A beginning, and its answer
The First Christian Martyr
Stephen is the first believer to die for the name of Jesus, stoned by a mob while he looks up into heaven. In his death he mirrors his Lord so closely that his last words echo the words of the cross.
“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”Acts 7:59
The first
The first. Stephen, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 6:5), does great wonders among the people, but opponents cannot withstand his wisdom and stir up false witnesses against him. Brought before the council, his face shines "as it had been the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15). He answers with a long survey of Israel's history and then a sharp charge that they have resisted the Holy Ghost as their fathers did, betraying and murdering the Just One (Acts 7:51-52). They are cut to the heart and gnash their teeth. But Stephen, "full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55). When he says so, they cry out, stop their ears, and rush upon him. As they stone him he prays, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and then, kneeling, cries with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:59-60). A young man named Saul watches, consenting to his death.
What it means
What it means. Stephen is the first Christian martyr, the first to seal his witness to Jesus with his blood, and his death establishes a pattern that will mark the church through the ages. It shows that following Christ may cost everything, and that the Spirit gives grace equal to the hour; Stephen is full of the Holy Ghost even as the stones fall. His death reveals that the martyr does not die in bitterness but in worship, gazing into heaven and seeing the glory of God. It reveals too that the crucified Jesus is now the risen and reigning Lord, standing at God's right hand, and that He receives His faithful ones. There is a striking detail in that standing; often Christ is described as seated, but here He rises, as if to welcome His servant home. The scattering that follows Stephen's death spreads the gospel further (Acts 8:4), so that his death is not a defeat but a seed. And the young man Saul, who consented, would himself become the great apostle, a reminder that God can turn even the persecutor of the first martyr into a preacher of Christ.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Stephen's death is shaped like his Lord's. As Jesus commended His spirit to the Father, saying, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46), Stephen prays, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59), addressing to Jesus the trust Jesus gave to the Father. As Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), Stephen prays, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:60). The first martyr follows his Master even into the manner of dying, forgiving his killers and entrusting himself to the One he loves. And it is Christ who makes such a death possible, for Stephen sees Him in glory, standing to receive him. Jesus had promised, "Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25), and Stephen finds it. The One who died and rose is the One who stands at the right hand of God to welcome His own; the death of every faithful witness since is patterned on and held by Him.
Questions people ask
Why is Stephen called the first martyr?
Because he is the first believer recorded in Scripture to be killed specifically for his witness to Jesus (Acts 7). The word martyr means witness, and Stephen sealed his witness with his life.
How was Stephen's death like Jesus' death?
Remarkably so. He entrusted his spirit to the Lord and prayed forgiveness for his killers, echoing Jesus' own words from the cross (Luke 23:34, 46; Acts 7:59-60). The first martyr followed his Master even in the manner of dying.
What good came from Stephen's death?
His death scattered the believers, who spread the gospel wherever they went (Acts 8:4). And Saul, who consented to the killing, was later converted and became the apostle Paul, showing God's power to redeem even a persecutor.