But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. - Luke 7:55-60
They didn't want to hear, so they covered their ears and yelled. They didn't want to become unclean, so they left their coats with Saul. Stephen's ideas were dangerous and they wanted to go back to a world that was safe--where nobody said things they shouldn't and nobody did things they shouldn't and nothing someone did could inconvenience their day. They sought the safety of a little bubble, where they could look out but nothing could get in. But to insure that level of detachment from the world also radically diminished their ability to be God's representative in the world.
Why did they do that? Because they had something precious. I can understand that. Safety was at a premium in the violent and hostile world that they lived in. That desire for safety leaves me with closed ears to hear anything, much less the truth of God. I know the world can be unkind and destructive and I don't want anyone or anything to break the little good I've managed to scrape together in my life.
Stephen showed an alternate vantage point: he could see who would defend him and protect his world: the Son of Man to whom he could commit everything, even his spirit and that safety enabled him to die with grace and forgive his attackers. I want to place my safety in the hands of one who can guarantee it long-term.
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