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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_7:54-60
54Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." 57But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" 60Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.
Act_7:54 "they" This must refer to the members of the Sanhedrin (cf. Act_6:15).
NASB "cut to the quick"
NKJV "cut to the heart"
NRSV "they became enraged"
TEV "they became furious"
NJB "they were infuriated"
This is an imperfect passive indicative. It is literally "cut to the heart" (cf. Act_5:33). Stephen's message really got to these leaders, but instead of repenting, they turned, as always, to rejection and murder (cf. Act_5:33).
▣ "gnashing their teeth" This is a sign of rage (cf. Job_16:9; Psa_35:16; Psa_37:12; Lam_2:16).
Act_7:55 "Holy Spirit. . .God. . .Jesus" Notice the mention of the Triune God. See Special Topic at Act_2:32-33.
▣ "Being full of the Holy Spirit" The concept of being filled with the Spirit for proclamation of the gospel is unique to Acts (i.e., plçroô, cf. Act_2:4; Act_4:8; Act_4:31; plçrçs, cf. Act_6:3; Act_6:5; Act_6:8; Act_7:55; Act_11:24). See full note at Act_5:17.
The biblical truths related to the Spirit are characterized as:
1. the person of the Spirit (cf. John 14-16)
2. the baptism of the Spirit (cf. 1Co_12:13)
3. the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal_5:22-23)
4. the gifts of the Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 12)
5. the filling of the Spirit (cf. Eph_5:18)
Of all of these, Acts focuses on #5. The early church leaders were empowered, apparently again and again, to boldly and powerfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Stephen's case the effectiveness of his sermon cost him his life.
▣ "gazed intently" Luke is very fond of this term (cf. Luk_4:20; Luk_22:56; Act_1:10; Act_3:4; Act_3:12; Act_6:15; Act_7:55; Act_10:4; Act_11:6; Act_13:9; Act_14:9; Act_23:1). Stephen looked up, as was typical of the Jewish manner of prayer, but instead of praying, God allowed him to see into heaven itself.
▣ "saw the glory of God" Notice that Stephen is not said to have seen God, but His glory. No one could see God and live (cf. Exo_33:20-23). Job believed he would see God (cf. Job_19:25-27; Act_7:55). Jesus promises that one day the pure in heart will see God (cf. Mat_5:8). See hyperlink at Act_3:13.
▣ "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" Jesus being at God's right hand is an anthropomorphic idiom (see Special Topic at Act_2:33) for the place of divine power and authority. The fact that Jesus was standing shows His interest and care for the first Christian martyr.
God revealed Himself to Stephen in the form and manner that Stephen could receive. This does not mean to imply
1. that heaven is "up"
2. that God is sitting on a throne
It does mean to convey Jesus' care and concern. We must be careful of culturally conditioned anthropomorphic language as the source of doctrine. Modern western readers' trying to take every passage literally as a way to show trust or devotion to the Bible is an unfortunate cultural trend. God truly reveals Himself to His creation, but He does so in earthly ways and forms in which they can understand. There is surely an element of accommodation. Fallen, finite, human creatures are not able to fully comprehend the spiritual realm. God chooses things in our cultural and experiential world to use as analogies and metaphors to communicate to us. These are surely true, but not exhaustive.
Act_7:56 "Son of Man" Stephen obviously is identifying Jesus with the "Righteous One" of Acts 5:52. His hearers would not have missed this Messianic affirmation. The term "son of man" has two OT usages:
1. it was a common phrase for a person (cf. Eze_2:1; Psa_8:4)
2. it was used of the divine personage (i.e., Messiah) in Dan_7:13-14 and Psa_110:1
Therefore, it had connotations of both humanity and deity. This is why Jesus used it as a self-designation and also because it was not used by the rabbis who tended to use OT titles in exclusivistic, nationalistic, and militaristic ways. This reference by Stephen is one of only two uses of this phrase outside of the words of Jesus (cf. Joh_12:34).
Act_7:57-58 These hearers believed that Stephen had blasphemed by asserting that Jesus was the coming Son of Man (cf. Dan_7:13). For these monotheistic (see Special Topic at Act_2:39) Jews this was just too much! They did to Stephen what Moses mandated for blasphemy (cf. Lev_24:14-16; Deu_13:9; Deu_17:7). Stephen's affirmation is either true or he is a blasphemer worthy of death! There can be no middle ground about the claims of Jesus (cf. Joh_14:6-9).
Act_7:57 "rushed at him with one impulse" This is the very term used so often by Luke to describe the unity of the early disciples (cf. Act_1:14; Act_2:46; Act_5:12; Act_15:25). The Sanhedrin was unified in their anger and rejection of Stephen (also see Act_18:12, where the Jews of Achaia reject Paul and Act_19:29 of the anger of the pagans of Ephesus against Christians).
Act_7:58 "driven him out of the city" No one could be killed inside Jerusalem because it was "holy" ground!
▣ "stoning him" It is often stated that the Jews under Roman occupation did not have the right of capital punishment. This shows that that is not always true. Mob violence could not be stopped quickly.
▣ "a young man named Saul" In Jewish circles, one was considered young up to age 40. This is our first encounter with Saul of Tarsus by name, later to become Paul the Apostle. Paul heard Stephen's OT survey and possibly had heard him earlier in the synagogue of the Cilicians in Jerusalem (Act_6:9). One wonders whether this began Saul's period of doubt, which he tried to deal with by persecuting Christians.
Act_7:59 "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" This is an aorist middle imperative. Notice that Stephen believed that he was going to heaven to be with Jesus (cf. 2Co_5:6; 2Co_5:8) and not to hades (i.e., the holding place of the dead like the Hebrew sheol, see Special Topic at Act_2:27). Stephen may have witnessed Jesus' crucifixion, or at least had heard about it in detail because he uses two similar phrases (i.e., Act_7:59-60, cf. Luk_23:34; Luk_23:46).
It is interesting to note that Stephen prays to Jesus, as did the disciples in Act_1:24. However, in the rest of the NT prayer is made to the Father in the name of the Son.
Act_7:60 "falling on his knees" Stoning was not always a quick experience. The text implies it took several minutes.
▣ "he cried out with a loud voice" This also mimics Jesus' experience. These words were as much for the crowd as for YHWH. These words must have echoed in Saul's ears.
▣ "he fell asleep" This is a biblical metaphor for death (ex. Job_3:13; Job_14:12; Psa_76:5; 2Sa_7:12; 1Ki_2:10; Jer_51:39; Jer_51:57; Dan_12:2; Mat_27:52; Joh_11:11; Act_7:60; Act_13:36; 1Co_15:6; 1Co_15:18; 1Co_15:20; 1Th_4:13; 2Pe_3:4). This does not affirm the doctrine of "soul-sleep."
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