Last words of the faithful
Stephen, the First Martyr
Died about AD 34 · stoned in Jerusalem
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned in Jerusalem around AD 34. His last recorded words, in Acts 7:59-60, entrust his spirit to Jesus and forgive his killers, deliberately echoing the words of Christ on the cross.
The last words
The story behind them
Stephen was not a soldier or a general. He was a deacon, chosen to help distribute food to widows, a man 'full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.' Dragged before the council on false charges, he preached instead of pleading, and it cost him his life. As the stones began to fall, Luke records that he looked up and saw heaven opened.
Listen to how closely his dying breath tracks his Lord's. On the cross Jesus had said, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,' and 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' Stephen, dying, says almost the same two things in the same order: 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' and then, kneeling, 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' He had watched what Christian dying looked like, and he did it. And one of the men holding the coats of the killers, approving, was a young Pharisee named Saul, who would become Paul.
He died the way his Lord died: entrusting his spirit, and forgiving the men who killed him.
What they died for, you can meet
None of these people died for an idea. They died holding onto a Person, convinced that death was not the end because he had already walked out of a tomb. The Living Bread is a quiet place to meet that same Jesus, read the Gospels for yourself, and ask your honest questions.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was the first Christian martyr?
- Stephen, a deacon in the early church, was the first person recorded as killed for following Jesus, stoned to death in Jerusalem around AD 34 (Acts 6-7). As he died he forgave his killers and entrusted his spirit to Jesus.
- What were Stephen's last words?
- According to Acts 7:59-60, Stephen said, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' and then, kneeling, 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,' echoing Jesus' own words of surrender and forgiveness on the cross.