St Stephen's Spirit

"Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then 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. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And when he said this, he fell asleep."

~The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 7

I've been rereading Acts lately and the martyrdom of Stephen stands out as particularly profound, primarily for the tone and demeanour with which Stephen spoke and died. He's a perfect embodiment of grace under pressure - "full of grace", "full of the Holy Spirit" as the text says (chs. 6 and 7). Though the religious elite couldn't stand him when he spoke, when they put him on trial they saw that "his face was like the face of an angel". I wonder how often people reflect on the way Stephen engages the crowds and authorities. He speaks with clarity and conviction, though it's hard to imagine him shouting as you read the text. He's not harsh. One doesn't get the sense that he's anxious to convince his audience, but that he's calmly performing a duty to speak plainly of the Gospel in which he believes. His exchange with the synagogue evokes a sense of great peace and assurance, as one who walks calmly amidst a frenzied and hostile environment. As the first martyr of the church, Stephen provides an example or prototype - as protomartyr - for how to live and die for Christ.

If you were to bundle up Stephen's behaviour in a virtue, I wonder what it would be. Patience, tolerance, temperance? These seem a bit passive, unengaged. Forbearance? Maybe. Wisdom? There is certainly wisdom, but there is more. It's difficult to put a finger on just one or two traits, but it's easy to see, both through his character and the words of the narrator, that Stephen is caught up in something much greater than himself. It seems that the best way to describe this is to say that he's empowered by a divine spirit, something that animates him, that doesn't overpower him while adding to him a life and energy he can't on his own conjure up. He is, in a way, filled with God - the Holy Spirit. And I guess that's what makes an impression on me - what it looks like to be filled with the Spirit as Stephen is. And while this doesn't overshadow the painstaking, time-bound work of character development, it tells me that something that cannot be achieved, and can only be invited in, animates the character of the saint.

Two further things from this passage are striking to me. The first is the anger of the crowd. As I've written in this blog, anger is a tricky emotion, often misdirected and disproportionate to harm caused. Why are so many enraged by his peaceful declaration of belief? There could be many reasons, but this can be a reminder to not be surprised if the Gospel provokes a negative reaction. The second is his final words, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Stephen's final words are words of forgiveness. Amidst the present division (resulting in his immediately foreseeable death), Stephen reaches out and speaks for an ultimate peace. In this, he emulates Christ ("Father forgive them, for they know not what they do") and demonstrates the indwelling of God's Spirit. He faces death with a spirit of peace, strength, and confidence that the good will prevail - and this is not so much an achievement he has won, but a gift he's been given.

Father, may we be like Stephen. Pour your Spirit into us, so we may be animated by grace. Give us calm, give us confidence to speak and act for the peace that only You can achieve.