This brief glimpse into Stephen’s life shows that the Word of the Lord must continue to go out despite its worldly detractors.
Have you ever preached a sermon on a sermon? If you have ever preached from the prophets, you have. Here, we have the story of Stephen wrapped in the reminiscence of the Old Testament prophets. This brief glimpse into his life shows that the Word of the Lord must continue to go out despite its worldly detractors. The rejoicing of Stephen over his persecution reminds us of Jesus’ beatitude in Matthew 5:12. The message of the prophets and how they were treated is still relevant even today. But there should be something else that you recognize in the life and especially the death of Stephen. You should recognize a pattern. It is not just the pattern of the prophets but the pattern of Jesus Himself. To see this clearly you have to set up the parallels.
The first parallel is in their trial and accusations. Both Jesus and Stephen were accused of blasphemy, and both were charged with speaking against the Temple and Moses. Stephen’s trial mirrors Matthew and Mark’s accounts of Jesus’s trial including false witnesses and the specific language of destroying the Temple. Both Stephen and Jesus cannot be defeated in debate. What we are meant to see is that the ministry and witness of Jesus did not stop with His Ascension. Instead, this mission of Jesus is still going on through the Church. We see this in the lived-out pattern of their lives and witness in the world.
However, the clearest parallels are at the moment of death for both of them. While being stoned to death Stephen, prays “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” which echoes Jesus’s final words from the cross in Luke: “Father, into your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Then Stephen cries out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them,” which is exactly Jesus’s prayer on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Both forgive their persecutors, and both commend their spirit to God. The parallels are undeniable. Are the mission and ministry of Jesus over? Not at all! It is still going on through the Church. Through the Word and Sacraments not being neglected and the acts of service which point people towards Jesus’ mercy and graciousness to all people.
There is one more detail in this account that is remarkable and worth developing for a sermon on this text. It is Stephen’s reference to the Son of Man in Acts 7:56, which is a direct citation of Daniel 7:13-14. The only other time outside of the Gospels where this is referenced is on the very lips of Jesus Himself. It was at Jesus’ trial in (Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). Here, when Jesus makes the explicit connection between Himself and the Son of Man, it proves that His persecutors were in the very presence of the foretold, mysterious, Messianic figure in rabbinic Judaism. It can sometimes be hard to understand what Daniel 7:13-14 means even for those who have received the clear teachings of scripture.
Even if you were to die, you will not have reason to lose hope.
If you would like to develop a theological confession on this connection, I suggest our Gospel lesson for the day. John 14:10-14 gets Jesus’ own words on what this connection means. Consider developing a teaching on the Ascension of Jesus and what it means for the Church. However, when you do make this connection between the trial of Jesus and His use of Daniel 7, make sure you connect it back to Stephen. You can do that with a simple question: What are both of their reactions to quoting this Old Testament text? It is the same reaction with Jesus as with their reaction to Stephen. They fly into a rage that ends in murder. However, since Jesus rose again, so will Stephen too! Since Jesus rose again, so will you too! Because the work of Jesus did not stop at His ascension. No, it keeps going through the Acts of the Holy Spirit by Word and Sacrament. Even if you were to die, you will not have reason to lose hope. Because those who, like Stephen, fall asleep in the Lord will be awaken to that glorious day, a day as glorious as Easter morning, where death has lost its power and the grave must give up trying to hold the saints down. Faith in the midst of fear provides hope for eternal life in Christ alone.
Since we are developing the sermon using Compare and Contrast, perhaps, that would be the best structure to order our thoughts.
“This structure systematically explores relevant similarities and/or differences between two topics in order to accomplish a purpose for the hearer. In this sermon, the purpose of comparing/contrasting is crucial. While proverbial wisdom says you cannot compare apples and oranges, the preacher responds that you most certainly can, depending upon what your purpose is. The sermon, thus, does more than simply inform hearers of similarities and/or differences. It uses that information for a purpose, and the purpose often makes a difference in their lives. For example, one could compare/contrast the teaching in an adult bible class with the teaching in the Sunday sermon for the purpose of encouraging hearers to attend both worship and bible class.
In presenting this information to the hearers, the preacher has a choice of two approaches. He can work whole-to-whole (in other words, offering all the individual items of one topic before proceeding to a listing of the individual items of another topic: A1, A2, A3 and B1, B2, B3) [for our purposes this week, the preacher may compare and contrast Stephen and the Prophets or the Stephen and Jesus]. Or the preacher can work part-to-part (in other words, offering one item from each topic and then proceeding to the next item: A1/B1, A2/B2, A3/B3). In part to part, a larger theme will be present for the hearers that slowly unfolds through the comparison [again, for this week, the theological confession of the Ascension of Jesus].
The choice of approach is often based upon the balance of information you have and what you desire your listeners to remember. Whole-to-whole encourages them to remember the topics [like, Stephen and Jesus]; part-to-part encourages them to remember the items that compose the topics [for example, how the Ascension of Jesus gives us hope that His reign and rule is still with His persecuted Church].”[1]
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Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/comparisoncontrast/
