Old Covenant Culture or Jesus Christ?

Acts 6:9-14

9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."

Our last study consummated with Stephen doing many mighty works in Jerusalem. He was filled within his soul with faith and grace to do much of the same kind of works that the apostles had done. Stephen was most likely a disciple while Christ Himself was still ministering in Judea. Having been taught directly by Christ is most likely what gave Stephen such boldness to preach the way he did. In some ways he appears bolder than Peter and John having led the authorities to take up stones to kill him. There was something in his preaching that really got under the skin of the Sanhedrin to arrest Stephen by violence, as opposed to the way they arrested Peter and John, in fearing the people of Jerusalem. Chapter seven of Acts is dedicated to Stephen’s message to the apostate churches of Judaism. Lord willing we get into the details of his theology later.

Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), . . .

Some scholars argue that these are three separate synagogues that Stephen debated with, but I can’t find enough evidence in the original Greek to submit to that. It is however very logical to believe that this is one synagogue with three separate Hellenistic groups who come and meet together for the various Jewish festivals. Remember that there were “devout” men who came from foreign lands for the Passover in Jerusalem during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The men may have been considered devout because they were educated, and spoke the Hebrew language, and thus were able to mingle together in one synagogue. The miracle of tongues was not that the devout men were understanding the Hebrew language, but that uneducated fisherman were prophesying in the foreign languages of the devout men. The Hellenists were very smart and educated as Hellenistic Jews or Gentile converts. Therefore, we have every reason to take this verse at face value, that this is one synagogue in Jerusalem that gathers with two other Hellenistic synagogues during the Jewish festivities.

First, and the most outspoken of them, is the original synagogue of the Freedmen. This is most likely the host synagogue that welcomes the traveling two synagogues into Jerusalem. Tradition teaches that this synagogue got her name by being those Jews who were liberated after the Babylonian captivity. Some teach that this particular synagogue were the descendants of Jewish slaves that were captured by Pompey in 63 B.C. and taken to Rome to be freed. Some may have intermarried during captivity and were considered a Hellenistic synagogue who came back and settled in Jerusalem, while others in their synagogue remained loyal to the customs during captivity, a synagogue to be considered native Jews who sympathized with the Hellenists.

Second are the synagogues of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians. These are two cities in North African provinces, Egypt and Libya that were heavily populated by Jews. Simon who carried Jesus’ cross was of the Cyrenian synagogue (Lk. 23:26). These are Jews who fled Israel to Egypt during the Babylonian captivity, and most likely remained there after the Persians conquered Babylon, who eventually released them to rebuild the Temple. Of those Hebrews that remained in Africa, most likely chose to stay because of business and marital ties in the region and held on to their traditions and were free to travel back and forth to Judea.

Third are those from Cilicia and Asia. These are Roman synagogues that also participated in the various Hebrew festivals. The apostle Paul, who was called Saul before his conversion, was a Roman citizen of the province of Cilicia in Tarsus. Stephen is quickly martyred for his teachings and Saul is known to have a hand in the event as we will learn later. Therefore, it is very probable that Saul was also a member of this particular group of Hellenistic synagogues that have come to Jerusalem for the customs.

. . . disputing with Stephen.

Now as mentioned in a previous study, Stephen was sent out by the apostles into the dangerous parts of Jerusalem, both in the temple as previously recorded, and now as seen for the first time in the Jewish synagogues. Having done miraculous works in the temple grounds around the low level priests, Stephen if not already a member of this synagogue, was invited to debate with those leading members of the synagogue. Again, it is very possible that Stephen may have even been debating an unregenerated apostle Paul, who was known as Saul of Tarsus. Of course the text does not prove that, and it is mere speculation; but later we will see at Stephen’s stoning those throwing clothes at Saul’s feet (Acts 7:58). It is probable that wagers were given to the one who would win this dispute with Stephen indicating they were gambling with who would win the debate.

And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

This is the first time we hear of a Christian debating in the synagogues since Jesus Christ himself, which was before the Holy Spirit was given to the church. Jesus once declared that He was the fulfillment of Isiah 61 in chapter four and verse twenty-one of Luke’s gospel. As a result they drove Him out of the synagogue to throw Him off the cliff, but it was not yet His time to die for His people.

Luke 4:16-30

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 23 He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' " 24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

The same Spirit that was upon Christ to preach good news to the poor was working in Stephen to show that the message that God has for the world did not consist in their cultural customs. In Jesus Christ coming to fulfill all those customs is what was to liberate the poor of that day. No longer did the Hellenistic Jews have to travel all the way to Jerusalem to offer up sacrifices to be saved. It was this custom that was bringing those loyal Jews to poverty. In Christ fulfilling that once and for all sacrifice must of have been a liberating rest to those Hellenistic Jews that converted to Christ. But it was this teaching that bothered those most prominent Jews in the synagogues who desired to remain loyal to the customs. Only the “devout” and rich Hellenists were able to make the long journey year after year to offer up the commanded worship and offerings for sin. Stephen being full of faith and wisdom and having a powerful knowledge of the Scriptures was unable to be resisted in his presentation of the truth of Christ having done away with the customs in His death. In other words, Jesus Christ was the Old Covenant message that would save them from their sins; not the Old Covenant culture.

Col. 2:9-19

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

We know by this statement and the context of chapter seven that Stephen was indeed speaking about historical things, but because they were not able to refute Stephen they had to twist what he was teaching about Moses and God to accuse him of blasphemy. Because Saul, later known as Paul, lost the debate in my opinion, which deflated Saul’s pride, went about to bring down this arrogant and uneducated Christian who never studied at the likes of Gamaliel like he did, by getting simple minded Jews to accuse Stephen of blasphemy. Saul and those other leading elders of the synagogue were kept out of the council, not having to testify before the Sanhedrin, maintaining a good reputation which is what they lived for, having secretly induced others to make the blasphemy accusation against Stephen on their behalf.

And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

The context gives no time frame in which the course of these events occur. My opinion is that after Stephen won the debate, those who the leaders of this synagogue of the Freedmen recruited to spread the accusations of Stephen are the “they” in this verse, who are stirring up the people of Jerusalem and those scribes and elders in the Sanhedrin to arrest Stephen. There is nothing in the context as to where they arrested him either. When the apostles, Peter and John were arrested, they apparently were not taken violently, as opposed to Stephen being “dragged away” against his will. Peter and John voluntarily went with the temple guards having been arrested in the act of preaching in the temple. But Stephen was dragged away against his will, probably not having been given any reason for his arrest. It appears that they came upon Stephen, identified him, and then violently drug him away to be brought before the council. The chief priests at this point had enough of these Christians causing divisions in their synagogues and questioning their authority.

They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; . . .

Here again we have further evidence that those leading members of the Freedmen’s synagogue prepared false witnesses to accuse Stephen. However, this time in regards, not to Moses and God, but the temple and the law. It was in these particular accusations that greatly irritated the chief priests. Their whole livelihood was based on the laws that centered on the Temple. If these things were going to change, than the livelihood of the chief priests was going to change. This was a teaching they could not accept. It was the teaching that murdered Christ and it will also be the death of Stephen.

. . . for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."

There is nothing in this statement that is not true. The charge of blasphemy is what is falsely applied to Stephen for teaching these things. John MacArthur points out the contempt of Stephen’s accusers for Jesus in his commentary, in which referring to Jesus as “of Nazareth” is a degrading phrase that was meant to expose His uneducated background. Jesus has indeed destroyed their holy temple and the customs will eventually fade away because of Christ’s sacrificial death. Jesus prophesied to His disciples that not one stone will be left upon another in the temple’s destruction.

Matt. 24:1-2

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

In a previous study, I mentioned the ongoing debate in the early Christian church over the form of worship, which led to the beginning of the selection of the seven prophets, Stephen being one them, and that the apostles were separating themselves to the study of the Word to formulate a pattern of worship acceptable to God (James 1:27). We see here why those divisions continued to exist in the church. I mentioned the circumcision group who consistently wanted to remain under the Hebrew customs and make all the Gentile churches come under the same yoke for salvation. Stephen being a Hellenistic Jewish convert to Christ fully understood the fulfillment of Christ’s sacrifice and no longer the need to offer up animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. It was a greater burden on a Hellenistic Jew than it would have been for a native Hebrew travel year after year to offer up worship in the Temple. It was a greater sacrifice for a Hellenist to come to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice than it was for a Jew who lived in Israel. Most of the early church converts were Hellenists and that explains why all seven of the prophets chosen by the multitudes were also Hellenists. As the apostles continue to pray and minister the Word for the unity of the church, and for the answers to the form of worship that God desires (Hos.6:6), they continued to divide those of the circumcision who loved culture over the teaching of Christ from those who wanted to be a living sacrifice. Christ having made an end to the customs of the law in the fulfillment of His first coming is the teaching that allows the gospel to go into the Gentile nations (Rom.10:4). Stephen is the first martyr who paves the way and possibly opens the eyes of Saul to his sin, as Saul is confronted by the Lord Jesus Himself on his way to Damascus to murder more Christians, and that it was the Lord Himself in Stephen whom he murdered on this day in Jerusalem (Acts 9:4). It was through the teachings of Stephen that motivated Paul after his conversion to take the gospel into whole world as a missionary and suffer many things. No doubt, Stephen played a crucial role in the life of Paul to enable the right kind of mindset and bring the gospel to those Hellenistic synagogues in foreign lands and make the Scriptural arguments necessary for the conversion of their souls to Christ (1Cor.15:36).

Gal. 2:11-21

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

What we need to ask ourselves as a result of such knowledge is, "Am I believing that I am justified before God by observing the laws of God, or by believing that Jesus Christ obeyed and fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law on my behalf, and suffered under the justice of God in my place for failing to keep the perfect standard of the law and prophets? Am I believing in my membersip and baptism of the church to save me from judgment, or do I believe that the Holy Spirit is the head of the universal church, and not a Roman Catholic Pope who decides matters of conscience?" As seen above, Peter is by far not an infallible apostle who was apointed vicar of the Church, rather he was chosen by Christ to bring unity in the church by feeding Christ's lambs the glory and truth of the gospel that brings the full glory and honor to Christ alone as head of the church. May the Father of eternal lights bless these truths to your heart and life, as you look to Christ alone for grace and fellowship in the Spirit; and may the Holy Spirit lift you up to the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ in His love for sinners who feed upon His life for salvation.