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The Sunday School

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 4, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 5.

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The Sunday School

International Series.
Lesson VIII.—Sunday, February 21, 1897.

THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR.

NOTE.—We have noted in the church the manifestations of the power by which it was instituted. We have also studied the manifestations of that power by which the church has been opposed from its very birth and will be opposed until the end of time. We have seen how the power of God made hypocrites afraid to join themselves to the church, and how the church was strengthened and increased by the opposition of its enemies whether from without the fold or from within. This lesson shows to what lengths opposers of the truth will go—even to the taking of life; but the martyrdom of Stephen bore fruit to the church. Persecution of the church drives out of it the insincere, and makes the work of those who are sincere a powerful instrument for good.
Lesson Scripture, Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60, R. V.
8 “And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people. But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 9 And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council, and set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law: 14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us. 15 And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”
54 “Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, 56 Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Golden Text.—“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Rev. 2:10.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) Who is introduced in the beginning of this lesson? Verse 8. Note 2. (2) What called him into prominence? Ib. (3) By whom was he withstood? Verse 9. Note 2. (4) By what two things were Stephen’s adversaries confounded? Verse 10. Note 3. (5) Being unable to cope with him in debate, what did they do? Verse 11. Note 4. (6) What was the result of this wicked conspiracy? Verse 12. (7) By whom was he accused? Verse 13, first clause. Note 5. (8) Of what did they accuse him? Ib., last part. (9) What had they heard him say? Verse 14. Note 6. (10) How did God testify to Stephen’s innocence? Verse 15. Note 7. (11) After listening to Stephen’s defense, how were his accusers affected? Chapter 7, verse 54. (12) How were their feelings manifested? Ib. Note 8. (13) How was Stephen enabled to stand this persecution? Verse 55, first part. (14) What merciful vision did he have? Ib., last part. (15) What startling declaration did he make? Verse 56. (16) What did this cause his accusers to do? Verse 57. (17) What did they do with Stephen? Verse 58, first part. (18) What significant incident is mentioned in this connection? Verse 58, last part. Note 9. (19) In what was Stephen engaged while the Jews were stoning him? Verse 59. (20) What was Stephen’s prayer for his slayers? Verse 60, first part. Note 10. (21) What followed the prayer? Ib., last clause.

NOTES.

1. And Stephen.—Stephen was chosen from among the lay members of the early church to be one of the seven who were to have charge of distributing food and clothing among the poor. These seven were the first deacons of the church. Two of them, Stephen and Philip, labored as evangelists. Stephen is especially mentioned as being full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. It was this that enabled him to do “great wonders and miracles among the people.”
2. Libertines . . . and them of Cilicia.—The Libertines were descendants of Jewish slaves taken captive during the wars of Pompey, but emancipated at Rome and allowed to return to Jerusalem, where they maintained a synagogue independent from the other Jewish synagogues. Among the Cilicians who held debate with Stephen it is probable that Saul took an active part, both from the fact of his high scholarship and his presence at the execution, as well as from his zeal in the persecutions which followed.
3. The wisdom and the spirit.—The wisdom with which Stephen met and overwhelmed his opponents was not the wisdom of men. Therefore their arguments had no power to stand before it. The “spirit” was the Spirit of God that was in him. The spirit of the accusers was earthly, and this is shown in the malicious way in which it manifested itself. Here are truth and error, the Spirit of God and the spirit of wickedness, brought face to face. Truth, in the person of Stephen, was “crushed to earth;” but in that very act truth is permitted to “rise” to heaven itself and in vision look upon the approving face of the Author of truth.
4. They suborned men.—The universal tactics of the unprincipled in defending falsehood. The word is defined as “to bribe or unlawfully procure to some act of wickedness—specifically, in law, to giving false testimony.” These false witnesses were secretly instructed, by the accusers of Stephen, in the perjured testimony which they were to give. Even so they hired false witnesses against our Lord. Matt. 26:59, 60.
5. False witnesses.—In making a pretended fight for the honor of God, they broke one of his express commands, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” These witnesses were false because they told what they had been hired to tell as tho they themselves had seen and heard it. Their witness was false in that they distorted and perverted the teachings and words of Stephen.
6. Shall destroy this place.—Stephen’s prophecy in regard to Jerusalem being destroyed was in harmony with the prophecy of Jesus recorded in Matt. 24:2, and also of the prophet Micah, whom they professed to believe (Micah 3:12). Stephen had also showed them how that the ordinances and customs pointing to the Messiah had come to an end. Type had met antitype; shadows had met substance; the work of the Levitical priesthood was finished, as is shown by the fact that the “vail” of the temple was rent in twain when the antitypical Sacrifice was offered on Calvary; the priesthood and sanctuary service had been transferred to heaven (Heb. 8:1-3); and Christ, whom they had slain, was the minister of “the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.” In this, however, there was no abolition of the law of God “written and graven in stone.” Sin exists. There must be a law or sin could not be; for “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4; Rom. 7:7. The acknowledged existence of sin proves the existence of the law of God. There can be no transgression of the law where no law is, and it takes the transgression of God’s law to make sin. “If thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” James 2:11. That law is the law in which occurs the command, “Thou shalt not kill,” which is the Ten Commandments. Paul says (Rom. 3:31) that the law is not made void through faith, but that it is established thereby. Christ says, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17.
7. His face . . . as the face of an angel.—Angelic light will never illumine the face of him who opposes God or his truth. Stephen was accused of conspiring against Moses, Mosaic customs, and the law of the Lord. God exonerates Stephen of the charge by permitting that same light which shone from the face of Moses, when he came down from Mount Sinai, to illuminate the face of the accused man.
8. They gnashed on him.—The honest-hearted welcome light, even tho it shows them in grievous error, in order that they may alter their course. The other class welcome light if it is in accordance with their course, or will minister to their own ends. Otherwise they prefer to drift where their own inclinations may take them, heedless of consequences. Note the contrast between the appearance of Stephen and that of his accusers, as shown by verse 15 of chapter 6 and verse 54 of chapter 7.
9. Whose name was Saul.—The martyrdom of Stephen bore fruit, and that fruit was seen in the conversion of Saul, who, tho consenting to Stephen’s death, was afterwards one of the staunchest defenders of the same truths which Stephen advocated.
10. Note in verses 59 and 60 the prayer of Stephen, and its similarity to the prayer of the Saviour on the cross. Christ said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.” Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Both committed their lives into the hands of God. Christ prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” How like this is Stephen’s, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”?