7:51-53
Stephen’s speech now reaches its climax, and it is an utterly damning climax. “You stiff-necked people!” The history of Israel is the history of a disobedient people. Their hearts and ears were uncircumcised. I.e. their hearts were not inclined towards the Lord, and they could not hear the words of God. They were a people who resisted God just as much as their ancestors had done. They persecuted the messengers of God. The final condemnatory word is that though they had the Law, they were not obeying it.
7:54-56
The correct and wise response would have been to repent and seek forgiveness from the Lord. Instead, they acted true to form and reacted with anger and violence, proving the very things that Stephen had condemned them for. Stephen, however, was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and had a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This vindicated the very things he had been preaching. Just to “make matters worse”, Stephen told them of the vision.
7:57-60
The Sanhedrin could not stand hearing the truth, they were so opposed to God. So instead they dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him. It would have been against their religion to have stoned him inside the city! Yet stoning him was murder and against the Law, also under Roman rule they did not have the authority to put people to death. We also get the first mention of Paul (Saul), who held the coats of those who were doing the stoning. Stephen acted in a manner similar to Jesus, praying for their forgiveness (Lk 23:34), and asking Jesus to receive his spirit (Lk 23:46). He then fell asleep. I.e. Stephen died, but death is not the end.
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