The Feast of St. Stephen

 The Feast of St. Stephen – December 26, 2023

Psalm 119; 2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6:8-7:60

St. Matthew 23:34-39

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The word “martyr” means someone who tells others what they have seen. A martyr is a witness, one who testifies to what they have seen. The Bible and the Church have taken this word and given it a special meaning. It is reserved for those who tell others about Jesus and are killed for it. St. Stephen was the first martyr because he was the first Christian who was killed because he told people about Jesus. He told them that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, who called Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans and promised to give his children an eternal home.

He told them that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament who was with Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is the same God who was with Joseph when his brothers tried to murder him. Jesus was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery in Egypt and when Joseph rose to be Pharaoh’s right-hand man.

Stephen told people that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament who called Moses to be His prophet. Jesus is the same God who led His people out of Egypt and stayed with them for forty years as they wandered in the desert. Stephen also told people that it was Jesus who came to dwell in the temple built by Solomon at God’s direction. In all those times and at all those places, God was with His people and this God was Jesus.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Jewish leaders of Stephen’s day, didn’t like what Stephen was saying. They didn’t believe that Jesus was God. They didn’t believe that He was the Savior who came to take away their sins. But that wasn’t the only reason they killed Stephen. They also killed him because Stephen told people what Jesus had said, “Destroy this temple and in three days, I will rebuild it.” Now, Jesus was speaking of the Temple of His body, that when they crucified Him, three days later He would rise from the grave.

The Jews believed that the Temple was the only place where God would come to them. They believed that it was the single place that united them as a nation and as a religion. Without the Temple, they would not be a people and they would not be the people of God. But Jesus very clearly taught them that the Temple was only a sign that God was with them. God had promised to be with His people, most especially in the Temple, but He never promised that the Temple would last forever, nor that it was the only place where He would be with His people. To make sure people understood this, when Jesus was crucified, He tore the Temple curtain from top to bottom, showing that He would no longer be found in the Temple. He was now with His people in His Word.

When Jesus was born of Mary, He came to be with His people in a new way. He walked and talked with His people. After His death and resurrection, He promised to be with His people always, even to the end of the Age. He is still with us. He is with us in His Word and in His Holy Sacraments. He is with us most especially in the Holy Communion, but He is also with us each and every day.

These things made the Jews of Stephen’s day angry. They were angry because of what Stephen was saying. They were angry because of what Jesus had said. They were angry because what Stephen and Jesus had said meant they were wrong. They were wrong about the Bible, and they were wrong about God. They could have listened to Stephen and Jesus. When they realized they were wrong, they could have repented, told God they were sorry, and listened to God’s Word instead of believing what they wanted to believe. Instead, they chose to kill Jesus and then to kill Stephen.

The same things happen today. People think it is weird to go to Church the day after Christmas, let alone three days after Christmas. Friends, neighbors, coworkers might make fun of you for being a Christian, for being a Lutheran. They might think you are wrong to believe that Jesus died for your sins. They might think you are wrong to believe that the most important thing in the whole world is your faith, that you trust in Jesus for your salvation. Some people might not stop with just laughing at you. They might choose not to be your friend, to take you job away from you, and yes, maybe even kill you. There are places in the world where Christians still have to meet in secret for fear that the government or others who hate Jesus will find them and kill them.

Don’t be scared by this. I’m telling you this because it is true. But even if they take away your friends, your job, or even your life, you still have the victory. You have the victory because like Stephen, you have Jesus on your side. When the Jews and the crowd picked up rocks to throw at Stephen to kill him, he looked up to heaven and saw Jesus. He saw Jesus with open arms, ready to receive Stephen into heaven. You might not be given such a blessed vision, to get to see Jesus just before death, but the truth is the same. Jesus will receive you and all the faithful into heaven with open arms. Because of that, because of the promise of Jesus to receive you and all the faithful in heaven, you have nothing to fear in this world.

And because you have nothing to fear, you can tell others about Jesus. Stephen tells the Jews and the crowds about Jesus because he wants them to believe in Jesus, too. He wants them to meet Jesus in heaven and to be with Him forever. So, he tells them about what Jesus has done, that He is the Savior who came to earth to take away our sins. He tells them to believe what Jesus has done and trust in Him to save them. You get to do that too! You get to tell people about Jesus so that they would be with you and Jesus for all time. Isn’t that wonderful?

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.