Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)

Sunday, May 2, 1999

When Jesus Stands Up

Acts 7:55-60

In a world of danger, the natural impulse is to want to play it safe. Self-preservation is one of our strongest instincts. How many people really would be willing to lay down their life in an act of battlefield heroism? We never really know until we're placed in a situation where we're called upon to make that kind of a life or death decision. We may underestimate the type of sacrifices we would make or we may underestimate how fast we'd run in the opposite direction from real danger.

Pastors cringe inwardly at the prospect of having to confront real sin in the life of their church. "Can I really preach strongly against gambling when the wealthiest member of my church has a large financial stake in the passage of a pro-gambling measure? How can I preach on the dangers of teen sexuality when two of the leaders of my youth group have been caught in a compromising situation? Won't they think I've loaded my guns just for them to humiliate and embarrass them?

I can imagine how Stephen may have cringed when he had to stand before the Sanhedrin. We don't know much about his background. He was one of the Greek-speaking Jews who was appointed to the ministry of caring for the widows in the distribution of the food. His life is characterized over and over again by the use of the word fullness. He was full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. His speech before the Sanhedrin affords a glimpse of how full of the Spirit he really was. He could have attempted to sugar-coat his message so as not to offend or he could have "told it like it was."

His speech led to his martyrdom. Was his martyrdom worth it?

Think of what Stephen accomplished. He was able to give a Reader's Digest Condensed Version of the history of Israel's rebellion against God. Time and again, God sent His messenger only to have stiff-necked and rebellious Israel stone him, kill him, or ignore him. They not only killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One -- now Stephen accuses the Sanhedrin of murdering the Holy One. I wonder if he cringed at the message the Spirit gave him for that body. How dare this upstart accuse these religious leaders -- the guardians of the law -- of not obeying it!

The fury of those who have been nailed for their sinful, recalcitrant hearts is no match for the glory of God. In this vignette of the first Christian martyrdom, we see a portrayal of each of the three persons of the Trinity taking note of Stephen's plight.

The Holy Spirit is filling Stephen so that he may have boldness to speak truth to power. God the Father is seated in glory in Stephen's vision and Jesus is standing up in response to the urgent need of His witness.

Why does Jesus stand up, though?

There are two primary suggestions. One is that He is standing in an act of judgment against those who are persecuting His spokesman. The other is that He is standing to receive His first martyr. Either way, it encourages me to know that when I take a stand for Jesus, He takes notice of it. Scripture speaks of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Everything He needed to do for my salvation has been done. Yet when one of His children is in trouble, He rises to his defense.