Bible Fact · Acts 7:59–60 — 'And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit... Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'
The First Christian Martyr
The Fact
Stephen, one of the seven deacons appointed to care for widows in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:5), became the first recorded martyr of the Christian faith. After preaching a sweeping summary of Israel's history from Abraham to Solomon and accusing the religious leaders of rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, Stephen was dragged outside Jerusalem and stoned. His final words were 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' — echoing Jesus's prayer from the cross. Acts 7:58 records that those who stoned Stephen 'laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.' This Saul 'was ravaging the church' (Acts 8:3) — until his own encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Augustine wrote: 'If Stephen had not prayed, the Church would not have had Paul.' The martyrdom of Stephen scattered the Jerusalem church, inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea, Samaria, and beyond.
Context
Stephen's speech in Acts 7 is the longest recorded sermon in Acts — a masterful retelling of Israel's history showing that rejecting God's messengers is a consistent pattern climaxing in the rejection of Jesus.
Significance
Stephen's martyrdom shows that the church's advance has often come through its suffering — and that prayers uttered at death can shape history, as his prayer apparently shaped Paul.
Reflection
Stephen prayed for those who were killing him. Is there someone in your life who has wronged you, for whom you have not yet prayed?