Acts 7:51—8:1a
Chapter 7
Final Invective
But you are a stubborn people. You have hardened your hearts and closed your ears. You have always resisted the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors did.Was there a prophet whom your ancestors did not persecute? They killed those who announced the coming of the Just One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered;
you who received the law through the angels but did not keep it.
Death of Stephen
When they heard this reproach, they became furious and gnashed their teeth at Stephen.
But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand;
so he declared:
“I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”
But they shouted, covered their ears with their hands, and rushed at him.
They took him out of the city and stoned him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, saying:
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he knelt down and said loudly:
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
After saying this, he died.
Chapter 8
Saul was there, approving the murder.
Persecution and Preaching in Samaria
This marked the beginning of intense persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Commentaries
Stephen’s Speech.
When the high priest questions him, Stephen responds with a speech. It is the longest and most detailed speech found in the book of Acts. Stephen does not directly answer the charges against him but instead offers a critical interpretation of the “Sacred History of Israel.” Tracing a history of persecution against God’s messengers, he reaches the climax—the Righteous One announced, “whom they have now delivered up and murdered” (52). The speaker turns against his accusers, and his prophetic words are powerful. He calls them stubborn, uncircumcised in heart, resistant to the Spirit, just like their ancestors. In recounting the persecution and Stephen’s subsequent speech, Luke is reflecting on what was happening in his own time—that is, 50 or more years after Stephen’s martyrdom. The Jews were persecuting Christians from city to city. They had officially condemned Christianity.
Death of Stephen.
The listeners’ emotional reactions show that they understand the speech and have shifted from accusers to the accused. The climax occurs when Stephen, in a moment of divine inspiration, declares that he sees the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand. This is difficult for his accusers to hear. From this point on, everything unfolds quickly: they take him outside, and overwhelmed with hatred, they stone him to death. In his final words, Stephen imitates his Master and dies forgiving (cf. Lk 23:34): “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (60). With two brief strokes, Luke introduces a secondary character who will soon become one of the leading figures. For now, his name is Saul.
Persecution and Preaching in Samaria.
Following Stephen’s prophetic denunciation, a new wave of persecution begins. Luke indicates that this is a “selective” persecution. Only the Hellenistic Christians had to flee Jerusalem in a rush. What humans see as flight and dispersion, the narrator sees as the spreading of the Gospel. Luke offers important insights about Philip’s missionary work. First, he establishes that Philip’s mission was a complete success. He describes it in terms of the basic outline of all evangelization: proclaiming the Good News, liberation, and transformation, all expressed through everyone’s joy. The second message emphasizes his ongoing focus on showing us the “unity of the Church.” Philip and his companions did not let success go to their heads. They immediately shared what was happening with the Church in Jerusalem, prompting the apostles to go to Samaria.