ST. STEPHEN'S DAY

STEPHEN, THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR
December 26, 2004

Acts 6 and 7

Today, St. Stephen’s Day, we remember Stephen, the very first Christian martyr. We don’t know much about him except for what is written in the Book of Acts. We know that he was a Jew, either by birth or by conversion. It is generally believed that he was one of the seventy-two disciples of Jesus. Even though he was such an important figure, Stephen is often neglected - unfortunately. Being the first martyr, he was given the position of honour immediately after Christmas Day - and it is this very honour that has led to his neglect, because the focus of most sermons at this season is Christmas. I know of only one hymn or carol about Stephen - "Good King Wenceslas"- and even that is about something that happened on St. Stephen’s Day, not about Stephen himself. So I thought I might try to redress the balance and talk today about Stephen - not forgetting Christmas, of course.

Stephen is especially close to me, since once as a boy of ten or eleven I played the role of Stephen in a play and was symbolically martyred on stage. It was a painful experience, since they were quite rough with me, but nothing compared to actually being stoned to death!

What do Stephen and Christmas have in common? At first sight, not much. Before he was martyred Stephen made a long speech, of which Acts gives us a summary, but there is not a single reference to the birth of Jesus.

I have found 5 points of contact between Stephen and Christmas:-

1. Names
The Greek name Stephanos means "crown". Two writers from the early church, Lucian and Basil of Seleucia, inform us that his Hebrew name was Cheliel, and that this name was engraved on his tomb at Caphragamala. In Hebrew Cheli-el means "ornament of God". All Jews are given Hebrew names, even if they also have another name used in society, be it Greek, Latin, Yiddish, Russian or English, and so on. So Stephen had two names - one Hebrew and the other Greek. His Greek name 'crown' seems to refer to kingship, but his Hebrew name makes it clear that Stephen was not a crowned king, but rather an ornament in God’s crown. His very name was prophetic. It could not have been more appropriate.

In the Bible names are prophetic. They express the hopes that the parents have for their new-born child. Giving a name is dedicating a child to the service of God, and so many Hebrew names include the name of God. If the name given to a child turns out to be unsuitable or insufficient, a new name is often given. From the Old Testament we know of Abram who became Abraham and Jacob who became Israel. And Jesus called Simon Cephas or Peter, that is Kepha in Aramaic and Petros in Greek. In the case of the Apostle Paul there is often a misunderstanding. It is often asserted in sermons that Saul changed his name to Paul after his conversion. But this is not true. As a Jew, he had a Hebrew name, Sha’ul or Saul, which means "asked for", in other words he was an answer to prayer. His parents had asked God for a child. Paul, on the other hand, was his Roman name, since he was also a Roman citizen, and this name was more suitable when travelling around the Roman Empire outside the Jewish community.

Jesus too was given a name, but this was not left for the parents to decide. His name was given by an angel. He was to be called Yeshua in Hebrew, that is, "the Lord saves". But the New Testament was written in Greek, so in the NT we have his Greek name Iesous. In Latin this became Iesus, which we pronounce as Jesus. No doubt Jesus used both names, depending on which language he was speaking at the time. To Jews he was Yeshua, and to the Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles he was Iesous. So when he was crucified Jesus was convicted under three forms of his name, Hebrew, Greek and Latin. But his title was "king of the Jews". The name reflects the character and task of the person who bears it. Jesus was to be the Saviour. Stephen was the first to wear the crown of martyrdom, but not before the King of the Jews had worn the crown of thorns.

2. Royalty and martyrdom
As we all know, the person who wears a crown is either a king or queen, prince or princess, or a member of the royal family. When Jesus was born he was given three gifts, the first of which was gold, a present fit for a king. The second gift, frankincense, was a gift for God. This baby was no ordinary baby. He was a king. But he was no ordinary king. He was a divine king. He was the "Prince of Peace" and the "King of the Jews". Yet the only crown he wore on earth was a crown of thorns. In the NT a crown is given not only to kings but also to martyrs. In a sense Jesus himself was the first martyr, the first to die for the gospel of the Messiah.

In the Book of Revelation the martyrs throw down their crowns before the throne of Jesus. Their crowns belong to him. And we sing the hymn "Crown him with many crowns". Stephen the 'crown-man' was one of the crowns of Jesus. There is no greater honour.

3. Jewish and OT themes
Stephen’s speech before his martyrdom deals almost entirely with stories from the Old Testament. He makes no mention of the birth of Jesus nor his ministry.

The Nativity stories, too, are thoroughly Jewish. They are full of quotations from and allusions to the OT. Jesus had come to fulfil the prophecies of the Messiah in Isaiah and the other prophets. In fact the early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, including the Nativity account, are written in the style of the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament. Otherwise Luke writes good literary Greek. It’s as if we were to read the early chapters of the Gospel of Luke in the King James version and then continue to the end with the New International Bible. The difference is real. Luke wanted to show how Jewish Jesus was and how Jewish his birth was. He does this by adopting a "biblical" style for his narrative.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the King of the Jews. In a sense we crown him as our king too. Stephen did not die because he wanted a crown. He, with the other martyrs, threw down his crown before the true king. If, then, we are celebrating a Jewish king, is it really appropriate to eat ham, which is an abomination to the Jews? Jesus and his disciples were law-abiding Jews and would not have come to such a feast. Is it surprising that to the Jews in particular modern Christmas seems very pagan, a travesty of the real message of the Jewish Messiah. I remember once as a student going carol-singing. We were singing the carol "The First Nowell", the chorus of which ends with the words: "Born is the king of Israel". A Jewish lady heard us and came to her garden gate. I shall always remember her words: "Jesus came for all of us."

4. Death
Stephen’s speech enraged his enemies and led to his death, just as Jesus’ words enraged his enemies and led to his death. The third gift given to Jesus was myrrh, which was used to embalm the dead. Even at birth there is a hint of death. There is a tinge of sadness throughout the Gospels. The baby would grew into a man who would be both loved and hated. Mary, his mother, would have her heart pierced by a sword. She would suffer the pain of seeing her son suffer in excruciating pain and die a shameful death. The apostles, too, would suffer - first the pain of rejection, being rejected by their fellow-Jews - then the pain of martyrdom. In this sense they were all Stephens, 'crowns', 'ornaments of God'.

Tomorrow the Church remembers the Holy Innocents, the innocent children of Bethlehem who were killed by Herod’s soldiers. Jesus came to bring salvation, "the Lord saves" was his name, but there was no salvation without death. Martyrdom, which really means "witness", also involves death. The Gospel brings life, but often through the death of those who preach it. The Gospel brings comfort, but this is not a painless comfort, but rather comfort in the midst of suffering, in a suffering world and a suffering church. Only in heaven will the suffering cease and God wipe away all tears.

5. Resurrection
Stephen’s speech culminates with the crucifixion of Jesus. Whether he was a witness of the risen Jesus we do not know. But at the end he received a vision of the risen Jesus in heaven. The crucifixion was not the end. Death is not the end. Not only was Stephen the first Christian martyr, he was also the first to pray to Jesus. The first recorded prayer to Jesus was "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." We cannot help but remember Jesus’ last words: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Jesus knew that his spirit was safe in the hands of his Father. Stephen knew that his spirit was safe in the hands of Jesus. Martyrs through the ages have echoed these words. During the Reformation the Anglican martyrs under Queen Mary committed themselves to Jesus in the very same words: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." A worthy way to die for each and every one of us who believe in Jesus, however and wherever it takes place.

It has often been stated that the Roman Catholic Church places greatest emphasis on the Incarnation, Protestants on the Crucifixion and Atonement, and the Orthodox on the Resurrection. This means that for Catholics Christmas is the most important Christian festival, for Protestants it is Good Friday, and for the Orthodox it is Easter. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but it is true that the New Testament places little emphasis on the virgin birth and the incarnation in comparison with the atonement. But the greatest emphasis in early Gospel preaching in the NT is on the resurrection. Why? Because the virgin birth and the incarnation, and the atonement are past events. The resurrection is as much present as past. The past event is: 'He was raised.' The present is: 'He is risen.' He is alive! Stephen spent much time recounting the events of the past in the OT, then skips briefly to the death of Jesus. Perhaps he had seen Jesus during his ministry, perhaps he was one of the larger group of disciples. If so, he makes no mention of it. He could have said, "I remember Jesus doing this, saying that." But it was when he was on the brink of martyrdom that he saw Jesus alive. "I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Not sitting in judgment but standing, waiting to welcome him.

At the risk of appearing to belittle the baby of Bethlehem, might I suggest that we think of Jesus not as a baby but as a king waiting to receive us into heaven. "He is not here in the tomb. He is risen." - "He is not here in the manger. He is risen."