Chapter 3 – Stephen
Acts 6:8-7:60; Acts 22:20; 1 Timothy 1:13
Jesus Christ had lived and died and lived again. His followers had been transformed from timid, fearful admirers into true converts. Now, they were turning the Jewish religious world upside down.
The establishment tried to fight back. With reason and logic, they fought for the law of their fathers. It didn’t work. These uneducated, ignorant country folk ran rings around the professors. Worse still, they performed miracles which couldn’t be ignored.
If rational argument cannot win, violence often comes next.
Jesus’ followers were beaten. It made no difference. They even had the audacity to rejoice in sharing the sufferings of their Lord Jesus. They continued to preach, continued to dispute, continued to win and continued to convince many. The number of their converts grew rapidly.
Stephen was one of the preachers – one of those who made life difficult for the leaders because his arguments could not be controverted. The Pharisees were uncomfortably reminded of Jesus and their attempts to best him in argument: it had never worked.
Paul was a Pharisee. A young man, but progressing quickly in his religion. Stephen disputed with many zealous Jews from far and wide, including Cilicia, home to the town of Tarsus. His opponents did their best, but it was no good, so then they did their worst. Lies and false witnesses were used to bring a case against Stephen and he was dragged into court.
Paul was never involved in the shadier parts of the fight against the followers of Jesus. Paul had a conscience, and he did his best to always keep it clear. The law forbade false witnesses – so others did the dirty work.
The trial was a farce. No attempt was made to seek truth. Death was all they sought: death for Stephen. When his answers could not be gainsaid, they shouted with one voice and attacked him, dragging him out of the court and out of the city. A barrage of stones, and it was all over. Stephen was dead.
The zealous ones had taken off their cloaks to free up their arms for the work. A studious young man stood and watched over a pile of nice clean clothes, while the zealous reduced Stephen to a lifeless heap of bloodied flesh and clothing.
Saul – that is, Paul – approved.
Sketch 3.1
“I am Saul of Tarsus. I was asked to come and see you.”
“Ah, thank you. I saw you at the execution of the heretic Stephen. To close the case, we need a statement from a witness who was not actively involved in administering the punishment. I’m sure you’re aware of what we need: just a brief statement that describes the execution and a little about the crime that warranted such punishment. Would you be able to write such a witness statement for the High Priest?”
Saul agreed and the High Priest’s agent produced a piece of parchment and offered him a quill and some ink. Saul wrote:
Witness Statement:
I, Saul of Tarsus, was a witness to the execution by stoning of Stephen, called a follower of The Way. He was a blasphemer who threatened to destroy Moses’ Law and our nation, and deserved the punishment appointed by the High Priest and the council of Israel.
The High Priest’s agent sanded the parchment, then brushed it clean and rolled it up. “Thank you,” he said. “That will make it all neat and tidy should the governor ask any questions.”
“It’s certainly best that we do the execution instead of having to convince the Romans that it is necessary.”
“True. All too often, they refuse to cooperate or don’t understand the religious background and allow condemned men escape their deserved punishment.”
“Well, this man didn’t escape.”
“No, and we’re hoping that the rest of those followers of The Way will learn from his fate. We’d accept them back into Moses’ fold if only they would recant.”
“I suppose so” said Saul, thoughtfully, “but with the way they twist the Scriptures to make them contradict the rabbis, I sometimes wonder if we should refuse to consider any supposed repentance for such blasphemy. Is true repentance even possible for men like that?”
“Well, at least he’ll cause no more trouble now. Was he really as good in debate and argument as I’ve heard?”
“Yes. He was absolutely brilliant,” said Saul in frustration. “I disputed with him several times but could never defeat him – even though I had the power of an ancient truth and he was peddling some new lie about a dead carpenter.”
“I’ve heard some funny stories about that carpenter. We don’t seem to have been able to prove he was a fraud, then or since.”
“Are you thinking of following The Way too?”
“No, but I’d like to know how he did his tricks and how his followers manage to be so convincing and determined.”
“Evil has always pretended to be good. Anyway, now that this Stephen has been dealt with, it’s time to see if I can get rid of more of them. I want to do all I can to clean up Jerusalem first, then I might even see what can be done elsewhere.”
“I’m sure the High Priest will be pleased to hear that.”
“We need to kill the leaders – the men like Stephen – and then lock up the followers until they recant.”
Chapter 4 – Persecuting Believers
Acts 8:1-3; Acts 22:4, 19; Acts 26:9-11; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13
Stephen was dead, but the followers of Jesus did not give up.
Brave and godly men buried Stephen, then went about their business. They kept up the fight. It was never a physical fight; these followers of Jesus never fought their attackers, after that one lapse on Peter’s part during the arrest of Jesus. Jesus’ words rang in their ears: “He who takes the sword will perish by the sword.”[1] Their focus was salvation, offered to those who were perishing but who chose a new way of life
following Jesus. So they followed him: to dungeons and death, to beatings and torture.
Paul joined in the persecution. He became the public face of the relentless assault. He hounded the believers from house to house and from town to town. In prisons and synagogues, he did his best to make them suffer. He urged them to recant, and if they wouldn’t, he cast his vote for the death sentence.
All over Judea and even to foreign cities, he mercilessly persecuted them in his madness against them.
Sketch 4.1
Saul stopped outside the house then looked at the leading guard and gestured at the door: “See if they will open the door.”
“Open up!” The temple guard spoke peremptorily, rapping on the door with his fist. There was no reply, and the door didn’t move.
“I’m sure I heard people moving inside,” said another guard.
“Open up!” Louder this time.
Still no reply. The second guard struck at the door with his club. “Open up or we’ll break your door down!” he snarled.
“Let’s wait a little longer. Give them a chance to respond,” said Saul, mildly.
The door of the next house opened and a man looked out. Seeing Saul with the temple guards, he called, “What are you doing?”
“Our information says that heretics of ‘The Way’ meet in this house,” answered Saul. “We have authority from the High Priest to enter such houses and arrest any we find celebrating this heresy.”
“Well, they may have some ideas that the Chief Priests don’t like, but they’re good neighbours and they keep God’s law much better than most. To be honest, many of the… ah… the people in the temple could learn something from them.”
“They’re heretics,” said Saul, shortly. “If Moses and Aaron were alive, they would be with us, arresting the heretics.”
“Whatever you say,” said the man and closed his door.
The leader of the guards looked at Saul for guidance.
He gestured at the door again: “We’ve given them time. Open the door!”
“Come on, men,” said the leader.
The guards began to use their feet and clubs on the door. It withstood their efforts, but gave an appearance of failing resistance.
A voice was heard from within, crying out, “I’ll open the door!”
Saul smiled grimly as he signalled to the guards to step back. He was not concerned that those in the house would put up any sort of armed resistance – they never did. It was the only thing about them that made them easier to deal with. Their lives were exemplary, their arguments irresistible, their enthusiasm utterly contagious; but fortunately, their refusal to fight or resist arrest made it easy to drag them away and lock them in prison until the council had an opportunity
to hear their case. And the council was never in a hurry. They had found that spiriting the believers away and making sure that no-one heard from them for some time had a far greater psychological impact on these ignorant sinners than holding confrontational trials where the temple authorities could be portrayed as unjust. The best part was that these poor simpletons never went to the Roman authorities to complain or to discover where their loved ones were hidden.
When the purge began, they had beaten such heretics in the synagogues and publicly executed men like Stephen, but it only seemed to win the villains more converts! Now the authorities had learned to use the prisons instead, and leave the unanswered questions to undermine their heretical faith.
Saul wasn’t sure yet whether it was working or had just spread the cancer further into other districts and countries. One thing he was sure of: it must work. He would never give up until this disease was rooted out.
After a few moments, the door opened a little and a man slipped out, closing the door behind him. Saul had to admit that it was a brave gesture.
“What do you want, good sirs?” he asked, and his voice quavered a little.
“We have come to search this house for heretics. We have information that meetings of heretics are held here. Is this your house?”
“Yes, this is my house. We use it to give glory to God, not for any heresy.”
“I have a warrant from the Chief Priests to search your house. Let us in and I will decide whether you are giving glory to God or practising heresy.”
“Are you Saul of Tarsus?” asked the man, his face suddenly turning white.
“Yes, I am.” Saul disliked the obvious fear in the man’s eyes – it made him feel guilty, since the man appeared from all reports, including most recently from his neighbour, to be an honest, hard-working sort. Yet the carpenter had claimed to have authority to forgive sin[2] and to be the son of God,[3] and God himself had forbidden blasphemy against the name.[4]
It had been the same with that blasphemer Stephen, who called the carpenter, “the Righteous One”! Apart from that sacrilege, Stephen’s words had been incisive and accurate – embarrassingly so, really. It was true that God’s messengers and prophets had often been the target of persecution at the hands of the leaders of Israel. But the carpenter was no messenger of God, insisted Saul to himself. How could a righteous man claim to be the son of God?
“Are you going to let us into your house or must we force our way in?”
The man turned back to the door and opened it. “If you must,” he said.
“We must,” said Saul, pushing past him. “God’s holiness demands it.”
Beyond the door, Saul found a poorly-lit, low-roofed room in which a few men and women sat quietly. He knew that they must all have heard that he was Saul, but no-one shouted or screamed or leapt at him with a weapon. Though not a self-important man, he was sure that all of these people must be aware of his unrelenting attacks on their fellows, and would know that they had little chance of escape from a harsh punishment at his hands. In some ways it frustrated him that their
behaviour was so admirable, so impeccable. Had they indulged in loose living or armed rebellion, unguarded speech or drunken revels, he could more easily have dismissed their convictions from his mind. As it was, their way of life made it harder to justify the beatings and incarceration he had inflicted on so many.
Best to get it over with quickly. Remember they’re heretics. Rebels against Moses’ law.
“Is that bread and wine on the table there?” he asked as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.
“Bread and wine are standard fare for the poor, your honour,” said the man who had answered the door.
“They are also symbols of heresy when used by followers of The Way.”
“We are just a poor family, sir.”
“A big family, too,” answered Saul, sarcastically.
“These are our friends, come to share a meal.”
“Are you followers of the Nazarene?”
“Yes, we are. Jesus is the son of God.”
“That is heresy,” said Paul, angrily. He looked around at his audience. “Does anyone else believe this heresy?”
“It is not heresy, sir, whatever you may call it.”
“Are you all followers of this Jesus?”
“I am,” said another man.
“I am,” said another.
“I am,” said the woman of the house.
“I am”, “I am”, continued the refrain until each of those present had declared their allegiance.
“If only you could be too,” finished the man who had opened the door, softly. “If only.”
Ignoring the man’s temerity, Saul directed the guards to round them all up and take them to the temple courts where they would be separated and locked up until the chief priests were ready for their initial “interviews”.
[To be continued]
Footnotes
[1] Matthew 26:52
[2] Matthew 9:2-3
[3] John 10:29-36
[4] Leviticus 24:16
