“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
- Acts 7:55
Last week, we looked at how Stephen was filled with the Spirit and subsequently arrested for teaching in the name of Jesus. This week, Stephen is put on trial before the council of religious leaders in Jerusalem, with the high priest being the questioner. As accusations are hurled at Stephen, obviously half-truths that were intent at making Stephen sound as heretical as possible, the high priest asks if these accusations are true.
To be clear, Stephen was accused of saying how Jesus would destroy the Temple and change the customs of the law.
While bits and pieces of this are true when looking at the gospels. Jesus does talk about destroying a “Temple” and rebuilding it in three days, and how He is the fulfillment of the law and the covenant with Moses, the accusations twist the message into something untrue. They are trying to paint Jesus and the large following as revolutionaries who want to rise against the religious leaders and eventually Rome.
Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, refutes and corrects these accusations. He goes into a long speech about God’s promises with Abraham, Moses, and the people of Israel and how God tried to keep the people of Israel in line through the prophets, and yet all the prophets were persecuted.
Abraham was promised a child, and from that child, a nation would come. God saw it through the birth of Isaac, and Isaac would have Jacob, later named Israel by God, and Jacob would have the twelve Patriarchs of Israel, including Joseph. Joseph, though having endured slavery and punishment, became a high-ranking official in Egypt because God was faithful to His promises.
However, we know how the story goes. Israel, the nation, becomes enslaved by Egypt after a couple of generations, and then Pharaoh gets harder and harder on them. God, remembering His promise to Abraham raises and protects Moses to be His vessel of redemption for Israel.
Though Israel is liberated, they are bound to a new covenant with God to follow the law God gives them and be faithful to Him. But a golden calf here, a rebellion there, and sleeping around in the wilderness gets them enslaved to their sin!
To sum up Stephen’s speech; God is faithful to His promises; people are routinely rebellious; and there is a huge need for a mediator, a redeemer, someone to stand between. Stephen reveals that this pattern has happened in the present time too with the religious leaders, who have murdered Jesus, the Redeemer, the mediator!
Heaven Sighted:
Obviously, the religious leaders were furious about this. Without any discussion, they rushed Stephen, dragged him out of Jerusalem, just beyond the walls of the city, and stoned him. However, right before this, Stephen got a glimpse of heaven. He saw Jesus at the right hand of the Father, just Jesus said He would be in the gospels.
Oh, to have a glimpse of Heaven like that! To see with our own eyes the glory, grace, and sovereignty of Jesus, being right where He belongs! Besides being filled with the Holy Spirit, and seeing with his own eyes a glimpse of heaven, Stephen had something that boosted his faith, and we often neglect. Before he saw heaven, he was heaven sighted. He had eternity and Jesus’ Lordship in view that maintained and strengthened his resolve of faith.
It is very easy to attend church, read our Bible’s, and even pray and never have a sight of heaven. It is very easy to go about our weeks and never think about Jesus as our Lord. To think and live with the resolve that Jesus is Lord is to live heaven sighted.
For those of us who are more detail-oriented, and big-time planners, this can be a difficulty. Those who are detail-oriented can be stuck in the present. They see their sins, their mess-ups, their strengths, and their blessings and all that occurred to get to each, but they rarely have the big picture view of what is happening Spiritually. As for the planner, they can get so caught up trying to control their spaces, they forget that Jesus is Sovereign, and we are called to surrender to Him. These are merely two kinds of people who may struggle but I believe all of us, because we are human, can struggle to live with a glimpse of heaven.
What if for the rest of the day you tried to live gazing up to heaven and seeing your Lord and Savior? Would you not interact with others differently? Would you not drive more safely, graciously, and gently when crossed? Would you not try to be the only encouragement in someone’s day?
Final Blessing:
As we look for Jesus as our Lord, to live with that heavenly sight, take some time to listen to King of Glory.
While the majority of us will never be under the threat of stoning, arrest, or so on because of our faith in Jesus. We have all the more reason and ease to look to Jesus in His heavenly throne for help, comfort, growth, and grace in whatever we face. In the aftershocks of COVID-19, we are in a season that demands we know where we stand in what is important to us. Everyone is wanting our attention, but Jesus deserves our sole attention and sight.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey!
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