The Beginning: Stephen, one of the appointed servants in the Jerusalem church, is described as full of grace and power and performs wonders among the people. Some opponents dispute with him, but cannot withstand his wisdom, and they bring accusations that he speaks against Moses, the Law, and the temple. Stephen is taken before the Sanhedrin, where witnesses claim he blasphemes, and the high priest asks him to answer the charges.
The Middle: Stephen responds with a long speech that retells Israel’s history—from Abraham and the patriarchs, to Moses and the exodus, and then to the tabernacle and temple—highlighting God’s guiding presence and repeated human resistance. He emphasizes that God’s purposes were never confined to one place and quotes the prophets to show that “the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands.” Stephen then turns from narration to indictment, accusing the council of resisting the Holy Spirit, betraying and murdering “the Righteous One,” and failing to keep the Law as intended. As the leaders become enraged, Stephen declares a vision of Jesus standing at God’s right hand.
The End: The council drags Stephen out and stones him, while witnesses lay their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. As he dies, Stephen prays for his spirit to be received by the Lord Jesus and asks that his killers not be held guilty for the sin. Stephen’s death marks a decisive moment of opposition that will soon intensify persecution and drive the message beyond Jerusalem.
Stephen’s speech presents the God of Israel as faithful to His covenant promises and actively present with His people across generations, even outside the land and apart from a permanent sanctuary. The narrative confronts the danger of treating sacred institutions (Law and temple) as ends in themselves, instead of as witnesses to God’s unfolding purposes fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Stephen’s martyrdom portrays Jesus as exalted at God’s right hand and shows that the risen Christ receives and vindicates His witnesses, even in death. The prayer for forgiveness underscores that the gospel calls enemies to repentance, not merely to judgment.
Stoning was a recognized Jewish form of capital punishment in the biblical tradition (cf. Leviticus 24:16; Deuteronomy 17:7). Acts’ detail that witnesses laid down their garments fits the practical need for freer movement while throwing stones and reflects legal language about “witnesses” initiating the execution, even as the scene in Acts unfolds amid complex Roman-era limits on local capital authority.
“Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” — Acts 7:56
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. What were Stephen’s opponents accusing him of speaking against?
2. What did the witnesses do while Stephen was being stoned?