GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
The Acts of the Apostles, Ch. 7, verse. 51-60, records the martyrdom of St. Stephen. Here, St. Stephen rebukes the Jews of their persecution of the prophets whom God sent to them in times past, including Jesus (who of course was God.) In vehement anger the Jews that were gathered there stoned St. Stephen to death. St. Stephen called out to God to “receive his spirit.” He also asked God to forgive his killers.
Before St. Stephen was stoned he said that he saw the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. All of scripture (OT & NT) records Christ either being “at” or “seated.” Four verses describe him simply as “at” God’s right hand (Acts 2:33, 5:31; Rom.8: 34; and 1Pet.3: 22), and the remainder describe him as seated (Mt.26: 64; Mk.14: 62, 16:19; Lk.22: 69; Acts 2:34; Eph.1: 20; Col.3: 1; Heb.1: 3, 8:1, 10:12, and 12:2). Scholars agree that “at,” although it does not explicitly state that he is seated, implies that nonetheless. So, therefore, the one time that scripture says that Jesus is “standing” at the right hand of God, is one of intrigue and noted discussion. We can say that Christ is standing for St. Stephen as a form of solidarity with him since he is being put to death for Christ. Martyrdom in Greek means, “witness.” In other words, giving your life for Christ is the ultimate way of witnessing your faith. Christ showed his love for us through his death on the Cross, so also St. Stephen shows his love for Christ by being stoned to death. In both cases “sacrifice” was an outworking of love. First, the love Christ had for us. Second, the love St. Stephen had for Christ.
As Orthodox Christians living in the United States, we are not persecuted for our faith. We can worship freely as we please. However, in recent times we have faced changes in our society that challenge the values that we uphold as Christians. Contrary to want we might think, we don’t have to be aggressive and pushy. Rather, what God is asking us to do is work within the context that we are placed in. The context is the time and culture that we are currently living in. It is different from that of St. Stephen’s time. If God calls us to have a face-to-face approach with someone or a group of people, that time will come; and may we be able to be bold for Christ if that time comes. But in the meantime be a witness Christ where we are:
Work: be a witness for Christ at your workplace. Don’t curse. Be honest. Don’t get angry and say something that would embarrass Christ. Be pure in words and deeds. Marriage: be a witness by displaying “sacrificial” love, one that transcends the understanding of this temporal world and demonstrates the love of Christ in married life. Be there for your spouse and children. Help. Bless and not curse. In all things be sacrificial. In another way, St. Stephen is being persecuted and because of this Christ is standing for him. When we are persecuted, either verbal, physically, emotionally unjustly—Christ stands for us. He advocates for us. He becomes our defender and guide. If we go through emotional despair, agony, depression, anxiety or any sort of pain caused by others—know that Jesus is standing and interceding for us to the heavenly Father. We should never feel as though we are alone, Christ is always standing with us.