Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 7:57-59 (New Living Translation)

57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

At various times in the New Testament era, the Jewish officials were hesitant of killing a follower of Christ. They hesitated about killing Jesus himself, but went through the proper political channels to have the Romans perform the killing. There were times when they hesitated to kill the Apostle Paul, and so on.

Note here, there is no hesitation. They had Stephen testify of his faith—then they killed him. They used a form of execution given in the Old Testament law—stoning by the community. Still, they did not go to the Roman authorities or anyone else.

In a legal sense, they murdered Stephen in front of the community, and “got away with it.”

And notice how Stephen correctly calls this murder “sin.”