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 had said this, he fell asleep.
Jesus standing at the right hand of God - "Jesus' priestly work of offering a sacrifice for sin was finished on the cross; He is therefore sometimes pictured as seated at the right hand of God (Heb 1:3). But His priestly work of sustaining His people continues (as here with Stephen); therefore, He is portrayed as standing to minister (cf. Rev 2:1)." (Ryrie)
Stam offers a different point of view regarding 'Jesus standing at the right hand of God' which I think makes a lot more sense:
"...we must again caution the reader not to anticipate revelation in considering Stephen's experience. Up to this time nothing whatever had been said about Christ sitting at the Father's right hand because He had finished the work of redemption. The proclamation of the finished work of Christ, or 'the preaching of the cross, as it is called, belonged to 'the dispensation of the grace of God' and 'the mystery' later committed to Paul by revelation (See 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Eph 3:1-3). Prophetically our Lord's session at the Rather's right hand had a very different signification and, remember, the believers of Stephen's day had a prophetic background. The mystery of God's present purpose had not yet been revealed. Who can read Mark 16:19 without recalling Psa. 110:1, which is given so prominent a place in the Gospels and the Acts? 'The Lord said unto my Lord, sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.' Here, plainly, the finished work of redemption is not at all in view. Rather the Lord is invited to the Father's right hand because he has 'enemies' on earth who will not have Him. But He is to remain seated with His Father as a royal Exile only 'until' the time when His enemies shall be made His footstool. Little wonder that so often in the Psalms we find the cry: 'Arise, O God' and 'Arise, O Lord.' It is in connection with the judgment of Christ's enemies and the deliverance of the faithful remnant that we find the Father and the Son rising again in such prophetic passages as the following: 'Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger; lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies...' (Psa. 7:6). And since Israel's rebellion was but the climax of the world's rebellion against God and His Christ (Acts 4:23-28) we read further: 'Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen [lit. nations] be judged in Thy sight' (Psa. 9:19). Had Israel, by her persistent rejection of Messiah, brought the wrath of God upon herself and the other nations? Had the rejected Father and His rejected Son risen to smite the world in judgment" Was Christ about to avenge His persecuted disciples? Surely conditions were ripening for the outpouring of God's wrath, as far as prophecy was concerned. Thank God, 'where sin abounded, grace did much more abount' (Rom 5:20). In matchless love and mercy God still postponed the judgment and ushered in the present dispensation of grace. But let us not get ahead of our story." (Stam)
vs 58 - "The mention of witnesses suggests that they went through the motions of a legal execution (Lev. 24:14), though probably without securing the official approval of Pilate." (Ryrie)
vss 58-59 - "In stoning, the first official witness pushed the naked victim off a nine foot (2.75 m) scaffold. Then the second official witness dropped a large stone on his head or chest, and others pelted the dying man." (Ryrie)
he fell asleep - "This expression is used of the physical death of believers (John 11:11; 1 Thes. 4:13, 15)." (Ryrie)
"A word aptly expressing the peaceful passing of his soul to be with Christ. Contrast the verb used of the death of Ananias and Sapphira (ch. v. 5, 10). For the use of this verb to denote the 'passing' of true believers, see Matt. 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 13:36; 1 Cor 15:18, 20, 51; 1 Thes. 4:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:4. From this Greek verb our word 'cemetery' is taken. The Jews, doubtless, exceeded their legal powers in the execution of Stephen. We know from John 18:31 that the Sanhedrin had no authority, at this period, to put anyone to death." (Walker)
"It was John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, who was sent as the forerunner of Christ to call Israel to repentance. He was beheaded by Herod, the wicked and licentious 'king of the Jews.' After John, Christ Himself took up the cry: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Him they crucified. Then, at Pentecost, Israel was given a third opportunity to repent, until they shed blood again, stoning Stephen to death. It should be noticed, too, that their guilt, as well as their bitter enmity, increased with the second and third murders. As to the beheading of John the Baptist, they PERMITTED it. (Had Israel responded to John's call to repentance Herod would never have dared to even put him in jail. This explains why our Lord did nothing to release John from prison, even though it had offended John. It was not His, but theirs to do something about John's unjust, imprisonment and every moment he spent in prison testified against them. Read carefully Luke 3:18-20; 7:19-29 and Matt. 14:1-11). As to the crucifixion of Christ, they DEMANDED it (Luke 23:23-24). As to the stoning of Stephen, they COMMITTED it, casting him out of the city with their own hands and stoning him there. And so that generation in Israel committed the unpardonable sin which our Lord warned would not be forgiven, either in that age, or in the age to come. (Remember, this present age of grace was still a mystery when this was spoken, so that 'the age to come' refers to the coming kingdom age. There was at least one blasphemer among them, however, who had not been included in our Lord's warning, for he had not been under Christ's ministry. This was Saul, who had come to Jerusalem from Tarsus in Cilicia. Saul was in somewhat the same position as the Jewish leaders had been before the crucifixion of Christ. At that time they had not known that Jesus was the Christ. True, they could have known, yea, should have known. But the fact remains that they did not know. Our Lord Himself had said to them: 'When ye have lifted up the Son of man, THEN shall ye know that I am He' (John 8:28). This agrees with our Lord's prayer on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO' (Luke 23:34). It also agrees with Peter's declaration to the 'men of Israel': 'And now, brethren, I wot that THROUGH IGNORANCE YE DID IT, as did also your rulers' (Acts 3:17). Now, of course, the rulers did know that Jesus was the Christ and their sin was unpardonable, but Saul of Tarsus had not been among them when Christ was on earth. He did not know. True, he too could have known and should have know, but again the fact remains that he did not know. Hear his own inspired words: 'And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before A BLASPHEMER, AND A PERSECUTOR, AND INJURIOUS: BUT I OBTAINED MERCY, BECAUSE I DID IT IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF' (1 Tim. 1:12-13). Here we find Saul among the murderers of Stephen, soon to become the leader of Israel's, yea of the world's, rebellion against God and His Christ." (Stam)
Jesus standing at the right hand of God - "Jesus' priestly work of offering a sacrifice for sin was finished on the cross; He is therefore sometimes pictured as seated at the right hand of God (Heb 1:3). But His priestly work of sustaining His people continues (as here with Stephen); therefore, He is portrayed as standing to minister (cf. Rev 2:1)." (Ryrie)
Stam offers a different point of view regarding 'Jesus standing at the right hand of God' which I think makes a lot more sense:
"...we must again caution the reader not to anticipate revelation in considering Stephen's experience. Up to this time nothing whatever had been said about Christ sitting at the Father's right hand because He had finished the work of redemption. The proclamation of the finished work of Christ, or 'the preaching of the cross, as it is called, belonged to 'the dispensation of the grace of God' and 'the mystery' later committed to Paul by revelation (See 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Eph 3:1-3). Prophetically our Lord's session at the Rather's right hand had a very different signification and, remember, the believers of Stephen's day had a prophetic background. The mystery of God's present purpose had not yet been revealed. Who can read Mark 16:19 without recalling Psa. 110:1, which is given so prominent a place in the Gospels and the Acts? 'The Lord said unto my Lord, sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.' Here, plainly, the finished work of redemption is not at all in view. Rather the Lord is invited to the Father's right hand because he has 'enemies' on earth who will not have Him. But He is to remain seated with His Father as a royal Exile only 'until' the time when His enemies shall be made His footstool. Little wonder that so often in the Psalms we find the cry: 'Arise, O God' and 'Arise, O Lord.' It is in connection with the judgment of Christ's enemies and the deliverance of the faithful remnant that we find the Father and the Son rising again in such prophetic passages as the following: 'Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger; lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies...' (Psa. 7:6). And since Israel's rebellion was but the climax of the world's rebellion against God and His Christ (Acts 4:23-28) we read further: 'Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen [lit. nations] be judged in Thy sight' (Psa. 9:19). Had Israel, by her persistent rejection of Messiah, brought the wrath of God upon herself and the other nations? Had the rejected Father and His rejected Son risen to smite the world in judgment" Was Christ about to avenge His persecuted disciples? Surely conditions were ripening for the outpouring of God's wrath, as far as prophecy was concerned. Thank God, 'where sin abounded, grace did much more abount' (Rom 5:20). In matchless love and mercy God still postponed the judgment and ushered in the present dispensation of grace. But let us not get ahead of our story." (Stam)
vs 58 - "The mention of witnesses suggests that they went through the motions of a legal execution (Lev. 24:14), though probably without securing the official approval of Pilate." (Ryrie)
vss 58-59 - "In stoning, the first official witness pushed the naked victim off a nine foot (2.75 m) scaffold. Then the second official witness dropped a large stone on his head or chest, and others pelted the dying man." (Ryrie)
he fell asleep - "This expression is used of the physical death of believers (John 11:11; 1 Thes. 4:13, 15)." (Ryrie)
"A word aptly expressing the peaceful passing of his soul to be with Christ. Contrast the verb used of the death of Ananias and Sapphira (ch. v. 5, 10). For the use of this verb to denote the 'passing' of true believers, see Matt. 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 13:36; 1 Cor 15:18, 20, 51; 1 Thes. 4:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:4. From this Greek verb our word 'cemetery' is taken. The Jews, doubtless, exceeded their legal powers in the execution of Stephen. We know from John 18:31 that the Sanhedrin had no authority, at this period, to put anyone to death." (Walker)
"It was John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, who was sent as the forerunner of Christ to call Israel to repentance. He was beheaded by Herod, the wicked and licentious 'king of the Jews.' After John, Christ Himself took up the cry: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Him they crucified. Then, at Pentecost, Israel was given a third opportunity to repent, until they shed blood again, stoning Stephen to death. It should be noticed, too, that their guilt, as well as their bitter enmity, increased with the second and third murders. As to the beheading of John the Baptist, they PERMITTED it. (Had Israel responded to John's call to repentance Herod would never have dared to even put him in jail. This explains why our Lord did nothing to release John from prison, even though it had offended John. It was not His, but theirs to do something about John's unjust, imprisonment and every moment he spent in prison testified against them. Read carefully Luke 3:18-20; 7:19-29 and Matt. 14:1-11). As to the crucifixion of Christ, they DEMANDED it (Luke 23:23-24). As to the stoning of Stephen, they COMMITTED it, casting him out of the city with their own hands and stoning him there. And so that generation in Israel committed the unpardonable sin which our Lord warned would not be forgiven, either in that age, or in the age to come. (Remember, this present age of grace was still a mystery when this was spoken, so that 'the age to come' refers to the coming kingdom age. There was at least one blasphemer among them, however, who had not been included in our Lord's warning, for he had not been under Christ's ministry. This was Saul, who had come to Jerusalem from Tarsus in Cilicia. Saul was in somewhat the same position as the Jewish leaders had been before the crucifixion of Christ. At that time they had not known that Jesus was the Christ. True, they could have known, yea, should have known. But the fact remains that they did not know. Our Lord Himself had said to them: 'When ye have lifted up the Son of man, THEN shall ye know that I am He' (John 8:28). This agrees with our Lord's prayer on the cross: 'Father, forgive them, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO' (Luke 23:34). It also agrees with Peter's declaration to the 'men of Israel': 'And now, brethren, I wot that THROUGH IGNORANCE YE DID IT, as did also your rulers' (Acts 3:17). Now, of course, the rulers did know that Jesus was the Christ and their sin was unpardonable, but Saul of Tarsus had not been among them when Christ was on earth. He did not know. True, he too could have known and should have know, but again the fact remains that he did not know. Hear his own inspired words: 'And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before A BLASPHEMER, AND A PERSECUTOR, AND INJURIOUS: BUT I OBTAINED MERCY, BECAUSE I DID IT IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF' (1 Tim. 1:12-13). Here we find Saul among the murderers of Stephen, soon to become the leader of Israel's, yea of the world's, rebellion against God and His Christ." (Stam)
No comments:
Post a Comment