The first Christian martyr prayed for his killers: the story of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7

Stephen was chosen to help distribute food. Within two chapters of the book of Acts, he was dead, the first follower of Jesus killed for his faith. A young man named Saul stood nearby, guarding the coats of the men who threw the stones.

Food and service

Acts 6 opens with a problem. Greek-speaking believers complained that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The apostles asked the church to choose seven men “of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” to manage the work. Stephen was the first named, described as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost”.

Stephen did more than serve tables. He “did great wonders and miracles among the people”. Some members of a synagogue argued with him, but “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake”.

False witnesses

They brought false witnesses who accused him of speaking against the temple and the law of Moses. He was taken before the council. As they looked at him, they “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel”. Acts 7 records Stephen’s defence, the longest speech in the book. He retold Israel’s history: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the tabernacle and the temple. His point was that God had never been confined to one place and that Israel had often resisted the messengers God sent.

He ended sharply: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.”

Heaven opened

The council was furious. But Stephen looked up and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” They covered their ears, rushed at him and dragged him out of the city. As they stoned him, he prayed: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt and cried, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Having said this, “he fell asleep”.

His prayers echo those of Jesus on the cross.

Saul and the answered prayer

The witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul, who “was consenting unto his death”. A persecution followed, scattering believers beyond Jerusalem. Saul later met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became Paul the apostle. Many churches remember Stephen on a feast day just after Christmas, and his name is given to churches and schools around the world.

Stephen asked God not to hold the sin against his killers. One of the men who approved of his death went on to write much of the New Testament. Many Christians see in Paul’s life an answer to the last prayer Stephen prayed.