Dealing With False Charges

Acts 6:8-15

One of the seven deacons, Stephen, is specifically listed as being as being “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost,” in Acts 6:5. We know nothing about the man other than the description here. His walk with God is demonstrated by the miracles he performed.

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” (Acts 6:8)

The miracles and wonders undoubtedly attracted the attention of the community. The synagogues developed during the Babylonian captivity, as a center for maintaining worship of God. When they returned to Israel, local synagogues were established to teach and encourage keeping Jewish customs.

“Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” (Acts 6:9-10)

The Libertines were people who had obtained their freedom under the Roman system. A group of Jewish proselytes from various countries joined members of the Synagogue of the Libertines in a debate with Stephen, trying to prove him wrong. They were unable to fluster or anger him because of the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

“Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.” (Acts 6:11-14)

The old saying about never discussing politics or religion had some validity. Some people will not accept any change from their opinion, becoming angry if they are unable to get the other side to yield to them. The group arguing with Stephen had this attitude. When they were unable to defeat him with facts, they paid people to perjure themselves in order to get him executed.

Their false witnesses accused him of blaspheming both God and Moses, literally implying that both were guilty of doing wrong. The charges were deliberately designed to offend people. Once they had the mob aroused, they brought him to the council, who were already seeking to silence the Christians. Lying witnesses then accused him of blaspheming or running down both the temple, and the Jewish law, again to stir up anti Christian feelings without regard to facts.

The charges that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the Jewish customs was a totally fabricated but were highly emotional issues. I was quite offended, as were many people by an Albuquerque police officer confronting a group of people and telling them there was no Jesus or God and they had no right to say there was. The demands for homosexual marriage and free abortion are definite attacks on our Christian values and offend many of us. The lies about what Stephen said would have had an equally offensive result on Jewish people. It is not hard to understand the people’s reaction.

At the end of World war II the American occupation forces in the Pacific needed things to occupy their free time, so Inter service boxing matches were held. Dad was assigned to train some of the boxers. One of his trainees had been a professional boxer before the war, and provided invaluable advice. One tip was that if a boxer could make his opponent lose his temper, he could whip him because he’d stop thinking, just swinging blindly. Over the years, it has been proven repeatedly in other areas as well. By making the crowd angry, they could manipulate them to do what ever was desired because they were focused on their anger, rather than the truth. Since the council wanted to stop the Christian message, they would allow even obvious efforts to evoke antagonism.

“And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15)

Stephen was not distressed by the accusations, simply trusting god to take care of it as he’d promised. Romans 8:28 declares, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Philippians 1:28-29 describes the attitude of the Spirit filled Christian to such attacks. “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;…” Stephen demonstrates the attitude.

It is not the attitude of most modern Christians when falsely accused.