Encore Post:
The word “martyr” is Greek for “witness”—a person who reports what he or she sees. Before returning to Heaven, Jesus predicted His disciples would be witnesses to His death and resurrection.
The apostles appointed Stephen a deacon. His task was to feed the widows and the poor using the funds collected for that purpose. God also blessed his work with miracles. When men from the local synagogue asked what he believed, God blessed Stephen’s word so his opponents could not find a reply to his arguments. They finally silenced him by charging him with blasphemy — speaking lies about God.
The same Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus just a few weeks earlier now convened to hear Stephen’s case. Stephen boldly proclaimed that they had rejected and handed over God’s promised Messiah to death. The last straw came when Stephen related a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God in Heaven. For the Jewish people of the time, this was another way of saying that Jesus Himself is God. Jesus said the same thing in that very spot in the early hours of Good Friday. They condemned Stephen to death, too.
This time Pontius Pilate was not in Jerusalem. Feeling safe in defying Roman law, they carried Stephen outside the city and stoned him. As he died, Stephen followed his Lord’s example. He prayed to Jesus and asked that his murderers be forgiven. The first Christian martyr died confessing Christ and showing mercy to his enemies.
A young man named Saul stood nearby. He watched over the coats of those who killed Stephen and approved of what they had done. Yet God was already at work. The same Saul would one day become the Apostle Paul and carry the Gospel throughout the Roman world.
With Stephen’s death and the martyrs who followed, the word “martyr” took on a new meaning. It now referred to those who suffered and died for bearing witness to Jesus Christ. The courage and faith of the martyrs impressed many people in the Roman world. If Christians believed strongly enough to face torture and death rather than deny Christ, perhaps their message was true. Many were baptized because of such witnesses. That is why the Church likes to say:
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog
The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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