Bible Timeline · About AD 34

Stephen, the First Christian Martyr

Stephen was one of seven men chosen to care for widows in the Jerusalem church. Full of grace and power, he was dragged before the council and stoned to death while a young man named Saul looked on. His death set off a persecution that scattered the believers, and everywhere they went, they spread the gospel.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 6-8 Acts 11:19-20 Acts 22:20

Stephen was the first follower of Jesus to die for his faith. About AD 34, only a few years after Pentecost, he was accused of speaking against the temple and the law, gave a bold speech before the Jewish council, and was stoned to death outside Jerusalem. As he died he saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand and prayed for his killers. Watching it all was a young Pharisee named Saul, who would later become the apostle Paul.

Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:60

Who Was Stephen in the Bible?

Stephen first shows up in Acts 6 during a church problem that sounds very modern. The church in Jerusalem was growing fast. It included Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and Jews from other lands who spoke Greek. The Greek speaking widows were being missed in the daily food line, and people started to grumble.

The apostles did not ignore it, and they did not drop their own calling to fix it. They asked the church to choose seven trusted men to take care of the work.

Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will assign this responsibility to them Acts 6:3

The church chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas. All seven have Greek names, which suggests the church picked leaders from the very group that felt left out. That is wise leadership. Many churches see these seven as the first deacons, a word that means servants, though Acts does not use that title for them. Stephen’s name comes from the Greek word for crown, which turned out to be fitting.

Why Was Stephen Arrested?

Stephen did not just serve tables. Luke says he was full of grace and power and did great wonders and signs among the people, Acts 6:8. He debated with men from a Greek speaking synagogue in Jerusalem, and they could not answer him. So they did what people do when they lose an argument. They got some men to lie about him.

The false witnesses said Stephen spoke against the temple and the law of Moses, and that he said Jesus would destroy the temple. He was hauled before the Sanhedrin, the same council that had condemned Jesus. Luke adds a beautiful detail. When the council looked at Stephen, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel, Acts 6:15.

What Did Stephen Say in His Speech?

Acts 7 is the longest speech in the book of Acts. Stephen walked the council through Israel’s history: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. His point was clear. God was never locked inside one building or one land. He met Abraham in Mesopotamia, Joseph in Egypt and Moses in the desert. And Israel had a long habit of rejecting the very people God sent to rescue them. Joseph’s brothers sold him. Israel pushed Moses away.

Then Stephen made it personal. You always resist the Holy Spirit, he said, just as your fathers did. They killed the prophets who announced the Righteous One, and now you have betrayed and murdered Him. It was not a speech designed to win friends. It was the truth, and the council was furious.

How Did Stephen Die?

As the council raged, Stephen looked up and saw something no one else could see.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:55 to 58

Elsewhere the Bible says Jesus is seated at God’s right hand. Here He is standing. Many see that as Jesus rising to welcome His first martyr home, or standing as a witness in Stephen’s defense. Stephen’s last words echo Jesus’ own on the cross. Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit, and Father, forgive them. Stephen said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and Lord, do not hold this sin against them. He died the way his Lord died.

When Did Stephen Die?

Acts does not give a year. Stephen died after Pentecost and before Saul’s conversion. If Jesus was crucified in AD 30, this was likely about AD 31 to 34. If the crucifixion was in AD 33, it was probably about AD 34 to 36. This timeline uses about AD 34. Western churches remember Stephen on December 26, the day after Christmas. Yes, that is the feast of Stephen in the carol Good King Wenceslas.

What Happened After Stephen Was Stoned?

Stephen’s death opened the floodgates.

And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Acts 8:1

It looked like a disaster. But Luke says something amazing just three verses later.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Acts 8:4

Jesus had said His followers would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth, Acts 1:8. Up to this point they had mostly stayed in Jerusalem. Persecution pushed them out. Philip, another of the seven, preached in Samaria and then led an Ethiopian official to Christ on the road to Gaza. Others went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, where they started telling Greeks about Jesus, Acts 11:19 to 20. The enemy tried to stamp out a fire and ended up scattering the sparks.

How Stephen’s Story Points to Jesus Today

Stephen’s story is about faithfulness more than fame. He started out handing out food to widows. He ended up seeing heaven open. God does not waste small jobs done with a full heart.

His prayer for his killers also had an answer no one in that crowd could have guessed. The young man holding the coats became the greatest missionary in history. Augustine is often quoted as saying that if Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul. Years later Paul himself still remembered standing there, Acts 22:20. Never underestimate what God can do with a prayer for your enemies.

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Questions People Ask

Who was the first Christian martyr?

Stephen is the first Christian martyr recorded in the Bible. He was stoned to death in Jerusalem about AD 34 after speaking before the Jewish council, Acts 7. The word martyr comes from the Greek word for witness.

Why was Stephen stoned?

False witnesses accused him of speaking against the temple and the law of Moses, Acts 6:13 to 14. In his defense he showed how Israel had often rejected God's messengers and said the council had done the same to Jesus. When he said he saw Jesus at God's right hand, they rushed him and stoned him.

What did Stephen see before he died?

Acts 7:55 to 56 says Stephen saw heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Many believe Jesus standing shows Him welcoming Stephen or standing as his witness.

Was Paul at the stoning of Stephen?

Yes. Acts 7:58 says the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul, and Acts 8:1 says Saul approved of his death. Saul later met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became the apostle Paul.

Was Stephen a deacon?

Many churches call Stephen and the six others chosen in Acts 6 the first deacons, since deacon means servant and they were chosen to serve the widows. Acts does not actually use that title for them, but the pattern became the model for deacons in the church.

Sources

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