Acts 7:59Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“And casting him out of the city, they began to stone him.” Again, death takes place outside the city, as with Christ. At the very moment of death, confession and preaching are proclaimed. What here deserved condemnation? Yet despite this, they took the man who had worked such signs, overcome everyone by his word, and spoken in this way. As they wished, they satisfied their fury upon him. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” By this he shows and teaches them that he is not perishing.

The saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” is the word of one who teaches and shows them that he will not perish. “And they stoned Stephen.” Since justification is accomplished by faith in Christ, and in Him human nature has abundantly received innocence and granted us a new right, our souls no longer go down to Hades. Rather, as before, they are sent into the hands of the living God. Knowing this, Saint Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And blessed Peter writes: “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to a faithful Creator” (1 Pet 4:19).

He loved those who were killing him, for he also died for them. Therefore this is what perfect love consists in. If someone has such love that he is able even to die for the brethren, then love is perfect in him. But does it appear fully perfect immediately after birth? It is born in order to become perfect. Since it has been born, it is nourished. Since it has been nourished, it is strengthened. Since it has been strengthened, it becomes perfect. What does it say when it reaches perfection? "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you" (Phil 1:23-24). He wished to live for those for whom he was ready to die.

For himself he prayed standing, but for his enemies he bent his knees, since their greater injustice required the greater remedy. Wondrous is the courage of the blessed martyr. He burned so with zeal that he openly rebuked those who held him for faithlessness. Yet he burned so with love that even as he died, he prayed for those who were killing him.

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).

When the execution began, the martyr cried out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” And when, wounded and bleeding, he could still fall to his knees, he prayed for his murderers in the spirit of his Lord. Even the cry of his suffering sounded with forgiveness. It showed how little malice there had been in the stern words he had just spoken. “Lord,” he prayed, “do not hold this sin against them!” With this cry he departed from the wrath of men into the peace of God, and “fell asleep.”

"He prayed and said," and so forth. Before his end, the first martyr being killed offers a twofold prayer to the Lord. One is for himself, and the other is for his murderers. The first asks that the Lord, for the confession of Whose name he receives a martyr's death, receive his spirit into His heavenly dwellings. The second, which he uttered already on his knees, probably after being knocked down by the stones thrown at him, was spoken just before his death. He asks that the Lord forgive this sin to his murderers. These are the same prayers which the crucified Christ offered to His heavenly Father in the final moments of His life (Lk 23:34; Lk 23:46). Stephen the first martyr offers them to the glorified God-man, his Teacher, Lord, and God. "He fell asleep." The sacred historian beautifully calls the martyr's death of the first martyr the falling asleep of sleep.

Saint Stephen's dying prayer for his enemies and his commending of his spirit into the hands of the Lord Jesus are profoundly instructive and moving. So is his martyr's death itself, full of strongest endurance, complete forgiveness of all, and full hope in God. His outward posture is also worthy of remembrance, for it was a posture of prayer before death. He fell to his knees while the blows of stones from his mad murderers rained upon his whole exhausted body. They struck most painfully that sacred and inspired head, so early yet fruitfully bowed down to the earth, to become the seed of countless new believers and confessors. Jesus Christ gave the first example of prayer for tormenting enemies (see Lk 23:34, 46). Of Him the centurion said, "Truly He was the Son of God" (Mt 27:54).

Natural reason would surely say that it is unfitting to pray for people who want to destroy you. But Christian love says: pray for these also. Wish and ask every good thing for them. Perhaps through benefits they will come to know God the Benefactor. Having known Him, they may believe in Him. Having believed, they may become peaceful toward others who believe in Him. If not even so, then according to the commandment of the beloved Savior, "Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you" (Mt 5:44). Thus, in fact, the first martyr Stephen, dying, prayed for the members of the Sanhedrin who had decreed that he be stoned: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."