An Analysis of Stephen's Speech (Acts 7)
Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen to serve the burgeoning Christian community in Jerusalem, stands as a pivotal figure in the early church. Described as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 6:5) and "full of faith and power" (Acts 6:8), his ministry was marked by great wonders and miracles. However, his powerful proclamation of Christ soon drew the ire of Jewish leaders, particularly those from the Synagogue of the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, who were unable to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake (Acts 6:10). Consequently, Stephen was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin, accused of blasphemy against Moses, God, the holy place, and the law (Acts 6:11-14). His defense, recorded in Acts 7, is not a simple plea of innocence but a profound theological exposition and a prophetic indictment of his accusers, ultimately leading to his martyrdom. This speech serves as a masterclass in biblical interpretation, demonstrating God's sovereign plan and Israel's consistent resistance to His will.
Stephen's Defense Strategy: A Historical Recounting
Stephen's approach to his defense is remarkable. Instead of directly refuting the charges of blasphemy against the temple and the Law, he embarks on a lengthy historical review of Israel, beginning with Abraham and culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ. His strategy is to demonstrate that God's presence and activity have never been confined to a physical temple or solely to the Mosaic Law. Furthermore, he systematically exposes a recurring pattern in Israel's history: the rejection of God's chosen messengers and a persistent resistance to the Holy Spirit. By recounting their own history, Stephen turns the accusation back on his accusers, revealing their spiritual blindness and their ultimate rejection of God's final messenger, Jesus.
God's Presence: Unconfined by Temple or Land
One of Stephen's primary arguments is that God's presence and interaction with His people predated and transcended the temple and even the land of Israel. He meticulously traces God's appearances and covenants throughout history:
The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
This demonstrates that God's glory is not restricted to a specific geographical location or a man-made structure, but is sovereign and global.
And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
God's presence was evident even in a foreign land and through a rejected deliverer, providing salvation for Jacob's household.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
This further underscores God's transcendence of physical boundaries. Even the Tabernacle, built under Moses' direction, was a mobile tent, symbolizing God's readiness to move with His people. It was a temporary dwelling, not a permanent, fixed structure.
Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?
This direct quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2 serves as a powerful refutation of the accusers' idolatrous veneration of the Temple, reminding them that God's true dwelling is in the hearts of His people and in the vastness of His creation, not in a building.
Israel's Persistent Rebellion and Persecution of Prophets
Concurrent with demonstrating God's unconfined presence, Stephen meticulously unveils a darker thread woven through Israel's history: a pattern of stubbornness, rebellion, and rejection of God's chosen messengers. This is where his historical recount becomes a direct accusation.
- Rejection of Joseph: The patriarchs themselves, the very ancestors revered by the Sanhedrin, sold Joseph into slavery out of envy (Acts 7:9). Yet, God used Joseph to deliver them. This foreshadows the rejection of Christ.
- Rejection of Moses: Despite God sending Moses as a deliverer, the Israelites initially rejected him, asking, "Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?" (Acts 7:27). Even after witnessing God's mighty acts through Moses, they rebelled in the wilderness, fashioning a golden calf and turning to idolatry.
This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
Stephen highlights their idolatry by quoting Amos 5:25-27, revealing their deep-seated tendency to worship false gods even while carrying the Tabernacle of witness.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
- Persecution of Prophets: Stephen delivers a stinging rebuke, asserting that Israel consistently persecuted and killed the prophets sent by God to warn them and to foretell the coming of the Messiah.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
This accusation directly connects their historical pattern of rebellion to their contemporary actions.
The Climax: The Betrayal and Murder of the Righteous One
Stephen's historical survey culminates in a direct and devastating indictment. He brings the pattern of rejection to its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. The "Just One" whom the prophets foretold, the very Messiah they claimed to await, was betrayed and murdered by them. This accusation directly refutes the charges against him; Stephen is not blaspheming God or Moses, but rather exposing the Sanhedrin's true blasphemy: their rejection and crucifixion of God's own Son. They, who received the Law "by the disposition of angels," have not kept it, but have instead resisted the Holy Spirit and murdered the very embodiment of God's righteousness (Acts 7:53).
The Accusation and Its Significance
Having laid out the historical evidence, Stephen delivers his final, scathing pronouncement:
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
This statement is a profound spiritual accusation. "Stiffnecked" refers to their stubborn rebellion, a term often used by God in the Old Testament to describe Israel's disobedience. "Uncircumcised in heart and ears" points to their spiritual unresponsiveness, their inability to truly hear and obey God's voice, despite their physical circumcision and adherence to external rituals. Stephen argues that their historical pattern of rejecting God's messengers culminated in their rejection of Jesus, the ultimate messenger, and now, their resistance to the Holy Spirit manifesting through His followers.
Conclusion: A Prophetic Testimony
Stephen's speech in Acts 7 is far more than a legal defense; it is a powerful theological treatise and a prophetic sermon. It meticulously demonstrates that God's plan of salvation transcends human institutions, whether the temple or the Law, and has always centered on His sovereign choice and the sending of His messengers. It exposes the tragic irony of a people who boasted in their heritage and their adherence to the Law, yet consistently resisted the very God who gave it and murdered those who spoke on His behalf. Stephen's vision of Jesus "standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55) is his final, triumphant testimony to the resurrected Christ, a truth that enraged his accusers to the point of violence.
His martyrdom, mirroring that of Christ, with a prayer for his persecutors (Acts 7:60), became a catalyst for the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem. Stephen's speech effectively dismantled the Jewish leaders' claims to spiritual authority based on external adherence to the Law and the Temple, paving the way for the understanding that true worship is "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) and that God's presence is not limited by human constructs. It stands as a timeless reminder of the human tendency to resist divine truth and the unwavering sovereignty of God in fulfilling His redemptive purposes through His Son, Jesus Christ.