Stephen Preaches to the Sanhedrin

The council then arrested Stephen and set him in their midst. This was the famous [or infamous] Sanhedrin, the same court that had condemned Jesus. “And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face, as it had been, the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15) What a s uperabundance of grace and power God had given Stephen; it literally shone from his face! Standing before that court, Stephen realized that the charges against him were the same as those against his Master. It gave him great joy to be accounted worthy of treading so closely in his footsteps. He was transported by this realization. It glowed within him and showed in his face. “Then said the high priest, Are these things so?” (Acts 7:1) This was an illegal question a man need not testify against himself. But the question gave Stephen the opportunity he was waiting for. He knew this counsel had the power of life or death, yet he faced them boldly, and he spoke boldly. He did not dignify the false accusations made against him by answering them directly. He simply preached the gospel to the council.

He started with the call of Abraham out of his native country. He told them of Isaac and Jacob and Jacob’s sons. He told them the story of Joseph, how the children of Israel came to reside in Egypt, and how they fell into bondage there. He related the raising up of Moses and the deliverance of Israel through his leadership, the great signs and wonders performed through him, and the weary wilderness journey of forty years under Moses. He showed them that Moses had pointed to Jesus:

“This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.” Acts 7:37

Next he reminded them of the fantastic and incredible history of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Here was a people who had frequent and mighty demonstrations of God’s powerful care over them; physical demonstrations they could see, hear, taste and feel. Faith was not needed. In spite of this they spurned God and turned to the most abominable idolatry not once, not twice; they did it again and again and again, for decades!

As a surgeon probes deeply into a wound to cut out the rotten flesh, Stephen relentlessly reminded them of their national disgrace, telling them of the golden calf erected as soon as Moses’ back was turned, of their idolatrous worship of the corrupt host of heaven (the fallen angels), of the sacrifice of their living children to the cruel and fierce Moloch, the “eternal torment” deity, and of their worship of the mocking god Remphan.

Every word was true and they knew it. But instead of bringing sorrow and repentance, this recital of their national sins stung and goaded them. Stephen looked around him, and saw not a single sign of remorse in their faces. He realized that further reasoning was not possible. So now, like his Master before him, he spoke words of condemnation. Jesus had called them a generation of vipers, killers of prophets. Now Stephen, facing his tormentors, said:

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart, and ears; ye do always resist the holy spirit. As your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before, of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” Acts 7:51,52

The Council Turns Vicious

As he spoke these words, the air became charged with the horrible compelling power known as mob psychology. A viciousness, communicating itself unspoken from one man to another, turned them almost instantly from human beings into bloodthirsty beasts. At that moment Stephen knew he was going to die. He could read it in their cruel, twisted faces, and bright staring eyes. They had become as ravening wolves! The record says: “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart; and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” They were ravenous animals!

The Lord never fails his people. That does not mean he spares them every painful and distressing experience. Not at all. But he does give us the strength to bear them. At this point, the Lord showed his approval by graciously granting Stephen a wonderful heavenly vision:

“But he, being full of the holy spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55,56

This was the last straw! The charge against this man was blasphemy because he preached that Jesus was the Son of God. Now he claimed he had looked into heaven itself and had actually seen this Jesus on God’s right hand! This was too much!

“Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him.” Acts 7:57,58

“With one accord!” One dissenting voice would have raised a diversion. One dissenting voice might have broken the evil spell. But in all the council, there was not even one voice! Just as Satan had entered into Judas, he now dominated every one of these men!