Mark Bradford's Bible Blog

²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

After making his escape from Damascus, Saul went to Jerusalem. But he wasn’t welcomed with open arms. The church distrusted him, and his former colleagues in the Sanhedrin were not happy with him either. The fear on the part of the believers seems understandable until you remember that Saul had been a Christian for 3 years at that point. Having been away in Arabia, he would not have persecuted anyone for that whole time. But many of the believers in Jerusalem must have had family members who had been arrested, beaten, or even killed by Saul of Tarsus. It would be hard to get over something like that. If a member of my family had been murdered, and the murderer found Jesus in prison, would I believe his conversion was sincere? I honestly don’t know.

But one person stood up for Saul; Barnabas. We first met Barnabas in 4:36-37, when he is named as one who sold property and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet to distribute to the poor. Barnabas is one of the key figures in the Book of Acts. In 11:24, Luke calls him “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Barnabas also took John Mark under his wing after the young man had deserted them in Pamphylia (15:36-41). Where would the early church have been if not for Barnabas and his generous spirit? Barnabas went on to accompany Paul on his journeys later, and was invaluable in spreading the gospel. The church only needs a few Peters and Pauls, but every church can use as many people like Barnabas as we can get.

²⁸So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

In Galatians 1:18, Paul says that he stayed with Peter for fifteen days on this trip to Jerusalem. Imagine the conversations they must have had! I imagine that some of the conflict between Peter and Paul later on must have started here. Paul did not submit to the authority of the apostles, he considered himself one of them (1 Corinthians 1:1, 9:1). Unlike most early believers, he did not receive the gospel from the apostles. He got it from Jesus himself, when Jesus appeared to him. It must have been disconcerting to Peter and the rest of the apostles to have a “free agent” out there claiming equal authority to theirs. But that didn’t happen until later. I just find it interesting that, knowing what came later in their relationship, for his first trip to Jerusalem as a Christian, Saul stayed with Peter for 2 weeks. Apparently he was not welcome with his family in Jerusalem, if he had some. He must have had some place that he stayed when he was there for festivals and meetings of the council. But now he was persona non grata. But Barnabas had vouched for him, and Peter welcomed him into his home.

Saul fearlessly preached the gospel while he was in Jerusalem, but his destiny was not to stay there. After all he done and who he had been in that city, Jerusalem was not the place God wanted him to be. He had too much baggage there. Saul’s purpose was to become the apostle Paul, and to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. The church in Jerusalem had spread to Judea and Samaria, But through Paul’s missionary journeys, it would reach throughout the Roman Empire. After being sent back to Tarsus, it would be 12 years before Saul would be prominent in ministry again, and Barnabas would be at his side when that time came (11:25-26).

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

As he does throughout the Book of Acts, Luke pauses from the narrative to give us a status report on how the church was doing. I’ve seen commentary on this verse which suggests that Luke may have placed this statement here to show a connection between Saul’s leaving Jerusalem and the church enjoying a time of peace. In other words, Luke may be saying that the church had peace because Saul left. Certainly Saul was a magnet for controversy and persecution, so that may well be. Saul was sent to Tarsus for his own safety, but his departure was the best thing for him and for the church.

Verse 31 is the first time that the church in Galilee is mentioned. We don’t know anything about those churches, how they started, or who started them. But it seems like a natural place for some of the apostles to go, since they all were Galileans. Luke tells us four things about the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria: It was strengthened; it was encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, and they lived in the fear of the Lord. These are all things we would want for our churches today. For the early church, it’s significant to me that they lived in the fear of the Lord. The early church had many things to fear; persecution, inprisonment, scourging, and martyrdom. But they didn’t live in fear of those things. They lived in the fear of the Lord.

Mark Bible Acts, Barnabas, Peter, Saul of Tarsus

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²²Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.^[a]

After his conversion, Saul went to stay with other believers in Damascus. These were the very people he had been sent to arrest, and now he is a guest in their home! As a Pharisee and student of the great rabbi Gamaliel (5:33-39, blog), Saul was able to take advantage of the synagogue custom that allowed any educated Jewish man to read and comment on the scriptures. Jesus often did this same thing (Luke 4:14-21). Saul used that opportunity to read from the prophets and show how Jesus had fulfilled those prophecies, and therefore must be the Messiah. Naturally, those who heard him were astonished at the change in him. This was a greater miracle than the signs and wonders they had seen so far. What’s a greater miracle, healing the sick or changing someone’s heart?

²³After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

The key phrase in verse 23 is after many days. In Galations 1:13-18, Paul describes what he did during this time. He went to Arabia for three years, probably for study and prayer, then returned to Damascus. Once he began preaching again in Damascus, that was when the plot to kill him occurred. His escape from Damascus is similar to the escape of the spies from Jericho in Joshua 2:15. Sometimes, when God provides a way of escape, angels open the doors of the prison and people just walk right out (5:18-20). Other times, they had to rely on people and their own wits. But whether it’s through divine intervention or through people, if it’s God’s plan for us to escape, he provides a way.

I am overloaded with work for the next couple of weeks, and so I will need to take the next few chapters in smaller chunks. Tomorrow I’ll blog on Saul’s trip to Jerusalem.

Mark Bible Acts, Damascus, Saul of Tarsus

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

Saul, having been struck blind at his vision of Jesus, spent 3 days at the house of Judas on Straight Street. Incidentally, Straight Street still exists in Damascus today. I imagine that this house belonged to a supporter of the chief priests, or maybe it was the home of a relative or friend of Saul’s. This must have been the house where he had planned to stay during his time in Damascus. It was not the home of a believer. Saul spent 3 days there, fasting and praying. His conversion to belief in Jesus was not yet complete. I wonder if God intended for Saul to remain in this state for that long, or if it took Saul that long to admit his sin and say yes to Jesus. Whatever the case, it seems God spoke to Ananias and Saul in visions at the same time. Ananias received his vision instantly, but Saul only received his after 3 days of blindness, fasting, and prayer. I think it’s possible that the reason it took 3 days for God to show Saul this vision was that Saul’s heart was hard. It’s more difficult for us to hear God speak when our hearts are hardened. Lord, keep my heart tender so I can hear you right away like Ananias did!

¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Ananias was understandably alarmed when God told him who he was to meet. Word had gone around the believers that Saul had been persecuting the church at Jerusalem and was on his way to do the same in Damascus. His question to God, essentially, is, “Lord, don’t you know what kind of guy this Saul is?” As if God didn’t have all of the facts! God didn’t reply, “Yes, I know all about him.” He just said “Go!” God can handle our dumb questions, but he doesn’t usually answer them. If I had been in Ananias’ place, I would not only have been nervous about meeting Saul, but I would have had a hard time with being told I was to go and place my hands on someone to restore their sight! Imagine if God told you to do that!

What strikes me about this passage is how many times God’s name is used. Ananias says that Saul was coming to “arrest all who call on your name.” God answers that Saul was chosen to “carry my name before the Gentiles,” and that Saul would be shown “how much he must suffer for my name.” It’s all about the name of Jesus. We have lost our sense of the significance of names in modern western culture. But in Biblical times, the name Yahweh was considered so holy that it must not be spoken aloud. Saul was about to be given a new name, Paul. And God’s people were about to be given a new name, Christians.

The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. (Isaiah 62:2)

Saul was about to be shown how much he must suffer for the name of Jesus. He had been a man of status and privilege, as a Pharisee and member of the ruling council. From now on, his life would be a life of suffering. He would be shipwrecked, imprisoned, stoned and left for dead, and ultimately martyred. Where Jesus had gone, he would follow.

¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

I imagine that some of Ananias’ concern was not just about meeting Saul, but entering the house where he was staying. Presumably, those with Saul had the power to arrest him as well. But, like believers had done all along, he went where God told him to go, regardless of the danger. When he met Saul, he placed his hands on him and called him brother. He showed Saul the love of Jesus, knowing who he was and what he had done. We have no reason to believe that Ananias was anyone special in the church. He wasn’t an apostle, or one of the Seven. In verse 10, Luke simply calls him “a disciple.” We’re not all called to be apostles or deacons or preachers, but we are all called to be disciples. If we will answer that calling, God will use us like he used Ananias.

Apparently God had told Ananias of his appearance to Saul on the road, since Ananias refers to it in verse 17. We don’t know if one of the apostles had laid hands on Ananias so he could lay hands on someone for them to receive the Holy Spirit, or if he could do this just because God sent him to do it.  Ananias confirmed who he was and why he was sent to Saul. The words he spoke must have been verbatim what God had shown Saul in his vision. This was final confirmation of the truth of the gospel, and Saul believed. I wonder how many people talk about scales falling from their eyes, which has become a common expression, with no idea as to where that saying came from. We may not have been struck physically blind like Saul was, but before we say yes to Jesus, we are spiritually blind. When we believe, our eyes are opened. Once he believed and his sight was restored, Saul was baptized and had something to eat. He was himself again, and at the same time, he was a new creation.

Mark Bible Acts, Ananias, laying on of hands, Saul of Tarsus

Saul’s Conversion

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

After Pentecost, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus is probably the most important event in the Book of Acts. Without the Apostle Paul, Christianity may well have remained merely a sect of Judaism. Saul, whom we last saw at the stoning of Stephen, received authority from Caiaphas the high priest to go to Damascus and arrest any Christians he found in the synagogues there. The term Christian had not yet been coined, and it seems believers referred to their movement early on as “The Way.” It was a fitting name. Jesus said that he is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and the members of this new faith were not just adherents to a new philosophy, they were members of his body, as all believers are.

³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Damascus is 150 miles from Jerusalem, six days journey in Saul’s time. The fact that he was willing to travel so far shows how committed he was to persecuting the church. He had almost arrived when Jesus interrupted his journey. Why did God allow him to travel so far? Why didn’t he appear to Saul on the first or second day of his journey? We don’t know, but I think it may be that God wanted him to meet Ananias. If Saul had been allowed to arrive at Damascus and continue his mission of persecution, undoubtably Ananias would have been one of the ones arrested. Instead, Ananias ended up leading Saul to belief in Jesus.

It’s very unusual for God to appear visibly and speak audibly to anyone, much less a non-believer. Anyone who had a “Damascus Road experience” like this when you were saved, raise your hand! God had just gone to extraordinary lengths to save the Ethiopian eunuch (8:26-40, blog), and he took even more extreme measures to reach Saul. Jesus’ first question to Saul is telling; “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And again, after Saul asks, “Who are you, Lord?”, Jesus replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The point is, by persecuting believers, Saul was persecuting Jesus himself, because believers in Jesus are members of his body. The opposite is true as well. When we bless others, we bless Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46).

In most modern translations, text is missing that we may be used to from the King James version. In the NKJV, the end of verse 5 and the beginning of verse 6 contains these words:

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
⁶ So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

These words were not in Luke’s original version, at least not here. Scribes took words from Paul’s account of this event from Acts 22:8-10 and 26:14-15 and added them here. Though they were not part of Luke’s original text in this chapter, we know from those places and others that Jesus did say “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” and Saul did ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” I’ve never understood, until now, what kicking against the goads means. Goads were long, sharp, pointed sticks that farmers used to goad oxen. You poked the ox with the goad until the ox went the way you wanted it to. Sometimes oxen would kick their hind feet back at the farmer when poked, but could never reach him because the farmer was out of reach behind the plow. It was futile to kick against the goads. This supports my assertion in my post on Saul at the stoning of Stephen. God was trying to goad Saul in the direction of belief in Jesus, and Saul was resisting by trying to “kick against” those goads. His hostility toward the church stemmed from guilt over the trial of Jesus, which, as a member of the Sanhedrin, he probably took part in, and the stoning of Stephen. God was working on him, and it all came to a head here.

Saul’s two questions were exactly the right questions; “Who are you, Lord?”, and “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Saul had not yet believed and been baptized, but he asked the right questions. These are the two things we all should want to know and pursue for all of our lives, who God is, and what he wants us to do. Jesus’ reply to Saul is typical. He didn’t say, “Go and preach the Good News to the Gentiles.” He didn’t tell Saul what his grand plan was, he just told him what to do next. God rarely reveals his whole plan to us. He just tells us what he wants us to do next, and we have to trust him with the rest.

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

The reaction of the men with Saul is similar to the crowd’s reaction to the audible voice of God in John 12:29, when they said “it thundered.” Those who were with Saul apparently didn’t have “ears to hear,” so they didn’t understand what the voice said. But they saw the light and heard the voice (22:9). They also saw the effect that this encounter had on Saul. Saul had been willfully blind to the spiritual light in front of his eyes, so now God let him experience physical blindness for three days. The last thing Saul saw before his eyes were opened was the resurrected Jesus (Acts 26:16, 1 Corinthians 9:1, 15:8). That vision stayed with him for the rest of his life, and affected everything he did. Jesus has the same effect on people today. We may not have a Damascus Road experience, but when we really meet Jesus, we are never the same afterward, and those around us will see the change in us.

Mark Bible Acts, Damascus, Jesus, Saul of Tarsus

¹And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.

This is one of my pet peeves in the Bible. This verse obviously belongs at the end of chapter 7, not here. The original writings in both the Old and New Testaments were not divided into chapters and verses like our Bible is today. Those divisions were added much later, in the 13th, 15th, and 16th centuries A.D. I quote here from gotquestions.org:

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton’s chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan’s verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

So I guess we have Langton to blame for this. But that’s not why we’re here. Luke puts Stephen’s martyrdom together with his introduction of Saul of Tarsus on purpose. Luke was Paul’s companion, and heard from Paul (many times, I’m sure) what an impression Stephen made on him when he was still called Saul, and was a member of the Sanhedrin. The word that’s translated approval in the NIV is the Greek word suneudokeo, which implies enthusiastic approval, or “to be pleased with”. In the Amplified Bible, verse one reads:

¹AND SAUL was [not only] consenting to [Stephen's] death [he was ^[a]pleased and ^[b]entirely approving].

Saul didn’t just assent to the persecution of Christians, he was enthusiastic about it. He believed he was doing God’s work, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy in John 16:2, when Jesus said that the time was coming “when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” We sometimes hear today that it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere. Saul was sincere, enthusiastic, committed, and completely wrong. It does matter what we believe.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. ²Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. ³But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Stephen’s execution was a key turning point in the life of the early church and the life of Saul. It triggered the persecution of Christians in earnest. What had started as harassment became an all-out campaign of extermination. This persecution drove the church, with the exception of the apostles, out of Jerusalem and into Judea and Samaria. The next part of Jesus’ command in 1:8 was coming to fruition. They had been his witnesses in Jerusalem, and now they would be his witnesses in Judea and Samaria. The ends of the earth would soon follow. It’s admirable that the apostles stayed, in spite of the danger. Eventually, they would leave Jerusalem as well, but perhaps at this time they felt that it would show weakness and fear to leave, so they stayed.

Another example of bravery in the face of persecution is in verse 2; Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Under Jewish law, victims of execution were to receive no funeral honors. No lamentation or other sign of mourning was allowed. But the believers in Jerusalem who loved Stephen braved persecution in order to give Stephen a proper burial and mourn for him.

I read a quote by Augustine today that shed a light on the death of Stephen that I had not thought of before. Stephen was the first Christian to die a righteous death. The first apostle to die was Judas, a traitor. The first members of the early church to die were Ananias and Sapphira, and they were hypocrites. In Stephen, we get our first glimpse of how a genuine believer dies.

The picture of Saul’s persecution of the church in verse 3 reveals a level of malice that I attribute to guilt. Nothing inspires anger and spite like guilt. Have you ever noticed how spiteful a non-believer can be when God is working on them? I believe that witnessing how Stephen conducted himself in his trial and death had a profound effect upon Saul. I don’t think that Saul was 100% evil when he persecuted the church they way he did, and that he suddenly turned on a dime after his Damascus Road experience. I think that the Holy Spirit was working on him from the trial of Stephen on, and that he fought the conviction of the Holy Spirit on his heart until Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. That was when God, in effect, hit him with over the head a 2X4. I can’t prove this scripturally, but Luke put the trial and stoning of Stephen together with Saul’s persecution of the church for a reason. I think he made that connection because of his time with Paul.

I say all of that to say this. If you are angry at Christianity, at the church, or at God, consider the reasons why. Maybe someone in the church hurt you. God help us, but many times, when someone is hostile to the faith, that is the reason why. But the source of your anger may also be guilt. God may be working on you, and he wants to show himself to you. He probably won’t do it in as dramatic a way as he did with Saul, but he is calling your name. To those believers who have loved ones who are hostile to Christianity, I say this. Hostility is actually preferable to indifference. Those who are indifferent are the most difficult to reach. They feel no need in themselves. Those who are hostile at least feel something, and can still be reached. They are the ones who, when God gets a hold of them, can be radically saved the way Saul was.

Mark Bible Acts, Saul of Tarsus, Stephen

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stephen’s testimony to the Sanhedrin infuriated them, and instigated a case of mob stoning, which was illegal, both under Roman law and Jewish law. Stephen, in his final moments, is again described as being full of the Holy Spirit. He had been chosen for service by the church because he was filled with the Spirit (6:3-5), and he performed miracles because he was “full of God’s grace and power.” (6:8) God may have granted Stephen this vision of Heaven because he was the first Christian martyr, but I believe that Stephen saw God with Jesus at his right hand because he was about to die as he had lived, filled with the Holy Spirit. Throughout the ages since then, many saints have had visions of Jesus welcoming them just before their death. Stephen may have been the first to see this vision, but those who walk in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), as they are about to depart from this world, often get to see the sight they have longed to see for so long; the face of their Savior, just before they meet him face to face.

What has always struck me about this story are the similarities between the trials and executions of Jesus and Stephen. Jesus was accused of saying he would destroy the temple (Mark 14:58). Stephen was accused of saying that Jesus would destroy the temple (6:13-14). When Jesus was asked by the Sanhedrin if he was the Christ, he answered, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62) That statement enraged the council and ensured Jesus’ conviction (Mark 14:63). When Stephen was asked to answer the charges against him, he echoed Jesus’ words in describing the vision he saw. Jesus had told the Sanhedrin that he would be at God’s right hand, and now Stephen witnesses it. I’m sure that many on the council remembered Jesus’ words at his trial, which Stephen could not have heard, and made the connection.

⁵⁷At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

They covered their ears and yelled at the top of their voices. If you don’t want to hear the truth, cover your ears and shout it down. These men were priests and teachers of the law. Their whole way of life depended on keeping the system they were defending in place. One saying I’ve heard a lot lately is, “It’s impossible to convince someone of something when their livelihood depends on their not being convinced.” Trials are supposed to be dispassionate and impartial, a presentation of evidence culminating in a verdict. Like the laws in civilized nations today, Jewish law had many protections for the rights of the accused, but all of those protections went out the window here. There was no verdict. The law which these men supposedly regarded so highly was ignored, and mob rule took over.

They dragged him out of the city to stone him. Jewish law had specific instructions regarding stoning, all of which were ignored here. Mob stoning like this was strictly prohibited. Jesus himself escaped a case of mob stoning in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:28-29), and prevented another one in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11).

Here we see the first appearance of Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul. He was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, and he witnessed and approved of the stoning of Stephen. But this event would mark him for the rest of his life, and led to the turning point of his conversion.

⁵⁹While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Earlier I pointed out similarities between Jesus’ trial and Stephen’s. Here are two striking similarities in the way they died. Jesus, at his death, said, “”Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Stephen was not present at the crucifixion of Jesus, as far as we know. But his words as he was being stoned echo his Lord’s; “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Jesus, as he was crucified, prayed that God would forgive those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). In that same spirit, as he died, Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” He lived to be like Jesus, and in his death, Stephen was like Jesus. I keep pointing out in this blog how the whole idea of being a disciple is to become like your master. Stephen was a disciple of Jesus, and became like his Master.

Some say that Stephen’s prayer was granted in the conversion of Saul, that God intervened in Saul’s life and changed him into the greatest evangelist in the history of Christianity because Stephen prayed that God would not hold this sin against them. I’m not sure about that, but I think it’s possible that the attitude of forgiveness in Stephen, even as he was unjustly murdered, had an effect on Saul. How could Stephen not cry out in fear, or rage, or pain in that moment? These Christians were different than other troublemakers the leadership had seen. Maybe there was something to this Jesus after all.

Mark Bible Acts, Saul of Tarsus, Stephen, stoning