And God listened to Stephen’s wish praying for the enemy. Saul, who had been the leader of the persecutors, was born again a new man of Christ’s resurrection. Saul, who had destroyed the church, was made anew into a great leader for the church. Oh, Lord, let me become Your true disciple first of all!

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Oct 30th 2022)