Acts 7:54Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is worthy of wonder that, though they found no occasion in Stephen's words for killing him, they still rage and seek such a cause. Those who act unjustly are always malicious in this way. Just as the chief priests were perplexed and said, "What shall we do with these men?" (Acts 4:16), so these men too are torn within. It might seem that he should have been indignant. He had done nothing unjust, yet suffered the lot of the unjust and was slandered. But by this the slanderers are all the more exposed. Thus what I have always said proves true: to do evil is to suffer. He utters no slander, but speaks the truth. So when we are reproached for what we do not know ourselves to have done, we suffer nothing from it. They wanted to kill him, yet they did not do it at once.

If the Jews wished to put Stephen to death, why did they not kill him at once? Because they wanted to present a plausible pretext for their boldness. The offense he had caused them was not a plausible reason for killing him. Moreover, what they considered an offense against themselves was not his own insult, but a rebuke made against them by the prophet. At the same time, they did not want people to think that they killed him for something concerning them personally, as also happened when Christ was condemned to death. Rather, they wished it to seem that they were killing him for impiety. They were not content to defile themselves with murder. They also hoped and labored to stain the honor of the one being killed. They feared that he would receive greater honor if they killed him for an insult against themselves.

After these words Stephen could no longer expect mercy for himself. It pleased the Lord to strengthen his courage by a vision of the opened heavens and of his Savior in the form of the Son of Man, standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was not afraid to confess this before his enemies and judges, who were growing savage with malice. After this, his judges could no longer restrain their fury. They led him outside the city as a blasphemer, to stone him. In accordance with the requirement of the Mosaic Law (Deut 17:5), the witnesses began to throw the first stones. For convenience they took off their garments and laid them for safekeeping at the feet of Saul, who took a most active part in Stephen's murder (Acts 8:1).

So fearless and terrible a rebuke inflamed the fury of the members of the Sanhedrin. Like wild beasts, “they were cut to the heart, and gnashed their teeth at him.”

When they heard these things, and so forth: these strong rebukes for unbelief, disobedience, failure to keep the law, shedding the blood of the prophets, and killing Christ were spoken directly and with living force to the face of the people’s representatives. They stirred up in them the highest degree of malice and fury against the bold reprover, the confessor of the Messiah Jesus whom they had crucified. They were cut to the heart with anger (cf. Acts 5:33), and they gnashed their teeth in rage and malice (cf. Job 16:9; Ps 34:16; Ps 36:12).

The bitterness of the members of the Sanhedrin against Saint Stephen, of course, grew gradually. At last they began to reveal it openly in various violent movements and in the gnashing of teeth. By this they showed their likeness to those who are stiff-necked by nature. These are the usual ways cruel men express rage and anger (cf. Job 16:9; Ps 34:16; Ps 36:12), especially when they are being exposed (see Acts 5:33). Yet until now they did not dare lay their murderous hands on Stephen, nor even answer him. In his words they had undoubtedly found not even the shadow of a crime. In his countenance and in the inspiration of his speech, they could not fail to notice in him a new messenger inspired by God.