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d) The Complaint against the Stubborn People (Acts 7:51-53)
ACTS 7:51-53
51 You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. 52 Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. 53 You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”
Stephen confessed his true faith with words of wisdom. He proved his faithfulness to the Jewish tradition as a Hellenistic Jew, as one who had not been educated in the schools of legal experts. For him the great God was the God of the covenant, and the God of the revered fathers. Abraham, Moses, and David were holy persons. He considered the law and the tabernacle of witness to be sublime things. In spite of this clear confession, Stephen sensed a deadly hatred in his hearers. He tried to clarify in his testimony, which was based upon the Law, the reason for his people’s stubbornness. He recognized their true spiritual state, in which they were unprepared to repent. At last the Holy Spirit guided him to attack. His purpose was to remove the veil of hypocrisy from the faces of the professing rabbis and strict legal experts. The young man, who had not been educated in legal sciences and jurisprudence, made clear to them the real state of their hearts.
Thus Stephen revealed to his judges the truth of their consciences. In spite of their physical circumcision, they had neither been circumcised in mind or in heart. In saying this he broke one of the symbols of God’s covenant presence with them, for the Jews considered circumcision to be a sign of their constant relationship with God. Whoever spoke a word against circumcision was regarded to have spoken against God Himself.
Stephen frankly told the children of his nation that they had resisted the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that they were unwilling to listen to God. At that point they could not hear him any more. Their hearts remained wicked and unbroken, for they considered themselves to be good and righteous, well educated and acceptable to God. They despised every call to repentance, and smiled at the thought of self-denial. They were greatly insulted when they heard the severe words of punishment foretold by Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, that God would shake their hard hearts and bring back the scattered sheep to their shepherd (Exodus 32:9; 33:3; Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 9:25; 6:10). Yet they neither understood, nor were their hard hearts softened, and instead they became very angry.
Dear brother, have you understood the reason for this punishment? Man’s heart is evil from his youth. Few people are converted and submit to God’s guidance, for man is by nature rebellious and spiteful. He aspires to be a celebrated, minor god in order that he may hate his Creator and never give heed to His word.
With a most evil spirit the Jews persecuted all the good prophets and tormented those who preached to them the revealed will of God: “Be holy, for I am holy.” The true prophets listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit and came into harmony with His prophecies. They announced the coming of the Savior of the world, the justified and Just One, the divine King, who is able to change all wicked hearts and set up the kingdom of heaven on our poor earth.
Yet when Christ came unto His own the professing hypocrites did not submit to Him, and the educated scribes did not understand Him. Stephen called the Jews betrayers of Christ, for they had missed the design of God´s history for their nation, and killed the Son of the Most High unjustly and wrongfully. With this testimony the Holy Spirit spoke once again with all frankness. He pricked the chief priests and the leaders of the nation to the heart in order that they might be broken and thoroughly repent. The Jewish council had not only unjustly murdered an undistinguished young man of Nazareth, they had also consumed the promised Messiah, the polestar of God´s elect from the beginning. This deed marked the height of their disobedience, and brought the dominion of devils over the whole earth.
Stephen was not satisfied with merely charging the members of the high council with murder and crime, for which the apostles had also repeatedly accused them. He went on to challenge the innermost integrity of the Pharisees, saying to them: “You did not receive the law directly from God, but instead, through angels you received secondary judgments and worthless details. You are unable to distinguish between what is genuine and what is unimportant. Apart from this questionable Jewish law, you did not hold to anything. You are not qualified to observe the commands, and neither are you righteous, but guilty and cursed, since he who does wrong in one ordinance, does wrong in the entire law.” (James 2:10)
With these strong and decisive words Stephen shook the foundations of Old Testament righteousness, for the Jews believed that the temple, circumcision, the law, and the Sabbath were the pillars and mysteries of the covenant by which God had bound Himself to the people of Israel. Now Stephen had testified to them openly that the temple was empty, their hearts were uncircumcised, their law was not genuine, and neither had they truly kept it. These charges can be likened to someone sitting on a chair while another comes and pulls it out from underneath him. Great is the fall! Most of the hearers were overcome by fear and outrage, while others spitefully gnashed their teeth, as if hell had inflamed their minds.
PRAYER: O holy God, reveal my mind, keep me from every betrayal, teach me how to obey the Holy Spirit, forgive me my offence, remove from me disobedient thoughts against God and men, circumcise my heart, convert me, give me ears to hear, and save me from myself, that I may not hate You, but love You, and commit myself into Your hands forever.
QUESTION:
- What were the important statements Stephen made in his accusation of the high council?