Hi friends,
At the end of Acts 7, we read about the stoning of Stephen:
When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.
As an aside, I think it’s remarkable that Stephen has the faith to pray for the forgiveness of those who are throwing stones at him to kill him.
But the main way this passage shaped my heart today is to see how clearly it contrasts the false and foolish judgment of others vs the final and true judgment of God.
As David Williams explains in the UTB Commentary,
The thought may be that [Jesus] had risen to receive Stephen into heaven or to plead his case in the heavenly court, as though two trials were in progress: this one, conducted by the Sanhedrin, and another, which alone would determine Stephen’s fate (cf. Matt. 10:28).
In this life, we often only see the evaluations of other people. But in this passage, we get a glimpse into a parallel reality.
God sees everything that is happening, and he will provide the final verdict.
Why be afraid of what others think?
May we be filled with the Holy Spirit, have our hearts fixed upon God’s perspective, and live with love for others — even our enemies.