Friday 26 December 2014

Psalm: Psalm 13

  Background

Today commemorates the death of Stephen, the first martyr fromamong Jesus' followers. He has been falsely accused of blasphemy"against Moses and God" (Acts6:11). This passage comes from the end of Stephen's speech ofdefence, after he has taken his hearers through the history ofGod's relationship with Israel, using the stories of Abraham,Joseph and Moses, and an account of the establishment of thetemple.

In this way, he reminds his accusers of what they owe to God, byway of faithfulness and obedience, before turning the accusationback on them. We are invited to recognise that they are in fact theblasphemers, while Stephen is a true prophet and follower ofChrist. In effect, they stand in fulfilment of the line ofrebellion which saw those killed who foretold the coming of theMessiah, as they have gone as far as to kill the Messiahhimself.

Following this history, the implications of the charge of being"stiff-necked" or stubborn, in verse 51, would surely not be loston the religious leaders. The same term is used of those who haveturned from God in the wilderness, to worship the golden calf (Exodus33:3, 5). Neither would they miss the sting in the insult,"uncircumcised in heart and ears" (v. 51). Those Stephen isaddressing may be physically circumcised, as a mark of theirparticipation in God's covenant, but he argues that in theirthoughts and willingness to hear God, they may as well not be.

In contrast, Stephen implicitly aligns himself not only with thecircumcised, who hear and obey God, but with the prophetic line,who have consistently challenged Israel's unfaithfulness andconsistently been persecuted for their trouble. His death will, ineffect, prove his innocence - and his accusers' guilt - of thecharges against him. Of course, the accusers are unlikely to see itthis way!

To Ponder

• Stephen's calm composure in the face of his opponents' violentanger, his prophetic vision of heaven (recalling the vision of theSon of Man in Daniel 7:13) and his dying words (recalling thedeath of Jesus, Luke 23:34, 46) all stand in a tradition ofaccounts of martyrdom. Such accounts were meant to inspire theearly Christians in the event of persecution. It presents an idealof Christian virtue. Such ideals have varied through history; whatdoes a model, virtuous Christian look like today, in the eyes ofthe Church or society? And what does it look like in youreyes?

• The word 'martyr' comes from the Greek for a witness, but hascome to mean more specifically someone who dies for their beliefs.In the hope and expectation that you will not be called upon toface death for your faith, how can you be an effective witness tothe self-giving love of Christ?

• The young man called Saul, of course, went on to be aneffective missionary and faithful witness - in the end probablyalso facing execution. What does this say to you about redemption?What about justice?