Twenty-three years ago, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School armed with guns and explosives, killing thirteen people and injuring over twenty others. The Columbine massacre was a tragedy that affected the entire nation, and people today still grieve the lives that were lost that fateful April day. The first victim to be shot and killed was a seventeen-year-old Christian girl named Rachel Joy Scott. A fellow student who survived the attack claimed that Rachel was asked a question moments before her death— “Do you still believe in your God?”
In 2016, I went to the movie theater with some other girls in my youth group and watched I’m Not Ashamed, a movie based on Rachel’s life and death. When the movie ended, I came to the realization that we live in a world where one day someone could put a gun to my head and tell me to deny God or die. I resolved that day that if I ever were threatened harm or death because of my faith, I would never deny my Savior.
It’s hard for us to imagine that this could ever happen to us, but Rachel Joy Scott is neither the first nor the last Christian to die because of her belief in Jesus. As followers of Christ, it should be expected that we face hardship and persecution (John 16:33). The world hates us because it hated Jesus first, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from proclaiming the truth of the gospel (Matthew 10:32-33). There’s no better example of this than Stephen in the book of Acts.
We first meet Stephen in Acts 6, where he is one of seven men chosen to be the first deacons and to serve the Greek-speaking widows in the early church. He is described as, “full of faith and the Holy Spirit…grace and power,” (Acts 6:5, 8, ESV). While preaching the gospel at a synagogue, some of the Jews grew angry at him, and Stephen had to defend himself to the religious council of the day to prove what he was saying was true. Throughout this discourse, we can discover some striking resemblances between Stephen and Jesus.
First, Stephen calls out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and chastises them for their rejection of God’s will. In Acts 7, Stephen provides a lengthy history lesson of the establishment of Israel, concluding that they haven’t learned from the mistakes of their forefathers. He accuses them of disobeying God’s Law (Acts 7:53), resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), and even murder—
“Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,” Acts 7:52
During His ministry, Jesus also made a habit of calling out the utter hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He accused them of being wolves, vipers, and whitewashed tombs (Matthew 7:15; 23:27, 33) and of neglecting the “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23).
Second, Stephen is falsely accused and treated unjustly. The Jews become so angry at him for preaching the gospel that they formally accuse him of blasphemy and drag him in front of the council to be tried for this crime (Acts 6:11-12). The people even round up a few false witnesses in an attempt to prove that Stephen is guilty (Acts 6:13-14). Stephen had done absolutely nothing wrong or illegal. The Jews were simply not willing to hear the truth—
“But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.” Acts 6:10
This experience is nearly identical to what Jesus endured during His last days on earth prior to His crucifixion. Though He Himself was God in the flesh, the religious leaders sought out false witnesses and convicted Him of blasphemy (Matthew 26:59-66). Jesus was the sinless Son of Man, yet His own people were not willing to accept His message.
Third, Stephen remains gracious towards his attackers. As he finishes his defense, the Jews are filled with rage and hatred. They rush toward Stephen, hurling rocks and stones at him so that he might die for his supposed sins. Despite the pain and agony the people were putting him through, he held no anger or bitterness towards them, even in his final moments—
“And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’” Acts 7:60a
If this seems familiar, that’s probably because Jesus said something very similar during His crucifixion. Even though Jesus had been beaten, scourged, mocked, spat upon, and hung on a tree by his hands and his feet, He used one of his final breaths to plead to the Father for their forgiveness, “for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Lastly, Stephen trusts in the Father’s will. I’m sure Stephen never planned or imagined that he would be stoned by his fellow brothers, killed for preaching about the Messiah they had waited for thousands of years for. I’m sure he had hopes and dreams, just like anyone else. But Stephen lays down his hopes, his dreams, and even his life to live in obedience to His Savior and follow in His footsteps. He entrusts his spirit to Jesus just as Jesus had entrusted His spirit to the Father. Author and Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie writes,
“Stephen was not just full of some general kind of faith. Rather, he was full of faith in Christ. He believed what Jesus said and what Jesus accomplished and was willing to risk everything for Jesus’s sake…What a way to die: full of faith. He lived like his Master, suffered like his Master, and now he died like his Master, who had said from the cross, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ (Luke 23:46).”[1]
As believers, persecution is something that is to be expected. We may face different kinds of trials and different levels of tribulation, but it should not surprise us when the world hates and harms us. When we encounter persecution, we ought to follow Jesus’s lead, and Stephen serves as an excellent example of this. Like Stephen, we must call out false teaching, even if we’re attacked and reviled for doing so. Like Stephen, we must remain gracious towards those who would wish harm against us. And like Stephen, we must trust in the Lord’s sovereign will.
Facing persecution for our faith can seem scary, but we can continue to be full of faith. Why? Because we have an Advocate in heaven. Prior to his death, Stephen saw a vision of heaven and of Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand (Acts 7:56). And Jesus is still standing up for us today—
“Knowing that we have an Advocate standing up for us in heaven emboldens us to face whatever is said against us here.”[2]
Jesus is our Advocate. He is always with us, and He fights our battles (Deuteronomy 20:4). He is our great high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). So, like Stephen, we can endure whatever the world throws at us and remain faithful to Christ.
“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
[1] Nancy Guthrie, Saints & Scoundrels In the Story of Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 173 & 182.
[2] Ibid., 181.
