Stephen's Defense: A Case Study

Instructions

The case study of Stephen's Defense to the Sanhedrin and the high priests is best understood in its entirety. I encourage you to read through the entire speech as you follow along (Acts 7:1-52). For conciseness, the verses that help answer these discussion questions are highlighted here.

Background

(Acts 6:8,10) What was the reason that Opposition arose against Stephen?

He was performing great wonders and signs. He was also arguing with the Synagogue of the Freedmen. They could not stand up to his wisdom given by the Spirit.

(Acts 6:9) Who are the Synagogue of the Freedmen? Where are they from? Who are his accusers?

The Synagogue of the Freedmen were those that were once slaves in the Roman Empire but had been released. They were Jews from four different regions: Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, Asia. False witnesses are hired by the Synagogue of the Freedmen to make up accusations about him.

(Acts 7:12) Who is Stephen bought before? (Acts 7:11, 13-14) What are the accusations against him?

He was bought before the council or the Sanhedrin. He is accused of the desecrating:

1. The Temple: He speaks against this Holy Place. Says that Jesus will destroy the temple.

2. The Law: He speaks against the Law. Says that Jesus will change the customs of Moses handed down to the Jews.

What are the values and the mindset of the people who are accusing Stephen?

They value the Law and the Holy Place to be of utmost importance and protected from any kind of subversion.

History of Abraham

(Acts 7:2) With which titles does Stephen address the Sanhedrin? Why is that important?

He calls them “Brothers and Fathers”. This signifies that he shares a common faith and ancestry with those that are accusing him and those he is answering to. Take note of the way how many times during the passage a similar term is used. “Our Fathers, Our Forefathers, Our Ancestors”

(Acts 7:2) Where does God appear to Abraham?

Stephen says that the “God of Glory appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia. Before he was in Haran.” This shows that God can speak to and commune with his people anywhere and not just at a temple.

History of Joseph

(Acts 7:9) God intended Joseph to be a savior for Israel and his family. How was he treated?

He was rejected by his brothers because they were jealous of him. Though he was rejected by his brothers, God intervened in the story, and worked a great deliverance for the Jacob (Israel) and his family.

(Acts 7:9) Where is the presence of God found in these verses?

Stephen says that God was with Joseph and rescued him from all troubles. God’s presence was with Joseph even while he was in the land of Egypt.

(Acts 7:14,16) What is significant about the patriarch’s and the location of their death?

Jacob and all his sons may have lived most of their lives in Egypt. Only their bones were bought back to Canaan long after they had died.

Calling of Moses

(Acts 7:20, 22) What were Moses’ qualifications to be the deliverer of the people of Israel?

He was no ordinary child, he was raised in the palace and educated and given all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was powerful in speech and action. He also had the heart to help his brothers and be a source of salvation for his people.

(Acts 7:25-27) How do the people of Israel respond?

They are unable to discern that Moses was going to be the tool that God was going to use to bring deliverance from slavery for the people of Israel. In the end, they rejected Moses and ultimately may have delayed God’s deliverance.

(Acts 7:30) Where does God meet and speak to Moses?

God speaks to Moses at Mt. Sinai which is in the wilderness of Midian. He tells Moses to remove his sandals, because where he is standing was Holy Ground.

It is not the location that Moses is that makes the ground Holy. It is the proximity to God that makes the place Holy. Stephen, speaking through the Spirit shows that the place that God comes down becomes Holy.

Israel in the Wilderness

(Acts 7:37) Who is the deliverer Moses prophecies about?

Moses prophecies about Jesus. He will be a prophet, speaking the words of God, and he will come from the ancestry of Israel.

(Acts 7:38) What are the “Living Words” that Moses receives? Why would Stephen characterize the Law of Moses as “Living Words”?

The Ten Commandments and the Books of the Law. The Law given to Moses and the people of Israel by God were meant to give life to the people of Israel. God says that those who obey the law would live by them. “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 18:5

(Acts 7:39) How does Stephen describe the response of “Their Ancestors” to the Law? What value did “The Ancestors” place on The Law?

They refused to obey them. They rejected Moses and turned back to Egypt. They made an image for themselves and tried to worship the same Gods as the Egyptians had worshipped.

Obviously, the ancestors of the Sanhedrin did not value the Law of Moses much or else they would not have been so quick to disobey it and make idols for themselves.

What is the spiritual implication here?

The “Ancestors of the Sanhedrin” rejected the Law of Moses, they rejected their deliverer and instead subjected themselves back into bondage just as they were before. Likewise, when the message of deliverance has come, they are quick to reject it, and are willingly accepting of being under the bondage of sin.

Closing Statement: The presence of God is not confined to the Temple

(Acts 7:44-48) How does Stephen respond to the charge that he is desecrating the Temple?

The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. The presence of God is everywhere and God is omnipresent.

(Acts 7:44) Compare the Tabernacle vs. the Temple. Which one would be considered more authentic? Why? How does this help him respond to the accusations against him?

The tabernacle was built according to the plan given directly from God. It was build exactly as God had directed it. The Temple at the time of Acts was the second temple built by returned exiles. Some of the older men who dedicated the temple, wept because the “latter glory” was unlike the “former glory”.

Stephen quotes God himself who says that his presence is not confined to the temple itself. Instead, God’s presence covers the entire Earth, he is the creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

Why do you think this message would have been so hard for the Sanhedrin to hear and to accept?

They were being told convicting truths that they did not want to accept. These truths were that God’s presence was not confined to the temple, but rather his presence was everywhere.

What are the implications of confining God’s presence to church or any physical location?

If God’s presence is only at church, then we can live life the way that we want to. We can engage in whatever sin that we want to the rest of the time that we are not at church. This is a concept that we all know in our minds, but it is a concept that takes a long time to penetrate into our hard hearts.

How can we know if this concept of the Omniscience of God has really permeated our hearts?

Think back to the last time that you sinned: Were you aware of the presence of God there with you? Were you immediately convicted knowing that God had seen your sin and was even aware of the thoughts and intentions surrounding that sin?

Do we revere God in the privacy of our homes or rooms?

Do we revere God in the privacy of our thoughts?

Closing Statement: Do not resist the Holy Spirit and reject the deliverer sent by God

(Acts 7:51-52) What are the accusations that Stephen makes against the members of the Sanhedrin?

• They are a stiff-necked people

• Their hearts and ears are still uncircumcised

• They continue to act just like their ancestors, who persecuted and killed the prophets

• They always resist the Holy Spirit

• They have no betrayed and murdered the Righteous One

• They have not obeyed the Law

To Summarize Stephen's argument: Which deliverers do the people of Israel end up rejecting?

• They reject Joseph, who delivered the family of Jacob from famine.

• They reject Moses, who was sent to deliver them from the hand of Egypt.

• They reject the prophets, who prophesied about the coming of Jesus.

• Ultimately, they reject Jesus who was sent to bring them out of the bondage of sin.

What is the pattern that Stephen is trying to draw here? How do the Sanhedrin respond?

The convicting truth that the members of the Sanhedrin are unwilling to accept is that they, just like their ancestors, refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit.

They are clouded by pride and arrogance and their hearts are not softened to let the Holy Spirit work to bring about the realization of their faults. The Sanhedrin even after hearing this they reject what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell them. (“They covered their ears, yelling at the top of their voices… and began to stone him”)

(Acts 7:39) How does Stephen spiritually interpret Israel’s rejection of the Law of Moses?

Stephen interprets their rejection of Moses and their disobedience to him and the Law as turning back to Egypt. They committed the sin of idolatry, made and worshipped Gods created by their own hands. He shows the futility of their actions, and how in their hearts had willingly subjected themselves to bondage.

Prayer Time:

Enter into a time of prayer for a couple of minutes:

• Pray against any fear of what the Holy Spirit has to say. (God and the Holy Spirit wants to provide freedom and deliverance. He speaks to us for our good and for the flourishing of our lives)

• Pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to each one of us and corrects us.

• Pray against all power of darkness that prevent us from receiving the deliverance that God wants to send us by the obedience to the Holy Spirit.