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Commentary on "Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles"
Day 2: Sunday, September 25, 2011 - Persecutor of Christians
Overview
Today we are looking at the witness, testimony and martyrdom of Stephen while Saul stood by holding the outer garments of his executioners.
Observations
While Stephen’s name is Greek and he could have had a Hellenistic background it is going beyond solid biblical evidence, as the lesson author does, in asserting he was a ‘Greek-speaking Jew’. While Greek was the ‘cultural’ language of the Roman Empire and was understood and used by many we really know nothing about Stephen’s ethnic background or use of the Greek language. The situation is similar to when Saul later adopted the use of the name ‘Paul’, a Latin name. This didn’t prove he had Roman blood in his genealogy or that he was fluent in Latin.
The lesson does bring out some important points concerning Stephen’s preaching such as the voided importance of obedience to Jewish Law and worship at the temple in Jerusalem versus all these things having been fulfilled by Jesus Christ their Messiah.
In referring to Stephen’s preaching the lesson author says “No wonder, then, that he angered the Pharisee Saul”. In the account given to us in Acts we don’t know what Saul’s feelings may have been because they are not stated. We don’t even know for sure how much of what Stephen had to say Saul even heard. In Phil. 3:1-11 Paul makes no specific reference to the time of Stephen’s stoning nor does he mention being angry.
Concerning Paul, what we don’t know is how he could have been so totally dedicated to the persecution of Christians up to a certain moment in time and then so completely changed an instant later other than that God intervened in his life. There is no recorded transition from persecutor to evangelist. More than anything else we see God’s omniscient sovereignty at work in both the lives of Stephen and Paul. God does not explain why he chose Saul to be his apostle to the Gentiles.
Summary
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