Daily Devotional · Acts 7:55–56
I See Heaven Open
Reflection
"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'" Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian church. His death was preceded by one of the longest speeches in Acts — a panoramic retelling of Israel's history as a story of repeated rejection of God's messengers. He ended with a direct accusation: you have always resisted the Holy Spirit; your ancestors killed the prophets; you have murdered the Righteous One. The reaction was violent and immediate. They covered their ears, yelled, rushed at him, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him. And at that moment — as the stones were being thrown — Stephen looked up and saw something. Glory. The glory of God. And Jesus, who at every other reference in the New Testament is seated at the right hand of the Father, was standing. The standing is unusual. Some interpreters suggest Jesus was standing as a witness — welcoming Stephen home, receiving his testimony. Others suggest He stood in honor of His martyr. Stephen's final prayer echoed the two prayers of Jesus on the cross: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Luke 23:46), and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Luke 23:34). The last thing said of Saul, who stood watching with approval: he kept his coat. This is the introduction of the man who would become Paul.
Background
Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts 6 to serve the Hellenistic widows. He was "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (6:5) and performed great wonders and signs. His speech in Acts 7 is the longest recorded speech in Acts. The phrase "Son of Man" (Acts 7:56) is the only time in the New Testament outside of the Gospels that the title is used — and it is used by Stephen at the moment of his death, identifying his vision with Jesus's own testimony at his trial (Mark 14:62).
Truth
At Stephen's darkest moment, heaven opened. The stones were real, the crowd was real, the pain was real — and the glory was also real, and more final than the stones. The one who endures to the end does not endure alone. The Son of Man was watching and standing, receiving the testimony of His witness.
Application
Stephen's prayer for his killers — "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" — is one of the most costly acts of forgiveness in Scripture. Is there a person in your life who has wronged you deeply, against whom you are holding something? Today, pray Stephen's prayer for them. It will not be easy. It was not easy for Stephen either.