Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 6:1

And in those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

1. And in those days ] Better, these. The narrative which follows is closely connected with Act 5:14, where it is said, “believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.”

when the number of the disciples was multiplied ] Better, was multiplying. The participle is in the present tense, and its meaning should be fully expressed. It was at the time when this sudden increase was in progress that the difficulty arose which led to the murmuring. The numbers of the society increased so rapidly that the superintendence of the relief of the needy claimed the full devotion of the Apostles, and proved in the end more than they could discharge.

there arose a murmuring ] By the readiness with which the Apostles took measures to remedy what was complained of, we may infer that there had been shewn sufficient cause for complaint. This may easily have come to pass without any fault on the part of the twelve, simply from the sudden growth of the number of Christians.

of the Grecians against the Hebrews ] The first-named, who are called in the original Hellenist, were either Jews who had been born in countries where Greek was the vernacular, and so did not speak Hebrew, nor join in the Hebrew services of the Jews of the Holy Land, but had synagogues of their own in Jerusalem, or else they were proselytes. In either case they had embraced Christianity as Jews, for as yet the Gospel had been preached to Jews only. That provision was made for a Greek service for the foreign Jews, we may see from T. Jerus. Sotah vii. 1 (Gemara), “Rabbi Levi, the son of Hithah, went to Csarea, and heard the voice of the people saying the Shema (the name given to the Hebrew confession ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, Jehovah is one,’ from its first word) in Hellenistic. He desired to prevent them. Rabbi Jose heard of it and was angry, and said, Thus I say, that whosoever does not know how to read it correctly in Hebrew shall not read it at all [in that language], but does his duty [by reading it] in any language which he knows how to speak.”

the Hebrews ] These were the born Jews who lived in the Holy Land and spoke the language which the New Testament calls Hebrew.

because their widows were neglected ] The very persons who, speaking a foreign language and being desolate, would be likely to be overlooked amid the increased number of applications for help.

in the daily ministration ] The original word is the same as that which in Act 11:29 is rendered relief, and from the class of persons on whose behalf the complaint was made it is clear that it bears the same sense here. This word diakonia has, however, caused the name of deacons to be attached to these officers, whose appointment was at first made that they might have care of and distribute the funds contributed by the rich members for the relief of the needy. We can nevertheless see from St Stephen’s work that the labours of the seven were not confined to these duties alone, for he is a mighty preacher and endued with gifts of the Holy Ghost in the same way as the Apostles. It is deserving of notice that, before we find any special arrangements made for what we now understand by “divine service,” the regulation of the relief of those in need had become so engrossing a part of the duty of the twelve as to have thrust aside in some degree the prayers and ministration of the word, which were especially their charge. In these early days they appear to have acted according to St James’ teaching (Jas 1:27), “Pure religion ( ) and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Act 6:1-7. Murmuring about the distribution of the common fund. Measures for allaying it

By the confession of the high-priest himself (Act 5:28) Jerusalem was now filled with the teaching of the Christians, and thus the first step was accomplished in the course which Christ had ordained (Act 1:8) for the publication of the Gospel. Now, therefore, the historian of the Church’s progress turns to deal with other events and different persons, because he has to tell of a persecution which caused Christian missionaries to go forth for the next stage of the work, the spread of the faith through Juda and Samaria (Act 8:1). The means which God employed for this end are not such as an inventor in the second century would have been likely to hit upon, nor such as any writer who merely desired to magnify the Apostles would have adopted. A system for the more effectual relief of the widows among the congregation is devised, and an outburst of popular rage, causing the death of one of the dispensers of the relief-funds, also disperses the greater part of the Church of Jerusalem. A person who was free to choose (as an inventor would have been) would scarcely have selected one of the seven deacons for the first Christian martyr, and have left the Apostles out of sight, while giving the history of Stephen. The choice of such a writer would have surely fallen upon one of the twelve to be the first to die for the faith.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

In those days … – The first part of this chapter contains an account of the appointment of deacons. It may be asked, perhaps, why the apostles did not appoint these officers at the first organization of the church? To this, question we may reply, that it was better to defer the appointment until an occasion should occur when it would appear to be manifestly necessary and proper. When the church was small, its alms could be distributed by the apostles themselves without difficulty But when it was greatly increased when its charities were multiplied; and when the distribution might give rise to contentions, it was necessary that this matter should be entrusted to the hands of laymen, and that the ministry should be freed from all embarrassment, and all suspicions of dishonesty and unfairness in regard to pecuniary matters. It has never been found to be wise that the temporal affairs of the church should be entrusted in any considerable degree to the clergy, and they should be freed from such sources of difficulty and embarrassment.

Was multiplied – By the accession of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost, and of those who were subsequently added, Act 4:4; Act 5:14.

A murmuring – A complaint – as if there had been partiality in the distribution.

Of the Grecians – There has been much diversity of opinion in regard to these persons, whether they were Jews who had lived among the Gentiles, and who spoke the Greek language, or whether they were proselytes from the Gentiles. The former is probably the correct opinion. The word used here is not what is commonly employed to designate the inhabitants of Greece, but it properly denotes those who imitate the customs and habits of the Greeks, who use the Greek language, etc. In the time when the gospel was first preached, there were two classes of Jews – those who remained in Palestine, who used the Hebrew language, and who were appropriately called Hebrews; and those who were scattered among the Gentiles, who spoke the Greek language, and who used in their synagogues the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint. These were called Hellenists, or, as it is in our translation, Grecians. See the notes on Joh 7:35. These were doubtless the persons mentioned here – not those who were proselyted from Gentiles, but those of Jewish origin who were not natives of Judea, who had come up to Jerusalem to attend the great festivals. See Act 2:5, Act 2:9-11. Dissensions would be very likely to arise between these two classes of persons. The Jews of Palestine would pride themselves much on the fact that they dwelt in the land of the patriarchs and the land of promise; that they used the language which their fathers spoke, and in which the oracles of God were given; and that they were constantly near the temple, and regularly engaged in its solemnities. On the other hand, the Jews from other parts of the world would be suspicious, jealous, and envious of their brethren, and would be likely to charge them with partiality, or of taking advantage in their contact with them. These occasions of strife would not be destroyed by their conversion to Christianity, and one of them is furnished on this occasion.

Because their widows … – The property which had been contributed, or thrown into common stock, was understood to be designed for the equal benefit of all the poor, and particularly, it would seem, for the poor widows. The distribution before this seems to have been made by the apostles themselves – or possibly, as Mosheim conjectures (Commentary de rebus Christianorum ante Constantinum, pp. 139, 118), the apostles committed the distribution of these funds to the Hebrews, and hence, the Grecians are represented as complaining against them, and not against the apostles.

In the daily ministration – In the daily distribution which was made for their needs. Compare Act 4:35. The property was contributed doubtless with an understanding that it should be equally distributed to all classes of Christians that had need. It is clear from the Epistles that widows were objects of special attention in the primitive church, and that the first Christians regarded it as a matter of indispensable obligation to provide for their needs, 1Ti 5:3, 1Ti 5:9-10, 1Ti 5:16; Jam 1:27.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Act 6:1-7

And in those days there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews.

Trouble the lot of the Church

The Church on earth has always trouble; if it is not persecuted from without, disorders arise from within which is still more dangerous. (Starke.)

The poor the treasures of the Church

1. They stir up its spiritual gifts.

2. They exercise its brotherly love.

3. They are its ornament before the world.

4. They bear interest to it in eternity.

When Laurentius the martyr was commanded by the Roman governor to bring out the treasures of the Church, he led forth the poor of the congregation. (K. Gerok.)

The ancient bond between poverty and Christianity a blessing to both

I. To poverty. Only in Christianity, in the kingdom of Him who became poor that we might become rich–

1. Is the Divine right of the poor recognised.

2. Has the Holy Ghost awakened a genuine care of the poor.

II. To Christianity. In the care of the poor.

1. It has from the beginning developed its most Divine powers–Love, compassion, patience, self-denial, contempt of death, and trust in God.

2. It has proved before the world its right of existence in the world. (K. Gerok.)

Dissatisfaction in the primitive Church

There never has been a perfect Church, and never will be this side the Lords coming. There is much here which has been reproduced in modern times. Consider–

I. The occasion and character of this dissension. The local association of believers was composed of men separated by various nationalities and degrees of culture. There was much freedom and simplicity, for under the influence of a first creative enthusiasm the need of order and discipline had hardly become apparent. Whenever that declined, dissension was inevitable. Christianised human nature is long before it shakes itself free from petty ambitions and other ignoble sentiments. That the outbreak came soon need awaken no surprise. Men need to be trained for a life of free self-government. The causes were here ready to manifest themselves whenever the occasion presented itself. There were two chief parties–Jews, born in Palestine, of narrow views and restricted sympathies; and Jews or proselytes born in other lands, who had been affected by the refinement, art, poetry, and beauty of Greek culture, and who spoke the Greek language. These differences were sure to provoke collision. But the predominating influence was Jewish, and the Jewish officers were blamed by the Grecian portion of the community for neglecting Grecian widows in the daily administration. A small thing suffices for a great disturbance when latent differences already exist. Sectarianisms and divisions of Churches have often arisen from matters of the smallest importance. Watch the beginnings. Church dissensions are created by wrong feelings much more than by the maintenance of great principles and sacred interests. But few will bear looking at from the Saviours Cross or in the light of the Saviours throne.

II. The expedient resorted to.

1. This was a new stage in the development of a complete Church life. What was demonstrably lacking was supplied. The Lord did not furnish His Church with an apparatus of government already complete. But He gave His Holy Spirit by whom it was to be guided according to the emergencies and needs of the times.

2. Here is a plain manifestation of apostolic initiation and of Church co-operation. The apostles proposed a plan which the members freely accepted, a procedure natural, seemly, orderly, and most efficient. This may be regarded as the charter of Church rights. The apostles consulted the laity to ascertain their opinions and desires. At the same time there is nothing of lawlessness here. Power was not wholly in their hands. The apostles actually appointed and ordained the seven Hellenists whom the people selected. The principle is of the first importance, for it is exactly what we know as constitutional government.

3. Here is the principle of division of labour, as essential to Church efficiency. As those already engaged in the daily administration were not equal to all the work, others were associated with them. It was enough for apostles to do their proper work in founding churches, preaching the Word, praying, seeking the supply of the Spirit, exercising spiritual and miraculous gifts, leading the Church in the ways of the Lord. Other men could and must do what was merely secondary and secular. In free Christian society the specialty of each is needed and is to be employed. There is room for all who have a mind to work; but none for idlers. Division of labour in this case prevented schism. A Church active and consecrated will keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

4. What a solemnity was attached to even the meanest work for the Lord in His Church! The deacons are presented to the apostles, who pray for them, and lay their hands on their heads, setting them apart to such duties. Prayer sanctifies all Christian endeavour. Work for Christ is never to be thought of in a mean spirit. It should be associated with what is best and highest in Christian life, and be done ever as under the great Taskmasters eye. (W. H. Davison.)

Hellenist and Hebrew

From the first the Church had held within its bosom two opposed tendencies. So long as its numbers were not too large, and its enthusiasm had not spent itself, this underlying division created no difficulty. A moment, however, was reached when the jealousy of Hellenist and Hebrew began to give promise of that deep schism which ended only by the extinction of one of the divisions (the Hebrew) altogether.

I. The distinction between Hellenist and Hebrew. Its origin goes back to the captivity. Previously to this the Jews had dwelt as far as possible alone, but through that catastrophe they were scattered through all the huge empire which stretched from India to the AEgean. The numbers that returned under Zerubbabel, and again under Ezra, fell far short of the number of the dispersed; and it was impossible but that prolonged contact with pagan nations should greatly modify their customs and modes of thought. Especially was this the case during and after the wars of Alexander. 4. new spirit of commercial enterprise awoke within them as a new world opened to their wandering feet, and the ancestral faculty for acquiring wealth which their Palestine life had crushed, developed itself. While the home Jews recoiling from defiling contact with foreigners grew prouder and more narrow, their foreign brethren took on a strong tinge of Greek culture, and the spirit of secular gain broke down the feeling of separatism which had been the very kernel of ancient Judaism. All this tended to modify their religion, and for the better. Cut off from the temple ritual, they carried with them neither priest nor sacrifice; they carried only the Septuagint and the synagogue. What they retained was just what was portable, and what was most portable was most spiritual. When at last Christianity arose it found everywhere in the synagogues its first base of operations. It was from Hellenised Jews that Christianity obtained its first and best missionaries, and it is to them we owe it that the Church grew out of all risk of continuing a Judean sect and became the religion of civilised mankind.

II. The murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews. Being men of higher average intelligence and energy than the villagers of Judea or the small traders of the capital, the former were not likely to acquiesce silently in any neglect on the part of the other. There was always a tendency amongst the Palestine Jews to pride themselves on retaining the purest type of orthodoxy, and to suspect as well as dislike their countrymen who had taken on Greek manners. On the other hand, it came very naturally to the foreign Jew to look down on stay-at-home and old-fashioned Hebrews as bigoted and ignorant. A grave danger threatened the young Church if her members imported into her communion such mutual jealousies as these; and the slight murmuring about the widows rations meant nothing less.

III. How the murmuring was allayed. The apostles took alarm, for the murmurs reflected on them. The work had evidently grown beyond their power of personal supervision, and now that one side of the Church grumbled about an unfairness some new arrangement was clearly called for. Even the apostles were no autocrats; the Church was an oligarchy which rested on a democratic basis. The supreme legislative power was felt to reside in the crowd of disciples. What the apostles did at first was to initiate measures, and at the last to confirm appointments. But the adoption of the measure and the election of the officers were the work of the whole multitude. This act–

1. Established certain principles–the right of the Church to transact under Christ its own business; the ministerial, not lordly character of even its highest offices; the subordination of all material interests to its spiritual work; and the ultimate seat of Church authority in the whole body.of believers. Any Church system whose arrangements flatly contravene these principles must be held to have departed from primitive order.

2. Began the severance between the spiritual and temporal work of the Church. It became impossible to combine the serving of tables with the ministry of the Word. A division of labour was called for, and the apostles could not hesitate which side of their double office they should abandon. To bear witness to the saving work of Christ is not a secondary function of the Church, but its one task for which all other things must minister. The Church, however, declined to treat even its secular work as wholly unspiritual, and lifted it out of the atmosphere of mere business into that of worship. The candidates are to be full of the Holy Ghost as well as wisdom, and are set apart with solemn services. The only two among them of whom we know anything are known for the zeal and success with which they preached Christ. Stephen and Philip were a good deal more than almoners.

IV. With the ordination of these seven men a new page of Church history opened.

1. It marked a stage in the Churchs progress towards separate existence.

2. It was the first step towards permanence. The apostles cannot live for ever; but if the new society has the power, under Christ, of founding new orders of office bearers, then it carries within itself the conditions of self-preservation and self-adaptation to changed times and perpetual progress.

3. It brought a new element to the front. The seven bear Greek names, which affords a presumption that they belonged to that section of the Church whose complaints had led to the election. The result, therefore, was this, that, through the murmurs of a few widows, those members of the Church were lifted into office who represented its most free, spiritual, un-Hebrew, and catholic elements. One man especially was thrust forward who was destined to rouse the narrow and ultra-national party of the Pharisees to persecution, as Peter had already roused the Sadducees, and whose death was to be a signal for the scattering of the Church. It was even to lead to the conversion of another man who should one day become an apostle himself and vindicate as an inheritance for Christendom that larger and more spiritual view of Christianity of which Stephen was the first exponent.

V. The story rebukes our short-sighted alarms at the small dissensions and apparent disasters of the hour. We see the divided congregation; we hear its murmuring voices, but we forget to see the hand which guides the Churchs destinies, and causes all things to work together for its good. (J. Oswald Dykes, D. D.)

The first disunion in the Church

I. Its occasion.

II. Its adjustment.

III. Its blessing. (Langbein.)

A picture of early Church life

I. The murmuring in the Church.

1. When it arose. With multiplying numbers, new dangers arose. It was more difficult to keep the unity for which the believers had been distinguished. Many a Church that has withstood adversity has been wrecked by prosperity.

2. How it arose. By the jealousy of the Grecians. If that was not stopped, there was a great disaster before the Church. How it came about that the Grecian widows were neglected, the record does not say. It may have been unintentional oversight, or the result of a feeling against the Greeks as being foreigners. It is worthy of note that the first two dangers to the early Church, hypocrisy and schism, arose from the distribution of its charities.

II. The harmony of the Church. How was it restored? By the prompt, wise, and magnanimous action of the apostles. They did not wait for the murmuring to become a pronounced disaffection. They did not rebuke the murmurers, nor try to justify themselves. They simply asked that the work might be put in the hands of others who could properly attend to it.

1. They made a protest against doing the work at all. They were chosen of Christ to be His witnesses–not to dole out alms. The lower work was encroaching upon the higher. They were liable to be so much engaged in caring for the bodies that they could do nothing for the souls of men.

2. They showed to whom the work should be committed. They directed the disciples to look out seven men among them.

(1) Of good report–so that, to begin with, they would receive the approval of every one. The apostles went upon the principle of never putting a doubtful man into aa important office.

(2) Full of the Spirit–so that their godliness might be apparent. Men full of the Spirit would not be likely to do injustice through partiality–or become defaulters.

(3) And of wisdom–so that the funds would be wisely disbursed. The Church that has a charity fund has to look out that pauperism is not encouraged, that dead-beats are not supported, and that the really needy are generously cared for.

3. They declared what their own work should be. The world was famishing for the gospel more than the disciples for bread. Others could give the bread, but the apostles were chosen especially to give the gospel. First they would get from God, and then they would give to men. There is no giving without first getting. No water can be poured from an unfilled pitcher.

III. The growth of the Church.

1. The choice of the seven. The seven were chosen in accordance with the recommendation of the apostles. Their Greek names show how generously the Church acted in giving the daily ministration largely into the hands of the element from which the murmurs had arisen. That made it impossible for Grecian Jews any longer to complain. The suggestion of the apostles pleased the whole multitude; for they saw that it not only would do away with dissensions, but would result in the greater efficiency of the apostles. The seven finally were inducted into office with as much solemnity as though they were to preach the Word instead of to serve tables! In those days no work for Christ, it would seem, was unworthy of a consecration.

2. The increase of the disciples. That, naturally, was the result of the increase of power resulting from the new state of things. The Church was a greater power, because in it there no longer was any division. The apostles were a greater power; for now there was no obstacle to giving their whole strength to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Notable among the accessions was the great company of priests that became obedient to the faith. The new faith demanded of them so much that in their case obedience meant a great deal more than with others.

IV. The witness for the church. Among the chosen seven there was one especially prominent from the first, Stephen. Observe that he was a witness for the Church–

1. In his endowments. He was full of faith and the Holy Spirit–full of grace and power. The mere fact that a man is so endowed is a great testimony for the Church.

2. In the exhibitions of his power. He wrought great wonders and signs among the people. He showed apostolic power, though he was not an apostle. The layman may be as full of the Holy Spirit and of the power of the Spirit as the minister.

3. In his encounters with adversaries. They were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake. They were cunning, but he was wise. They were learned, but he was inspired.

4. In his appearance before the council. (M. C. Hazard.)

On deacons

I. The origin of the office.

1. We are introduced to a class of people here called Grecians, who were proselytes to the Jewish worship, and Jews born and bred in foreign countries, whose language was Greek. In Act 2:1-47. a long catalogue is given us of the countries from which they came. The home Jews, or Hebrews, looked down upon their foreign brethren as having contracted contamination by their long contact with the heathen. As a natural result, considerable jealousy sprang up between them. The Church did not create the division; on the contrary, its direct influence was to merge the two factions into one–they were all of one accord. But in process of time the old spirit of rivalry manifested itself. The world often taunts the Church with having within its fold contentious and hypocritical people. But where have they come from? The Church has black sheep; but they were black when they first came in from the world, and remain black in spite of the cleansing influences around them.

2. The Grecians murmured. There was no open hostility, or any unseemly ebullition of temper. You place a shell by your ear, and hear the subdued murmur of the air as it winds its way through the intricate convolutions. That is the comparison of St. Luke–there was a low, half-articulate mutter. This disposition to grumble formed the gravest danger the Church had yet had to encounter. The earth is exposed to two perils–from storms without, and volcanic fires within. Of the two, the last is the most dangerous. Let the winds beat as they will, the earth continues firm. But when the internal fires burst forth, the earth quakes to its foundations. In ,like manner the Church is exposed to persecution in the world. This has attacked the Church repeatedly; but it did not fall, because it was founded upon a rock. But the gravest danger arises from within–the spirit of discontent in the members.

3. The Grecians murmured because their widows were neglected. It appears that only the widows received charitable relief, and of course those who were disabled by age or decrepitude. Men able to earn a living doubtless had to go and work. Who were the almoners? The text seems to hint that the apostles had partly delegated their power to certain members of the Hebrew party. The widows were overlooked probably by accident, arising from defective organisation. But the Grecians insisted that there was a set purpose in it, and inquired for sinister motives, and, as is always the case, found them! Jealousy always distorts facts to suit its own morbid fancies.

4. The murmurings of the Grecians induced the apostles to call the multitude of the disciples unto them, in order to confer together. The Jewish Church was constituted on mechanical principles. God Himself elected His own officers, and the nation was expected loyally to submit. But the Christian Church is a living organism; its functionaries are therefore dependent on the vote of the members. Governments are of two kinds–the parental and representative. The government of the Jewish Church was on the parental principle, the members being, in the language of the apostle, under age. But the government of the Christian Church is representative; it is self-government–its members having attained their majority. And in calling the multitude of the disciples unto them, the apostles acknowledged the principle of manhood suffrage. But we must not forget the promise that the Spirit of Truth should guide the Church into all the truth of government not less than the truth of doctrine. This promise holds good for us as for the age of the apostles. No doubt precedent has its value, and no conscientious Christian will speak lightly of the past history of the Church. But if webs be woven of it to tie the hands and bind the feet of the Church now living, we make of it a bad and unjustifiable use. The Church of to-day is as free as the Church of the first century, and is in as close communion with its Head as ever it was. But there is a distinction between the scripturalness of a doctrine or usage and the ecclesiasticalness thereof. What is taught by the apostles is not subject to alteration or capable of improvement. What St. Paul taught the Corinthian Church I accept without cavil or objection; but what the Corinthian Church practised I feel at liberty to adopt or reject.

5. Having summoned the multitude of the disciples together, the apostles proposed they should choose from among themselves seven men of honest report to supervise the distribution, which instantly quelled the discontent. In verse 1 they murmur; in verse 5 they are pleased. Were many in the place of the apostles they would have stood upon their dignity, and ignored the complaint; and the low murmuring of verse 1 would have grown into loud and fierce denunciation in verse 5. But kindness, straightforwardness, and discretion at once surmounted the difficulty. Evil had always better be grappled with in its incipient stage. A small injustice is more easily remedied than a great one, and the facility makes the duty more imperative. Thus we are taught that the Church is a growth. It was not launched upon society with all its organisation perfected. Herein again it contrasts strikingly with Judaism. Moses was commanded to do everything according to the pattern shown him in the mount–by Divine revelation. The people had to originate nothing–they had to receive everything. But the Christian Church is a living organism–it gradually unfolds from within. It began on the day of Pentecost without any regulations or offices except the apostolate. It was simply a germ, but a germ which had within it the power of endless life. By degrees the germ grew and threw out new offices, just as the tree shoots out new branches. Its functions are the healthy outgrowth of its life. The diaconate is instituted when the temporal requirements of the Church urgently demand it, and not a day before. It is, therefore, idle to endeavour to give the Church a rigid, cast-iron shape for all countries and ages. The exigencies of time and place are to determine its outward form.

II. The duties of the office.

1. The seven men were elected to serve. The noun deacon is not used, but the corresponding verb is–they diaconised. Is there not a quiet hint to their successors to be more covetous of discharging the duties than of wearing the name? In the Acts we find only the verb; in the Epistles we find the noun. Here we perceive the fundamental law of language and of life; for language and life are at bottom one–first get the thing, next get the name. The probability is that these men were not officially styled deacons–they were simply known as the seven. Gradually, however, the Church felt a need for an official title, and from the verb it developed the noun. Living in an age noted for its appearances, we go about in the first place to invent names, and care but little about things. All our goods are electro-plate. But the primitive Church was living face to face with stern realities. If it could procure the thing, it let the name take care of itself. A deacon is one who ministers or serves. The same words are used to describe the work of deacons as that of apostles, the object only being different. In each case it was serving, ministering. A deacon etymologically means one who waits at table, who runs to do service. The very word signifies that diaconal work should be characterised by docility and alacrity. People of imperious temperament are scarcely fit to act as servers of the Church; instead of running themselves, their disposition is to bid others run.

2. They were elected to serve tables, to attend to the temporalities of the Church. It was not, however, absolutely necessary that they should confine themselves to this; hard and fast lines are not known in the kingdom of God. Their chief duty is to manage the finances of the kingdom; but, that done, they may extend the sphere of their usefulness. The public mind is confused upon this subject. Preachers are supposed to have no right to meddle with the service of tables; the right they indisputably have, but the expediency may be questioned, except in very rare cases. On the other hand, deacons are supposed to be guilty of presumption when they preach. But they are guilty of nothing of the kind; for Stephen and Philip preach the Word with irresistible power and success. Everywhere in the Apostolic Church are traceable the liberty and elasticity of life. The tools to him who can use them.

3. The deacons are to serve the tables of the ministers. We may rest assured that, whilst waiting on the tables of others, they did not leave the apostles table empty. One important object was to relieve the preachers of anxiety and distraction in their own peculiar work.

4. They are to serve the tables of the poor. This was about the most impoverished period in Jewish history. Mendicants everywhere flocked the highways. The poor ye have always with you. Many of them joined the Church, and the exceptional poverty called forth exceptional liberality. Many, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet. At their feet. Money should always be kept at peoples feet. Many keep it in their safes, and, alas I many in their hearts. In this institution we discover the first germ of the philanthropic efforts of modern civilisation. Judaism doubtless stood alone among ancient religions for the humane feeling pervading it. Nevertheless, its highest result was negative–not to oppress or defraud. Being the first stage of religious culture, Judaism consisted in not doing evil rather than in doing good. The Old Testament dealt in prohibitions rather than in positive injunctions. But the gospel bids you do something. Christ went about doing good. In the text a committee of seven is organised to supervise the distribution of the doles. Occasional outbursts of benevolent impulses were witnessed in previous ages and other countries; now for the first time was a deliberate effort made to reduce impulse into system, and benevolence into an organisation. The seven men of honest report constituted, I believe, the first board of guardians in the world. Modern civilisation is replete with boards–Poor Law Boards, School Boards, Boards of Guardians, and Boards of Health. But they are all natural developments of the board or table of which the text speaks, to serve tables being precisely the same as to serve boards. In the Gospels we witness the conception, in the Acts the birth of philanthropy.

III. The qualifications for the office.

1. Integrity Honest report–men of uprightness and straightforwardness. The funds being entrusted to their care, it is of prime importance that they be men above suspicion. Judas once kept the bag; but he was a thief. It is therefore of great consequence that men of strict integrity be put into this office.

2. Piety. full of the Holy ghost. The judicious management of money requires the special aid of Gods Spirit. Pecuniary interests occupy the middle ground, and are peculiarly liable to corruption. It is popularly imagined that, if a man is full of the Holy Ghost, he cannot attend to temporal duties; that he is only fit to sing and pray. But it strikes me you do not want a very great deal of the Spirit to do that; but you want a great deal of Him to give and collect money. Show me a Churchs collection books, and I can estimate pretty nearly how much of the Holy Ghost that church has. A Church of one hundred members giving fifty pounds a year towards the support of the gospel at home and its propagation in foreign parts, has not much of the Spirit. Wolff elaborated a system to reduce all truths of philosophy into truths of mathematics; and, if I had the leisure, I could invent a system to reduce the truths of theology into truths of arithmetic. A man says, I have faith. Show me thy works, urges James; the works are the measure of the Faith. You say, We have had a powerful revival. I answer, Show me your collection-books. A small collection means baptism by sprinkling; a large colleclection–well, baptism by immersion.

3. Wisdom. That a man is honest and pious is not enough. Without wisdom his administration will do incalculably more harm than good. Wisdom is a right application of knowledge (gnosis). But this implies two things. (First, that he possess the knowledge, to be applied. A deacon should be mighty in the Scriptures. Ignorance should never hold office in the Church. God does not need our knowledge to carry on His kingdom; but He can do without our ignorance. Second, that he possess tact to apply his knowledge in the pursuit of his official duties. Men require to be managed with great delicacy and discernment. They are very sensitive instruments to play upon; a rude touch may snap the strings, and in vain you afterwards endeavour to get them to discourse sweet melody. You have heard of Phaeton, the son of Sol; he was desirous of driving the chariot of the sky. Many persuaded him against the attempt, as he had not the necessary practice to guide with a steady hand its fiery steeds. But he insisted on driving; and he broke his own neck and sent horses and chariot spinning through infinite space. His intentions were good, but his skill was defective. And we have known men taking into their hands the reins of Church govern recur–upright, pious men enough, no doubt; but for lack of tact they drew upon themselves no end of personal discomfort, drove the Church over the precipice, and plunged it into inextricable confusion. (J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.)

The election of deacons

There is nothing concealed in the action of the New Testament Church. The case of Judas is not covered up nor made the least of. Ananias and Sapphira are not names Withdrawn because of the lies they told. And the murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews is not passed over without reference. The Church is not a secret institution, and was never meant to be a concealed force in society. Christianity abhors all official secrecy. It is a religion which lives in the daylight. Its registers are not hidden away in iron safes; its writing is written as with a pencil of the sun. Who would publish an expurgated edition of the Bible! We undertake to adapt our poets to modern tastes and readers. It is refreshing to belong to a Church that is so open and fearless.

I. How was this difficulty of the early Church adjusted?

1. To-day it would surely terminate in many instances with a secession; but the spirit that guided the Church aright; was the spirit of love. There can be no permanent difficulties where this is supreme. If a Church is only a religious debating society, then we shall determine: many issues merely by numbers.

2. The apostles argue the question out, from the standpoint of a clear conception of apostolic work. Your first conception will generally determine the whole course of your argument. Starting with a noble conception, a man will naturally fall into a noble course, and reach a useful conclusion. The apostles magnified their office. We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word. And the apostles could pray! Just lately, in this very story, we heard them pray, and the place where they were assembled was shaken! And the apostles could also preach. They divided their hearers into two classes–friends and enemies. The mere critic could not play his little game at pedantry under the apostolic sermon. It was one of two things–repentance, surrender, crying to Heaven for pardon, or gnashing of teeth, and malignant hatred, the very fire of hell!

3. The apostles, conceiving their work to be of this high and supreme kind, were rather anxious than otherwise to escape the daily ministration of the tables, and gladly seized the opportunity of leaving this necessary routine to others who were ready to undertake it. This supreme conception of apostolic service was itself ennobled by the trust which the apostles reposed in the people. Christianity is the peoples religion pre-eminently. There are those in the ministry of Christ who can testify that they owe all their comfort, prosperity, and influence to their trust in the people. The apostles did not select certain notables; but having to deal with a peoples question, they consulted the peoples instinct, and therein they have set an example to all Christian associations.

4. Whilst this was the case at the outset, it was impossible that the whole Church could constitute a committee of action, therefore the apostles said, Look ye out seven men, who shall really be yourselves condensed. Such men as shall themselves be equal to the whole multitude. Large-minded, generous men, who can see every aspect of a case, and deal with noble wisdom with the practical difficulties of life. The qualifications of the seven are plainly stated. They were to be men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. There are no merely secular duties in the Church. Church matters are not merely matters of political system. There is nothing done in Christs Church–whether the opening of a door, the lighting of a lamp, or the preaching of the everlasting gospel–that is not to be done under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. A door may be so opened as to affront the Spirit of God; a visitor may be so shown to a seat as to manifest a truly Christian spirit on the part of the indicator. There is no part of our work in any section that is not holy unto the Lord. The ministry is one. I have no doubt that the men chosen in this text were better able to serve tables than the apostles. We have not all the same gifts. We must rid ourselves of the mischievous sophism which teaches us that some kinds of service are menial. There is no menial service in the Church, unless you make it menial by an unworthy spirit.

5. Looked at as a piece of Church statesmanship, can you suggest a single amendment to this policy? Do not the apostles vindicate their apostleship by their noble wisdom and practical sagacity? It is not every man in the apostleship who could have settled a case so. The ancient proverb tells us that every fool will be meddling. The reason why some ministers are uncomfortable and unsettled is that they will meddle with things that they really cannot arrange. Impose a duty upon a friend, and show by your manner of doing it that you mean him to reveal his best quality. When this spirit seizes us, all distribution of labour will not be a division of front, but will rather show that the front is more united because the labour is wisely divided. Jealousy kills us all to-day.

II. What was the effect?

1. The Word of God increased (verse 7). A united Church means a world impressed by the noble scene. The Church of Christ is not united to-day. The noble purpose of Christ is marred by certain geographical distinctions and ecclesiastical arrangements, in the making of which Providence had neither part nor lot. The Church must be united before the world will be redeemed. Hence Christs great prayer, May they all be one, that the world may believe. We want the apostle now who can bring men together, who can magnify points of union, who can show that the Church, though divided on many minor points, ought to realise its vital union, magnify and display it, and thus Christs soul would be satisfied.

2. Stephen was brought out (verse 8). They made him a minister of tables, and he became the first martyr. Stephen was developed by circumstances. Being put into this office, he developed his true quality of mind and heart. There are those who cannot be kept in obscurity, and who cannot be limited to merely technical publicity. What if this man had been unintentionally neglected? (J. Parker, D. D.)

The first election of deacons

I. The reason of their election.

1. The temporal necessities members of the Church. Widows are especially mentioned, in all communities the most deserving of aid. The Bible, therefore, particularly commends them to the compassion of the benevolent. Pure religion and undefiled, etc. It is the duty of the Church to attend to the temporal as well as the spiritual necessities of its members. In this Christ has left us an example. The gospel is more a record of His beneficent acts than of His doctrinal ideas.

2. The absorbing work of the gospel ministry. This the twelve referred to as a reason. The deacons were elected not to rule, as some arrogant modern deacons fancy, but to relieve the preachers; so that, undistracted, they might give themselves wholly to their proper work.

II. The method of their election.

1. The Church had its part–to look out the seven most suitable men, a work requiring inquiry, good judgment, and responsibility.

2. The apostles had their part.

(1) They originated the election. The suggestion for new officers came from them, not from the members; and they, not the members, called the Church together for the purpose.

(2) They directed the election, describing the character of the men to be elected.

(3) They confirmed the election. The men the Church elected were set before the apostles for ordination. Had they not, however, been up to the standard, the apostles had assuredly the right of rejection.

III. The qualification for their election.

1. Unblemished reputation.

2. Eminent godliness.

3. Practical sagacity.

IV. The result of the election (verse 7). The election operated–

1. By quelling the spirit of contention, which would obstruct the advancement of the Church.

2. By the augmented agency of the Church. Seven noble men set to work.

3. By enabling the apostles to give themselves entirely to the preaching of the gospel. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

The first deacons chosen

In the beginning of the preceding chapter, we had a sad account of an act of fraud and falsehood on the part of some that contributed to this common fund among the disciples in Jerusalem; and now we have an account of the murmuring of some of those who received it. The first was the offspring of great depravity; this is the result of human imperfections. The one was met by a very strong measure; this is met by conference, by advice, by calling into exercise the principles of common sense and the feelings of their common Christianity.

I. The narrative. Notice–

1. The increase of the disciples. In spite of the persecution which the Church was continually meeting with, we have continual statements of its prosperity and increase. I have no doubt that by this time the number of Christians in Jerusalem was ten thousand.

2. When you think about these ten thousand people, you see at once that this common fund cannot mean that all these people had given up all their property, and that there was a distribution made to every one of this whole multitude. What! had they given up their trades? had they left their workshops, their farms, and merchandise? No; they were going on, I suppose, fulfilling their daily duties. Then did they bring all their wages and profits, throwing all this into a common fund, and taking back every day what was required, more or less according to their circumstances? You cannot suppose any such thing. Why, if they were to call the whole ten thousand together every morning, and give them only a shilling each, there would be five hundred pounds wanted every day. We must look at this fund as just a provision for those who were in necessitous circumstances.

3. Now things went on for some time, till at last there arose a murmuring, a dissatisfaction. Some began to feel that there was not proper attention paid them, and it reached the ears of the apostles, who proceed to make the arrangement here mentioned. You will see at a glance that previous to this somebody must have done this work. The thing had been done before. In Act 2:44-45, it is said, All that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need–i.e., each one at first distributed his own benevolence. The advance upon that you have at the end of the fourth chapter. The first rude idea was for every man to act for himself, and come with his hands full and his heart full, and just dispense according to the impulse of his feeling; and the first modification of that was, for all to bring what they had to give, and lay it down at the apostles feet, and so there would be something like regularity in the distribution, and investigation, and examination of the particular case and circumstances; whereas in the other way it could not be done, and one might be receiving from many. And that goes on, the apostles (I suppose) trying to do it. But not, I apprehend, without assistance from the hundred and twenty, who would probably all be Hebrews. But here were the Grecians; and there might be a feeling rising up, with no foundation, that there was a neglect of their widows in the daily ministration. So difficult it is, you see, even under the guidance of the Divine Spirit, and with the first love and strong affection of the early Christians, to get rid of all those party prejudices and suspicions which rise up in society and array class against class. But the murmuring comes to the ears of the apostles, and something must be done to meet it.

4. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, Does that mean the whole ten thousand? Supposing there were not ten thousand? Could five thousand men transact business? Any of you that know anything about business, know how difficult it is to get anything done even in a large committee. In order to get through business, you must have a few heads, with strong hearts and hands connected with them, that will really do something. I cannot, therefore, feel myself warranted in stating that this is really to be taken positively and literally. I do not know where they would meet in Jerusalem–so many of them. I know that, afterwards, when Peter was in prison, prayer was made without ceasing of the Church, meeting in a private house–in the house of the mother of John Mark; and I dare say there were little knots of such all over the city. I think, in this case, the principal part of those they would call together would be Grecians–the principal persons of that party–and it would be a full meeting, and open for any to attend who felt interested in the matter; but we cannot suppose that there was the whole, or anything like the whole, of the mass of Christians in Jerusalem. When they were come together, the apostles said, It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables, which may mean, The thing does not work well, does not give universal satisfaction; we are doing the best we can, but it is not reasonable that we should be exclusively devoted to this thing; we have had our heads and our hearts full of anxiety about this matter, and we find it is not reasonable that we should serve tables, for we feel that in doing so we must leave the Word of God, and we must not do that; and therefore, as we have already made one departure from the first rude idea to a better, we must try now to get a best, and we propose now that seven men be looked out for this duty.

5. And the saying pleased the whole multitude; and they chose Stephen, etc. It is remarkable that all these names are Greek; and this was probably done to satisfy the Grecians. Or if, in the multitude of the disciples, there were included some of the principal persons among the Hebrews, then this marks also the kindly and liberal feeling among them, arranging that from that party and that class that complains, every individual of the seven was chosen. Whom they set before the apostles. We do not know how they chose them. There was some meeting of the brethren–the more distinguished and influential, I think; and these individuals were fixed upon, and they were presented to the apostles.

6. And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. I think this was just the solemn and public representation before the eyes of the people that they parted with so much of that power which they had hitherto exercised in relation to this business, and that henceforth these men were to be held responsible for the exercise of it.

7. There was peace restored to the Church; no longer divisions, or heart-burnings, or jealousies; and then, as the result, one might think, we immediately read again that the number of the disciples multiplied greatly. Just as you find in the beginning of the fifth chapter, that when purity was restored, then as the result there was a great increase of the Church, so now peace and purity are favourable to all those affections and feelings and activities by which an increase of the body may be expected. The Word of God increased and prevailed in two ways.

(1) With respect to the number of the disciples.

(2) With respect to a particular class of person; so that some of the most unlikely men;–a great company priests, Were obedient to the faith. Some people can hardly believe this; but why should it be thought a thing incredible with us, that in those days of miracle and the pouring down of the Divine Spirit, there should be manifested the power of the faith and grace of Christ upon these men?

II. The lessons. Now see–

1. How difficult it is, even when mens hearts are in the right place and in a good state, to prevent jealousies and misunderstandings among a large body of people.

2. How a liberal, open, manly, common-sense pilicy, under the blessing of God, may meet and allay this sort of thing; when men will calmly look at it, and observe that something must be done, and endeavour in an open and honest spirit to do it.

3. What an admirable opportunity this would have been to mention something about priesthood! There are some men that are very fond of getting priests into the Christian Church; but here was a great number of real priests actually brought into the Church, and we hear nothing about them. They stand as simple disciples. Standing there upon the common floor of the Christian temple, they had a greater, purer, more elevated priesthood than that which they had sustained as the offspring of Aaron.

4. Have we the origin of the office of deacons here? They are not called deacons. The word, indeed, from which deacons comes, is used in the account two or three times. It is used with respect to the apostles giving themselves to the deaconship of the Word; and then these men to the deaconship of tables. The word deacon is a very general term, signifying ministry or service, occurring a great many times in the New Testament. It is applied to the apostles, to Timothy, to Jesus Christ. But yet it did come to a technical and an official sense, and to signify a particular officer in the Christian Church, as the Church began to grow. And I think that this was the origin of the office of the deacon; though, perhaps, that office, in the course of time, took some degree of modification, as distinct from the one thing for which these men were appointed; for they were chosen with a very limited duty with respect to this particular thing. (T. Binney.)

Dissensions and precautions

I. The inner life of the primitive church.

1. The election sprang out of the multiplying, and the multiplying begat a murmuring. Increase of numbers does not always mean increase of happiness and true spiritual life. God has made all things double one against another; and when He bestows such notable increase, He adds some counterbalancing disadvantage to keep His people humble.

2. The distribution of alms is always attended by jealousies and disputes, rendering the work one of the most unpleasant tasks which can be undertaken. Fretting and worry, weary days and sleepless nights, are often the only reward a Christian philanthropist receives. But here comes in the Acts of the Apostles to cheer. The apostles themselves did not escape the accusation of favouritism, and we may well content to suffer what they were compelled to endure.

3. The primitive Church was no ideal communion, but a society with failings and weaknesses and discontentent, exactly like those which exist in the Church of our own times. The apostolic Church did not disdain a mere economic question.

II. What lay at the basis of this murmuring, and of the jealousies thereby indicated? If we wish to understand the course of events in the Acts, we must refer to the books of Maccabees, where is told the romantic story of the struggle of the Jews against the Greek kings of Syria, who tried to force them into conformity with the religion of Greece, which then was counted the religion of civilisation and culture. The result was that the intensely national party became bitterly hostile to everything pertaining to Greece and its civilisation. Cursed be he who teacheth his son the learning of the Greeks, was a saying among the Hebrews; while again, we hear of Rabban Simeon, the son of Gamaliel, who used to embody his hatred of the Grecians in the following story: There were a thousand boys in my fathers school, of whom five hundred learned the law., and five hundred the wisdom of the Greeks; and there is not one of the latter now alive, excepting myself here and my uncles son in Asia. Heaven itself was supposed by the Hebrews to have plainly declared its hostility against their Grecian opponents. Hence, naturally, arose the same divisions at Jerusalem. The bitter dissensions which racial and linguistic differences have made in the Church of every age are here depicted in miniature. The quarrels between East and West, Greeks and Latins, whites and negroes, European Christians and Hindoo converts, all turn upon the same points and embody the same principles, and may best find solution upon the lines laid down by the apostles. There are diversities of function and of work in the Church–a ministry of the Word, and a serving of tables. One class should not absorb every function.

III. The people nominated, while the apostles appointed. They took the most effective plan to quiet the trouble which had arisen when they took the people into their confidence. The Church has been often described as the mother of modern freedom. The councils of old time were the models and forerunners of modern parliaments. How many a quarrel in life would be avoided, how many a rough place would be made smooth, were the apostolic example always followed. Men naturally resist a law imposed from without, without any appearance of consultation with them or of sanction on their part; but men willingly yield obedience to laws, even though they may dislike them, which have been passed with their assent and appeal to their reason. (G. T. Stokes, D. D.)

The division of work

Some kinds of work are easier to learn than others. Some callings and professions require a long and special training, others are more easily acquired. All cannot teach, all are not called to the higher offices of the Church. The work of the Church may be compared to that of some extensive manufactory. Do not we seek from the raw, or at any rate from the unrefined material, to produce the perfect fabric? The material upon which we work is in every stage of refinement; it is of every class of texture. All have not to pass through the same process; what may refine some would surely damage others. We do not place the message in the same words before the uneducated and the highly cultured. And just as there are degrees of know]edge in the learners, so there may be in the teachers. Because we are not fitted to explain Christian truth to those who have learnt much, we have no right to conclude that there is no sphere in which we may teach. In a manufactory there are workers of every degree of skill and capacity, from the hewers of wood and drawers of water, to those by whose brain power, knowledge, thought, and foresight the working of the great concern is directed. The opportunities of the Church worker to-day are manifold indeed; and they vary according to the local conditions. Think how musical gifts and abilities may be devoted to the service of God, by making more beautiful, more devotional, the services of the Church, the mission room, the Sunday school, the cottage lecture! Think how financial and business capabilities may be employed in the careful management of various philanthropic agencies! How a knowledge of elementary science and the laws of life may be directed towards improving the conditions under which the ignorant and careless live! I might go on to speak of the work on behalf of temperance, purity, thrift. Then, again, a band of earnest district visitors is among the clergymans very greatest helps. The abilities necessary for the successful performance of this work are within the reach of many. The first requisite is sympathy, the next a knowledge of human character. (W. E. Chadwick, M. A.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

CHAPTER VI.

The Hellenistic Jews complain against the Hebrews, that their

widows were neglected in the daily ministration, 1.

To remedy the evil complained of, the apostles appoint seven

deacons to superintend the temporal affairs of the Church, 2-6.

The progress of the word of God in Jerusalem, 7.

Stephen, one of the deacons, becomes very eminent, and confounds

various Jews of the synagogues of the Libertines, c., 8-10.

They suborn false witnesses against him, to get him put to

death, 11-14.

He appears before the council with an angelic countenance, 15.

NOTES ON CHAP. VI.

Verse 1. A murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews] Those who are here termed Grecians, , or Hellenists, were Jews who sojourned now at Jerusalem, but lived in countries where the Greek language was spoken, and probably in general knew no other. They are distinguished here from those called Hebrews, by which we are to understand native Jews, who spoke what was then termed the Hebrew language, a sort of Chaldaio-Syriac.

It has been remarked that Greek words ending in imply inferiority. , Hellenes, was distinguished from : the former implies pure Greeks, native Greeks, who spoke the Greek tongue in its purity and the latter, Jews or others sojourning among the Greeks, but who spoke the Greek language according to the Hebrew idiom. Pythagoras divided his disciples into two classes; those who were capable of entering into the spirit and mystery of his doctrine he called , Pythagoreans; those who were of a different cast he termed , Pythagorists: the former were eminent and worthy of their master; the latter only so so. The same distinction is made between those called and , Attics and Atticists, the pure and less pure Greeks, as between those called and , Hellenes and Hellenists, pure Greeks and Graecising Jews. See Jamblicus, De Vit. Pyth. cap. 18, and Schoettgen on this place.

The cause of the murmuring mentioned here seems to have been this: When all the disciples had put their property into a common stock, it was intended that out of it each should have his quantum of supply. The foreign or Hellenistic Jews began to be jealous, that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration, that they either had not the proportion, or were not duly served; the Palestine Jews being partial to those of their own country. This shows that the community of goods could never have been designed to become general. Indeed, it was no ordinance of God; and, in any state of society, must be in general impracticable. The apostles, hearing of this murmuring, came to the resolution mentioned below.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Grecians; these were not such as are elsewhere called Greeks, either as being of that nation, or more generally taken for all Gentiles at large; but they were (as to their authority) Jews, and descended from such of them who, in several national calamities, were forced (or chose) to leave their country, and fly to Alexandria, and divers other places; yet kept themselves unmixed with other nations, retaining the knowledge of God, and coming to worship upon the solemn feasts; only, disusing the Hebrew language, they were more acquainted with the Greek tongue, (then commonly spoken every where), and used the Holy Scripture translated into that language, which made them the rather called Hellenists or Grecians.

Their widows were neglected in the daily ministration; they were not taken, as others, into the college, or number of widows, who in that time had some care of the poor; or rather, because they were not so largely allowed, or carefully looked after; for those that sold their goods, being Hebrews, they might not be so tender over the Hellenists, whose estates laying farther off, could not so readily be sold for the relief of themselves or others.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1. the GrecianstheGreek-speaking Jews, mostly born in the provinces.

the Hebrewsthose Jewsborn in Palestine who used their native tongue, and were wont to lookdown on the “Grecians” as an inferior class.

were neglected“overlooked”by those whom the apostles employed, and who were probably of theHebrew class, as being the most numerous. The complaint was in alllikelihood well founded, though we cannot suspect the distributors ofintentional partiality. “It was really just an emulation oflove, each party wishing to have their own poor taken care of in thebest manner” [OLSHAUSEN].

the daily ministrationthedaily distribution of alms or of food, probably the latter.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied,…. From an hundred and twenty to three thousand more, from thence to five thousand more, and after that a multitude of men and women were added, and still they were increasing; see Ac 1:15 Ac 2:41. This increase of the disciples agrees with what Maimonides says z, before observed, that

“in the days of Gamaliel, , “the heretics were multiplied in Israel”.”

The word “disciples” was a common name to all Christians, to all that believed in Christ, and was the name they went by, before they were called Christians, Ac 11:26

there arose a murmuring of the Grecians, or Hellenists, against the Hebrews; by the Hebrews are meant the Jews that dwelt in Judea, and were the inhabitants of that country, and chiefly of Jerusalem, who spoke the Hebrew, or rather the Syriac language; and by the Grecians, or Hellenists, are meant, not the Greeks that were proselyted to the Jewish religion, though there might be some few among them; but Jews who were born, and had dwelt, in some parts of Greece, and spoke the Greek language, and used the Septuagint version of the Bible; between these two a murmuring arose, a complaint was made by one against the other: so that, as it appears from the instance of Ananias and Sapphira, that this first and pure Gospel church was not free from hypocrites; it is also manifest, that though they were at first so united and harmonious in their affections and judgments, yet they were not always clear of feuds, animosities, and contentions; Satan bestirred himself, and got footing among them, as he commonly does where the Gospel is preached, and there is an increase of it: the reason of this uneasiness was,

because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration; that is, they had not that distributed which was necessary for them, nor so much as the Hebrew widows; they complained of partiality, as if because the Hebrew widows were the natives of the country, and might be nearly related to many of the community, that therefore they were more regarded and better supplied every day, than their widows were, whose husbands had dwelt in foreign lands, and were not so well known, and had fewer acquaintance and relations; for it seems the ministration or distribution was made every day: and such a practice obtained among the Jews in common, who used to collect every day for the poor, and give it daily to them. Maimonides a speaks of it in this manner;

“they appoint collectors, who receive “every day”, from every court, a piece of bread, or any sort of food, or fruit, or money, from whomsoever that offers freely for the time; and they divide that which is collected, “in the evening”, among the poor, and they give to every poor person of it “his daily sustenance”; and this is called

, “Tamchui”, or “the alms dish”.”

And from hence the apostles might take up this custom, and follow it. The Ethiopic version renders it, “because they saw their widows minister”, or “employed daily”; as if the complaint was, that their widows were too much made use of, and obliged to more frequent and to harder service in taking care of the poor, the sick, and helpless, than the other widows were, who had not their share of labour with them, but lived more at ease. Though others rather think the murmur was, because the Grecian widows were not taken into the number, and employed in taking care of the poor, as the Hebrew widows were; but the sense first given, of not having so good a share in the distribution, seems to be the best.

z Hilchot Tephilla, c. 2. sect. 1. a Hilchot Mattanot Annayim, c. 9. sect. 2.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Appointment of Deacons.

      1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.   2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.   3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.   4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.   5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:   6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.   7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

      Having seen the church’s struggles with her enemies, and triumphed with her in her victories, we now come to take a view of the administration of her affairs at home; and here we have,

      I. An unhappy disagreement among some of the church-members, which might have been of ill consequence, but was prudently accommodated and taken up in time (v. 1): When the number of the disciples (for so Christians were at first called, learners of Christ) was multiplied to many thousands in Jerusalem, there arose a murmuring.

      1. It does our hearts good to find that the number of the disciples is multiplied, as, no doubt, it vexed the priests and Sadducees to the heart to see it. The opposition that the preaching of the gospel met with, instead of checking its progress, contributed to the success of it; and this infant Christian church, like the infant Jewish church in Egypt, the more it was afflicted, the more it multiplied. The preachers were beaten, threatened, and abused, and yet the people received their doctrine, invited, no doubt, thereto by their wonderful patience and cheerfulness under their trials, which convinced men that they were borne up and carried on by a better spirit than their own.

      2. Yet it casts a damp upon us to find that the multiplying of the disciples proves an occasion of discord. Hitherto they were all with one accord. This had been often taken notice of to their honour; but now that they were multiplied, they began to murmur; as in the old world, when men began to multiply, they corrupted themselves. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased their joy, Isa. ix. 3. When Abraham and Lot increased their families, there was a strife between their herdsmen; so it was here: There arose a murmuring, not an open falling out, but a secret heart-burning.

      (1.) The complainants were the Grecians, or Hellenists, against the Hebrews–the Jews that were scattered in Greece, and other parts, who ordinarily spoke the Greek tongue, and read the Old Testament in the Greek version, and not the original Hebrew, many of whom being at Jerusalem at the feast embraced the faith of Christ, and were added to the church, and so continued there. These complained against the Hebrews, the native Jews, that used the original Hebrew of the Old Testament. Some of each of these became Christians, and, it seems, their joint-embracing of the faith of Christ did not prevail, as it ought to have done, to extinguish the little jealousies they had one of another before their conversion, but they retained somewhat of that old leaven; not understanding, or not remembering, that in Christ Jesus there is neither Greek nor Jew, no distinction of Hebrew and Hellenist, but all are alike welcome to Christ, and should be, for his sake, dear to one another.

      (2.) The complaint of these Grecians was that their widows were neglected in the daily administration, that is in the distribution of the public charity, and the Hebrew widows had more care taken of them. Observe, The first contention in the Christian church was about a money-matter; but it is a pity that the little things of this world should be makebates among those that profess to be taken up with the great things of another world. A great deal of money was gathered for the relief of the poor, but, as often happens in such cases, it was impossible to please every body in the laying of it out. The apostles, at whose feet it was laid, did their best to dispose of it so as to answer the intentions of the donors, and no doubt designed to do it with the utmost impartiality, and were far from respecting the Hebrews more than the Grecians; and yet here they are complained to, and tacitly complained of, that the Grecian widows were neglected; though they were as real objects of charity, yet they had not so much allowed them, or not to so many, or not so duly paid them, as the Hebrews. Now, [1.] Perhaps this complaint was groundless and unjust, and there was no cause for it; but those who, upon any account, lie under disadvantages (as the Grecian Jews did, in comparison with those that were Hebrews of the Hebrews) are apt to be jealous that they are slighted when really they are not so; and it is the common fault of poor people that, instead of being thankful for what is given them, they are querulous and clamorous, and apt to find fault that more is not given them, or that more is given to others than to them; and there are envy and covetousness, those roots of bitterness, to be found among the poor as well as among the rich, notwithstanding the humbling providences they are under, and should accommodate themselves to. But, [2.] We will suppose there might be some occasion for their complaint. First, Some suggest that though their other poor were well provided for, yet their widows were neglected, because the managers governed themselves by an ancient rule which the Hebrews observed, that a widow was to be maintained by her husband’s children. See 1 Tim. v. 4. But, Secondly, I take it that the widows are here put for all the poor, because many of those that were in the church-book, and received alms, were widows, who were well provided for by the industry of their husbands while they lived, but were reduced to straits when they were gone. As those that have the administration of public justice ought in a particular manner to protect widows from injury (Isa 1:17; Luk 18:3); so those that have the administration of public charity ought in a particular manner to provide for widows what is necessary. See 1 Tim. v. 3. And observe, The widows here, and the other poor, had a daily ministration; perhaps they wanted forecast, and could not save for hereafter, and therefore the managers of the fund, in kindness to them, gave them day by day their daily bread; they lived from hand to mouth. Now, it seems, the Grecian widows were, comparatively, neglected. Perhaps those that disposed of the money considered that there was more brought into the fund by the rich Hebrews than by the rich Grecians, who had not estates to sell, as the Hebrews had, and therefore the poor Grecians should have less out of the fund; this, though there was some tolerant reason for it, they thought hard and unfair. Note, In the best-ordered church in the world there will be something amiss, some mal–administration or other, some grievances, or at least some complaints; those are the best that have the least and the fewest.

      II. The happy accommodating of this matter, and the expedient pitched upon for the taking away of the cause of this murmuring. The apostles had hitherto the directing of the matter. Applications were made to them, and appeals in cases of grievances. They were obliged to employ persons under them, who did not take all the care they might have taken, nor were so well fortified as they should have been against temptations to partiality; and therefore some persons must be chosen to manage this matter who have more leisure to attend to it than the apostles had, and were better qualified for the trust than those whom the apostles employed were. Now observe,

      1. How the method was proposed by the apostles: They called the multitude of the disciples unto them, the heads of the congregations of Christians in Jerusalem, the principal leading men. The twelve themselves would not determine any thing without them, for in multitude of counsellors there is safety; and in an affair of this nature those might be best able to advise who were more conversant in the affairs of this life than the apostles were.

      (1.) The apostles urge that they could by no means admit so great a diversion, as this would be, from their great work (v. 2): It is not reasonable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. The receiving and paying of money was serving tables, too like the tables of the money-changers in the temple. This was foreign to the business which the apostles were called to. They were to preach the word of God; and though they had not such occasion to study for what they preached as we have (it being given in that same hour what they should speak), yet they thought that was work enough for a whole man, and to employ all their thoughts, and cares, and time, though one man of them was more than ten of us, than ten thousand. If they serve tables, they must, in some measure, leave the word of God; they could not attend their preaching work so closely as they ought. Pectora nostra duas non admittentia curas–These minds of ours admit not of two distinct anxious employments. Though this serving of tables was for pious uses, and serving the charity of rich Christians and the necessity of poor Christians, and in both serving Christ, yet the apostles would not take so much time from their preaching as this would require. They will no more be drawn from their preaching by the money laid at their feet than they will be driven from it by the stripes laid on their backs. While the number of the disciples was small, the apostles might manage this matter without making it any considerable interruption to their main business; but, now that their number was increased, they could not do it. It is not reason, ouk areston estin—it is not fit, or commendable, that we should neglect the business of feeding souls with the bread of life, to attend the business of relieving the bodies of the poor. Note, Preaching the gospel is the best work, and the most proper and needful that a minister can be employed in, and that which he must give himself wholly to (1 Tim. iv. 15), which that he may do, he must not entangle himself in the affairs of this life (2 Tim. ii. 4), no, not in the outward business of the house of God, Neh. xi. 16.

      (2.) They therefore desire that seven men might be chosen, well qualified for the purpose, whose business it should be to serve tables, diakonein trapezais—to be deacons to the tables, v. 2. The business must be minded, must be better minded than it had been, and than the apostles could mind it; and therefore proper persons must be occasionally employed in the word, and prayer, were not so entirely devoted to it as the apostles were; and these must take care of the church’s stock–must review, and pay, and keep accounts–must buy those things which they had need of against the feast (John xiii. 29), and attend to all those things which are necessary in ordine ad spiritualia–in order to spiritual exercises, that every thing might be done decently and in order, and no person nor thing neglected. Now,

      [1.] The persons must be duly qualified. The people are to choose, and the apostles to ordain; but the people have no authority to choose, nor the apostles to ordain, men utterly unfit for the office: Look out seven men; so many they thought might suffice for the present, more might be added afterwards if there were occasion. These must be, First, Of honest report, men free from scandal, that were looked upon by their neighbours as men of integrity, and faithful men, well attested, as men that might be trusted, not under a blemish for any vice, but, on the contrary, well spoken of for every thing that is virtuous and praiseworthy; martyroumenous—men that can produce good testimonials concerning their conversation. Note, Those that are employed in any office in the church ought to be men of honest report, of a blameless, nay, of an admirable character, which is requisite not only to the credit of their office, but to the due discharge of it. Secondly, They must be full of the Holy Ghost, must be filled with those gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost which were necessary to the right management of this trust. They must not only be honest men, but they must be men of ability and men of courage; such as were to be made judges in Israel (Exod. xviii. 21), able men, fearing God; men of truth, and hating covetousness; and hereby appearing to be full of the Holy Ghost. Thirdly, They must be full of wisdom. It was not enough that they were honest, good men, but they must be discreet, judicious men, that could not be imposed upon, and would order things for the best, and with consideration: full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom, that is, of the Holy Ghost as a Spirit of wisdom. We find the word of wisdom given by the Spirit, as distinct form the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 8. Those must be full of wisdom who are entrusted with public money, that it may be disposed of, not only with fidelity, but with frugality.

      [2.] The people must nominate the persons: “Look you out among yourselves seven men; consider among yourselves who are the fittest for such a trust, and whom you can with the most satisfaction confide in.” They might be presumed to know better, or at least were fitter to enquire, what character men had, than the apostles; and therefore they are entrusted with the choice.

      [3.] They apostles will ordain them to the service, will give them their charge, that they may know what they have to do and make conscience of doing it, and give them their authority, that the persons concerned may know whom they are to apply to, and submit to, in affairs of that nature: Men, whom we may appoint. In many editions of our English Bibles there has been an error of the press here; for they have read it, whom ye may appoint, as if the power were in the people; whereas it was certainly in the apostles: whom we may appoint over this business, to take care of it, and to see that there be neither waste nor want.

      (3.) The apostles engage to addict themselves wholly to their work as ministers, and the more closely if they can but get fairly quit of this troublesome office (v. 4): We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. See here, [1.] What are the two great gospel ordinances–the word, and prayer; by these two communion between God and his people is kept up and maintained; by the word he speaks to them, and by prayer they speak to him; and these have a mutual reference to each other. By these two the kingdom of Christ must be advanced, and additions made to it; we must prophesy upon the dry bones, and then pray for a spirit of life from God to enter into them. By the word and prayer other ordinances are sanctified to us, and sacraments have their efficacy. [2.] What is the great business of gospel ministers–to give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word; they must still be either fitting and furnishing themselves for those services, or employing themselves in them; either publicly or privately; in the stated times, or out of them. They must be God’s mouth to the people in the ministry of the word, and the people’s mouth to God in prayer. In order to the conviction and conversion of sinners, and the edification and consolation of saints, we must not only offer up our prayers for them, but we must minister the word to them, seconding our prayers with our endeavours, in the use of appointed means. Nor must we only minister the word to them, but we must pray for them, that it may be effectual; for God’s grace can do all without our preaching, but our preaching can do nothing without God’s grace. The apostles were endued with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, tongues and miracles; and yet that to which they gave themselves continually was preaching and praying, by which they might edify the church: and those ministers, without doubt, are the successors of the apostles (not in the plenitude of the apostolical power–those are daring usurpers who pretend to this, but in the best and most excellent of the apostolical works) who give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word; and such Christ will always be with, even to the end of the world.

      2. How this proposal was agreed to, and presently put in execution, by the disciples. It was not imposed upon them by an absolute power, though they might have been bold in Christ to do this (Philem. 8), but proposed, as that which was highly convenient, and then the saying pleased the whole multitude, v. 5. It pleased them to see the apostles so willing to have themselves discharged from intermeddling in secular affairs, and to transmit them to others; it pleased them to hear that they would give themselves to the word and prayer; and therefore they neither disputed the matter nor deferred the execution of it.

      (1.) They pitched upon the persons. It is not probable that they all cast their eye upon the same men. Everyone had his friend, whom he thought well of. But the majority of votes fell upon the persons here named; and the rest both of the candidates and the electors acquiesced, and made no disturbance, as the members of societies in such cases ought to do. An apostle, who was an extraordinary officer, was chosen by lot, which is more immediately the act of God; but the overseers of the poor were chosen by the suffrage of the people, in which yet a regard is to be had to the providence of God, who has all men’s hearts and tongues in his hand. We have a list of the persons chosen. Some think they were such as were before of the seventy disciples; but this is not likely, for they were ordained by Christ himself, long since, to preach the gospel; and there was not more reason that they should leave the word of God to serve tables than that the apostles should. It is therefore more probable that they were of those that were converted since the pouring out of the Spirit; for it was promised to all that would be baptized that they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and the gift, according to that promise, is that fulness of the Holy Ghost which was required in those that were to be chosen to this service. We may further conjecture, concerning these seven, [1.] That they were such as had sold their estates, and brought the money into the common stock; for cteris paribus–other things being equal, those were fittest to be entrusted with the distribution of it who had been most generous in the contribution to it. [2.] That these seven were all of the Grecian or Hellenist Jews, for they have all Greek names, and this would be most likely to silence the murmurings of the Grecians (which occasioned this institution), to have the trust lodged in those that were foreigners, like themselves, who would be sure not to neglect them. Nicolas, it is plain, was one of them, for he was a proselyte of Antioch; and some think the manner of expression intimates that they were all proselytes of Jerusalem, as he was of Antioch. The first named is Stephen, the glory of these septemviri, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost; he had a strong faith in the doctrine of Christ, and was full of it above most; full of fidelity, full of courage (so some), for he was full of the Holy Ghost, of his gifts and graces. He was an extraordinary man, and excelled in every thing that was good; his name signifies a crown. Phillip is put next, because he, having used this office of a deacon well, thereby obtained a good degree, and was afterwards ordained to the office of an evangelist, a companion and assistant to the apostles, for so he is expressly called, ch. xxi. 8. Compare Eph. iv. 11. And his preaching and baptizing (which we read of ch. viii. 12) were certainly not as a deacon (for it is plain that that office was serving tables, in opposition to the ministry of the word), but as an evangelist; and, when he was preferred to that office, we have reason to think he quitted this office, as incompatible with that. As for Stephen, nothing we find done by him proves him to be a preacher of the gospel; for he only disputes in the schools, and pleads for his life at the bar, Act 6:9; Act 7:2. The last named is Nicolas, who, some say, afterwards degenerated (as the Judas among these seven) and was the founder of the sect of the Nicolaitans which we read of (Rev 2:6; Rev 2:15), and which Christ there says, once and again, was a thing he hated. But some of the ancients clear him from this charge, and tell us that, though that vile impure sect denominated themselves from him, yet it was unjustly, and because he only insisted much upon it that those that had wives should be as though they had none, thence they wickedly inferred that those that had wives should have them in common, which therefore Tertullian, when he speaks of the community of goods, particularly excepts: Omnia indiscreta apud nos, prter uxores–All things are common among us, except our wives.–Apol. cap, 39.

      (2.) The apostles appointed them to this work of serving tables for the present, v. 6. The people presented them to the apostles, who approved their choice, and ordained them. [1.] They prayed with them, and for them, that God would give them more and more of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom–that he would qualify them for the service to which they were called, and own them in it, and make them thereby a blessing to the church, and particularly to the poor of the flock. All that are employed in the service of the church ought to be committed to the conduct of the divine grace by the prayers of the church. [2.] They laid their hands on them, that is, they blessed them in the name of the Lord, for laying on hands was used in blessing; so Jacob blessed both the sons of Joseph; and, without controversy, the less is blessed of the greater (Heb. vii. 7); the deacons are blessed by the apostles, and the overseers of the poor by the pastors of the congregation. Having by prayer implored a blessing upon them, they did by the laying on of hands assure them that the blessing was conferred in answer to the prayer; and this was giving them authority to execute that office, and laying an obligation upon the people to be observant of them therein.

      III. The advancement of the church hereupon. When things were thus put into good order in the church (grievances were redressed and discontents silenced) then religion got ground, v. 7. 1. The word of God increased. Now that the apostles resolved to stick more closely than ever to their preaching, it spread the gospel further, and brought it home with the more power. Ministers disentangling themselves from secular employments, and addicting themselves entirely and vigorously to their work, will contribute very much, as a means, to the success of the gospel. The word of God is said to increase as the seed sown increases when it comes up again thirty, sixty, a hundred fold. 2. Christians became numerous: The number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. When Christ was upon earth, his ministry had least success in Jerusalem; yet now that city affords most converts. God has his remnant even in the worst of places. 3. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Then is the word and grace of God greatly magnified when those are wrought upon by it that were least likely, as the priests here, who either had opposed it, or at least were linked in with those that had. The priests, whose preferments arose from the law of Moses, were yet willing to let them go for the gospel of Christ; and, it should seem, they came in a body; many of them agreed together, for the keeping up of one another’s credit, and the strengthening of one another’s hands, to join at once in giving up their names to Christ: polis ochlos—a great crowd of priests were, by the grace of God helped over their prejudices, and were obedient to the faith, so their conversion is described. (1.) They embraced the doctrine of the gospel; their understandings were captivated to the power of the truths of Christ, and every opposing objecting thought brought into obedience to him, 2Co 10:4; 2Co 10:5. The gospel is said to be made known for the obedience of faith, Rom. xvi. 26. Faith is an act of obedience, for this is God’s commandment, that we believe, 1 John iii. 23. (2.) They evinced the sincerity of their believing the gospel of Christ by a cheerful compliance with all the rules and precepts of the gospel. The design of the gospel is to refine and reform our hearts and lives; faith gives law to us, and we must be obedient to it.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

When the number of the disciples was multiplying ( ). Genitive absolute of , old verb from , fulness, to increase. The new freedom from the intercession of Gamaliel was bearing rich fruit.

A murmuring of the Grecian Jews ( H). Late onomatopoetic word (LXX) from the late verb , to mutter, to murmur. The substantive occurs also in John 7:12; Phil 2:14; 1Pet 4:9. It is the secret grumblings that buzz away till they are heard. These “Grecian Jews” or Hellenists are members of the church in Jerusalem who are Jews from outside of Palestine like Barnabas from Cyprus. These Hellenists had points of contact with the Gentile world without having gone over to the habits of the Gentiles, the Jews of the Western Dispersion. They spoke Greek.

Against the Hebrews ( ). The Jewish Christians from Jerusalem and Palestine. The Aramaean Jews of the Eastern Dispersion are usually classed with the Hebrew (speaking Aramaic) as distinct from the Grecian Jews or Hellenists.

Were neglected (). Imperfect passive of , old verb, to examine things placed beside () each other, to look beyond ( also), to overlook, to neglect. Here only in the N.T. These widows may receive daily (, late adjective from ‘ , only here in the N.T.) help from the common fund provided for all who need it (Ac 4:32-37). The temple funds for widows were probably not available for those who have now become Christians. Though they were all Christians here concerned, yet the same line of cleavage existed as among the other Jews (Hebrew or Aramaean Jews and Hellenists). It is not here said that the murmuring arose among the widows, but because of them. Women and money occasion the first serious disturbance in the church life. There was evident sensitiveness that called for wisdom.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

And [] . Better but, as a contrast is now introduced with the prosperous condition of the Church indicated at the close of the last chapter.

Was multiplied [] . Lit., “when the disciples were multiplying;” the present participle indicating something in progress. A murmuring [] . See on the kindred word murmerers, Jude 1:16.

Grecians [] . Rev., much better, Grecian Jews, with Hellenists in margin. “Grecians” might easily be understood of Greeks in general. The word Hellenists denotes Jews, not Greeks, but Jews who spoke Greek. The contact of Jews with Greeks was first effected by the conquests of Alexander. He settled eight thousand Jews in the Thebais, and the Jews formed a third of the population of his new city of Alexandria. From Egypt they gradually spread along the whole Mediterranean coast of Africa. They were removed by Seleucus Nicator from Babylonia, by thousands, to Antioch and Seleucia, and under the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes scattered themselves through Asia Minor, Greece, Macedonia, and the Aegean islands. The vast majority of them adopted the Greek language, and forgot the Aramaic dialect which had been their language since the Captivity. The word is used but twice in the New Testament – here and ch. 9 29 – and, in both cases, of Jews who had embraced Christianity, but who spoke Greek and used the Septuagint version of the Bible instead of the original Hebrew or the Chaldaic targum or paraphrase. The word %Ellhn, which is very common in the New Testament, is used in antithesis, either to “Barbarians” or to “Jews.” In the former case it means all nations which spoke the Greek language (see Act 18:17; Rom 1:14; 1Co 1:22, 23). In the latter it is equivalent to Gentiles (see Rom 1:16; Rom 2:9; 1Co 10:32; Gal 2:3). Hence, in either case, it is wholly different from Hellenist.

Hebrews. Hebrew is the proper antithesis to Hellenist. A man was ‘Ioudaiov, a Jew, who traced his descent from Jacob, and conformed to the religion of his fathers. He might speak Greek and be a Hellenist. He was ‘Ebraiov, a Hebrew, only as he spoke Hebrew and retained Hebrew customs. The distinction between Hebrew and Hellenist was a distinction within the Jewish nation, and not between it and other nations. Thus Paul calls himself a Hebrew of Hebrews; i e., a Hebrew and of Hebrew parents (Phi 3:5; compare 2Co 11:22).

Were neglected [] . Only here in New Testament. Lit., were overlooked. The imperfect denoting something habitual.

Daily [] . Only here in New Testament.

Ministration [] . Or service. See on minister, Mt 20:26. The reference is to the distribution of provision.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

Election of First Deacons – Elders, V. 1-7

1) “And in those days,” (en de tais hemerias tautais) “Now in those days,” of the early empowering and witnessing of the church in Jerusalem, Act 2:1-4; Luk 24:49; Act 1:8.

2) “When the number of disciples was multiplied,” (plethunonton ton matheton) “As the disciples were multiplied in number, “from 120 (Act 1:15) to more than 3,000 on Pentecost, (Act 2:41; Act 2:47) to more than 5,000 (Act 4:4), to multitudes or numbers so numerous and dense that they could not be reliably enumerated, Act 4:32).

3) “There arose a murmuring,” (egeneto gongusmos) “There was (existed or occurred) a murmuring,” a continual complaint, an expressed dissatisfaction.

4) “Of the Grecians against the Hebrews,” (ton Helleniston pros tous Hedraious) “Of the Hellenists toward or directed against the Hebrews;” In essence this was a charge of racial discrimination, racial prejudice, or preferential treatment of Jewish women over Grecian women, Greek speaking Jews, in conflict with equality of help for equal needs, Act 4:34-35; Act 2:45.

5) “Because their widows were neglected,” (hoti paretheorounto hai cherai auton) “Because their widows were overlooked,” neglected or by-passed completely, not cared for by the Apostolic distribution of the funds held in the general church alms treasury. This is the first recorded church controversy recounted, 1Ti 5:8-10; 1Ti 5:16.

6) “In the daily ministration.” (en te diakonia te kathemerine) “In the daily or (everyday) ministration,” in their common daily needs. Carnality of these church women therefore became an occasion, the major occasion, by which the apostles publicly acknowledged that the widows were too great a burden for them to bear. This led to the selection of deacons or ministering elders to observe such church matters, Act 6:2-7; 1Ti 3:8-13; Tit 2:1-2.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

1. Luke declareth here upon what occasion, and to what end, and also with what rite, deacons were first made. He saith, When there arose a murmuring amongst the disciples, it was appeased by this remedy, as it is said in the common proverb, Good laws have taken their beginning of evil manners. And it may seem to be a strange thing, seeing that this is a function so excellent and so necessary in the Church, why it came not into the apostles’ minds at the first, (before there was any such occasion ministered,) to appoint deacons, and why the Spirit of God did not give them such counsel which they take now, being, as it were, enforced thereunto. But that which happened was both better then, and is also more profitable for us at this day, to be unto us an example. If the apostles had spoken of choosing deacons before any necessity did require the same, they should not have had the people so ready; they should have seemed to avoid labor and trouble; many would not have offered so liberally into the hands of other men. Therefore, it was requisite that the faithful should be convict [convinced] by experience that they might choose deacons willingly, whom they saw they could not want; and that through their own fault.

We learn in this history that the Church cannot be so framed by and by, but that there remain somewhat to be amended; neither can so great a building be so finished in one day, that there may not something be added to make the same perfect. Furthermore, we learn that there is no ordinance of God so holy and laudable, which is not either corrupt or made unprofitable through the fault of men. We wonder that things are never so well ordered in the world, but that there is always some evil mixed with the good; but it is the wickedness and corruption of our nature which causeth this. That was, indeed, a godly order, whereof Luke made mention before, when the goods of all men being consecrated to God, were distributed to every man as he had need; (306) when as the apostles, being, as it were, the stewards of God and the poor, had the chief government of the alms. But shortly after there ariseth a murmuring which troubleth this order. Here appeareth that corruption of men whereof I have spoken, which doth not suffer us to use our good things. We must also mark the subtilty (307) of Satan, who, to the end he may take from us the use of the gifts of God, goeth about this continually, that it may not remain pure and sound; but that, being mixed with other discommodities, it may, first, be suspected, secondly, loathed, and, lastly, quite taken away. But the apostles have taught us, by their example, that we must not yield unto such engines (and policies) of Satan. For they do not think it meet (being offended with the murmuring) to take away that ministry which they know pleaseth God; but rather invent a remedy whereby the offense may be taken away, and that may be retained which is God’s. Thus must we do. For what offenses soever Satan raise, (308) we must take good heed that he take not from us those ordinances which are otherwise wholesome.

The number increasing. We ought to wish for nothing more than that God would increase his Church, and gather together many (309) on every side unto his people; but the corruption of our nature hindereth us from having any thing happy in all points. For there arise many discommodities also, even of the increasings of the Church. For it is a hard matter to keep many hypocrites from creeping into the multitude, whose wickedness is not by and by discovered, until such time as they have infected some part of the flock with their infection. Moreover, many wicked, froward, and dissolute persons do insinuate themselves under a false color of repentance. And that I may pass over innumerable things, there is never such agreement amongst many, but that, according to the diversity of their manners, their opinions are also diverse, so that one thing cannot please all alike. This offense causeth many to be desirous to choose a few for a Church; it causeth them to loathe or else to hate a multitude. But no trouble, no irksomeness, ought so much to prevail, but that we must always be desirous to have the Church increased; but that we must study to enlarge the same; but that we must cherish so much as in us lieth unity with the whole body.

A murmuring of the Greeks. Hereby it appeareth that they were not fully regenerate by the Spirit of God, to whom the diversity of nation and country ministereth occasion of disagreement. For in Christ there is neither Jew nor Grecian, (Gal 3:28.) Therefore, this indignation smelleth (310) of the flesh and the world. Wherefore we must take good heed that the like fault be not found in us. (311) There is another fault in that they declare their indignation by murmuring. Furthermore it is uncertain whether the complaint were true or no. For when Luke saith that the Greeks murmured, because their widows were not honored, he showeth not what was done in deed, but what they thought was done. And it may be that forasmuch as the apostles did prefer the Jews, (312) because they were better known, the Greeks did think (though falsely) that their widows were despised as strangers. And this seemeth to be more like to be true. Furthermore the word ministering may be expounded two manner of ways, actively or passively. For we know that at the first there were widows chosen unto the ministration. (313) Notwithstanding, I do rather think that the Greeks did complain, because their widows were not so liberally relieved as they wished. So that the ministration shall be that daily distribution which was wont to be made.

(306) “ In commune,” in common.

(307) “ Artificium,” artifice.

(308) “ Quotidie,” daily, omitted.

(309) “ Quam plurimos,” as many as possible.

(310) “ Resipit,” savors.

(311) “ Nobis obrepat,” creep in upon us.

(312) “ Judaeas,” the Jewish widows.

(313) “ Ad diaconiam,” for ministering, as deaconnesses.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

THE HOLY SPIRITS ORDINATION

Act 6:1 to Act 7:60.

THE original intention of the present program was to make the Book of Acts a basis of our teaching on the subject of missionsan intention born of the conviction that the Holy Spirits model for missions at home and abroad could be found in that volume. Our program has in its progress reached the sixth chapter in this study.

The opening sentence of chapter 6 is the sequel to the closing sentence of chapter 5. Men do not teach and preach Jesus Christ in vain. God never forgets His promiseAs the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My Word be that goeth forth (Isa 55:10-11). The very language, to teach and to preach Jesus Christ, fruits in the speech,

The number of the disciples was multiplied. Church growth without complications is an unusual thing, and probably an impossible one. It was in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied that there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews. The record is clear! Factions in the body of Christ are not innovations. They existed from the first, and the inspired pen made note of them. The Head of the Church had said, There is nothing secret that shall not be made known. The inspired Book does not hesitate to tell the story of ecclesiastical contentions. In the language of Joseph Parker, The Church is not a secret institution. It was never meant to be a concealed force in society, or to have its inner life and inner mechanism upon which outsiders were not allowed to gaze. Christianity abhors all official secrecy. It is a religion which lives in the daylight. Its registers are not hidden away in iron safes; its writing is written as with a pencil of the sun. Its conduct, like that of the Master, is not in a corner. It has nothing to conceal. Men may be disappointed to have division in the body revealed thus early in its history, but wisdom will not condemn, it will consider rather; and in its consideration it will have to give attention to

THE UTILITY OF DIVISION

Let no man imagine that debate is always vicious, that contention is always contemptible, that division is always and everywhere the devils device. It depends entirely on who engages in the debate; it depends wholly upon what is the occasion of the contention, and why men divide.

This division was made the occasion of counsel.

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables (Act 6:2).

Here again is the beginning of that form of church government which develops itself to some fulness in the Book of the Acts. It seems to have been congregational, but congregational under proper leadership. That the twelve were advisers there seems to be no doubt. Leadership in church government is even more essential than it is in the government o states.

And yet the church was never meant to be an autocracy. The twelve were not dictators; they were advisors. The multitude of the disciples, or the church, was not to be ignored. In a multitude of counsellors, there is wisdom, provided the thought of the crowd is properly directed. Few men are leaders to the manor born. Most men are fair judges of what is right when once they have had questions and problems properly stated to them. We are fully persuaded that a pure congregational church government is little better than ecclesiastical anarchy, and we are equally certain that an autocratic church government is far more offensive to God than the doctrine of the Divine right of kings. In church and state alike, leadership counselled, corrected, and if need be, chastened by the multitude, is both the Divine pleasure and the Divine plan. Beyond all doubt the Presbytery counselled, and the people voted in the early church.

The conception of apostolic service was itself ennobled by the trust which the Apostles reposed in the people. The plea for organic unity in the church on the part of certain leaders finds more eloquent exponents among the uninspired than among the Divinely anointed. Rome would like an organic unity, which, in its judgment, would be the clothing of all the professed church with the papal name, and the expression of its life in papal forms and ceremonies. The Episcopalians have likewise pled for unity, but are willing to have it come only through Episcopalian confirmation and ordination. The Interchurch made unity their slogan, but the ideal was unity of endeavor that despised alike doctrine and life!

In this original church, differences of opinion not only took place, but passed without serious hindrances. In fact, they became the signs of life. In the language of A. J. F. Behrens, It is well to remember that dead men do not quarrel, and that a debating society is better than a burial ground. Anything that calls a church into a prayerful counsel, and any church that can proceed in counsel without bitterness of spirit, exhibits one of the early and important lessons of church life, namely, the utility of division. Beyond all debate, hours of great spiritual uplift often succeed solemn counsels, consequent upon some subject of honest difference. In fact, any compulsion of opinion is churchly, not Christian; papistic, not spiritual!

This division resulted in the creation of the diaconate.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.

And the saying pleased the whole multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch;

Whom they set before the Apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them (Act 6:3-6).

They are wise men who turn a conflict to good account, and certainly few disturbances in the Body of Christ ever resulted more blessedly than this debate over the care of the Jewish and Grecian widows. Notwithstanding all the proverbs about a horned deacon; notwithstanding Mr. Spurgeons statement, Resist the devil and he will flee from you; resist a deacon, and he will fly at youthe fact remains that, second to the ministry itself, the diaconate has played the most conspicuous part in the Church of God. In this Scripture, a principle of divinest wisdom is exploited, namely, that government in the Church of God is not so much a matter of personal accomplishment as of personal character; not so much a question of financial and social standing as it is a question of spiritual life. Of all the folly of which churches have been guilty, none is greater nor, in its ultimate reach, more ruinous than the notion that only leading people, speaking financially and socially, can direct the church. In my somewhat extensive travels and observation, I find more churches stranded, de-spiritualized and dying, because turned over to the domination of great financiers and smooth social autocrats, than from all other sources combined. I do not know one eminently successful church on the American continent whose official Board is not made up much after the manner of this Boardmen full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.

In electing officials, one may not wholly despise intellectual acumen, nor disregard personal and professional accomplishment, but the supreme consideration is this, Is he a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost? It is a grave question whether godless men ever well conducted the affairs of state. It is an absolute certainty that even non-spiritual men will never well conduct the affairs of the church. They cannot acceptably light a lamp, open a door, or preach the Gospel. The lamp may be so lighted as to discredit the house of God; the door may be so opened as to affront the Holy Spirit; a visitor may be so received as to send him away from the sanctuary forever. The very breath of the church should be that of the Holy Ghost, and the moment men set foot across the threshold of the same, they should know themselves not only in the sanctuary, but should be compelled to admit the spiritual atmosphere of the same. That is impossible where officials are not men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.

This division was cured and converts were multiplied.

And the Word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith (Act 6:7).

We have heard of churches boasting that they had no dissensions among them, and yet they only illustrated a fact that cemeteries are without conflict. We have known others to be torn by dissension and yet the house was crowded and converts to Christ were constant. The explanation was in the fact that in the first instance the lack of spiritual life left the devil at rest concerning the whole assembly; and in the second, the expression of it rendered the devil busy to derange, and if possible, to destroy! The people are never deceived. By some sort of intuition they go where God is at work, and if the entire membership of a church so far yields itself to the Spirit as to amicably settle honest difficulties, the public is still more impressed, and to that public they can make a still more mighty appeal.

In my first pastorate, three of my church officials had refused for full three years to speak to one another. A committee was appointed to investigate the cause of the difficulty, and either adjust it or bring in a recommendation for exclusion. The night of trial arrived. The three officials were in their places, silent, glum, determined. Much prayer was had before the committees presentation. The Spirit wrought! Hearts softened! At last one man arose and in penitence confessed his fault. Another followed, and yet a third. Men who had passed in the streets with a scowl, now locked in mutual embrace. For six months I had preached my heart out, without a convert. Next Sunday night the house was packed to the point where I was left but standing room in the pulpit, and a multitude of converts were made, and for two full years (the rest of my pastorate in that place) the inpour to the church was incessant. A new house was erected; from half time service the church went to full time; from no gifts to large gifts, and in a lifetime ministry I have known no delights to exceed the blessed winters and summers brought about by a reconciliation of brethren.

There was a logical occasion for Christs prayer for His disciples, that they all may be one, * * that the world may believe.

I am fully persuaded that if at this moment the divisions in Protestantism could be healed, a practical unanimity of opinion, and still more, an agreement of spirit would so occur as to exalt the Christ and Cross, the world would instantly witness a revival, and converts would be multiplied by the thousands if not millions.

But we pass now to a second theme, the

FUTILITY OF OPPOSITION

And the Word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

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.

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.

And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Act 6:7-15).

Stephen, the natural leader in this diaconate, is opposed. The report of the opposition is fairly full and it involves several suggestions.

First, opposition is commonly excited by some degree of success. Public opinion is a poor judge of spiritual realities! It will universally praise the man who gets along in the prophets office without opposition. It seems to have a notion, as one has said, that when God has called a man to service, the road will be wide, clear of all obstacles, filled with sunshine, lined with flowers, and the man leaning on Gods arm will be accompanied by the singing of birds, if not the strains of angels. But nothing of the kind is true to fact. It was not that way with Abraham; it was not that way with Isaac and Jacob, nor with Joseph, nor Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, nor Daniel. It was not that way with New Testament Apostles. As a rule, thorns were in their paths, opponents multiplied, scorpions stung, scorners hissed. It was not that way with Christ, the one Man who came to do Gods will. The Cross blocked His path and it terminated in an ignoble death. The path to spiritual success is not smooth, paved, or padded. The feet that walk there will find stones and thorns.

The great Rufus Choate heard some one remark, It is very wonderful how many great successes come of accident. Instantly he hotly answered, Nonsense! You might as well expect to drop the Greek alphabet and pick up the Iliad.

Success commonly spells ability and generally excites jealousy, hatred, opposition. There may have been some foolish enough to suppose that Stephen was the least favored of all the deacons because he was the first to strike a snag. On the contrary, that is only an evidence of his aggressiveness, a result of his religious outreach, a consequence of his conviction of duty and courageous discharge of the same.

The question of life is not the question of how to escape opponents, but rather of how to render Godgiven tasks and advance the cause of Christ.

Opposition often combines very curious elements.

Here the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia united against him. It is a curious collection. It is doubtful if they agreed on ought else. Such is life! The Roman and the Jew hated each the other. The Sadduccee and the Pharisee were in eternal conflict, but when Christ came they were fused into a fraternity of opposition and they all united their voices in crying, Crucify Him! and joined their hands in accomplishing that devils deed. Germany once boasted itself the land of faith; Turkey has forever been the unspeakable Mohammedan. The Christian and Mohammedan have nothing in common, and yet in the war of 1914-1918 they locked arms, became boon companions in battle, and the Christianity of Germany was at such low ebb by reason of rationalism that Mohammedan fraternity was no offense whatever.

It is doubtful if any true prophet of God ever faithfully proclaimed a full Gospel without combining against himself social autocrats and social outcasts, financial barons and bankrupt bums, spiritual derelicts and devils dupes.

There is a statement, Tell me with whom thou dost company, and I will tell thee who thou art. It can be paraphrased in reverse. Tell me who your opponents are, and I will be able to pass upon the soundness of your preaching.

Opposition is sometimes best answered by silence. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Act 6:15).

It is full of suggestions of silencesweet, complacent, competent silence. Silence is golden. There are cases in court where the defendant had best not speak a word. His enemies will witness for him. The very falsity of their testimony will turn the tide to his account and defend him more than words. There is a story of a sculptor who, when he had finished the statue of George Peabody, and it was unveiled in London, was asked to make an address. He laid his hand upon the magnificent product of his art, and said, That is my speech!

You can strive to keep honorable office and official honors for ordained men only, but he who can point his finger toward a multitude of true, genuine converts, brought to God by the Gospel at his lips, need never make a self-defense. That is his speech, and that is the proof of his Divine ordination.

But let us pass to our next point,

THE VIRILITY OF INSPIRATION

Then said the high priest, Are these things so? The question effected the model sermon of the New Testament Scriptures.

This mans speech seems to have been Spirit-inspired. Read it! Even the reporters abbreviation could not strip it of its strength. It is splendid, massive, cumulative, conquering. Mr. Whittier once related how certain Quaker brethren came together, and after solemn consideration, passed a resolution to the effect, It is the sense of this meeting that George C______ be advised to remain silent until such time as the Lord shall speak through him. Evidently that is what Stephen did. How many speeches are born before their time! One can begin to understand the injunction of Christ, Tarry in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. * * Wait, I say, for the promise from the Father.

One sermon, preached by a layman, a non-ordained man, Spirit-inspired, will live longer, accomplish more, reach farther, more profoundly effect the Church of God, than a dozen thought out at the professional mans will, voiced by the professional mans judgment, expressing the professional wisdomWhen He is come, He will guide you into all truth. What failure when we run before Him, proceed without Him, speak when we have nothing of His inspiration!

This laymans appeal was wholly to inspired Scripture. The entire sermon is one succession of quotations. It is a remarkable condensation of Scriptural facts. They are welded together and made indeed a thunderbolt of power. He hurled them with dexterous hand. He smote the very men who opposed him by copious quotations from their own synagogue Scriptures. He forced upon them a dilemma. Choose you this day between your traditions and the inspired truth; your prejudices and the Divine appeal It is doubtful if any of the reformers in early centuries, middle ages or modern times have ever needed to adopt a new method. Stephen, the deacon, set an example for them all, expressed forever the standing ground of orthodoxy, raised a flag under which the faithful will continue their fight until the end of time.

When Martin Luther was facing the Roman hierarchy, having been summoned to meet the Diet of the German Empire at the City of Worms, he uttered a long and eloquent defense, closing it with these immortal words, Unless I shall be refuted and convinced by testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by public, clear and evident arguments and reasons, I cannot take back anything, since I believe that neither the Pope nor the councils alone (both of them having often contradicted themselves) have power to hinder truth; and since it is neither safe nor advisable to do anything against the conscience, I will so stand. Amen. From that position no Protestant can ever decline and yet claim an evangelical faith. On Stephens ground, every loyal soul will continue to stand and for that conviction, if need be, die.

If the Scriptures are not authoritative, the world is without light, the soul is at sea without chart or compass, the sun has gone down, even the moon is clouded, and the stars are blotted out.

This laymans charge was in defense of the inspiring Spirit. Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye (Act 7:51). Men who go away from church, announce their own spiritual experience and lay bare their own spiritual lives by what they say of the sermon. If it is an intellectual treat and they rejoice in it, then preaching to them is nothing more than an intellectual exercise. If it is a poetical presentation and they praise it, then preaching to them is poetry. If it had in it eloquent phrases, sentences that flashed with facets of light, then preaching to them is simply an art. But if they ask, as did men on the day of Pentecost, What shall we do? then the preaching has been Gods Gospel, carrying conviction, revealing the Cross such an antidote to sin as to make the sacrifice of Christ essential to salvation. Tell me on what ministry you wait with pleasure and I will sound the depths of your soul, measure the limits of your sacrifice and mark the extent of your salvation!

Finally,

THE INSANITY OF INDIGNATION

The Gospel is the savor of life unto life, or of death unto death. It either regenerates man or renders him indignant, unreasonable, raging. It never produces any quasi effects, save in the souls of the inane and indifferent. Mark the effect in this instance, and remember it is accounted for in the circumstances that ceremonies and professions, even clerical ordinations, and displaced spiritual convictions and experiences.

This rage expressed not reason, but convictions of wrong. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth (Act 7:54).

Men who have reason with them seldom rage. The man who is consciously right does not need to bluster, storm, threaten, foam! Christ was often and grievously insulted and sometimes He spake in scorching language, but the lightning flashes of truth from His lips were not from the bosom of black clouds. They came from one whose face remained calm and clear as the sky of a midsummer day. It was the higher-critical Pharisee, the skeptical Sadducee from the synagogue, that raged, gnashed teeth, screeched in the frenzy of a fury. It is commonly so. In every debate, the man who makes the most noise, expresses the deepest outrage, seeks the most horrible fate for his opponent, is the man conscious of the weakness of his cause, yea, even convicted of its wrong. Orthodoxy can afford to be calm. Yea, by its constitution, it is calm. This calmness is the consciousness of its own strength.

This attempt at mob rule voiced a social insanity. Loud leaders often produce insane assemblies. If outward conduct voices inner conceptions, then all sanity is gone.

Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

And cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young mans feet, whose name was Saul (Act 7:57-58).

Ecclesiastical forms and ceremonies have always had their raging defenders. There have been men who have made more of the outward organization than of the indwelling Spirit; more of ecclesiastical than of Divine ordination; more of the ceremonies than of the esprit de corps. Sir Robert Anderson never said a truer thing than this, The Lord Jesus Christ would never have been crucified, neither would Stephen have been martyred, nor Paul imprisoned, but for words and acts deemed derogatory to the tabernacle; and in these days a man may, with impunity, deny all the vital truths of Christianity and reject our Divine Lords teachings about the Scriptures which He came to fulfil, and remain in good standing in the church, but let one say a word in disparagement of any human element of the Christian religion and he is at once cast out of the synagogue. In the judgment of many, it is more essential to remain loyal to the convention than it is to Christ; loyal to leadership of man than to the leadership of the Spirit; loyal to the drives and plans of ambitious program-makers than it is to the Divine program and the preaching of the Gospel itself.

Oh, that the time might come when once more the Spirit of God would visit the churches and give us a discernment between that society, the professed church, and that true spiritual organization which is His body; between the woman clothed in scarlet, drunken with the blood of the saints, and the blessed Bride, whose crown is righteousness. But until the end of the age come, the martyrs of the second shall be made by the children of the first.

The slaughter of the saint leaves his spirit unsullied.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Act 7:59-60).

The figure is as of an infant going to rest in its mothers arms. What a beautiful ending and what a contrast with the brutal means by which it is brought about! But, for that matter, what can disturb the soul of the saint?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:35; Rom 8:38-39).

When John Calvin lay dying, with his last breath he whispered, Thou, Lord, bruisest me, but I am abundantly satisfied.

Richard Baxter uttered these words, I have painthere is no arguing against sensebut I have peace, peace; Samuel Rutherford, If He should slay me ten thousand times ten thousand, ten thousands times I will trust; Mr. Goodwin, How have I dreaded as an enemy this smiling friend; John Noyes, kissing the stake to which he was bound, said to his fellow martyrs, We shall not lose our lives in this fire, but change them for a better, and for coals we shall have jewels; while old John Huss, described as the greatest soul that the world knew, went from the stake by a chariot of fire, and left behind him a song as sweet as any ever sung by the lark, floating back to earth long after the singer had vanished out of sight, in the martyrs immortal language, Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good mil toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory!

Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley

CRITICAL REMARKS

Act. 6:1. In those days should be in these days,i.e., shortly before Stephens martyrdom which did not long antedate Sauls conversion in A.D. 37. Hence the events recorded in the present chapter may be set down as having taken place in A.D. 35 or 36. It is satisfactory to know that while Baur denies, Zeller, and Weizscker admit that the ensuing narrative concerning Stephen proceeds upon undeniably historical ground. Was multiplied.Better, was multiplying, or becoming numerous, through the teaching and preaching spoken of in Act. 6:2. Grecians.Not Greeks, but Hellenists or Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora (Act. 9:29, Act. 11:20), as distinguished from the Hebrews or Palestinian Jews (Php. 3:5), who talked in Syro-Chaldaic or Araman. Were (habitually) neglected.Or overlooked, the imperfect hinting at the frequency of the occurrence, though it is not clear whether the complaint was well founded or only imaginary. The daily ministrations were not of private benefactions (Wendt) but of public alms from the funds already mentioned (Act. 2:45, Act. 4:35), either of food or of money.

Act. 6:2. The twelve must have included Matthias (Act. 1:26), whose apostleship is thus placed beyond dispute as valid, at least in the judgment of both his colleagues and the Church. The multitude of the disciples.Of those resident in Jerusalem, since many must by this time have left the city. Not reason. , properly = non placet, not pleasing, or not fit, becoming, suitable. Leave.In the sense of forsaking, deserting, discontinuing. Serve or minister to tables.The apostles had seemingly at first undertaken this work, acting not merely as a teaching college, judicial bench, court of representatives, but also as an administrative authority; specially arranging, distributing, and superintending the feedings (Holtzmann).

Act. 6:3. Wherefore, brethren, or according to some MSS., but, brethren, look ye out.If the selection was made by the congregation, the appointment proceeded from the apostles. Of honest report.Lit. attented personsi.e., of good report (compare Luk. 4:22; 1Ti. 5:10). For Holy Ghost read Spirit.

Act. 6:4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer.The idea is that of steadfast perseverance.

Act. 6:5. On the names of the deacons see Homiletical Analysis. That all the seven were Hellenists arose not from the circumstance that they were intended solely to look after the Hellenist widows interestsof which there is no hint in the narrative; but probably from a desire to avoid anything that might look like favouring the Hebrew widows (Holtzmann). The statement that Nicolas was a proselyte suggests that all the others were Jews.

Act. 6:6. They, the apostles laid their hands on them, the deacons.The first mention in Acts, but not the last (Act. 13:3), of this ceremony which occurred in the Old Testament; in the consecration of the Levites (Num. 8:10), and in the appointment of Joshua (Num. 27:23) and afterwards in the New in the ordination of ministers (1Ti. 4:14; Heb. 6:2).

Act. 6:7. Increased and multiplied.The tenses (imperfect) indicating gradual and continuous growth, might be rendered kept on increasing and multiplying. A great company of the priests.Not merely persona of Levitical descent (Zckler), but real sacerdotal persons, priests proper, who must then have been numerous, considering the number, 4,289, that returned from Babylon (Ezr. 2:36; Ezr. 2:38). Obedient to the faith.A genuine Pauline expression (see Rom. 1:5).

HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.Act. 6:1-7

The Institution of the Diaconate; or, the Churchs First Strife allayed

I. The occasion of its institution.

1. The rapid increase of the Churchs members. It was certainly gratifying that, notwithstanding the persecutions directed against the apostles, their labours in propagating the gospel were attended by conspicuous success. The remarkable influx of disciples which took place under their preaching would most likely have called for assistance of some sort in the organisation of the Christian community. The special form of assistance they did solicit was dictated by the state of matters now to be mentioned.

2. The unexpected rise of dissension among the Churchs members.

(1) The opposing parties in the Church were the Palestinian, or Hebrew (i.e., Syro-Chaldaic, or Aramaic) speaking, and the Grecian, or Greek-speaking Jews. Though both of one blood, they were nevertheless divided by speech, and as a consequence by habits of thought ard social customs. The rivalry, and even jealousy between them, the Hebrew or Conservative party, who adhered with greater closeness and tenacity to the law and traditions of Mosaism, and the Grecian (Hellenists) or Liberal party, who had been influenced by the broader culture and laxer notions of the empire generally, perpetuated itself for long years in the Christian Church, and was a source of much strife during the early centuries of our era.

(2) The cause of their dissension was the habitual neglect (whether studied or accidental, real or imaginary, is not stated) of the Grecian widows in the daily distribution of food or money. It is not likely that the apostles or their helpers deliberately arranged thus to set a mark of inferiority upon the Greek-speaking Christians; but one can readily perceive how widows of foreign origin might not be so well known as those who resided in Palestine and Jerusalem, and how, being foreigners, they might have greater difficulty in making their wants known and getting them attended to. In any case it is not hard to understand how the Grecian Christians should feel somewhat sensitive over what had the appearance of a studied neglect.

II. The mode of its institution.

1. The apostolic decision concerning themselves.

(1) To withdraw from the business of dispensing the Churchs alms. Not because they resented the suspicion of unfairness implied in the complaints of the Greek-speaking Jews (or Christians). The complaint may have been just, and (whether it was just or not) the apostles may have seen that some different arrangement, as, e.g., the distribution of the Churchs alms by responsible officialswould be required in order to restore confidence and prevent the recurrence of similar mistakes or complaints. Not because they deemed the service of tables too mean an occupation for persons of their capacity and dignity. It may be taken for granted that the apostles were not actuated in their procedure by personal vanity or self-esteem, but because they considered themselves to have been called to a higher form of ministry with which this lower interfered, to the extent of threatening to withdraw them altogether from it. In their estimation preaching was a more exalted form of work than acting as Church almoners, distributing the bread of life, a more urgent labour than doling out, even to poor widows, loaves and fishes or the wherewithal to purchase them. And because this latter was work for which the Church had an ample supply of competent workers within her ranks.

(2) To reserve themselves for the more spiritual labours of the apostolatepraying and preaching. By and-by they would need assistants in these duties also; but in the meantime these claimed their whole time and attention. N.B.The position of pre-eminence among ministerial duties here assigned to praying and preaching should be noted by those who think that in modern times these should be reduced to a minimum. Praying and preaching are twin gospel ministries that never should, and cannot be dissociated except to the detriment of both.
2. The apostolic direction to the Church members.

(1) What it was. To look out from among themselves seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom the apostles might appoint over the business of serving the Churchs tables. In which direction should be noted: First, the proper work of the diaconate. To serve tables, to distribute the Churchs alms, and care generally for the poor. This, as the cases of Stephen and Philip showed, excluded not the exercise, where possessed, of the gift of preaching, praying, or working miracles. Secondly, the requisite qualifications for the diaconate. Approved character. The deacons (seven in number, most likely because no more were required; but see Hints on Act. 6:5) were to be of good reporti.e., of recognised Christian standing and worth (compare 1Ti. 3:8-10). Eminent piety. Full of the Spiriti.e., of the Holy Spirit, which would be known by the fruits of the Spirit appearing in their lives (Mat. 7:20). Practical sagacity. Full of wisdom, which probably meant that insight into truth, discernment of character, and knowledge of how to act, which resulted from being inspired and led by the Holy Ghost. Thirdly, the body to elect the diaconate. The congregation of believers. Neither their leaders, the apostles, nor a committee of their number, but the whole assembly of the Church membersall who chose to take part in the proceedings, which would likely be the majority of those residing in Jerusalem. The apostles language expressly recognises the Church as the elective board. Fourthly, the source of authority for the diaconate. This the apostles as distinctly reserved for themselves. If the congregation selected, they appointed; if the congregation called, they ordained.

(2) How it was received. The saying pleased the whole multitude. This showed the wisdom by which the apostles had been guided in proposing their motion; the confidence with which they were regarded by the believing community, no one attempting or desiring to dissent; and the spirit of unity which still prevailed and could triumph over the incipient stirrings of discord. Happy the Church whose pastors are guided by the Chief Shepherd, whose counsels are accepted by their congregations, and whose people are actuated by a spirit of love and concored!
(3) How it was carried out. First, the election of the seven. They chose Stephen, etc. (see Hints). Secondly, the presentation of the seven. To infer that the election was conducted in the absence of the apostles would not be safe. Thirdly, the ordination of the seven. The apostles, having prayed, laid their hands upon them. In this act the brethren did not join, showing that the authorisation of the new officers proceeded not from them. The laying on of handsfirst mentioned in connection with the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:10-14), of frequent occurrence in Mosaic ritual (Lev. 3:2; Lev. 16:21; Num. 8:12), and used in appointing Joshua to succeed Moses (Num. 27:18)became the customary form in the New Testament Church of Dedication to a sacred office (Act. 13:3; 1Ti. 4:14). It was a symbol of the impartation of the gifts and graces which those dedicated needed to qualify them for the office, and was of the nature of a prayer that God would bestow the necessary gifts rather than a pledge that these were actually conferred (Hackett).

III. The result of its institution.By setting free the apostles to attend to higher duties important consequences followed.

1. A wide extension of the gospel. The word of God increased. The area over which it spread enlarged. The influence it wielded deepened.

2. A large increase of disciples. Their number multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. Christ promised, if He were lifted up, to draw all men unto Himself (Joh. 12:32); and wherever the gospel is openly, courageously, affectionately, and faithfully proclaimed, it seldom fails to secure adherents.

3. A great accession from the priesthood. This must have been a numerous body at the time to which this chapter refers, since, according to Ezra (Act. 2:36-38), it was 4,289 strong on returning from Babylon. The coming over to Christianity of so considerable a company of priests, of whom none had ever followed Christ, marked a signal advance in Christianity. Plumptre suggests that their conversion may have been due to the preaching of Stephen, who anticipated Paul in announcing the passing away of the temple worship, which had probably become a weariness to the flesh and an intolerable burden to the spirit of the more earnest, at least of the priests, who, accordingly, responded to the fascination of a simpler and more spiritual worship.

Learn.

1. That Christians ought to be, but are not always, above quarrelling (1Co. 3:3; Gal. 5:20; Php. 2:3).

2. That oversight may occur in the bestregulated congregations.

3. That Christian ministers and people should ever study the things that make for peace (Rom. 14:19).

4. That nothing should be allowed to hinder a Christian minister from his specific work of preaching and praying.
5. That Christian congregations have a right to elect their own officebearers.
6. That those who hold office in the Christian Church should be above suspicion.

7. That the word of God cannot be bound (2Ti. 2:9).

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Act. 6:1. Murmuring in the Primitive Church.

I. The occasion of it.It sprang out of the multiplying of the disciples. This teaches

1. That increase of numbers does not always mean increase of happiness, increase of devotion, increase of spiritual life, but has often brought increase of trouble and discontent alone. Undiluted joy, uninterrupted success, is not to be the portion of Gods people while tabernacling here below.

2. That the presence of supernatural gifts, the power of working miracles and speaking with tongues, did not raise the spiritual level of individual believers above that we find in the Church of the present day. What a comfort to Gods servant striving to do his duty is the study of this sixth chapter of the Acts! The apostles themselves did not escape the accusation of favouritism.

3. That the primitive Church was no ideal communion but a society with failings and weaknesses and discontent, exactly like those which exist in the Church of our own times.

II. The ground of it.That which lay at the basis of this murmuring was a racial question, or perhaps it should be said those social and linguistic differences which had found place in the Church. The bitter dissensions which racial and linguistic differences have made in the Church of every age are here depicted in miniature. The quarrels between the East and West, between Greeks and Latins, between Latins and Teutons, between Teuton and Celt, between Roman Catholic and Protestant, between the whites and negroes, between European Christians and Hindoo convertsthe scandalous scenes still enacted round the Holy Place at Jerusalem, where peace is kept between nominal Christians only by the intervention of Mahometan soldiersall turn upon the same points and embody the same principles.

III. The removal of it.The difficulty which had arisen was solved by laying down the following principles:

1. That there are diversities of functions and of work in the Christian Church. There is a ministry of the word and there is a serving of tables.

2. That one class should not absorb every function; for if it does, the highest function of all, the ministry of the word and prayer, will inevitably suffer.

3. That the Church of Christ should ever have the power to organise herself in the face of new departures, while at the same time she proclaims the absolute necessity and the perpetual obligation of the Christian ministry in her midst.G. T. Stokes, D.D.

Dissension, in the Church.

1. Old. Dating from Apostolic, yea, even from Pentecostal times.

2. Common. Having shown itself in almost every Christian community since.

3. Unbecoming. All sin is; this especially so as breaking out among those who should love as brethren.

4. Hurtful. As again all sin is, but this in particular as marring the beauty, destroying the peace, and hindering the usefulness of the Church.

Act. 6:2. Serving Tables; or, the Churchs Care of the Poor.Of Christian service this is

I. A necessary form.Considering that God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith (Jas. 2:5), that Christ esteems them as His brethren (Mat. 25:40), and that kindness to the poor has been specially enjoined on Christs disciples (Act. 20:35; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 4:28).

II. An honourable form.Though not to be placed on a level with preaching, yet to be highly esteemed as one requiring the most exalted gifts and conferring the most enduring benefits (1Ti. 5:10).

III. A difficult form.Calling for much wisdom and tenderness, so as to avoid giving offence by either neglecting or hurting the sensibilities of the recipients of the Churchs bounty (Rom. 12:8).

IV. A profitable form.Since Christ will reward all such service as done to Himself (Mat. 25:40).

Act. 6:1-2. Blots in a Church.

I. When nominal adherents multiply faster than true disciples.

II. When a spirit of discord and division breaks out among its members.

III. When the poor are neglected and the rich only attended to.

IV. When ministers have no time to preach because of being absorbed in secular business.

V. When the spirit of prayer dies out of both pulpit and pew.

Act. 6:4. Praying and preaching.

I. Praying without preaching.An imperfect if not a presumptuous ministry. Christ having ordained the preaching of the gospel as a means of its propagation (Mat. 28:19-20; Luk. 24:47). This form of worship cannot be discontinued without sin. A word for those who would dispense with the sermon in church services or reduce it to the smallest dimensions.

II. Preaching without praying.An unprofitable exercise. The same Lord who commanded His disciples to preach also taught them to pray (Mat. 6:9; Luk. 11:1), and said, Without Me ye can do nothing (Joh. 15:5). A hint to those who forget that the ends of the ministry cannot be reached by human wisdom or eloquence alone.

III. Praying and preaching.The true ideal of an acceptable ministry. What Christ hath joined let none of His followers put asunder (1Ti. 2:1-8).

Act. 6:5. The First Christian Deacons.

I. Their number.Seven. Not likely either:

1. Because the congregations in Jerusalem were seven in number, and each selected a man; or
2. Because the number of believers was now seven thousand, and one was chosen for each thousand; or
3. Because of the sacredness of the number seven; or
4. Because there were already different elements in the Church, Hebrews
(3), Hellenists
(3), Proselytes
(1), that required to be provided for; or
5. Because Jerusalem was divided into seven districts; or
6. Because there were seven archangels; or
7. Because the gifts of the Holy Spirit were sevenfold; or
8. Because among the Libertini of Rome there was a distinct guild or collegium known as the Septemviri Epulones or Seven Stewards, whose business it was to arrange for the banquets held in honour of the gods which were more or less analogous to the Christian agap, on certain set days (Plumptre); but

9. Probably because, for some reason not stated, seven was considered by the apostles the number required for the work.

II. Their names.All Greek. But not therefore all belonging to Hellenistic Jews, since Palestinian Jews with foreign names were not rare (see Act. 1:23).

1. Stephen. An uncommon name appearing in few inscriptions, but found in the burial place of the Empress Livia as the designation of a libertinus or freedman, a goldsmith, and an immunisi.e., one exempted from the religious obligations of his trade guild. In addition the name is found on a tablet in the museum of the Collegio Romano. Wherefore it has been conjectured that in the proto-martyr of the Church we have one of the earliest representatives of Roman Christianity (Plumptre). His character is given in words afterwards used of Barnabas (Act. 11:24).

2. Philip. Subsequently styled an Evangelist (Act. 21:8), and employed to preach the gospel to the city of Samaria (Act. 8:5) and to the eunuch (Act. 8:26). A tradition, preserved by Epiphanius, places Philip as well as Stephen among the Seventy. The fact that, when Paul arrived at Csarea (Act. 20:8), Philip had four fully grown daughters renders it probable that at the date of his election he was married.

3. Procorus.

4. Nicanor.

5. Simon.

6. Parmenas. Of these four, nothing being known, nothing need be surmised. Christ can be as well served by obscure as by famous men. If Stephen acquired the glory of being the first martyr perhaps they, like Philip, had the honour of long service, and unlike him had the merit of serving without distinction.

7. Nicolas. What Luke records of him is that he was a proselyte of Antioch, and therefore the first Gentile named as having been admitted to the Christian Church; what Luke does not record is that he was the founder of the sect of the Nicolaitanes (Rev. 2:6; Rev. 2:15)a supposition not hastily to be credited, though attested by Irenaeus (I. xxvi, 3; III. xi. 1), Clement of Alexandria (Strom. II. xx. 118; III. 4), and Hippolytus (vii. 36), and accepted by some moderns (Zckler and others). The statement that Nicolas was a proselyte may imply that the others were of Jewish birth.

III. Their duties.

1. Principally to attend to the administration of the Churchs benevolence, and generally to care for the poor.
2. In addition to evangelise, if they possessed the gifts for such workas was shown by both Stephen and Philip.

Note.That the seven men, though not expressly named deacons, were the forerunners of the ecclesiastical officers who afterwards bore that title (1Ti. 3:8), is apparent. Though nothing is said by Peter about their being constituted a new order of Church rulers, it need not be doubted that the Church came to recognise them as such on the ground of this transaction. Since the days of Cyprian this opinion has prevailed. That the seven are not like the later deacons subordinated to the presbyters is no valid objection (Holtzmann), because the organisation of the Church at this time may not have been complete. That the seven formed a special order of officials created for a special purpose (Weizscker) may be true without the inference being correct that the order was not designed to be permanent. That funds for the poor were at a later period entrusted to the hands of the elders (Act. 11:30) does not prove that the diaconate gradually developed into the presbyterate (Vitringa, Bhmer, Lange, Ritschl, Wendt, Lechler), but merely that the elders, as the spiritual rulers of the Church, received the money from those who brought it. The actual distribution may have been carried out by deacons. The notion that the seven were the predecessors of both bishops () and deacons (), and that neither of these constituted a preaching or teaching order, but were merely finance officers (Hatch, Harnack), is not in accordance with Scripture (1Ti. 3:1-12; 2Ti. 2:24).

Act. 6:1-5. The Seven Chosen.

I. The unique functions of the Church.It must be assumed that, in the rise of the Christian Church, a new power obtained among men. Baptised with this new power, the Church confronted the world with the fact of the unity of the race. The wonderful works of God were confined to no peculiar peoples; they meant the Church for the world. In addition to this was the new principle as to social life. The poor should share, equally with the rich, the gospel benefits. Says Mr. Lecky: No achievements of the Christian Church are more truly great than those which it has effected in the sphere of charity.

II. The choice of the seven.That the best men cannot always please is evidenced by the text. In their distribution of charity the apostles failed. They were accused of neglecting the Grecians in their zeal for the Hebrew converts. There are two important truths involved in that election, claiming special notice. Thus, firstly, the responsibilities inhering in the Church-membership. It was not an apostolic appointment. Not even Peter could choose; the election was the act of the multitude. Secondly, the wisdom of the Church is evidenced in their choice. Instead of further murmuring there had come a profound peacea peace built on no compromise.

III. The characteristics of the seven.They must be men of good report. There is no disputing the fact that, in the apostolic estimate, the truest religion makes men of the best and most honest report. No officeof bishop or evangelist or deaconcan give a good report to a dishonest man. Character is greater than office-bearing. Again, the seven must be full of the Spirit and of wisdom. In this demand lay hidden the secret of their spiritual power.

IV. The model character of the diaconate.It is a natural sequence of the choice of the seven that it should be supplemented by a character equal to the highest ideal. Stephen met the fullest requirements.Monday Club Sermons.

Act. 6:7. The Progress of the Church.

I. How it is effected.By the preaching of the word.

1. In ever-enlarging fulness.
2. In ever-widening circles.
3. By ever-increasing agents.
4. With ever-deepening earnestness.

II. How it is revealed.By the multiplication of disciples.

1. Not of merely nominal adherents, which are not always a source of strength.
2. But of genuine believers, whose hearts have been touched by grace.

III. How it is consolidated.By obedience to the faith.

1. By the submission of the whole being to the Lord of faith, Christ.
2. By the consecration of every power to the life and work of faith.
3. By regulating every step in accordance with the principle of faith.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

14.

ON SOLOMONS PORCH. Act. 6:1-6.

1

Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

2

And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God, and serve tables.

3

Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4

But we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word.

5

And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch;

6

whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.

a. The murmuring of the Grecian Jews. Act. 6:1.

Act. 6:1 While Luke gives us the glad news that the number of disciples was multiplying exceedingly, he wants us to see something of the personal life and the working of the called out body. So he records here the problem and incident out of which grew the work of the deacon. Luke has already told us of the distribution of goods so it is not at all strange to read of this same action again here in the sixth chapter. It might be well to point out that this distribution was a daily ministration, not just once or twice a year as we are so wont to do. The church was progressing wonderfully until someone was neglected. Somehow in the feeding and caring for the many widows of this church, some of the women of the Grecian Jews were overlooked. These Jews were those who were either born and reared in Greece or had come under the sway of Grecian culture. No one carried the news of this neglect to the apostles, no word was spoken directly of the trouble, they just murmured. How murmuring can and has stopped the progress of the children of God through the centuries.

196.

What is the difference between the ministration of the church today and that of the Jerusalem church?

197.

What is meant by Grecian Jews?

b. The action of the twelve and the church. Act. 6:2-6.

Act. 6:2-6 The murmuring had not continued long until it reached the ears of the apostles. They did the only wise thing that could be done; they called together all those concerned, and by this time the whole church knew about the trouble, and presented to them a plan of action that would alleviate the difficulty. First they presented the thought that although they were the leaders in the church, yet this work was not theirs to do, for they had been called to prayer and the ministry of the word, not to serving tables. If the apostles were to take up this added responsibility it would cause them to neglect their God-given work. The solution lay in selecting seven men from among the church who would be qualified according to the divinely given qualifications, i.e. (1) of good report, (2) full of the Spirit and (3) of wisdom.

Having done this, the disciples were to bring these men before the apostles who were then to set them aside to this work by the laying on of hands. If this would be done, the need would be met, and the twelve could go on unhampered in giving themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
This saying pleased the whole multitude and they chose seven men who met the qualifications. It is interesting to note that all of the seven bear Grecian names, In this selection we see both the wisdom and love of the believers in the Jerusalem church. These men were set into this work by the laying on of the apostles hands. Since these men were to care for the daily diaconia or ministrations (the word from which deacon is derived), we could say that they were indeed deacons of the church. We then also know the formal setting apart was the placing of these men into this office.

198.

Why were the seven appointed?

199.

How was this difficulty alleviated?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

VI.

(1) And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied.Better, were being multiplied, as by an almost daily increase. The length of the interval between this and the previous chapter is left uncertain. The death of Stephen is fixed by most writers in A.D. 38.

The Grecians.The English version always carefully uses this word, and not Greeks, for the Hellenist or Greek-speaking Jews. These were known also as the dispersion among the Gentiles (Joh. 7:35), or generally as the dispersion, the sojourners of the dispersion, those that were scattered abroad (Jas. 1:1; 1Pe. 1:1). Many of the converts of the Day of Pentecost must have belonged to this body; so, probably, did Barnabas and the others named in the Note on Act. 4:37. Now they were becoming a prominent section of the Church, perhaps more numerous than the Hebrews, or Jews of Palestine. They, as their name implies, spoke Greek habitually, and as a rule did not read the older Hebrew or speak the current Aramaic. They read the Septuagint (LXX.) version of the Old Testament. They were commonly more zealous, with the zeal of pilgrims, for the sanctity of the holy places than the Jews of Jerusalem itself, who had been familiar with them from infancy (Act. 21:27).

Because their widows were neglected.The words imply something like an organised administration of the common fund: widows and their children being the chief objects of relief. The rules of 1Ti. 5:3-16, were probably the growth of a more mature experience; and here we have to think of a clamorous crowd of applicants besieging the house at which the Apostles held their meeting at the times appointed for giving relief in money, or, as seems more probable, in kind. The Twelvesingly, or in groupssat at the table, and gave as they were able. It was like the dole of alms at the gate of a convent. Under such circumstances, jealousies and complaints were all but in- evitable. The Twelve were all of them Galileans, and were suspected of favouring the widows of Palestine rather than those of the Dispersion. It was the first sign that the new society was outgrowing its primitive organisation.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Chapter 6

THE FIRST OFFICE-BEARERS ( Act 6:1-7 )

6:1-7 In those days, when the number of the disciples was growing, there arose a complaint of the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, in which they alleged that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. The Twelve sent for the main body of the disciples and said, “It is not fitting that we should abandon the word of God to serve tables. So, brethren, look about for seven attested men from your number, men full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this business. As for us, we will give our undivided attention to prayer and to the service of the word.” This seemed a good idea to the body of the disciples. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochoros and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenos and Nicolaos, who was a Gentile from Antioch who had embraced the Jewish faith. They brought these men into the presence of the apostles; and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. So the word of God progressed and the number of disciples in Jerusalem was very greatly increased; and a large number of the priests accepted the faith.

As the Church grew it began to encounter the problems of an institution. No nation has ever had a greater sense of responsibility for the less fortunate brethren than the Jews.

In the synagogue there was a routine custom. Two collectors went round the market and the private houses every Friday morning and made a collection for the needy partly in money and partly in goods. Later in the day this was distributed. Those who were temporarily in need received enough to enable them to carry on; and those who were permanently unable to support themselves received enough for fourteen meals, that is, enough for two meals a day for the ensuing week. The fund from which this distribution was made was called the Kuppah or Basket. In addition to this a house-to-house collection was made daily for those in pressing need. This was called the Tamhui, or Tray.

It is clear that the Christian Church had taken over this custom. But amidst the Jews themselves there was a cleavage. In the Christian Church there were two kinds of Jews. There were the Jerusalem and the Palestinian Jews who spoke Aramaic, the descendant of the ancestral language, and prided themselves that there was no foreign admixture in their lives. There were also Jews from foreign countries who had come up for Pentecost and made the great discovery of Christ. Many of these had been away from Palestine for generations; they had forgotten their Hebrew and spoke only Greek. The natural consequence was that the spiritually snobbish Aramaic-speaking Jews looked down on the foreign Jews. This contempt affected the daily distribution of alms and there was a complaint that the widows of the Greek-speaking Jews were being–possibly deliberately–neglected. The apostles felt they ought not to get themselves mixed up in a matter like this; so the Seven were chosen to straighten out the situation.

It is extremely interesting to note that the first office-bearers to be appointed were chosen not to talk but for practical service.

A CHAMPION OF FREEDOM ARISES ( Act 6:8-15 )

6:8-15 Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. There arose in debate with Stephen certain members of the synagogue of the Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia; and they could find no answer to his wisdom and to the Spirit with whose help he spoke. So they formed a plot to introduce certain men who alleged, “We heard this man speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they agitated the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon Stephen and seized him and brought him to the Sanhedrin. Then they introduced false witnesses who alleged, “This man never stops saying things against the holy place and against the law; for we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.” And when all those who sat in the Sanhedrin gazed intently at him, they saw his face looking as if it were the face of an angel.

The Church’s appointment of these seven men had far-reaching consequences. In essence the great struggle had begun. The Jews always looked on themselves as the chosen people; but they had interpreted chosen in the wrong way, regarding themselves as chosen for special privilege and believing that God had no use for any other nation. At their worst they declared that God had created the Gentiles to be fuel for the fires of hell; at their mildest they believed that some day the Gentiles would become their servants. They never dreamed that they were chosen for service to bring all men into the same relationship with God as they themselves enjoyed.

Here was the thin end of the wedge. This is not yet a question of bringing in the Gentiles. It is Greek-speaking Jews who are involved. But not one of the seven has a Jewish name; and one of them, Nicolaos, was a Gentile who had accepted the Jewish faith. And Stephen had a vision of a world for Christ. To the Jews two things were specially precious–the Temple, where alone sacrifice could be offered and God could be truly worshipped and the Law which could never be changed. Stephen, however, said that the Temple must pass away, that the Law was but a stage towards the gospel and that Christianity must go out to the whole wide world. None could withstand his arguments and so the Jews resorted to force and Stephen was arrested. His career was to be short; but he was the first to see that Christianity was not the perquisite of the Jews but God’s offer to all the world.

-Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)

Fuente: Barclay Daily Study Bible

VI. PENTECOSTAL CHURCH FORMING ITS ECONOMY.

Choice of the Seven, 1-8.

1. In those days A Hebrew phrase used in Act 1:15, to mark a period of a few days, and in Mat 3:1, to imply an indefinite number of years. As thus far Luke has given but few dates, the reader may suppose that we are advanced but a few months from the Ascension. But according to the best chronology the events of this chapter take place in the year thirty-six. (See note on Act 9:24.) Assuming the crucifixion to have occurred in the year 30, we must either overleap a few years, or, more properly, distribute the events thus far as we best can over a period of six years. During this period the management of the affairs of the Church, as limited to Jerusalem alone, rests upon the apostles. Yet the real power lies in the body of the Church. The apostles, though divinely appointed, are the personal representatives and executives of that power.

Their authority is undefined by any exact limits. With them as its heads, the whole body moves with spontaneous harmony and freedom. The hierarchy in form is a democracy in spirit.

Meanwhile they are now beginning to find that, like Moses, (Exo 18:13-26,) their task is too large for their hands. The instrumentalities they are obliged to use, especially in the charitable distributions, are too irresponsible, and negligences and partialities give rise to murmurs. Baumgarten entitles this section “The first dissension,” but he might as well define it the first official deficiency; for that the administration was defective is proved by the prompt thoroughness with which the radical correction was made.

A murmuring The Greek word is an imitative word expressing a low buzz of discontent gradually reaching the apostolic ears.

Grecians Hebrews Three classes of persons are to be carefully distinguished in this earliest Christian history the Hebrews, the Proselytes, and the Grecians or Hellenists. The FIRST were claimants of the real Hebrew blood, more or less pure, speaking mainly the vernacular Hebrew of the day, (the Aramaic or Syro-Chaldaic,) inclined to reside in or connect themselves with Palestine, and especially Jerusalem, and standard zealots for Moses and the law. The SECOND were Gentiles who, tired of idolatry and polytheism, were glad to learn from Judaism the doctrine of one true and holy God. One class went only so far as to accept the Monotheism and the so-called moral precepts of Noah, without undergoing circumcision and the ritual of Moses; and, because thus stopping at the threshold, (or rather, perhaps, because they were strangers “within thy gates,” Exo 20:10,) they were significantly named Proselytes of the Gate, while the receivers of the whole law were proudly styled Proselyres of Righteousness. The Grecians, Grecising Jews, or Hellenists, (see note on Act 9:29,) were Jews by birth and circumcision, who, born in a foreign land, spake a foreign language, especially the Greek, and were held by the pure Jews to be tinctured with Gentilism, and so defective in the perfectness of their Judaism. They were inclined to liberalism, except when prompted by emulation to become more Jewish than the Jews themselves.

It was among the two latter classes that Christianity found most ready acceptance. The Gentile inclined to Monotheism was glad of a religion teaching holiness, salvation, and God, without circumcision and the burdens of ritual Mosaicism. The liberal Greek-speaking Jew or Hellenist glided easily into a resignation of the ceremonial law for a more spiritual piety. But the rigid, proud, intense Jew, most inflexible of all, was disposed to reject Christianity with a flout, or to accept it by the half, and to carry into his Christianity fragments of old Judaism with a conscious superiority over his Christian brethren often intolerant and fanatical. It was from this class of Jews and Jewish Christians that Paul, though by blood a pure “Hebrew of the Hebrews,” suffered through his whole apostolic career.

The extremest of these became the Ebionites of later, but very early, Church history. It must therefore be acknowledged that this murmur, if not the first buzz of a long quarrel, did indicate a division of classes from which subsequent permanent quarrel would arise.

Widows A turbulent and bloody age throws large numbers of widows upon the benevolence of the Church.

Daily ministration The daily distribution of food to the home of each widow.

Ministration Greek, diaconia, from which deacon and diaconate or deaconship are derived. Its composition from , through, and , dust, if correct, implies a service through drudgery of a very humble sort. But Scripture nowhere applies the official title deacon to these men, and Luke seems even to avoid so doing (Act 21:8) in calling Philip one of the seven. This is not parallel to calling the apostles the twelve, for that was their divinely limited and permanently fixed number. Luke’s phrase indeed apparently implies that “the seven” was a unique and memorable, though discontinued, class of men. The application to their office of the generic term diaconia, ministry, or the verb form of the word, is no proof of specific deaconship. The generic term is rendered ministry in Act 6:4, serve, Act 6:2, Luk 10:40, Luk 12:37, Luk 22:26-27.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian (Hellenistic) Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.’

That the administration of the funds and charitable giving now being made available to the Apostles was not carried out with efficiency and precision is not surprising. They had not been trained for it, and it was really outside their sphere. They were quite rightly keeping their emphasis on their main ministry. The neglect of the widows of the Hellenistic Jews thus probably arose, not from inherent racism, but from inefficiency. The Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians were naturally more in touch with the Aramaic speaking widows, than they were with the solely Greek speaking widows, and appear therefore not have been aware of the needs of some of the latter. Naturally the Hellenists themselves (not their widows) felt a little upset about it so that the matter was eventually brought up with the Apostles. This was something that needed sorting out. It was all a part of the openness with which they treated each other.

This division between predominantly Aramaic speaking Jews and predominantly Greek speaking Jews was marked everywhere in Judaism and no more so than in Jerusalem. The Hellenists (Greek speaking Jews) tended to be more affected by Greek culture and to use the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) rather than the Hebrew Scriptures, and thus to be broader in their views and outlook. They had a tendency to interpret things differently from the more orthodox, tending to be freer spoken in religious matters and interpretation. Naturally therefore, without actually splitting off, they tended to band together both doctrinally and practically. They felt more at home with each other. In Jerusalem there would be a number of synagogues which were regarded as Hellenistic.

And it would appear that this difference had necessarily crossed over into the church. The Apostles would therefore naturally be much more alive to what was happening among the Aramaic speaking section of ‘the church’, for the church, while united, would meet in smaller groups, and this would explain the accidental discrimination. It was probably mainly due to lack of administrative ability and awareness rather than to conscious neglect, and possibly also connected with the district they lived in.

Although none of them were aware of it God was about to use this difference to set things off in a new direction, both in an expansion of the ministry to less orthodox circles, and in a change in the emphasis of the church’s teaching, both directly as a result of the activity of the Holy Spirit.

‘Murmuring.’ There was an expression of dissatisfaction. This would probably come from concerned Hellenistic Christians who saw how some of their widows were missing out and went and grumbled to their own ‘elders’. These elders would then approach the Apostles.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Ministry of the Apostles (3:1-6:7).

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit having taken place, and the infant church having been shown to be established, Luke now goes on to deal with the way in which the infant church rapidly expanded, firstly through the ministry of the Apostles (Act 3:1 to Act 6:7), and then more widely through the ministry of some of their appointees (Act 6:8 to Act 9:31). God is revealed as at work in sovereign power, and His Apostles are having to keep up. But it is recognised that in the establishing of His people their authority is required at each stage as Jesus had assured them would be the case (Mat 16:19; Mat 18:18; Mat 19:28; Luk 22:30). This was necessary in order to maintain the unity of the church and the preservation of true doctrine.

The Days Immediately Following Pentecost – The Kingly Rule of God Is Revealed

The dramatic events of the Day of Pentecost are now followed by the equally dramatic events which result from that day. The Kingly Rule of God is revealed as present and flourishing:

1) The presence of the Kingly Rule of God is revealed in the healing of the lame man which testifies to what God wants to do for His people in the new age – ‘the lame will leap like a deer’ (Act 3:1-10).

2) On the basis of this Peter declares that Jesus is the Servant of the Lord spoken of by Isaiah, and is the Holy One, the Righteous One (Messianic designations) and the ‘Prince’ (Source and Leader in Triumph) of Life (Act 3:11-26).

3) Peter and John are arrested and questioned before a Tribunal (Act 4:1-7) – the nation is setting itself against the Lord’s Anointed (Act 4:26).

4) Peter declares that Jesus is the expected Messianic Salvation and Chief Cornerstone (Act 4:8-12).

5) Peter and John are given the required official warning concerning their ‘illegal’ activities. They are forbidden to preach in the Name of Jesus (Act 4:13-22).

6) Gathering in prayer the place where they are is shaken and they declare Jesus to be the Lord’s Anointed and are all filled with the Spirit to speak the word of God in boldness (Act 4:23-31).

7) The Kingly Rule of God is revealed in the daily life of the people of God (Act 4:32-35).

8) The Kingly Rule of God is revealed in the execution of those who appropriate for themslves what has been given in tribute to God (Act 4:36 to Act 5:11).

9) The Kingly Rule of God is revealed by signs and wonders (Act 5:12-16).

10) The Kingly Rule of God is revealed by the release of the captives (Act 5:17-23).

11) The Apostles are again brought before the Tribunal accused of teaching the ‘this Name’ (Act 5:24-28).

12) Peter declares that Jesus is both Archegos (the One Who by His resurrection is the Triumph Leader of life, the First-born from the dead, leading all who find life in His train) and Saviour (Act 5:29-32).

13) As a result of the advice of Gamaliel the Apostles are released, having been beaten for His Name’s Sake (Act 5:33-40).

14) The preaching of Jesus as the Messiah continues (Act 5:41-42).

Chapter 3 An Outstanding Miracle Results in A Great Evangelistic Opportunity.

We shall now consider these in more detail.

The account of the healing of the lame man was probably once circulated on its own, along with the preaching that went with it, as part of the witness to the early church of the effectiveness of Pentecost, and as a declaration of how the church (the people of God), made up of those who had been ‘lame’, had been delivered by its Saviour. It would thus early take on a standard form, preserving its accuracy. Here it is incorporated by Luke for a threefold purpose. Firstly in order to illustrate the wonders and signs spoken of earlier (Act 2:43), secondly in order to illustrate that those who will come to Christ are those who have recognised their spiritual lameness and need, and have looked to Him as the only One Who can heal them, and thirdly in order to evidence the fact that the new age had come by the fulfilment of Isa 35:6, ‘then shall the lame man leap like a deer’.

Let us consider these purposes in more detail:

1) In the previous chapter it has been stressed that the Apostles did ‘signs and wonders’ (Act 2:43). Now we are given a practical example in the healing of this notable cripple, one who had been so from birth and had regularly sat at the gate of the Temple. The healing of so well-known a cripple caused a great stir, and his ‘leaping’ could only remind them of the prophecy of the lame man who would leap like a hart (deer) because the Kingly Rule of God had come (Isa 35:6).

2) Both the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus stress that those who will be saved of old Israel are like the lame. In Isa 33:23 we read, in the context of the coming of the Lord as Judge, Lawgiver and King, ‘The lame took the prey’ where the thought is that it is God’s weak and helpless but restored people, who will finally, in God’s day, triumph and enjoy the spoils of victory. In Isa 35:6 Israel are likened to a lame man who is restored and leaps like a deer, no longer lame because the Kingly Rule of God is here, a place where there can be no lameness. In Jer 31:8 ‘the blind and the lame’ will be among the people of God who return triumphantly from far off to enjoy God’s coming Kingly Rule. In Mat 11:5; Luk 7:22 the lame walking is to be a sign to John the Baptiser that the Kingly Rule of God is here. In Luk 14:13 the maimed and the lame were the ones who were to be called when someone gave a supper, and this was immediately followed by the parable of the man who made a great supper (representing ‘eating bread in the Kingly Rule of God’), only for his invitation to be rejected by all who were invited, so that the invitation instead went out to the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind (Luk 14:21). They were the ones who would come to his feast.

3) There is also a deliberate contrast here between the old and the new. Under the old dispensation the lame man has sat at the gate of the Temple, and all the Temple could offer him were the alms of those who went in and out. Year by year it was powerless to offer more. With all the glory of its silver and gold, and the Temple was splendid indeed, it could not offer restoration. That awaited the new age (Isa 35:6). But now in the coming of the representatives of the new age there is Power. He rises up, and he walks and leaps. The fact that he is now healed proclaims visually the fact that the new age has arrived and that the old Temple is superseded.

So in this new incident we have a further manifestation of the new power that has come to God’s chosen representatives through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Here the Holy Spirit through the Apostles makes clear that in the Name of Jesus salvation is offered to ‘the lame’, and that something better than the Temple is among them. The Kingly Rule of God is here.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Introduction: The Appointment of First Deacons In Act 6:1-6 we have the testimony of the appointment of the first deacons in the early Church. This passage of Scripture serves as an introduction to the section division of Acts as it prepares us for the spread of the Gospel beyond Jerusalem because of a great persecution. It is important to note that each of the three major divisions of the book of Acts has an introductory passage in which the disciples are commissioned: Act 1:6-11 serves as an introduction to the Jerusalem ministry as Jesus commissions the apostles to take the Gospel to the world: Act 6:1-6 serves as an introduction to the spread of the Gospel out of Jerusalem: Act 13:1-3 serves as an introduction to Paul’s missionary journeys. In addition, the introductory material in Act 6:1-6 serves to prepare us for the stories of Stephen the Martyr (Act 6:6 to Act 8:1 a) and Philip the Evangelist (Act 8:1 b-40). These two stories will testify of how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem because of persecutions.

The Ministry of the Helps in the Old and New Testaments – The story of the first election of deacons is an example of a need arising and being met in the New Testament Church. Note how the leaders dealt with the situation by working together. Why did they decide to structure the leadership of the church with the new office of a deacon; perhaps because this was not a new concept for leadership to the people of Israel?

Note how Joshua ministered unto Moses in Exo 24:13, “And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.”

In the ministry of the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Levites were called to serve and minister to the priests. In 1Ki 19:19-21, Elisha began to minister unto Elisha. In 2Ki 4:8-11, we see that the Shunamite woman ministered unto Elisha, the man of God. Gehazi became the minister to Elisha. John Mark was chosen to minister unto Paul and Barnabas.

Act 13:5, “And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.”

Paul had companions and fellow ministers who often took care of him and others. Thus, the office of a deacon was not an entirely new concept, but rather a modification of the office of an assistant to a leader or a man of God.

The selection of these deacons marks the next generation of Church leaders. Mike Murdock said that a champion is not made in the boxing ring; rather, he is simply recognized in the ring. [140] In other words, a champion is such because of the hard work and training that he has been through and not just because he fights in the ring. A mother does not become a mother because someone calls her a mother. She becomes so because she has gone through labor and travail and the pains of childbirth. In a similar way, new levels of church leadership are not simply imparted in a day, but are born in one’s life through time and diligence. The laying on of hands may impart an anointing as a seed is planted in the ground, but promotion comes through nurturing that seed. For example, Paul the apostle was recognized as an apostle to the Gentiles many years after he had laboured and toiled in the field. In Acts 13, the church at Antioch laid hands upon Paul and Barnabas as an act of appointing and recognizing them as apostles. Paul had spent thirteen years previously labouring in Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1:21).

[140] Mike Murdock, interviewed by Benny Hinn, This is Your Day (Irving, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.

Act 6:1  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Act 6:1 Comments – Act 6:1 reveals an early division in the Church at Jerusalem between the views of the Greeks and the Jews. This division is seen later in Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles as he made a number of efforts to reconcile their differences in order to maintain unity within the local churches and in the overall body of Christ. Perhaps the greatest example of Paul’s efforts to unite these two cultures is seen in his collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem. This topic is discussed in Act 24:17, Rom 15:26-28, 1Co 16:1-4 and 2Co 8:1 to 2Co 9:15. Paul will also state in several of his epistles that in Christ Jesus there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.

Gal 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Col 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

Act 6:2  Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

Act 6:2 “Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said” Comments – Act 6:2 is the first time that the phrase “the Twelve” is used outside of the Gospels. This phrase very likely includes the election of Mathias (Act 1:26).

Act 1:26, “And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

We will find this phrase applied only one other time when Paul will use it once in his first epistle to the Corinthians.

1Co 15:5, “And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:”

Act 6:2 “It is not reason that we should leave the word of God” Comments – Peter responded to the request of the Greeks in caring for their widows by first establishing the priorities of the Twelve. He explained that they could not leave off the proclamation of the Gospel as Jesus had commanded them. He has once went back to fishing after Jesus’ resurrection, only to be loving redirected back into the full-time ministry on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Peter would not easily forget the lesson that Jesus taught him as He told Peter three times to feed His sheep. We read in Act 5:42 how “daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” This verse serves to sum up the “witnessing and teaching” of the apostles, which activity has already filled the first five chapters of the book of Acts.

Act 6:3 “and serve tables” Comments – The phrase “serve tables” suggests that the major focus of the Church’s daily ministry to the widows was in providing their daily necessities, such as food.

Act 6:3  Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Act 6:3 “ of honest report” Comments – Sad to say, even in the early Church, honesty was not found in the heart of every believer. As the believers were to look out for seven men who were honest, this verse tells us that honesty is recognizable. You can spend time working with someone and see honesty within their character.

Act 6:3 “full of the Holy Ghost” Comments – The Greek text leaves out the word “Holy” and only uses “Spirit” (Ghost). However, we know from the context of this passage, especially Act 6:5, that it is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

The attribute of being full of the Holy Ghost is recognizable in the life of the believer. Someone who is filled with the Spirit is filled with joy and has a song in their heart. [141] They are thankful at all times (Eph 5:18-20).

[141] Kenneth Hagin, Following God’s Plan For Your Life (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1993, 1994), 26.

Eph 5:18-20, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Act 6:3 Comments – The selection of the first seven deacons in the church at Jerusalem was based upon two fundamental outward manifestations. They were to be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. These characteristics were the outward testimony of their sincere faith and devotion to Christ. This phrase stands equivalent to that used in Act 6:5, “full of faith and of the Holy Ghost,” and Act 6:8, “full of faith and power,” and Act 11:24, “full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.”

The selection of the first seven disciples is an illustration of Paul’s standard of qualifications recorded in 1Ti 3:10, “And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.”

These apostles were very careful to choose out seven men of good report, already proven to be faithful. Rom 12:11 gives us a similar description of such virtues. One who is not slothful in business is someone who has the wisdom to manage finances well, while being honest when handling money. The phrase “fervent in spirit” means “filled with the Spirit”.

Rom 12:11, “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;”

Act 6:4  But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Act 6:4 “and to the ministry of the word” – Comments The ministry of the Word includes witnessing, teaching, preaching and healing. Acts 2-5 is full of this type of ministry, and Jesus’ ministry also included these things (Mat 4:23).

Mat 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

Act 6:4 Comments Act 6:4 brings out the importance of prayer and the ministry of the Word of God in the life of those who serve Him. The two-fold emphasis of prayer and ministry is seen in the Song of Solomon where God’s child is exhorted to retreat to the garden of prayer and solitude, then return to the labour of the Lord’s vineyard. Every believer should have a place of prayer in order to experience the Lord so that he can go forth and minister under the anointing.

Act 6:5  And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

Act 6:5 Comments – F. F. Bruce says that it is interesting to note that the seven deacons listed in Act 6:5 had Greek names. [142] This implies that they were Greek converts called out to assist the Grecian widows. If not Greek by birth, they were Greek-speaking.

[142] F. F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963), 58.

We can also comment on the order in which they are listed. As is typical of biblical lists of names, such as with the twelve apostles (Mat 10:1-4, Mar 3:13-19, Luk 6:12-16, Act 1:13), the more prominent names are listed first. We know that Stephen, listed first, later received importance as the first martyr of the Church (Act 6:8 to Act 8:1 a). Philip, listed second, received his prominence as the first person to hold the office of an evangelist in the Church (Act 8:1 b-40). The other five are not mentioned further in Scriptures. However, we do find the listed in the writings of the early Church fathers. Hippolytus mentions them in his writing The Same Hippolytus on the Seventy Apostles. He tells us that they were among the seventy disciples referred to in Luk 10:1.

“6. Stephen, the first martyr.

7. Philip, who baptized the eunuch.

8. Prochorus, bishop of Nicomedia, who also was the first that departed, believing together with his daughters.

9. Nicanor died when Stephen was martyred.

10. Timon, bishop of Bostra.

11. Parmenas, bishop of Soli.

12. Nicolaus, bishop of Samaria.” ( Appendix to the Works of Hippolytus 49: The Same Hippolytus on the Seventy Apostles 6-12) ( ANF 5)

The birth of the church in Antioch is mentioned in Act 11:19-30. An early reference to Antioch in Act 6:5 is a foreshadowing to its upcoming role in the growth of the early Church. This church will also serve to send out Paul and Barnabas into the mission field and as Paul’s lifetime home church.

Act 6:6  Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Act 6:6 Comments – This setting apart with the laying on of hands happened throughout the New Testament (Act 13:1-3, 1Ti 4:14; 1Ti 5:22, 2Ti 1:6).

Act 13:1-3, “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

1Ti 4:14, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.”

1Ti 5:22, “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”

2Ti 1:6, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.”

The laying on of hands is one of the six foundational doctrines of the Scriptures according to Heb 6:1-2.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Church’s Structure (Divine Service): Key Witnesses that Began the Spread of Gospel into Judea and Samaria While Act 2:1 to Act 5:42 gives us the testimony of the founding and growth of the Church in Jerusalem, the stoning of Stephen gave rise to the spreading of the Church to Judea and Samaria. Act 6:1 to Act 12:25 serves as the testimony of the spread of the Gospel to the regions beyond Jerusalem as a result of persecution, which was in fulfillment of Jesus’ command to the apostles at His ascension, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Act 1:8) In Act 6:1-7 the New Testament Church begins to structure itself with the office of the deacon. One of these deacons named Stephen becomes the first martyr of the Church (Act 6:8 to Act 7:1 a). As the result of a great persecution fueled by the zeal of Saul of Tarsus, the Gospel begins to spread into Judea and Samaria. Philip the evangelist takes the Gospel into Samaria and to an Ethiopian eunuch (Act 8:5-40), Saul of Tarsus is converted (Act 9:1-31), Peter takes the Gospel beyond Jerusalem to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius (Act 9:32 to Act 10:48), while Luke provides additional testimonies of Church growth to Antioch and further persecutions (Act 11:1 to Act 12:25). These testimonies emphasize the spread of the Gospel into Judea and Samaria.

Outline Here is a proposed outline:

1. Introduction: Appointment of First Deacons Act 6:1-6

2. The Witness of Stephen Act 6:7 to Act 8:4

3. The Witness of Philip the Evangelist Act 8:5-40

4. The Witness of Paul’s Conversion Act 9:1-31

5. The Witness of Peter Act 9:32 to Act 10:48

6. The Witness of Church Growth Act 11:1 to Act 12:25

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Choosing of the First Deacons.

The matter laid before the congregation:

v. 1. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

v. 2. Then the Twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.

v. 3. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

v. 4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

Luke, having given an account of the second persecution which struck the apostles, returns once more to his history of the progress of the Christian Church. He introduces a new recital, a new paragraph, or section. It was in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, was growing very rapidly. that an internal danger arose in the very midst of the congregation. “The facility with which impure elements could become associated in the Church with the pure was proportioned to its numerical increase. And when the provision which was made for the poor became more and more ample, this circumstance itself may have attracted many needy persons. ” The disturbing, disquieting matter in this case was that an open murmuring and grumbling of dissatisfaction arose in the congregation. Two kinds of Jews were represented in the Church at Jerusalem, the Jews, or Hebrews proper, that had been born in Judea and had grown up in the midst of the old Jewish customs, and Grecian Jews, or Hellenists, Jews of foreign birth and Greek education, speaking the common Greek dialect and more or less acquainted with Greek habits of life. In general, the Hebrews and the Grecian Jews were united in the work of the congregation in full harmony, chap. 2:46; 4:32. External distinctions, of wealth, social position, language, habits of living, etc. , should never influence the harmonious activity of the Church in a disagreeable manner. But here a peculiar difficulty had arisen. Communism had in no way been introduced, but a very full provision had been made for the needy by the liberality of the wealthier members. The funds thus obtained were in charge of the apostles, chap. 4:35, who distributed them to the poor and to the widows. Under the circumstances: the rapid growth of the congregation, the increasing number of those that were dependent upon the bounty of the congregation, the fact that the Grecian Jews were not so well known in person to the apostles, an oversight was easily possible. One or more widows that felt themselves entitled to this service had been overlooked when the apostles made their daily rounds. And immediately the devil, the spirit of dissension and strife, inspired the thought that this was an intentional slight. Similar complaints and charges are sometimes made in our days also, and with as little ground. As long as fallible human beings are trying to serve other human beings that are just as fallible, mistakes are liable to happen, which should be adjusted without uncharitable grumbling. Whatever ground there may have been for dissatisfaction, the apostles, on their part, did not want the suspicion of partiality to rest upon them.

They therefore called a meeting of the entire congregation and laid the matter before all the disciples. It certainly was not the right, the proper thing for them to abandon, to give up the Word of God, both in public preaching and in individual instruction, in order to serve at tables, to attend to a ministry which might well be done by others. Their chief, their principal work was the care of souls, the preaching of the Gospel. They proposed to the assembly, therefore, that they, as brethren, should look about for seven men. The qualifications of these men are stated by the apostles as being chiefly three. They must have a good reputation both within and without the Church, as men of integrity and blameless life; they must be filled with the Holy Ghost, who imparts to them the mercy of Christ and the power to lead a holy life; they must be filled with wisdom, with practical wisdom, with good common sense that enables men to manage complicated business affairs to the full satisfaction of all concerned. These men should be officially appointed to take care of the present need, to have charge of this business of the congregation. Note that the business side of a Christian congregation was emphasized in the first stated meeting of the first body that bore that title. “In that case this story is useful and good that we consider the example of the apostles well and learn what kind of men are to be used for that office, for which St. Stephen permitted himself to be used.

To have a good report is that one has kept himself honest and without reproach in all things, that one has not, as the world now commonly does, either been shamefully avaricious or squandered money and goods. Then also the Holy Ghost belongs here. For to have the Holy Ghost is nothing but being a Christian, to love the Word of God, to hear it gladly, to arrange one’s life accordingly, and to maintain a good conscience. All these are the work and fruit of the Holy Ghost. But now it may well be that a person have both a good report and the Holy Ghost, and still not be fit for such office; therefore they say: Such people should also be wise, full of ability and practice. For this office needs practical heads, if otherwise it shall be exercised with use and propriety. Lazy, unwilling, careless, unfit people cannot be used for this office. ” These qualifications should be kept in mind also in our days, whenever officers of the church are to be elected; there is too much thoughtless, haphazard choosing, with consequent dissatisfaction and harm to the congregation. While the men that were thus to be appointed should have charge of this special service, the supplying of those things which were necessary for the bodily sustenance of the poor and the widows, the apostles themselves wanted to devote all their time and energy to prayer and the ministry of the Word; in these matters they wanted to persevere to the exclusion of everything else. The Christian preachers of all times have the office of the ministry of the Word. That is the most important service in the kingdom of God; upon it depends the salvation of souls. It is by no means a small and insignificant matter to proclaim the Word. of God before the whole congregation, and also to apply it in the individual cases. And, in addition to that, this ministry is a ministry of prayer. The responsibility of every soul in the congregation rests upon the pastor, and he will bring the needs of each and all before the heavenly Father in daily prayer and intercession. Services in the congregation that interfere with this chief business should be entrusted to other men, to whom the Lord has given the necessary qualifications.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

Act 6:1

Now in these for and in those, A.V. (it is not , answering to , but ); multiplying for multiplied, A.V.; Grecian Jews for Grecians, A.V. The Grecian Jews; the Hellenists, for this is the appellation of them in the Greek; it means properly those who spoke Greek or otherwise followed Greek usages, applied to foreigners, here of course to Jews. Of a similar form and meaning is the word “to Judaize,” translated “to live as do the Jews” (A.V., Gal 2:14), and the forms “to Demosthenize,” “to Platonize,” “to Atticize,” etc. The Hellenists were those Jews of the dispersion who lived in countries where Greek was spoken, and who themselves spoke Greek. It was for the sake of such that the Alexandrine Version of the Scriptures, commonly called the LXX., was made. Hebrews; Palestinian and other Jews, who spoke Aramean (2Co 11:21; Php 3:5; Act 21:40), as opposed to the Hellenists. Their widows. We learn incidentally by this phrase that one of the earliest Christian institutions was an order of widows, who were maintained at the common cost. We find them in the Church of Joppa (Act 9:41), and in the Church of Ephesus (1Ti 5:3, 1Ti 5:9, 1Ti 5:10, 1Ti 5:11, 1Ti 5:16). They gave themselves to prayer and to works of mercy. Daily; only occurs here in the New Testament, and rarely in Greek writers; , of a daily fever, is used by Hippocrates, and may possibly have suggested the use of this rare word to Luke the physician.

Act 6:2

And for then, A.V.; fit for reasons, A.V.; forsake for leave, A.V. It is not fit; literally, pleasing; is often the rendering of in the LXX.; e.g. Gem Act 16:6; Deu 12:28. In Exo 15:26, Deu 6:18, etc., it stands for , that which is right. Serve tables. The English reader should remember that the “ministration” of Deu 6:1, the “serve” of this verse, and the “deacon” which was the name of the new officers, are all forms of the same Greek word ( ). In Deu 6:4 “the ministry of the Word” is opposed to “the daily ministration” of meat. The passage gives a necessary warning to the ministers of God’s Word not to spend too much time and strength upon any secular work, even though it be a work of charity. They must give themselves to the Word of God and to prayer. There are Christian laity to serve tables.

Act 6:3

Look ye out therefore, brethren, from for wherefore, brethren, look ye out, A.V.; good for honest, A.V.; Spirit for Holy Ghost, A.V. and T.R.; of wisdom for wisdom, A.V. Good report; literally, borne witness to; i.e. well spoken of. So in Heb 11:5 it is said of Enoch that “he had witness borne to him that he pleased God,” and in Heb 11:4 of Abel that “he had witness borne to him that he was righteous;” and so in Act 10:22 Cornelius is said to be a man “well reported of by all the nation of the Jews.” In Act 16:2 Timothy is said to be “well reported of () by the brethren.” The Spirit. The number seven was, perhaps, fixed upon with reference to the exigencies of the service, some think because there were seven tables to be supplied; and partly perhaps from seven being the sacred number, the number of completenessseven Churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven children (1Sa 2:5), seven times (Psa 119:164). From seven having been the number of the first deacons arose the custom in some Churches of always having seven deacons, which continued some centuries in the Church of Rome. One of the Canons of the Council of Neo-caesarea enacted that “there ought to be but seven deacons in any city,” and St. Mark is said to have ordained seven deacons at Alexandria. But the needs of the Churches gradually superseded all such restrictions. Whom we may appoint. The multitude elect, the apostles appoint. The apostolate appears as the sole ministry of the Church at first. From the apostolate is evolved first the diaconate, afterwards the presbyterate, as the need for each arose (Act 14:23).

Act 6:4

Continue steadfastly in for give ourselves continually to, A.V.; in (the ministry) for to, A.V. Steadfastly. The verb is of frequent use in the Acts (see Act 1:14; Act 2:42; Act 5:1-42 :46; Act 8:13; x. 7; see also Col 4:2). It is used of persons and things to which any one adheres closely and perseveringly, which are put in the dative case, as here. But sometimes it has the prepositions or after it, as in Act 5:1-42 :46; Hist. of Susann. 7; Rom 13:6.

Act 6:5

Holy Spirit for Holy Ghost, A.V. The mention of Stephen, and the narrative which follows leading up from Stephen’s martyrdom to St. Paul (Act 7:60), show to what the writer is tending. He selects the incidents in the history of the Church at Jerusalem which connect themselves most directly with that after history which was the object he had in view. It has been thought by some that the Greek character of all seven names is an indication that they were Hellenists. Such a conclusion, however, is not warranted, as many Jews who were not Hellenists had Greek or Latin names, e.g. Paul, Sylvanus, Aquila, Priscilla, Marcus, Justus, Petrus, Didymus, etc. At the same time, it is likely that some of them were. One, Nicolas, was a proselyte. The object, doubtless, was to ensure perfect fairness of distribution of the Church charities. Stephen and Philip (Act 8:5, etc.; Act 21:8) are the only two of whom we know anything beyond their names.

Act 6:6

When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. They did not pray without imposition of hands, nor did they lay hands on them without prayer. So in the sacraments, in confirmation, and ordination, the outward sign or rite is accompanied by prayer for the thing signified. And God’s grace is given through the sacrament or rite in answer to the prayer of faith (see Act 8:15, and the Office for Baptism, the Prayer of Consecration in the Office for Holy Communion, and the Confirmation and Ordination Services). (For the laying on of hands as a mode of conveying a special grace and blessing, see Num 27:3; Deu 34:9; Mat 19:13-15; Luk 4:40; Act 8:17; Act 13:3; 1Ti 5:22; Heb 6:2.)

Act 6:7

Exceedingly for greatly, A.V. Were obedient to the faith. Compare the phrase, obedience of froth or “to the faith” (Rom 1:5; Rom 16:25). The addition of a great multitude of priests was an important incident in the Church’s history, both as they were a higher order of men, and a class very liable to be prejudiced against the faith which would rob them of their importance.

Act 6:8

Grace for faith, A.V. and T.R.; wrought for did, A.V.; signs for miracle, A.V. Power (Act 1:8, note); power to work miracles especially, but also other spiritual power beyond his own natural strength (see Act 6:10). This power showed itself in the signs and wonders which he wrought.

Act 6:9

But for then, A.V.; certain of them that were for certain, A.V.; of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians for Cyrenians and Alexandrians, A.V.; Asia for of Asia, A.V. Of the synagogue, etc. There were said to have been four hundred and eighty synagogues in Jerusalem alone in the time of our Savior (Olshausen, on Mat 4:23). But this is probably a fanciful number; only it may be taken as an indication of the great number of such places of Jewish worship. Tiberias is said to have had twelve synagogues. Ten grown-up people was the minimum congregation of a synagogue. It seems by the enumeration of synagogues in our text that the foreign Jews had each their own synagogue at Jerusalem, as Chrysostom supposes, where men of the same nation attended when they came to Jerusalem; for the construction of the sentence is to supply before and again before the same words as precede , viz. , SO as to mean “and certain of them that were of the synagogue called of the Cyrenians,” and so on. The very numerous Jews of Cyrene and of Alexandria would doubtless require each a synagogue for themselves. The Libertines were, as Chrysostom explains it, “freedmen of the Romans.” They are thought to consist chiefly of the descendants of the Jews who were taken prisoners by Pompey, and deported to Rome, who were afterwards emancipated and returned to Judaea, though some (Meyer, Rom 1:1) settled in Rome. Tacitus, under the year A.D. 19, speaks of four thousand Libertini, infected with Jewish or Egyptian superstitions, as banished to Sardinia (‘Annal.,’ 2. 85.). Many of these must have been Jews. Josephus, who tells the same story as Tacitus, though somewhat differently, says they were all Jews (‘Ant. Jud.,’ 18, 3.5). The Cyrenians. Cyrene was the chief city in North Africa, and a great Jewish colony. Numbers of Jews were settled there in the time of Ptolemy Lagus (‘Cont. Apion.,’ 2.4), and are said by Josephus (quoting Strabo) to have been a fourth part of the inhabitants of the city (‘Ant. Jud.,’14. 7.2). Josephus also quotes edicts of Augustus and of M. Agrippa, confirming to the Jews of Cyrene the right to live according to their own laws, and specially to send money for the temple at Jerusalem (16. 6.5). Jews from “the parts of Libya about Cyrene” are mentioned in Act 2:10; Simon, who bore our Savior’s cross, was “a man of Cyreue;” there were “men of Cyrene” at Jerusalem at the time of the persecution that arose about Stephen (Act 11:19); and “Lucius of Cyrene” is mentioned in Act 13:1. It was natural, therefore, that the Cyrenians should have a synagogue of their own at Jerusalem. Of the Alexandrians. Alexandria had a Jewish population of 100,000 at this time, equal to two-fifths of the whole city. The famous Philo, who was in middle age at this time, was an Alexandrian, and the Alexandrian Jews were the most learned of their race. The Jews settled in Alexandria in the time of Alexander the Great and Ptolemy Lagus. The LXX. Version of the Scriptures was made at Alexandria primarily for their use. We may be sure, therefore, that they had a synagogue at Jerusalem. And of them of Cilicia. The transition from the African Jews to those of Asia is marked by changing the form of phrase into . There were many Jews in Cilicia, and this doubtless influenced St. Paul in preaching there, as well as the fact of its being his own native province (see Act 15:23, Act 15:41; Gal 1:21). Josephus makes frequent mention of the Jews in the wars between the Ptolemies and Antiochus the Great, with whom the Jews sided, and in consequence were much favored by him. And it is thought that many who had been driven out from their homes by the wars, and others who were brought by him from Babylonia, settled in his time in Cilicia, as well as other parts of his Asiatic dominions. Seleucus also encouraged the Jews to settle in the towns of Asia in his kingdom, by giving them the freedom of the cities and putting them on an equal footing () with Macedonians and Greeks (‘Ant. Jud.,’ 12. 3.1, 3). Asia; meaning the same district as in Act 2:9 (where see note). Evidence of the abundance of Jews in Asia crops up throughout the Acts (8. 16, 24, 42, 45; Act 14:19; Act 16:13; Act 18:26, Act 18:28; Act 19:17; Act 20:21). That the Jews of Asia were very bigoted we learn from Act 21:27 (see also 1Pe 1:1).

Act 6:10

Withstand for resist, A.V. This was a part of the “power” mentioned in Act 6:8.

Act 6:11

Then they suborned, etc. The resource of those who are worsted in argument is violence or treachery. Blasphemous words against Moses. It must be remembered that at this time the whole Jewish people were in a state of ill-suppressed frenzy and most sensitive jealousy for the honor of the Mosaic institutionsfeelings which broke out in constant revolts against the Roman power. The accusation against the apostles of speaking blasphemies against Moses was therefore the most likely one they could have pitched upon to stir up ill will against them.

Act 6:12

Seized for caught, A.V.; into for to, A.V. And they stirred up; i.e. by means of the reports spread by the men whom they suborned, and by working upon the feelings of the people and the elders and scribes, these men of the synagogues so excited them that they obtained permission to arrest Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrim.

Act 6:13

Words for blasphemous words, A.V. and T.R. Set up false witnesses. The similarity of Stephen’s trial to that of our Lord is striking. The same set purpose to silence a true-speaking tongue by death; the same base employment of false witnesses; the same wresting of good words into criminal acts; and the same meekness and patience unto death in the righteous martyrs. Blessed servant to tread so closely in thy Lord’s steps! (comp. Mat 5:11,Mat 5:12; 1Pe 4:1-19. 14-16). This holy place; the Sanhedrim sat in one of the chambers of the temple, called Gazith. This had been prohibited by the Romans, but the prohibition was in abeyance in the present time of anarchy (Lewin).

Act 6:14

Unto us for us, A.V. We have heard him say, etc. These false witnesses, like those who distorted our Lord’s words (Mat 26:61; Joh 2:19), doubtless based their accusation upon some semblance of truth. If Stephen had said anything like what Jesus said to the woman of Samaria (Joh 4:21) or to his disciples (Mar 13:2), or what the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote (8. 13), or what St. Paul wrote to the Colossians (Col 2:16, Col 2:17), his words might easily be misrepresented by false witnesses, whose purpose it was to swear away his life. This Jesus of Nazareth. The phrase is most contemptuous. This (), so often rendered in the A.V. “this fellow” (Mat 26:61, Mat 26:71; Joh 9:29, etc.), is of itself an opprobrious expression (comp. Act 7:40), and the , the Nazarene, is intended to be still more so.

Act 6:15

Fastening their eyes for looking steadfastly, A.V. (see above, Act 3:4). The council would naturally all look at him, in expectation of his answer to the evidence just delivered against him. In his face, illuminated with a Divine radiance, they had an answer which they would have done well to listen to (for the brightness of an angel’s face, comp. Mat 28:3; Dan 10:6; Rev 10:1, etc.).

HOMILETICS

Act 6:1-8

Wise counsels.

The prosperity of the Church was great. The first hypocrisy had been plucked up by the roots and burnt, so to speak in the presence of the whole congregation. A holy awe had mingled with faith and love to give intense reality to the religion of the disciples. The Spirit of God had borne active witness to the word of the apostles by signs and wonders; and the healing of many sick had conciliated multitudes and attached them to the Church. The apostles had been strengthened and encouraged by the supernatural ministration of an angel bringing them forth from prison, and bidding them preach afresh in spite of their enemies; and at length their very enemies were silenced, and one of the chief of them had advised his fellows, “Leave these men alone.” With a fresh burst of zeal, the preaching of Christ had been carried on, and the number of the disciples was greatly multiplied. But now a new danger arose. One of the first institutions of the growing body had been to supply the wants of the most desolate classthe widowsand to gladden their hearts by a daily ministration of food out of the common fund. But, in the rapid increase of numbers, the steps taken at first to secure abundance and fairness in the distribution had proved insufficient. The apostles, who hitherto had been the sole rulers and officers of the Church, had greater things to attend to than even the distribution of Church charities, and in their absence abuses had arisen. While the widows of the Hebrew converts, so called, were well cared for, the Hellenist widows, through some partiality on the part of those who had the management of the tables, were neglected. They were put off with worse places and scantier fare than their Hebrew sisters, or, maybe, found no place at all provided for them. Naturally their friends felt aggrieved, and murmured at such inconsiderate treatment. And the Christian body, before so closely united in the bonds of love in Jesus Christ, showed signs of being split into two bodies, Hebrews and Hellenists. What was to be done? Was the danger to be despised, and were the complaints to be slighted because they only related to the meat that perisheth? Were the widows and their friends to be told that they ought to be occupied only about that meat which endureth unto eternal life, which the Son of man would give them freely and impartially, and their grievances to remain unredressed? Or, taking a juster and graver view of the matter, should the apostles diminish their spiritual labors, and give up their time and strength to the organization of the public charities and the distribution of the daily bread? They did neither. But with conspicuous wisdom they at once founded a new order of men, whose special business it should be to attend to the daily ministration, and see that none were favored and none left out. And, to conciliate confidence in the thorough impartiality of the distribution, they invited the whole Church to elect seven men of approved wisdom and piety, to whom this important trust should be committed. The plan seems to have been eminently successful, as we hear no more of murmurs and complaints. The practical lessons to be learnt are these.

1. Never despise other people’s grievances or make light of them because they do not affect you. Especially let no pastor of a flock underrate the temporal and personal vexations of any parishioner who may lay them before him. To poor people even small losses seem very serious things. And if to the sense of loss there is added a sense of injustice or unfairness, the murmurs are very real, and represent deep-seated wounds. They must be kindly and judicially attended to.

2. Again, all, and especially the clergy, should feel the full importance of impartiality in dealing with their people. Favoritism in dispensing charity or even pastoral care must be resolutely eschewed, nobody must be “neglected” because others are preferred. Murmurs are not always loud; but be sure that any unfair or supercilious treatment will rankle in the breast; that, if extended to classes, it will make a serious crack in the unity of the Church; and that it effectually prevents those who think themselves unfairly treated from reaping any profit from the ministrations of those by whom they think themselves so treated.

3. Lastly, the example of the apostles in this matter teaches those in authority not to attempt to do everything with their own hands, and not to be jealous of having able coadjutors to do the work thoroughly which they themselves of necessity can only do imperfectly. In leaving the choice of the new deacons to the congregation at large, instead of selecting them themselves, they showed a thoroughly liberal and wise spirit, and have left a lesson to the Church in all ages to trust the laity with all fitting power, and to evoke the latent energies of the body, by giving to every capable person some work to do for the glory of God and the welfare of his people.

Act 6:9-15

Fanaticism.

Fanaticism has one respectable feature, that it is sincere. The fanatic believes what he asserts to be true, and he is earnest and zealous in the maintenance and propagation of his belief. But when we have said thus much we have said all that can be said in his favor. In fanaticism there is a culpable neglect of the reason which God has given to man to be his guide. The fanatic shuts his eyes and closes his ears, and rushes on his way with no more reflection or discrimination than a wild bull in its fury. Fanaticism, too, has a fatal tendency to deaden all moral considerations and to blunt a man’s perceptions of right and wrong. It is in vain to look for justice, or fairness, or truth, or mercy, from a fanatic. There is no violence of which he is not capable if he thinks his faith is in danger, no wiles and baseness to which he will not stoop if he thinks it necessary for the defense of his cause. Murder, perjury, bribery, subornation of witnesses, and defamation of opponents by lies and slander, have constantly been the weapons by which fanaticism of various kinds has ever defended itself. The end justified the means. It is, however, a curious feature in the history of fanaticism that it is often so closely allied with self-interest. And this is a feature which derogates considerably from its only merit, that of sincerity. In a pure love of truth there is no thought of self-interest. Truth, is a holy, Divine thing, loved for its own sake. But the fanatic’s creed is not pure truth; and so it seems it cannot be loved with the same pure, disinterested love with which truth is loved. Hence it has often been the parent of crime; and hence it is, as we have just said, often allied with self-interest. It is so with Mohammedan fanaticism; it has been so and still is with Romish and specially Jesuitical fanaticism; it was so with Puritan and fifth-monarchy fanaticism; it is so with other existing forms of fanatical and unreasonable zeal. In the case before us in this chapter we need not doubt that these Hellenistic Jews had a very strong and ardent attachment to the Law of Moses, and that their dread and dislike of Stephen’s teaching arose from their apprehension that Christian doctrine was in its nature destructive of their own tenets. But if their attachment to the Law of Moses had been intelligent and pure, they would have welcomed the gospel of Christ as being the fulfillment of the Law. If they had been actuated by a holy love of God’s truth, they would not have sought to uphold the Mosaic institutions By violence, by injustice, and by fraud. Nor can we doubt that, as in the case of the chief priests and scribes and elders, who conspired to take away the life of Jesus Christ, so in the case of these heated partisans, the fear of losing their own places of influence and power, and having to yield the place of honor to the Galilaean teachers whom they hated and despised, had much to do with the unrighteous zeal of the members of the Hellenistic synagogues. The Christian should strive to have a zeal for Christ and Ms glory quite as ardent as that of any fanatic, but at the same time to keep the eyes and ears of his reason always open for the correction of any error into which he may inadvertently have fallen, and for the addition of any truth which he may not hitherto have known. Above all, he will never seek to bear down reason by violence, or to defend truth with the carnal weapons of unrighteousness, whether violence or fraud.

HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON

Act 6:1-7

Prosperity and peace within the Church.

These opening verses prove to us that a condition of exceptional virtue may abruptly pass into one of common infirmity. From the height of holy enthusiasm the Church falls down, by steep and quick descent, into the depth of unlovely wrangling. From all the verses of the text we gather

I. THAT PROSPERITY BRINGS DANGER TO A CHRISTIAN CHURCH AS WELL AS TO INDIVIDUAL SOULS. “When the number of the disciples was multiplied there arose a murmuring” (Act 6:1). Enlargement often brings with it pride, or false confidence, or sloth, or worldliness. It is a “slippery place,” where there is great danger of falling. It is frequently the condition of disagreement and even serious discord. When the number is small and the band feeble, each member of the community feels that he must stand by the rest, and let all his strength be put out in advancement of the common cause; but when there is a consciousness of strength, the sense of responsibility is lessened, and men permit themselves to indulge a spirit and to manifest signs of impatience, querulousness, complaint. But no Christian Church can afford to have any of its members introduce the discordant note. It may, indeed, be lost and silenced in the harmonies which prevail; but it may throw everything out of tune and be the beginning of endless dissonance and dire confusion.

II. THAT THE HARMONIOUS ACTION OF THE CHURCH IS LARGELY DEPENDENT ON THE WISE APPORTIONMENT OF ITS FUNCTIONS. It is not reasonable that we [the apostles] should leave the Word of God and serve tables” (Act 6:2). It was altogether undesirable that the apostles of Christ, who were charged with such high functions, should expend their strength and time in small monetary arrangements. They would probably do that ill when they might be doing their own proper work admirably. They wisely divided the duties of the Church into two different parts, of which they would take one, and leave the other to those whose habits and faculties made them suitable for its discharge: then all went well. If we do not assign functions with discretion, all affairs will speedily be out of joint; the machinery will work with the maximum instead of the minimum of friction. Let the minister take his post or posts, and there be found in full activity; let the other officers have theirs, and keep them. Let activity be well directed, and there will be peace as well as fruitfulness.

III. THAT THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH OFTEN DO WELL TO CONSULT THE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF SETTLING EVERYTHING THEMSELVES. “The twelve called the multitude and said, look ye out,” etc. (Act 6:2, Act 6:3). The members of the Church should remember that affairs are greatly expedited, order maintained, and peace preserved by their delegating much business to a few chosen men; on the other hand, the leaders should remember that even the inspired apostles of our Lord did not stand upon their dignity as such, but consulted “the multitude of the disciples,” and that what they did with propriety we may do with advantage.

IV. THAT EVEN FOR THE HUMBLER DUTIES OF THE CHURCH SOME STERLING CHRISTIAN GRACES ARE NEEDFUL. The seven men now appointed “to serve tables” were to be “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom” (Act 6:3); i.e. they were

(1) to enjoy a good reputation;

(2) to be spiritual men in whom God dwelt by his Spirit;

(3) to be men of prudence and capacity.

They who do not possess these qualifications have no right to expect any position in the Church of Christ. Without the confidence and esteem of their brethren they could not make a good beginning; without Christian character they would be out of place altogether; without requisite gifts of the understanding and disposition they would certainly not make a good ending.

V. THAT WE MAY EXPECT MINISTERIAL FIDELITY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ABOUNDING AND EVEN SURPRISING TRIUMPHS. When the apostles were relieved of other more secular duties, and “gave themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word” (Act 6:4), then “the Word of God increased” (Act 6:7); then came abounding success”the number of the disciples multiplied greatly;” surprising success”a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” It does not necessarily follow that ministerial faithfulness will be attended with such results; prayerlessness, or discord, or inconsistency on the part of the members may defeat the exertions of the holiest and ablest minister of Christ. But, nothing being in the way, the Church itself being in sympathy, an earnest, faithful ministry will witness very blessed spiritual results

(1) some that will rejoice,

(2) and some also that will surprise the hearts of the holy. There will be added unto the Church many, and of these some who seemed utterly and hopelessly removed, by their prejudices, their temporal interests, the heinousness of their wrong-doing, or their long continuance in sin.C.

Act 6:8-15

The service of the lip and the glory of the countenance.

The wise step of appointing seven deacons “to serve tables,” and thus to liberate the apostles for prayer and preaching, like other good causes, had results which reached beyond the first object of it. It led to the formation of a most useful body of men, who have served Christ and his Church in other things beside mere “tables ‘or temporalities. It brought out Stephen; and who shall say how much that had to do with the conversion of Saul, and so with the evangelization and enlightenment of the world? We learn

I. THAT THE FAITHFUL DISCHARGE OF THE LOWER DUTY WILL LEAD TO ENTRUSTMENT WITH A HIGHER ONE. (Act 6:8, Act 6:9.) Stephen, having acquitted himself well as a deacon, and showing powers of speech and argument, was encouraged to visit the synagogues, and there “dispute” on behalf of Christian truth. And not only so, but God honored him as the channel of his Divine healing power, and he “did great wonders and miracles among the people” It is always wise to begin at or near the bottom of the scale; to do the simplest thing well, and then rise to that which is next above it. It is well, in Christian service as in secular callings and in the affairs of state, to go through the various grades until the higher and perhaps the highest are reached. Faithful work in a humbler sphere will fit for useful and honorable service in a higher; this is true of our life on earth, and will doubtless prove true respecting the life which is to come (Mat 13:12; Luk 16:10).

II. THAT IS THE SERVICE OF CHRIST WE MUST DEPEND FOR POWER WITH MEN ON GRACE FROM GOD. Stephen was full of” grace and power” (Act 6:8); full of power with men because full of grace from God. From the Divine resources there came down heavenly influences into his soulillumination, sanctity, zealand he was strong to interest, to instruct, to convince, to persuade. We shall remain unsuccessful as workers for Christ, however great our natural gifts may be, except we have grace from on high to penetrate and possess our soul, and we be endued “with all might by his Spirit in the inner man.”

III. THAT CHRISTIAN CONTROVERSY HAS ITS PLACE IN SACRED SERVICE. Stephen “disputed” with the Hellenistic Jews in the synagogues (Act 6:9), and so effectively that “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” Statement of Christian doctrine and enforcement of Christian truth may take higher rank, in usefulness, than the defense of Christian theology; but the latter has its place in the field of sacred service, and those who work elsewhere should not disparage or decry it. Everything in its time and in its turn.

IV. THAT ERROR, WHEN IT IS SEATED IN THE SOUL, IS OFTEN ONLY AGGRAVATED BY THE EXHIBITION OF THE TRUTH. (Act 6:11-14.) These men who were in the wrong, instead of being enlightened and benefited by Stephen’s forcible exposition, were led into folly and sin. They hired others to give testimony which was virtually if not literally false, and they did their best to compass the violent death of the man who was seeking to lead them into the kingdom of truth and life. When men are not only wrong in theory, but also bad at heart, interested in maintaining that which is false, any endeavor to enlighten them will often fan the flame of their folly and rouse to its fullest exercise the perversity which is in their souls.

V. THAT DEVOTEDNESS IS SOMETIMES RADIANT WITH HEAVENLY BRIGHTNESS. (Verse15.) We may Continue to dispute whether the “angel-face” of Stephen was natural or supernatural radiance. It matters little; but it is of consequence to know that the higher Christian graces will write their sign upon our countenance. As sin makes its sad and shameful traces on the frame, so purity, faith, love, devotion, will make the face to be aglow with heavenly light. Nothing but a devoted Christian life could give us such angel-faces as some of those which we see worshipping in our sanctuaries and laboring in our holy fields of love.C.

HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON

Act 6:1-7

The appointment of deacons.

I. THE SPIRIT OF STRIFE.

1. It arose between the Hellenists and the Hebrews, members of the same nation, of the same blood, of the same Church, but of different places of birth, education, and, above all, of different languages. Language is, perhaps, the greatest divider between man and man. So many of those associations which govern the mind are rooted in the sound of our native tongue. We may notice that Christianity reconciles the difference of the Palestinian Jew and the Greek-speaking Jew; the Book, the New Testament, is the thought of the Jew in the tongue of the Greek.

2. It was on a question of pecuniary benefit. Most disputes of the bitterest kind in the family life turn on questions of moneyproperty and its distribution. Hence the Christian duty of strict justice and exactitude in all dealings with the goods of this world.

3. Jealousy was at the root of the strife. No feeling more painful than the sense of neglect and of the preference of others. All Christian principle is rooted in love, which alone can conquer jealousy. All Christian graces are but forms of the “love that seeketh not its own.” Love must seek to remove this “root of bitterness,” which otherwise will trouble many and pollute the pure flow of peace in the Church.

II. THE CALLING TOGETHER Or THE CHURCH. To the sense and piety of the multitude the appeal of wisdom and of justice may ever be safely made. But without strong leading, even Christian congregations may become scenes of anarchic passion. It is composed of many wills. If none is present to represent with conscientiousness and firmness the will of the Head of the Church, nothing but confusion can be expected. When that will is clearly apprehended, and the duty thence arising firmly laid down, the majority, if not the whole, will be found ready to obey. Such was the case at Jerusalem.

III. THE COUNSEL OF THE APOSTLES.

1. The division of Christian functions is necessary. It is not “pleasing,” either to the Head of the Church or to the judgment of its enlightened members, that callings and duties should be confused; above all, that the higher calling should suffer in efficiency from being joined with a lower. The “Word of God,” or thought and utterance in the Churchthe Christian ministry in the special sensewas the special function of the apostles. The “serving of tables” was another kind of function, evidently important and necessary. Bat for the two to be fixed in the same persons would have been a want of congruity, or of harmony. For the ministry of the Word freedom from the distractions of business is peculiarly necessary.

2. The central function in the Church is that of the teacher. If this languish or be in any way fettered, the life of the congregation must suffer. It demands a whole man and whole energies. The resolve of the apostles is, therefore, to persevere in prayer and in the ministry of the Word. These two words sum up the life of the preacher. By prayer he draws from the fountain of truth and Divine strength; and in preaching he gives forth that which he has thus received. Without the inner communion with God there can be no power to prevail over the hearts of men.

3. Directions for the appointment of deacons. Seven are to be selected; the number has sacred associations, which were doubtless helpful to the mind. A sevenfold band symbolizes strength, Divine presence and assistance.

(1) They are to be “full of the Spirit “an expression which cannot be defined, but the meaning of which can be felt. Divine presence in the soul is ever indefinable, and is known by its effects on the tone of the man, and on the energy, the gentleness, and persuasiveness of his speech and action.

(2) They are to be wise menwho are always needed for tasks so delicate as that here assigned them. Goodness and sense: these are the great qualities needed in Church officers every day. Neither weakly good men nor merely shrewd men fulfill the desired qualifications.

IV. THE ELECTION. The counsel of the apostles is approved unanimously; and seven brethren are chosen out and presented to the apostles, who ratify the choice of the Church by the devout ceremony of the imposition of hands.

1. The eminence of Stephen. He is specially mentioned as “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” Faith, a most comprehensive word in the New Testament, may mean here either constancy, fidelity, or the habit of the living and strong believer. But really the two meanings unite. The believing man in the genuine Christian sense is alone the true, the steadfast man. The trustworthy man is so because he himself is a truster in God. He who has no certain faith in the Divine is no object of human confidence.

2. The obscurity of useful lives. Except of Philip, of whom we have an after glimpse, nothing is known of these worthies (Act 8:5, Act 8:26; Act 21:8). “He has not lived amiss whose life and death have escaped the notice of the world,” said the Roman poet. The “path of a hidden life” is the lot of most Christians. A niche in the temple of fame is not set as an object of Christian ambition; but the approval of the Divine Master is.

3. There may be good service without the title of servant. These men had no official designation of “deacons.” They were simply “the seven.” It is good to resist the weakness for titles and for status in the Christian Church. Good men and useful are sometimes spoiled when these imaginary distinctions are placed upon them. So susceptible is our fancy that, as dress seems to magnify our personality, so does the consciousness of office and rank. We cannot crush vanity by the singularity of dropping titles; it will nestle just as well under the affectation of plainness. But the simplicity of this example may remind us that there is a danger in vanity for the ministers of Christ of every degree.

V. THE SUBSEQUENT CONDITION OF THE CHURCH. It is sketched in three features.

1. The growth of the Divine Word. The Logos, or Word, of God is a very wide expression. It includes all spiritual activity and all expressions of it. The meaning, then, is that there was a great growth of spiritual thought and life. And this by the Divine favor as human means. When the affairs of any Church are conducted in the spirit of wisdom and love, this blessing may be expected. It is foolish to expect manifestations of growth and prosperity where these have not been sought and wrought for.

2. Growth of numbers. Which is one of the most obvious marks of success. The popular reception of a new creed is a mark of its adaptation to the wants of the many. But we must not infer that the unpopularity of a principle, or a person, or a teaching condemns it. There is a popular and an unpopular side to all truth. The divinely winning aspect of Christianity is not always to be seen; and there are days when the faithful must struggle with discouragement. The prophets with their lofty teaching complained that their report was not believed. The gospel, when seen to be the source of peace, prosperity, and wealth, is readily believable; not so widely so when it asks for sacrifice and leads to suffering.

3. The submission of the priests. This was most significant of all. Ecclesiastical orders are the most stubborn in resistance to change; priests the most conservative of religionists, as prophets are the friends of advance and of freedom. The giving way of the priests was indeed a remarkable triumph of Christ and his gospel. The evidence of the facts, the present facts, was too strong to be resisted. The evidence of a religion lies at last in its power to help and Mess the life of society. So long as this evidence is presented by the Church “apologies” for Christianity will for the mass of men be quite unnecessary.J.

Act 6:8-15

Stephen’s work and witness.

I. HIS SPIRIT DESCRIBED. “Full of grace and power.“ We can feel rather than define the force of those words. Grace is first the favor of God felt in the man’s soul, then manifested in his whole bearing, tone, conversation, and way of life. The effect is like the cause; the recipient of Divine favor makes a deeply favorable impression upon others. Power, again, is the Divine will making itself felt in the man as his will; and the effect is powerful upon others. Thus Stephen was a man felt to be spiritually original.

II. HIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBED. He wrought “signs and wonders” of an extraordinary kind among the people. The Jew craved signs and wonders, and from long habit and education was accustomed to see in these the great evidence of a Divine mission. But true faith is never without power to work some kind of wonders. Moral wonders are the most impressive and the most evidential.

III. THE RISE OF OPPOSITION TO HIM. Jealousy as usual, and envy, must have prompted it. The most fruitful lives invite most criticism. “Stones are not thrown except at the fruit-laden tree,” says the proverb.

1. Its character: disputatious. School wit and wisdom are brought to bear against him. When facts cannot be denied, nor made the foundation of charges, fancies are found to be convenient as material of attack. The man who is mighty in deed shall, if possible, be shown an imbecile in argument, a tyro in knowledge. But there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in school philosophy; and the power of God and wisdom of God in his servants set at naught the “disputer” of the world.

2. Its failure. The dialecticians were met by simple spiritual wisdom. It was a plain story that Stephen had to tell; its very simplicity and dignity foiled these debaters.

IV. FALSE ACCUSATIONS. From sophistry to positive lies it is an easy step. If dishonesty is in a man’s use of words and arguments, he will be likely to carry it out in deeds. If we bribe our reason in the interests of passion, why should we hesitate to corrupt the minds of others? Bribed testimony may produce a great effect for a time. It can craftily be made closely to resemble the truth. If a teacher upholds the spirit of Scripture, he may be represented with the ignorant as despising its letter. The charge of “speaking evil against Moses and God” must have been made color-able. Stephen taught that the old dispensation was in decay, and that the temple must pass away. This was easily misrepresented as speaking against the temple and the old institutions. The institutions of God are living, therefore must grow, and change their forms from age to age. To assert the necessity of change may be perverted to mean the assertion of the necessity of overthrow. The highest teaching is ever most liable to misrepresentation. It cannot respect men’s vested interests. And interest, with all the “hell-deep instincts” which rally in support of it, can ever find plausible arguments against the innovator. Stephen’s experience repeats that of Jesus and anticipates that of Paul.

V. SUCCESS OF THE PLOT. The people were deeply moved; the temple and all its sacred associations in religion and national feeling were threatened, as they thought. The Sanhedrim, the “elders and scribes,” trembled for their power. Stephen was apprehended and brought before them. The false witnesses repeat their story. Though doubtless verbally true, it was in spirit false. That Jesus of Nazareth should “dissolve the sacred place and change the old religious customs” was indeed the sublime truth in a sentence. Christianity dissolves Judaismby fulfilling it. To break up one home to found another is not to destroy the first home. To cast off an old garment because a new one is needed and at hand, is not to discredit the old. Destruction absolute and final is different from abolition with a view to progress. The witnesses were thus near to the truth, yet far from it. When opposites meet, the idea of dissolution and that of life, the hall-truth may be the most malicious of lies.

VI. THE DEMEANOUR OF STEPHEN. It was a moment of great trial. The people were now again united with their rulers. The Sanhedrim no longer feared to go against the general feeling. It was “Stephen against the world.” Among all the eyes fastened upon him there was probably no friendly glance. Yet at this moment, like the sun breaking through the blackness of a thunder-cloud, a glory of unearthly splendor irradiated the brow of the witness. In such moments God chooses to show his love to his chosen. Forsakennot forsaken; cast downnot destroyed; fettered and hemmed in on every sideyet free; such is the experience of the soul that confides in God. It throws itself in the extremity of its helplessness at the feet of Godnay, upon his very breast. Never do we know what heights and depths are in the kingdom of spirit, till we are thrust into them by the frowns or the force that bars all other ways. The spirit touches its height of triumph and joy in the very moment when the man to outward appearance is lost. And there are brief moments when God reveals his presence in a manner not to be forgotten on that noblest of his mirrors, the human countenance. God’s eagles rise in the storm; his stars shine in the darkest night. Compare the face of Stephen with that of Moses (2Co 3:7, 2Co 3:8). We learn from Stephen:

1. The might that comes to man through faith and the Holy Spirit; ability to work, to witness, to suffer.

2. The glory of the martyr. Accused, God favors him; slandered, the truth is illustrated by him; overcome and overclouded, he rises and he shines like the sun in his strength.J.

HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD

Act 6:1-6

Institution of deacons.

Notice:

1. The increase of officers was the natural outcome of increase in number of disciples, illustrating the great principle that the life of Christianity develops the organization and not depends upon it.

2. The spirit of charity was the underworking cause of the need of more rule. Had there been little to distribute, there would have been no ground of complaint.

3. The Jewish element was still uppermost in the Church. It was as yet an unordered community; but the two principles of care for the weak and equality among brethren were there to be appealed to.

4. The apostles, while guiding the Church with inspired wisdom, usurped no authority as rulers, claimed distinction only as servants of the Lord, called the whole body of believers together, and committed this first distinct act of constitutional appointment to the free vote of the Church as a whole.

5. The men elected were the best men spiritually as well as in adaptation to the special office.

6. The whole transaction was an appeal to Divine direction, being carried through in the spirit of prayer and in dependence on the apostolic superintendence of the Church which was instituted by Christ himself.

7. The deacons’ office was instituted for the relief of the spiritual officers of the Church. The ministry of the Word is chief in importance. The “serving tables” requires character, wisdom, spiritual gifts, but is separated from the higher offices of prayer and preaching. The deacons are “business“ officers.

8. Nothing should be done in the Church except by spiritual men, in dependence on Divine direction sought by prayer, and in harmony with that form of Christian life already appointed.R.

Act 6:1

The first note of strife.

“There arose a murmuring,” etc. Good and evil mingled everywhere. Multiplication of disciples means multiplication of interests and dangers. Prosperity in Churches has its attendant difficulties. Learn a lesson of wisdom and safety from the narrative. Money matters cannot be too carefully and spiritually controlled in all Churches.

I. THE NECESSARY INFIRMITIES OF CHURCH LIFE Call be made opportunities of great blessing.

1. Let nothing be neglected, either wants or murmurs, but all promptly and wisely considered and prayed over.

2. Call out the gifts of the people. No one knows what he cannot do. A Church’s extremity is often God’s opportunity.

3. Keep the spiritual and the secular as far as possible in their right places. Let not the business claims oppress the minds which should be free to study the Word of God. Aim at the development of the Church’s knowledge and devotion as supreme.

II. GOD‘S WONDERFUL CARE OF HIS PEOPLE; overruling; inspiring; by means of individual instances and comparatively trivial occasions, providing great precedents and rules and guiding facts, which extend their influence over the whole world. So in the order of his providence throughout. As humanity develops new capacity and function manifested.R.

Act 6:4

An earnest ministry the greatest need and blessing of the Church.

“But we will give ourselves,” etc.

I. FUNCTIONAL, FAITHFULNESS. “Each in his office wait.”

1. Apostles held an exceptional position, but in all main respects examples of singleness of mind and wisdom.

2. Distinguish between faithfulness in office and officialism. Special gifts adapted to special work; should be stirred up.

3. The hope of the Church is in the spirituality of its ministers. If they lower the conception of their office and regard themselves as mere popular leaders, they let in a flood of evils both into the pulpit and into the Church.

II. The WORLD‘S CONVERSION IN THE HANDS OF GOD‘S PEOPLE. The chief agencyprayer and the ministry of the Word. Charity secondary, not primary. Philanthropy is not a substitute for Christianity. The apostles put their own office as preachers before that of the deacons. In these times a temptation to put the “tables,” the bodily necessities, before the spiritual wants. We must wait for results, but Christ understood the work of his Church. Stand by the apostolic method, and the end will vindicate it. The world must be changed by spiritual forces. The Church must use all the material and social advantages supplied, but not as though they were sufficient by themselves; “By my Spirit, saith the Lord.”R.

Act 6:7

The fruits of faith.

“And the Word of God increased,” etc. Connect with the preceding description of a prayerful, obedient, spiritually minded Church. How different the result might have been had the murmuring gone on to increase and become a strife which would have broken up fellowship, dishonored the Name of Jesus, and stopped the mouths of the preachers!

I. THE FIELD in which such fruits were gatheredJerusalem and neighborhood.

1. In some measure prepared for the new seed. God works by a deeply laid method of orderly progress The gospel the beginning of the new world because it was the end of the old; taking up into itself all that was really Divine m Judaism.

2. Broken up by the new ministry, so different from that of scribes and Pharisees.

3. A continuation of Christ’s own work, upon the basis of the great facts of his history.

II. THE LABOURERS.

1. Apostles. Their spirit and method adapted to achieve spiritual success; informal; earnest; devout; inspired. Accompanied with miraculous attestation.

2. The multitude of believers. All spoke more or less. Their fellowship was an eloquent fact. Their order and self-denial and separation from the world.

III. THE HARVEST.

1. Large. Immense population of Jerusalem; continually changing.

2. Representative of the future. The center of religious life, sending streams of light over the world; devout men of all nations. Special adaptation of the Jewish mind to preaching. Knowledge of the Old Testament. Connection with Greek through Alexandria, with Latin through Rome.

3. Wonderful. Overcoming Jewish prejudice; winning many of the priests, notwithstanding opposition and persecution; foretelling the downfall of Judaism. Multiplication of disciples a spiritual fruit. Let God add to the Church. Preserve the distinction between the Church and the world.R.

Act 6:8-15

Stephen before the council.

The conflict between the spirit of Judaism and the Spirit of Christ. Show the importance of this conflict in the early Church, lasting for more than a whole generation, lingering into the second century. But chiefly brought to an end through one (Saul of Tarsus), himself a trophy of the Spirit, exalted out of the very midst of the fiercest fire of Jewish bigotry.

I. THE DIVINE WITNESS. Stephen.

1. Natural gifts; Jewish training; Hellenistic. Union of faith and freedom.

2. Special gifts of the Spirit. Leader of the seven. “Grace and power.” Wrought wonders and signs. The wisdom and spirit; raised the highest by Divine afflatus.

II. THE OPPOSING JUDAISM.

1. From the foreign synagogues. Therefore probably not so much on the ground of a narrow Pharisaism, but as a resistance of the Holy Spirit’s manifestations in the spirit of rationalism and literalism.

2. The resort to the Sanhedrim, already leagued with the Sadducees, and therefore kindred with the Alexandrian latitudinarians. Instructive as showing that Judaism was going off into rationalism, as it still does. 3. The falsehood and the violence which wrought in the persecution. Suborned men. Appeal to the Pharisaic party, though the synagogues had no real sympathy with them. They were not really guardians of the Mosaic customs. People, elders, scribes,all stand up by the Alexandrian party.

III. THE MIRACULOUS TESTIMONY OF GOD TO HIS SERVANT. His face “as the face of an angel” (cf. the similar manifestation on the face of Moses).

1. Spiritual manifestation appealing to faith.

2. Testimony to the purity and angelic character of Stephen.

3. Contrast between the heavenly anti the earthly in the men, the methods, the doctrines, and the final results.R.

HOMILIES BY P.C. BARKER

Act 6:1-6

The first crystallizings of ecclesicastical institution.

This short section has much to say, more to suggest, to us. The day of Pentecost had receded no distance whatever into the past; the holy enthusiasm of the days when new-born disciples sold their individual property in order to turn it into common property was literally but of yesterday; and Jerusalem, Christianity’s cradle of associations the venerable sacredness of which was now superseded by a new, a young, a surpassing sacredness, had not yet been left of the apostolic missionaries. If other things were to date their “beginning from Jerusalem,” things of brighter and more blessed omen, so also the Church’s earliest acquaintance with division and strife was to be made and m part provided against within the precincts of that same city, center of cities, and “mother of all.” However, the strife was not fierce at present, nor the division malignant in its tyro. Yet, looked at under the light of the centuries that have succeeded, there can be now no doubt of the significance of the symptoms which then appeared. Let us notice in this passage

I. What may be called THE FIRST EFFORT OF THE CHURCH TO PUT ON FORM. Effort though it was, there can be little doubt that it was most unconscious of its nature. The occasion, interesting from a merely historical point of view, is much more so from a moral point of view. Hitherto the brief and wonderful career of the Church had been all “spirit and life”stem and bough and twig all concealed beneath flower and fruit. Suddenly, however, the rudiments of organization commence to be seen; and it was a consequence of some of the less lovely aspects of human nature. These do not fail to thrust themselves into notice at a time one would have most desired their absence, and while they labor under the rebuke of many a faithful suggestion of Christian feeling and principle. Plainly up to this time the apostles had themselves distributed the offerings that had been laid at their feet (Act 4:35; comp. with Act 6:2), availing themselves of just such help as might offer. Inspired apostles could not do everything. Though “murmuring” might not be lovely, and very probably was not so now, yet, as they recognize some foundation for it, they proceed to propose a remedy (cf. Exo 18:13-26).

II. HOW IT WAS GUIDED BY APOSTLES INSPIRED.

1. They summon the whole body of the disciples together, and point out to them the aspects of the case.

2. They throw upon this body of disciples the responsibility of choosing those helpers who shall serve the needs of the occasion.

3. They insist on the moral, nay, more, the high spiritual, qualifications of these. Though they are only “to bear the vessels of the Lord,” yet must they in high sense be “pure” and “clean;” for they must be men “of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.”

4. By a service most simple, of prayer and laying on of hands, they set them apart for what might seem their comparatively humble and business kind of duties. Christian dignity and honor are set upon the work of these men, as dignity and honor belong to it, in the Name of the Master for whom and for whose Church it was to be done.

III. SOME SUGGESTIONS OF GENERAL PRINCIPLES ARISING FROM THIS OCCASION.

1. Division of labor is a principle to be observed within the Church as without it.

2. A gradation in importance of work (though not necessarily of the workman) is plainly implied by the words of the apostle (Act 6:2).

3. The character of Church organization, whatever of it there might come to be, seems plainly shadowed forth. It is not to be place and office and dignity for the sake of them, or for the show of hierarchy. The offices of the Church are not to be the filling up of an priori constitution. They are only justifiable in the interests of the use of the Church, and are to be assigned in faithful analogy with the illustrious model-principle of “the sabbath made for man, not man for the sabbath.”

4. The possession of the Spirit is the foundation-qualification of every order of Christian workman. Men “of good report, and of wisdom” may be the manifest qualifications of men of business, whether Church business or not. But the apostles require that those who are “appointed over this business,” i.e. “to serve tables,” shall be also “full of the Holy Ghost.”

5. The discretion of the Spirit is still reservedunfettered in each order and in each individual. For of these seven “deacons,” now elected and with solemn service set apart, we hear no more, except of two of them; and both of these are doing distinguished work, not as deacons, but as “preaching Christ,” and doing “great wonders and miracles” (comp. Act 8:13-15, with Act 7:1-60. and Act 8:5-8). The conclusion of all may be understood to be that the truest Church will be that which earnestly bids for life and movement, and allows only so much form as the tide of life and the directing of that life may fairly require.B.

Act 6:7

Convincing testimonies to the force of the new faith.

“And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” The obedience of “a great company of the priests to the faith” was beyond a doubt, in the nature of things, a commanding witness to the force of that faith. When that faith made its successful assault upon the serried ranks of such “a company,” and persuaded the throwing away of weapons so peculiarly their own, and endeared to them by an almost inveterate attachment, a great victory was won. The glory and especially the moral impressiveness of victory will often be proportioned in the directest manner, not to the strength only, but to the very nature of the opposing forces. Special mention is made of the triumph of the gospel over this “great company of priests,” not without good reason. In addition to the usual causes of the enmity of the human heart to the “faith” of Jesus Christ, and which must in all cases be triumphed over, others were present here, and such as asked a strong hand to overmaster them. Notice, therefore, that “the obedience to the faith” of those here spoken of was

I. A TRIUMPH OVER THE DIFFICULT FOE THAT GOES BY THE NAME OF PREJUDICE. It is very clear that, let alone any of the forms of class prejudice, prejudice itself, pure and simple, was at the root of a very large preponderance of the enmity shown to Christ and his “faith” on the part of all those who would make any assumption of superior knowledge or position. Settled on the lees of self, they had no relish for anything that tended to disturb their opinion of self. And this bred more of prejudice toward Christ and his truth than of anything else, while the mischief of prejudice answers to no name more appropriately than the name Legion. The assumption of knowledge, of goodness, of superiority, was the native element of the priest in the days of Christ’s flesh and of his apostles. Against assumption of this kind any one or anything that dared self-assertion dared at the same time the prompt encounter of prejudice the most unreasoning.

II. A TRIUMPH OVER THE JEALOUS FOE OF PROFESSIONALISM.

1. The simplicity alike of the life and of the doctrine of Christ would sin, from a priest’s point of view, against his own faith in professionalism.

2. The unmistakable language of Christ, in reference to the overthrow or the superseding of an order of religious officers, forms, ceremonies, and sacrifices, would clearly sin against the same.

3. The very genius of the character of Christ would be felt to militate unerringly against it, however feebly that genius might be appreciated.

III. A TRIUMPH OVER THE BIGOTED AND MALIGN FOE OF PRIESTISM, The love of the priest’s office was one of the devoutest feelings with the true priest. As the office lay with an appointed class in the constitution of the Jewish people, we cannot say that individual preference or bent of disposition decided who should bear it. While no constitutional predilection determined the Jew’s choice of the ecclesiastic profession, it makes perhaps more distinctly visible the effect of the office upon him and his character. And very visible for had was this effect in the time of our Savior, when an earnest and devout priest was the exception. The love and simplicity and devoutness of the true priest was indeed “precious in those days.” And certain it is, for whatever reason, that “chief priests and elders “led the opposition to Jesus, created it, and for the most part utterly constituted it. The same parts they sustained towards the apostles now from day to day. Moral blindness and moral insensitiveness are the con-stunt avengers of the temper. Two things go far to explain why it should be so.

1. The confident and familiar tampering with unseen realities is one. The conventional temper will dogmatically pronounce upon the things which ask for the more reverent touch in that they are unseen and must be largely unknown.

2. Its pride is to intrude into that most sacred domain, the domain of the innermost life of others. The saying might have been made for it that it “rushes in where angels would fear to tread.” And for a bold challenge like this, no one who has at all observed the phenomena of man’s moral nature can for a moment doubt that the recoil must be perilously dangerous. “Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed on him?” was a question that came, in point of fact, from the lips of a Pharisee (Joh 7:48), but for all that was the unwitting tell-tale of saddest and surest facts, deep down in the moral nature of himself and of his most intimately related associates, the priests. And they amounted to self-blight’s confessionthe self-blight that came of profane presumptuousness towards Heaven and arrogant assumption towards the spiritual life of their fellow-men, and that consisted of ingrained inveteracy of prejudice, infolded affections, and shriveled sympathies. To throw life and a healthy beat into the hearts of such men has ever been beyond human resources. They have been hopeless of the hopeless, and despair has been most familiar with their face. The sovereign touch alone can reach their case. Great, then, was the victory of the faith on this occasion, for they were “priests,” and they were “a great company of priests” over whom it prevailed. The force of Jesus prevails betimes over every worst form and every worst degree of evil in human nature. Why it does not always is a question to which man knows not the answer, or at all events not the explanation of the answer. But that force did prevail now, and it made a great day and great joy. Greatest of all, however, was the mercy that sped not by, but now rested on the wing and alighted with the gift of salvation for this unlikeliest company. Let it be the light of hope and the encouragement of effort for those who work, amid the darkest, blankest, hardest material. Not less should this touch of history warn with most ominous suggestion all those whose native bias, whose solemn profession, whose self-undertaken series of duties, charge them with the dreadest responsibility, not in its bearing on others only, but “chiefly“ and “first” on themselves.B.

Act 6:15

The logic of heavenly luster.

“And all saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” The two occasions of the mention of Stephen have already apprised us of an exceptional spirituality marking his character, and it cannot but be that the exceptional splendor and luminousness of his countenance here spoken of are more or less connected with that fact. The hour of martyrdom is drawing on apace for Stephen, and he is already raised to that little company which numbered in itMoses in one of the most critical portions of his history (Exo 34:29, Exo 34:30; 2Co 3:7), and Jesus himself (Mat 17:2; Luk 9:29) on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is being given to Stephen to ripen into an “angel of God” even on earth. The fact of the distinct record of Stephen’s appearance now justifies our paying even some additional attention to what in itself would naturally have attracted our interested inquiry. The interest gathers round this central inquiryWhy was such special and such peculiar kind of distinction vouchsafed to Stephen? “His face was as it had been the face of an angel.”

I. A HIGHLY SPIRITUAL FORCE OF CHARACTER MARKED HIM AS AT LEAST FIT OBJECT OF THIS LUSTER. It is not open to us to say that this was the cause in any sense, but much less the one cause, of the luster with which the countenance of Stephen shone. But we must remark on it as showing the presence of one essential condition. In a biography almost as brief (omitting his defense) as that of Enoch, three things are reiterated, intimating to us the highly developed spirituality of Stephen.

1. He was “full of faith.” Every true disciple of Jesus Christ must, no doubt, be “rooted in” faith. He must “know whom he believes.” But to be “full of faith” probably signifies something beyond this. A man may truly have faith, and if he have it he will live and “walk” by it, yet may be the very man who will need to have full allowance made for him as respects the distinction of faith and sight. Not just so the man who is “full of faith.” For him faith has come to be such an “evidence of things not seen,” and such an embodied “substance of things hoped for,” that his “conversation is in heaven” already, and his countenance more really fitted to shine with celestial radiance. In fact, we may rest assured there is a great difference between even a very genuine possession of faith and a being “full of faith.” The former is true of very many who are exceedingly far removed from the latter. That faith which scripturally and apostolically postulates the distinction of sight has in its fullness the power to efface the very distinction itself has made, and throws two worlds into one. We do not at all doubt it was so now with Stephen, who for the fulness of faith now lived and thought, spoke and worked, “as seeing him who is invisible” (Heb 11:27); and that was in itself the earnest of a radiant countenance.

2. He was “full of the Holy Ghost.” It must be allowed on all hands that this fact justifies us much more in an affirmation of the presence now of something in the nature of a predisposing qualification. In the modern Church the work and the fruit of the Spirit is grievously underrated. Hence its weakness, hence its want of enterprise, hence its comparative deadness. We have ample Scripture warrant for distinguishing degrees in the Spirit’s operation; nor can we forget how, while to others according to measure the gifts of the Spirit are vouchsafed, of One it is said, “God giveth not the Spirit by measure” to him (Joh 3:34). How intensely full was St. John of the Spirit, when as he rather puts it, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev 1:10)! What the countenance of St. John then was we know not, nor was there one to see it and tell us; but we are in no ignorance of what his rapt state of mind was, and to what the Spirit exalted him. It is not, therefore, the unwarranted thing to think that the Spirit’s force in the nature of the man in whom he largely dwells should betoken itself in physical manifestation. The legitimate conclusion would rather lead us to a conviction that restraint is self-imposed on the Spirit, in order that his blessed manifestation should neither overpower the individual in whom he largely may dwell, nor supersede moral attraction and moral evidence for all who stand by. How humiliating, how unspeakably mournful, to think how seldom it appears true of any in these ages that they are “full of the Holy Ghost,” or that in their case the Spirit needs to shade off any of his effulgence!

3. He abounded in zeal. The zeal of Jesus and his truth, of Jesus and “this life” that came through him, went far “to eat him up” (Joh 2:17). Though Stephen was not an apostle, and though he was and had only just been formally elected and appointed a deacon, yet he did the works of an apostle, and, if we may judge from appearances, did much more than the more part of them. He was first to be chosen deacon (verse 5), a circumstance which marks probably not his high spiritual character alone, but also his repute for practical diligence. It is then distinctly testified of him (verse 8) that he “did great wonders and miracles among the people.” Nor this alone. He stood to his position, did not refuse to maintain by disputation the truth he had spoken, and did so hold his own that, unscrupulous though his opponents were, “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” This was to be a thorough believer and a thorough-going champion. Argument will often fire the passions and light up the countenance; and holy argument will fire noble passions and will make a luster dawn upon the face. Yet still it is God’s sovereign act to select his “chosen vessel,” and his surpassing mercy that fits any one to be such.

II. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A HIGHLY CRITICAL OCCASION NOW LAY WITH STEPHEN.

1. From our modern point of view, interest in watching him now would have been possibly not a little increased by the thought that we were watching the first layman on his trial. Though the thing would not have been so worded then, yet we may readily imagine a quickened gaze on the part at least of all the apostles, and probably of many others, it was gradually dawning upon the Jewish nation and the world that a prophet, a priest, an apostle, was what he did; and Peter begins to be impressed with what leads him soon to say, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.” Neither Peter nor any of his fellow-apostles was an hereditary or trained priest, but they were all conscious that they were “called to be apostles.” The vast circle of the true Christian preachers and prophets begins further still to enlarge when Peter and the apostles fall behind a while, and Stephen, just now a plain man and only most recently titled deacon, fills up the whole foreground, in an episode of almost unsurpassed interest in the whole of the Acts of the Apostles. Since, then, Stephen was not “called apostle,” the luster which now lighted up his countenance was in part his Master’s gracious and bountiful substitute. God does not forget the special needs of special occasions, and if, as is probably the case, Stephen was not aware of his own appearance, there cannot be a doubt that it secured for him, from the first word of his opening defense, a special attention. The occasion was one of special responsibility, therefore, for Stephen, inasmuch as he is employed to bring into uncommon prominence, in one aspect of it, the dawning comprehensiveness of Christianity.

2. The number of those present, the very various description of them that they were led on to the attack by a very confederacy of infuriated synagogues, the determined and excited tactics resorted to of false witnesses, wresting words and statements of Stephen out of their connection,all these contributed to give

(1) a violence to the occasion, that asked for something unusual to hold it for some moments at least in check. It was an occasion to which the interrogatory fits, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?” And it meant mercy to the maddened in heart, far more than respite to Stephen. Against themselves they shall hear, and if needs be that they may hear, they shall also first see. If thereafter they will still refuse, it is more than ever their own deed that proffered mercy turns into judgment. So upon the madness and fury of Saul’s persecuting journey to Damascus gracious check was placed by the directest Divine interference. And in this case that interval of calmed time was sanctified to the saving of Saul, and of many others through him. Even beyond what we very clearly read, it may be that there were peculiarities in the occasion, and in the excited audience that Stephen had now to address, which should explain this peculiarly graciouswe had almost said gracefuland considerate interposition of the supernatural. For certainly

(2) the event proved that the occasion was, in point of fact, one of the most supreme sort. Most remarkable and most fatal was the chill taken by “the people.” It had looked as though Jerusalem would not have been in vain “begun with in the” preaching of the gospel. It had looked as though that “great company of priests” who became “obedient to the faith” decided the tide of victory and made the day one ever notable and glorious. But the prospect terribly clouds over, and fair hopes are dashed to the ground. This the event proves. But the foreseeing eye, the foreknowing great mind, heeded not the event, yet treats that oncoming decisive struggle as though there were still hope, and gives it every help, if haply Jerusalem may be still snatched from its self-chosen destruction. It is so constantly, that God, though he foreknows, still lengthens out the opportunity and the offer of grace and help. Behind the fact lies, doubtless, one of the great mysteries, as yet unapprehended, nay, untouched, by the apprehension of man. Certain it is that foreknowledge with us would peremptorily strip off from us alike impartial conduct and courage, whether for what awaited ourselves or for what awaited others. We should never keep a steady hand or hold on a steady way. But is Jerusalem in the very act of sealing her fatestill to the last the hand, the voice, the features of Divine pity and love, continue or redouble their appeal.

III. THE SEALING OF HIS FAITHFUL TESTIMONY WITH HIS LIFE–BLOOD WAS NOW IMMINENT FOR STEPHEN. And this is like the grace and free liberality of the Master. Has Stephen’s career been very short?yet he has run bravely the race, he has fought well the fight. And even before the crown above, and before the glorious witness there, he shall have a telling and to-be-remembered witness here also, on the very scene of his conflict, and in the very eyes of those whom he sought to save, but who sought to destroy him. Either we do often call that a miracle which needs not the name, or we very often fail to call that a miracle which begs the name; for tender analogies to the thing wrought now for Stephen have been even frequent since and up to the present. When the end comes very near for the faithful, how mellowed his feeling and how calmed his temper and how serene his countenance! When the last hour approaches, how often does physical pain resign her hitherto implacable tyranny, and mental aberration subside into a resumption of childlike instead of childish disposition and docility of thought and feeling! When the last moments arrive for those who have “struggled long with sins and doubts and fears,” but who nevertheless have been faithful both to work and to love, how often does the actual countenance speak of the peace that reigns undisturbed within, and sights are seen and songs are heard which nothing but the callousness of the infidel can possibly deny or throw doubt upon! This very thing was going to be so for Stephen, while he is being stoned. But it is anticipated byshall we saya brief half-hour. For his last argument he shall have more light within than ever beforethe logic of very light; and in his last gazing and impassioned looks turned on the gainsaying people his face shall reflect the light of God.B.

HOMILIES BY R. TUCK

Act 6:1, Act 6:2

The call for order in the Church.

It arose out of the very fact of increase. The association of people together demands organization and order. A few persons may have such an interest in each other and such a knowledge of each other as will enable them to dwell together in peace without formal rules, and this is abundantly illustrated from family life; but large aggregations of people, mostly unknown to each other, that are based only on some common sentiment on a particular subject, must be set under rule and order; society, as distinct from the family, requires organization and government. The first occasion of difficulty arose out of the party spirit, and out of the jealousy some felt on account of others getting undue advantages. These two verses suggest two subjects for consideration.

I. THE CALL FOR ORDER AS MADE BY THE PEOPLE. Sooner or later, society, clubs, and nations find out that order is necessary to secure both the general and the individual well-being, comfort, and success in life. Illustrate by the consequences of civil commotion, class conflicts, or society jealousies. The same is true within Christ’s Church. Offences will come. Jealousies and envies do arise. But Church members soon cry out for the order and rule which alone can ensure peace, growth, or prosperity. Every man who joins a community has to learn that he must give up his independence to some extent, and fit into the order if he is to enjoy the benefits of the communion. As against the ambitious and aggressive man, and as against the man who overpresses his individuality, the Church, as a whole, calls for order. And in view of the practical difficulties that arise when numbers meet, or worship, or dwell together, orderly arrangement, and even a central and acknowledged authority, are demanded. It may be shown that order need never unduly repress life, and that exactly the order which men ask for, in Church and in state, is that which will efficiently repress all forms of evil, but leave the freest possible room and scope for the due and useful expression of individual character and individual gifts.

II. THE CALL FOR ORDER AS MADE BY THE CHURCH LEADERS. The difficulty that arose was viewed by the apostles from quite a different side. They felt the increasing pressure of the claims which the enlarging Church made upon their interest, their care, and their toil. And they further felt that the work demanded was both beyond their power to compass, and unsuited to their apostolic mission; nay, to concern themselves with formal things of money and provisions and daily meals was to imperil that very spiritual life and culture on which the due fulfillment of their true mission depended. So they called for order in the arrangement of the work demanded, and such order would at once meet their need, giving them due relief, and meet the people’s need, assuring that each class received due attention. It is interesting to note that the apostles consulted the Church in their scheme for the removal of the difficulty, and it has been found wise, both in the Church and in the state, to adopt methods by which the people can be made to share in the responsibility of keeping order, and the dignity and impulse of a conscious self-government can be assured. Impress that both theoretically and practically the Church still needs order and government. But these must be secured on two conditions.

1. That order shall never crush, only guide, the expressions of life.

2. That order shall secure efficiency, comfort, and peace for all who come within its rules. The Church has in each age known peril in two directions.

(1) Resistance to all organization in the supposed interests of the individual life.

(2) Over-organization giving no room for the natural and healthy expressions of life.R.T.

Act 6:3

The true fitness for Church offices.

Much interest properly attaches to the first instance of election to Church office, and according to educational or ecclesiastical bias prominence is given to one or other of the leading features narrated. It may be going too far to assert that here is given an absolute model of all Church elections. The details of Church management may well be left to the guidance of Christian wisdom and prudence, and need not be made matters of faith. The apostles acted upon their best judgment in the difficult circumstances that arose, but in later times we find that their experience led them to adopt other modes in filling Church offices. In this case the multitude exercise the right of selection, and the apostles retain the right of ratifying the choice. The democratical element prevailed, but from the first it was put under wise limitations and restraints. “So long as the Christian spirit continued to display itself vigorously in the Church, the public voice might well be consulted; but when this spirit afterwards disappeared, it would have been ruinous to the Church if the plurality of voices had been allowed to decide. A glance at the rudeness of the masses in the Middle Ages may convince us of the necessity of their being guided by those above them” (Olshausen). We turn from the controversial aspect of the subject to observe what the apostles regarded as constituting true fitness for any place of service in Christ’s Church. Here we may find principles that will be of permanent application and interest.

I. PERSONAL CHARACTER. The men selected must be of “honest report;” “good report;” “good repute;” held in general esteem; attested; well reported of. Their private character must be such as to win confidence and respect. Their integrity must be unquestioned. The importance of personal character may be urged in view of the trusts that would be committed to themtrusts of money, trusts of impartial dealing, trusts of just decisions in cases of difficulty, etc. Christian officials must be beyond suspicion of interested motives, unfaithfulness, or time-serving. Guarantee of fair and honorable dealing is found in established and acknowledged integrity. This is still the first requirement for all who would serve Christ in the lesser and material, as well as in the higher and spiritual, offices of the Church. In public esteem they must be blameless.

II. ACTIVE PIETY. The persons selected are to be” full of the Holy Ghost,” or “full of the Spirit.” The Church, to be enabled to judge who had such a baptism, must observe some things which were recognized signs of a fullness of the Divine indwelling and sealing. They would be two:

1. A high fervor of religious feeling, seen in rapidly developed Christian experience, advanced Christian knowledge, and unusual prayerfulness.

2. Active and energetic and self-denying labors for the welfare of the fellow-Christians and for the spread of the gospel. Men of the self-indulgent type are mischievous in Church offices; men of the retiring and monastic type are unfitted for Church offices; men of characteristic energy and business activity, if these are combined with warmth and fervor of devotion, are the men “full of the Holy Ghost,” who still may nobly serve the Church and the Master.

III. PRACTICAL FITNESS. The persons selected are also to be “full of wisdom;” i.e. of practical sagacity and skill for the management of the particular work to which they are called. The Church must seek fitness. Each man must be set in his right place, and given his right work. Each can serve best in the sphere for which natural disposition and Divine endowment have fitted him. Such men have always been provided in the Church, but they usually need to be sought out. The best men are very seldom found forward to press themselves into office, but when their fitness is made plain to others, and leads to their selection and appointment, it is no true humility on their part to refuse the service. Impress that counted worthy to serve is the Christian’s supreme honor.R.T.

Act 6:4

The work of the ministry.

In no age of the Church has it been more necessary than it is in this to exalt the ministry of the Church, to secure its freedom from secular cares, and to culture its spiritual life and efficiency. Thousands of Christian clergy long to be able to say the words of our text, and hopelessly repeat after Dr. Chalmers, “I am bustled out of my spirituality.” We may help to a better understanding of the work of the ministry if we consider

I. ITS PRIVATE AND PREPARATORY FEATURES. “Give ourselves continually to prayer.” The term “prayer,” as here used, is a comprehensive one, and includes all that belongs to private piety and soul-culture, the nourishing of the Christian vitality, and enriching of the personal spiritual stores of thought, feeling, and truth. Ministers know, by a constant experience, how immediately their pleasure and their power in their work depend on their personal spiritual conditions. The soul must be full of God that is to speak well for God; and Christian congregations should take it upon them, as a burden of duty, to free their pastors from care, both in his family and in the temporal matters of the Church, so that he may “give himself unto prayer.” Prayer may here be taken to include:

1. Self-culturethe full mastery of a man’s own disposition and habits.

2. Mental culturea sufficient training of the intellectual powers to ensure full and wise teaching of the people.

3. Scripture-cultureadequate acquaintance with the actual contents of God’s revealed Word, and quickness of spiritual insight into its deeper meanings, suggestions, and mysteries.

4. Soul-culturethat kind of sympathetic, persuasive force which seems to bring God near to man, in us, and man near to God, through us; the kind of power that only comes to us through “prayer and fasting.” These things are the absolute essentials of true and successful ministerial work today. The men of prayer are the men of power.

II. ITS PUBLIC AND OFFICIAL FEATURES. “The ministry of the Word,” or the service of the revealed Word. This may be set in two forms.

1. The ministry of the Scriptures; not merely in their contents, but in their applications, their examples, warnings, counsels, comfortings, etc. “Our ministers are the teachers of a Book, and each has more than a lifetime full of labor if he sets his heart upon declaring the whole revealed counsel of God.”

2. The ministry of the Christ, as the very essence of the Scriptures. In this bringing out the special redemptive features of the Divine relation, and claiming personal surrender to, personal obedience to, and personal homage to, the risen, glorified, and reigning Lord. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” It may be further pressed that:

(1) The Word, or message of salvation, needs a human ministry; “by the foolishness of preaching God would save them that believe.”

(2) That it also needs the entire devotion of men’s time and talents and influence. If apostles needed to step aside from common cares to keep their efficiency for spiritual work, much more do the modern clergy in this busy and anxious age. It should seriously be considered how far the modern ministry has become weakened, especially in spiritual power and prophet-like energy, by becoming crowded with worldly cares, so that private soul-culture is neglected and prayer-preparations are crowded out. Only from the “secret place of the Most High” can Christian teachers come forth in power. “While they are musing the fire burns;” and then they can “speak with their tongues.”R.T.

Act 6:5-8

Stephen, the proto-martyr.

Very little is known of his history. And, except for the sake of introducing Saul of Tarsus, and indicating the influence that Stephen’s teachings and martyrdom exerted upon him, it is difficult for us to trace why the brief record of his work and death are preserved for us by St. Luke. We judge that he was a Hellenist, by his name; but it is not known from what country he came. He is represented by Epiphanius as one of the seventy disciples chosen by Christ. Others think that he was one of St. Peter’s converts on the day of Pentecost. Dr. Dykes fixes on the point most demanding our attention when he says, “The elevation of Stephen to official rank had this for one of its results, that the spiritual and intellectual gifts with which God had endowed this man found at once a wider and more public sphere. Stephen was more than an almoner. He was a deep student of the Old Testament, a theologian of unusual insight, a powerful reasoner and an advanced Christian. In him, too, we find that promise fulfilled which had hitherto been fulfilled to Peter, the promise of such wisdom in speech as no adversary could gainsay. His manner of speech, however, was unlike that of Peter. Peter was a witness, and preached by witness-bearing. Stephen was a student, and preached by exposition and controversy.” We dwell on the mission of Stephen as suggested by the terms of the above passages.

I. HE WAS A MAN OF FAITH. It is twice noticed that he was “full of faith”an expression which may be taken to mean:

1. That he was unusually open and receptive to the Christian truth and grace; for some manuscripts read, “full of grace.”

2. Or that he was unusually zealous and active in proclaiming Christ. Faith is sometimes the equivalent of piety, sometimes of activity. The man of faith is, from one point of view, the man of piety; from another point of view he is the man of activity, who readily overcomes hindrances, and, relying on Divine help, goes on in his work, con~ secreting himself wholly to it. Faith is too often thought of as a cherished sentiment; it is for Christians the inspiration of practical life and duty. They should be earnest in service, and find the earnestness maintained by their trust. Faith evidently kept very near to Stephen the vision of the exalted and living Christ.

II. STEPHEN AS A MAN OF POWER. This was shown in

(1) the influence of his personal character;

(2) in his indomitable energy and perseverance;

(3) in his stores of scriptural knowledge;

(4) in his intellectual gifts;

(5) in his unanswerable arguments;

(6) in his ability to add miraculous attestations. Men could not resist the “wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake.”

III. STEPHEN IS A MAN MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST. Not simply endowed with intellectual gifts, but under special constrainings of the Holy Ghost; called to a special work, and suitably enriched and inspired for that work. Where there is a full consecration of heart, and an entire openness of life, there the Holy Spirit will come, making the man his agent, and assuring to his labors full success.

IV. STEPHEN AS A MAN BEFORE HIS TIME. Only gradually did the true relations between Judaism and Christianity dawn upon the apostles. But Stephen saw them, and boldly announced them, putting them on men’s thoughts, if he might not win for them a present acceptance. Perhaps, as a Hellenist, he had not so great prejudices to overcome as had the Palestinian Jews. Stephen paid the penalty which usually comes to those whose thoughts and teachings are in advance of their age. His enemies were quite right. From their point of view he was a most dangerous manno one of the Christian band was so dangerous. But he was one of the noblest of men. He is a sublime example. His brief life is an abiding witness. Being dead, he speaks with a martyr’s voice, bidding us do noble things for Christ, and trust him to give us strength for the doing.R.T.

Act 6:6

The laying on of hands.

This is the first mention of the custom in connection with the Christian community. It does not appear that our Lord set apart his apostles to their work by any formal ceremony. A little while before his passion he “breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” The imposition of hands was an instance of carrying over and adapting a Jewish custom. “It had an analogous meaning in the ritual of Israel (Num 27:23) in acts of blessing (Gen 48:13, Gen 48:14) and the transmission of functions.” It appears to have been used in the Jewish schools on the admission of a scribe to his office as a teacher. “Its primary symbolism would seem to be that of the concentration for the moment of all the spiritual energy of prayer upon him on whom men lay their hands; and so of the bestowal of any office for which spiritual gifts are required.” For other Scripture references, see Acts 42:3; 1Ti 5:22; Heb 6:2. “The origin of this rite is to be looked for in patriarchal times, when it seems to have been a form simply of solemn benediction, as in Gen 48:14. In the New Testament we find the laying on of hands used by our Lord both in blessing and in healing; and again he promises to his disciples that they too should lay hands on the sick and they should recover. At the time when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written, the doctrine of the ‘laying on of hands’ was one of the elements of Christian teaching” (‘Dict. of Christian Antiquities;’ see art. “Imposition of Hands” for the ceremonies in which the Christian Church has adapted the custom). This is an illustration of the importance of preserving valued ancient practices. It cannot be said that we have any Divine commands in regard to the laying on of hands, but the Church has found the practice to be significant and useful. It may be regarded as

I. A SIGN OF SELECTION. For some reason the individual is singled out. For some particular office he is chosen. The selection is made by the whole Church. It is represented by the act of imposition done by one person, or by several, in the Church’s name. The public nature of the act sets the individual forth prominently before the whole Church as the selected one.

II. A SIGN OF UNITED CONFIDENCE. This is more fully indicated in the form of imposition practiced by what are known as the Free Churches. At their ordination services the laying on of hands is done by the assembled presbyters, each laying a single hand on the head of the selected one, and the custom is mainly valued as an expression of mutual confidence in the Divine call of the selected one, and in his spiritual fitness for the office which he is about to undertake. It becomes an important part of an ordination service as a comforting assurance given to the candidate for office; and with this simple meaning of the rite some of the Free Churches are satisfied.

III. AS A SIGN OF COMMUNICATION. “It was connected with other acts that presupposed the communication of a spiritual gift. Through well-nigh all changes of polity and dogma and ritual, it has kept its place with Baptism and the Supper of the Lord, among the unchanging witnesses of the Church’s universality and permanence.” Hackett takes it as “a symbol of the impartation of the gifts and graces which they (the deacons) needed to qualify them for the office.” Olshausen says, “The idea embraced in the laying on of hands was really just this, that by means of it there was effected a communication of the Spirit from the individual consecrating to the one ordained.” Two questions need treatment.

1. Was the imposition an actual impartation of Divine gifts or the Divine Spirit? or was it only the outward symbol or sign of a Divine impartation which was beyond man’s control?

2. If there was apostolic power to communicate the gift or the Spirit, have we sufficient ground for assuming that the power is retained by the teachers of the Church whom we regard as the successors of the apostles? Decision on and treatment of these questions must depend on our ecclesiastical bias. No earnest Christian need fail to realize the spiritual value and suggestiveness of this custom. It may, no doubt, be made to serve purely ritual purposes; but it may also be an important and useful Church ordinance, when it is observed on due consideration, and with suitable solemnity and prayer.R.T.

Act 6:10, Act 6:11

The weakness of persecutors.

Attention is drawn to the fact, which has received frequent illustration through the martyr-ages, that men only resort to persecuting tactics when they become conscious of their moral helplessness and theological inefficiency. The persecutor is like the swearer; No man ever needs to curse if his word is known to he truthful. No man ever needs to persecute if he has the right on his side, and faith in those moral forces which ever uphold the right. As the line of thought is directly based on the incident as narrated in the verses, a brief outline will suffice. We find these advocates of strict Judaism

I. DEFEATED IN ARGUMENT. (Act 6:10.) Observe that, in Stephen, there was not merely controversial skill, adequate knowledge, and a good theme; there was a spiritual power which made him irresistible. Perhaps nothing rouses anger more readily than defeat in discussion. Few men can retain self-control at such times. And the permanent value of religious public disputations may be very seriously questioned. Happily the tone of religious controversy in our times is greatly improved.

II. APPEALING TO PHYSICAL FORCE. Always a sign of weakness. Sadly illustrated in Calvin and Servetus, and similar cases of condescending to use the power of the magistrate in purely intellectual and moral disputes. Properly, the public magistrate has only to do with the breaking of the social order, but it has always been found easy to fashion charges cognizable by the magistrate when the real purpose has been to silence a triumphant intellectual or religious foe. Truth-lovers never need ask aid from the world’s coarse government weapons. Magna est veritas, et prevalebit.

III. MAKING ALLIANCE WITH LIARS. Suborning bad men and prompting false witnesses. So did the prejudiced Sanhedrim in dealing with our Lord. Honorable men descending to the lowest depths to carry out their malicious schemes. Their spirit and conduct are fully shown up by the company they keep. Loyalty to the right and to God cannot endure fellowship with false witnesses.

IV. TRUSTING TO POPULAR EXCITEMENT. “They stirred up the people.” The fickleness of the populace is proverbial. Their susceptibility to excitement makes them the easy tool of the demagogue. And Jewish crowds were remarkable for their sudden impulses. Theudas and Judas and Barchocheha played their purposes on this tightly strung string. When Stephen’s enemies had no fair charge to urge against him before the courts, their only hope of accomplishment for their malicious purposes lay in the violence of a popular uprising. Their utter weakness and their shameful badness are revealed in their schemes. Seeming to succeed, they really failed more utterly than with their arguments. They could kill the body, but what more could they do? They could not fly after the winged words which, like seeds, had found their lodgment in the minds and hearts of Barnabas and Saul, and would surely spring up and bear blossom and fruitage to the dismay of all Stephen’s enemies. Let the persecutor do his weak and foolish work, for “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”R.T.

Act 6:15

The angel-face on man.

Something of a proverbial character rests on the expression, “Saw his face as it had been the face of an angel”. Some think that this description” may be traced to the impression made at the time on St. Paul and reported by him to St. Luke.” There was “calm dignity,” but there was something more and better; there was the vision of Christ as present with him, and the radiant face was the response he made to the vision. Compare the skin of Moses’ face shining, and the glory of the Savior on the Mount of Transfiguration. “The face of Stephen was already illumined with the radiancy of the new Jerusalem.” “The words describe the glory that brightened the features of Stephen, supported as he was by the consciousness of the Divine favor.” Illustrate the truly wonderful power of varied expression which is found in the human face. It responds at once to the moods of the spirit, changing suddenly at changing moods, and gaining fixity of form and feature according to the settled character and habit of the mind. What a man is can be read from his face. How true this was of Stephen may be shown by dwelling on the following points:

I. THE CHANGE IN STEPHEN‘S FACE WAS THE SIGN OF CHERISHED FEELING. It tolls us the tone and mood of his mindwhat he was thinking about, and what he was feeling. Reveals to us the man of God and man of faith and man of prayer, who lived in communion of spirit with the glorified Savior. Lines of care come into faces of worldly Christians. Heart-peace, rest in God, absorbing love to Christ, make smile-play over the face. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” and so is he in expression of countenance. And the pleasant, the angel, face makes holy witness for Christ before men, winning them to the love of him who thus can glorify his saints.

II. THE CHANGE IN STEPHEN‘S FACE INDICATED SUPERIORITY TO HIS SURROUNDINGS. Describe them, and show how reasonably we might have looked for alarm and fear. Well Stephen knew that all this wild rage and tumult and false witnessing meant his death. But there is no quailing. It might have been a day of joy and triumph, to judge by Stephen’s face. Compare St. Paul’s words, “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself.” Outwardly a man may be tossed, tempted, tried, imperiled, tortured, but inwardly he may be kept in perfect peace, having his mind stayed on God. Such mastery of circumstance is just as truly the great Christian triumph now, though our circumstances are rather those of perplexity and pressure than of peril to life and property. Overcoming the world, as Stephen did, we too may win and wear the “angel-face.”

III. THE CHANGE IN STEPHEN‘S FACE WAS A RESPONSE TO THE CONSCIOUS NEARNESS OF JESUS. Of this we have intimation in Act 7:56, but we are apt to regard Stephen’s exclamation as indicating a sudden and passing vision. It is much more probable that it kept with him all through the wild and exciting scene. When they set him before the council, the “angel-face” was there, and the vision of the Christ was in his soul. While he spoke his defense, the Lord stood by him and strengthened him; and when the stones flew about him and struck him down, the vision kept in his soul; the blinded eyes saw it, and it never passed until it became the enrapturing and eternal realityhis bliss for evermore to be with Jesus. The light on Stephen’s face was the smile that recognized the best of Friends, who was so graciously fulfilling his promise, and being with his suffering people always. That smile told on the persecuting Sanhedrim. They would not forget it or ever get the vision out of their minds. It would secretly convict, if it did not openly win. Can there be still, and now, in our milder spheres, the angel-face on manon us? And if so, then on what things must the winning and the wearing of that angel-face depend?R.T.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Act 6:1. There arose a murmuring of the Grecians, &c. Or, the Hellenists. There is not all the light which some have wished for concerning the distinction of the Jews into Hebrews and Hellenists; but the following appears the most probable account. The Jews who inhabited Judea, and those of the eastern dispersions, generally retained the Syro-Chaldaic, which in the New Testament is called the Hebrew language; but those of the western dispersions generally made use of the Greek, the language which then prevailed very generally. The former were called Hebrews, and the latter Hellenists, or Graecising Jews; and of this sort were most of the Roman, Grecian, and Egyptian Jews, as well as the “Proselytes of righteousness” of the western dispersions. After the time of Ezra, the scriptures, of the Old Testament were read to the Jews in their synagogues in their original Hebrew, and interpreted in Chaldee, because the common people had forgotten the original Hebrew by living so long in Chaldea. But the Jews who were planted at Alexandria in Egypt, seemed generally in process of time to have forgot both the Hebrew and the Chaldee; and by conversing so much in a Grecian city, to have fallen into the use of the Greek language. Hence a translation of the scriptures for the use of the common people became necessary; and part of the version which goes under the name of the Septuagint, was made by some of the learned men among the Jews there; and is thought to have been first made use of in that city instead of the Chaldee interpretation: for we are to observe, that the Jews did not any where, at that time, publicly read the scriptures in any other language than the Hebrew. Hence then it is probable, that these Jews were called Hellenists, because of their using the Hellenistick, or Greek language; and by that name theycame to be distinguished from the Hebrew Jews, who used only the Hebrew tongue. These different customs are said to have made a sort of schism between them; inallusion to which, St. Paul seems to have mentioned it among the Jews, that he was an Hebrew of the Hebrews, (see Php 3:5.) that is, a descendant of that sort of Jews who were most highly esteemed upon the account of their using the Hebrew language, 2Co 11:22. The Syriac version has rendered ‘, by the Jews who understood, or spoke Greek. That these Hellenists were not all of them proselytes of righteousness, as some aver, seems indisputable from St. Luke’s observation, Act 6:5 that Nicolas was a proselyte of Antioch. It may possibly be hence inferred, that some of the Hellenists were proselytes of righteousness. But as he alone, of all the seven deacons, is said to have been a proselyte, it is very unlikely that all the Hellenists were such; for it is highly probable that others of the seven deacons were Hellenists, as well as Nicolas; whereas, by saying that Nicolas was a proselyte, St. Luke seems to have intimated that all the other six deacons were Jews by birth, as well as religion, though some of them might be Hellenists, and others Hebrews.

While Satan’s kingdom fell before the preaching of the gospel like lightning from heaven, and the number of the Christians increased exceedingly, the Hellenists, or Graecising Jewish Christians, complained of the Hebrew Christians; because, in the daily distribution of the charity; their widows, who were poor or sick, or burdened with the care of children, were either wholly neglected, or at least not made equal with the widows of the Hebrews. It is highly probable, that they esteemed the widows of the Graecists, agreeably to their prejudices, less worthy and honourable; and perhaps no land had been sold out of Palestine to raise or support the fund, but what Barnabas had sold in the island of Cyprus; and therefore they might think that the Hellenists had not an equal claim, as the Hebrews had been the chief contributors. The apostles, undoubtedly, acted a very faithful part in the distribution of money raised by the sale of lands. But they could not do all things. Perhaps they intrusted some who had been proprietors of the estates sold, who would naturally have some peculiar regard to the necessity of their neighbours, as being best acquainted with them. And if any suspicions arose, as to the sincerity of their character, and the reasonableness of their pretensions, these strangers would naturally be least capable of giving satisfaction.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Act 6:1 . ] Over against this new victory of the church without, there now emerges a division in its own bosom.

. .] namely, while the apostles continued, after their liberation, to devote themselves unmolested to their function of preaching (Act 5:42 ). Thus this expression ( ) finds its definition, although only an approximate one, always in what precedes. Comp. on Mat 3:1 .

] as a neuter verb (Bernhardy, p. 339 f.): amidst the increase of the Christian multitude, by which, consequently, the business of management referred to became the more extensive and difficult. Comp. Aesch. Ag. 869; Polyb. iii. 105. 7; Herodian, iii. 8. 14, often in the LXX. and Apocr.

, elsewhere only preserved in Phot. Bibl. (see Wetstein), according to its derivation (from , to present oneself in Grecian nationality, and particularly to speak the Greek language; Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 380), and according to its contrast to , is to be explained: a Jew (and so non-Greek) who has Greek nationality, and particularly speaks Greek: Act 9:29 . Comp. Chrysostom and Oecumenius. As both appellations are here transferred to the members of the Christian church at Jerusalem, the are undoubtedly: those Christians of the church of Jerusalem, who, as natives of Palestine, had the Jewish national character, and spoke the sacred language as their native tongue; and the are those members of this church, who were Greek-Jews, and therefore presented themselves in Greek national character, and spoke Greek as their native language. Both parties were Jewish Christians; and the distinction between them turned on the different relation of their original nationality to Judaism. And as the two parties embraced the whole of the Jews who had become Christian, it is a purely arbitrary limitation, when Camerarius, Beza, Salmasius, Pearson, Wolf, Morus, Ziegler, (Einleit. in d. Br. a. d. Hebr. p. 221), and Pfannkuche (in Eichhorn’s allg. Bibl. VIII. p. 471) would understand exclusively the Jewish proselytes who had been converted to Christianity. These are included among the Greek-Jews who had become Christian, but are not alone meant; the Jews by birth who had been drawn from the to Jerusalem are also included. The more the intercourse of Greek-Jews with foreign culture was fitted to lessen and set aside Jewish narrow-mindedness, so much the more easy is it to understand that many should embrace Christianity. Comp. Reuss in Herzog’s Encykl. V. p. 703 f.

] denotes, according to the context, the antagonistic direction, as in Luk 5:30 . Comp. Act 9:29

. .] in the daily service ( 2Co 8:4 ; 2Co 9:1 ; 2Co 9:13 ), here: with provisions, in the daily distribution of food. Act 6:2 requires this explanation.

only here in the N. T., more frequently in Plutarch, etc., belongs to the later Greek; Jdt 12:15 ; Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 55.

The neglect of due consideration ( , not elsewhere in the N. T., nor in the LXX. and Apocr., but see Kypke, II. p. 36), which the widows of the Hellenists met with, doubtless by the fault not of the apostles, but of subordinates commissioned by them, is an evidence that the Jewish self-exaltation of the Palestinian over the Greek-Jews (Lightf. Hor. ad Joh. p. 1031), so much at variance with the spirit of Christianity (Gal 3:28 ; Col 3:11 ; Rom 10:12 ; 1Co 12:13 ), had extended also to the Christian community, and now on the increase of the church, no longer restrained by the fresh unity of the Holy Spirit, came into prominence as the first germ of the later separation of the Hebrew and Hellenistic elements (comp. Lechler, apost. Zeit. p. 333); as also, that before the appointment of the subsequently named Seven, the care of the poor was either exclusively, or at least chiefly, entrusted to the Hebrews. Mosh. de reb. Christ, ante Const., pp. 118, 139.

The widows are not, as Olshausen and Lekebusch, p. 93, arbitrarily assume, mentioned by synecdoche for all the poor and needy, but simply because their neglect was the occasion of the . We may add, that this passage does not presuppose another state of matters than that of the community of goods formerly mentioned (Schleiermacher and others), but only a disproportion as regards the application of the means thereby placed at their disposal. There is nothing in the text to show that the complaint as to this was unfounded (Calvin).

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

Act 6:1-7 . An explanation paving the way for the history of Stephen, Act 6:8 ff. Act 6:7 is not at variance with this view.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

SECTION IV

THE COMPLAINT OF THE HELLENISTS THAT THEIR WIDOWS WERE NEGLECTED WHEN RELIEF WAS GIVEN TO THE POOR, INDUCES THE APOSTLES TO DIRECT THAT SEVEN MEN SHOULD BE CHOSEN AND APPOINTED FOR THIS SERVICE. THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF THE CHURCH.

Act 6:1-7

1And [But] in those [these] days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied [when the disciples increased in number], there arose a murmuring of the Grecians [Grecian Jews] against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected [overlooked]in the daily ministration.2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them [disciples together], and said, It is not reason [not pleasing (to us)] that we should leavethe word of God, and serve [the] tables.3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report [men having good witness], full of the Holy Ghost1 [of theSpirit] and wisdom, whom we may [will] appoint2 over this business. 4But we will give ourselves continually to [will persevere in] prayer, and to [in] the ministry of theword. 5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon,and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch;6Whom they set before theapostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied [became very great] in Jerusalem greatly [om. greatly]; and a great company of the priests3 were [became] obedient to the faith.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Act 6:1. a. But in those days.An evil of considerable magnitude suddenly manifested itself precisely at this period, when the faith of the apostles revealed its power by enabling them to suffer shame for Christs sake, and to preach the Gospel with boldness, notwithstanding the threats of the magistrates; the word, moreover, was received by increasing numbers, so that the Church was making rapid progress. This evil was the more alarming, as it originated in the bosom of the Church itself. The threats which external foes uttered, created less apprehension than an internal danger: the former proceeded from avowed enemies; the latter arose among the members themselves. The facility with which impure elements could become associated in the Church with the pure, was proportioned to its numerical increase. And when the provision which was made for the poor became more and more ample, this circumstance itself may have attracted many needy persons; if these united with the Church from selfish considerations and with hopes that were too eager, a serious disappointment naturally awaited them.

b. There arose a murmuring.The discontent, which was at first indistinctly manifested, but was at length loudly expressed, prevailed among the Hellenists, and was occasioned by the Hebrews ( . .). It was here that a certain distinction revealed itself among the members of the Church, which threatened to assume the character of a direct opposition, and to terminate in a rupture. One part consisted of Hebrews, that is, of Christians who were originally Palestinian Jews, residents of the Holy Land, and who spoke the Hebrew, i.e., the Araman [Syro-Chaldaic] language. The other part consisted of Christians who were not natives of Palestine, but came from other countries, e. g., Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, etc., and whose native language was the Greek; these men were termed Hellenists. The great majority of the latter were, without doubt, also Jews by birth; it is, however, quite possible that there may have been some individuals among them, who were Gentiles by birth, but who had been previously incorporated as proselytes with the people of Israel. Such was Nicolas of Antioch, who is expressly described in Act 6:5 as a . The Jews who were natives of Palestine, and who, without doubt, composed the great majority of the Christians, were led by their education and general mode of life, to retain the peculiar features of Judaism with more purity and strictness than the Hellenists. The latter, the descendants of foreign Jews, and the inhabitants of pagan countries, adopted not only the Greek language, but also, unconsciously, foreign usages, and specially, Greek customs, which they combined with the forms of Judaism.

c. Because their widows, etc.The immediate cause which led to the discontent and jealousy with which the Hellenists regarded the Palestinian Judo-Christians, was connected with the daily ministration [distribution of food, and, possibly, also of alms, (de Wette; Hack.)Tr.]; the widows of the Hellenistic Judo-Christians were overlooked at such times, and this evil appears to have prevailed during a considerable period (imperf. .) [For the N. T. usage of the Imperf., to denote continued, repeated, or customary action, see Winer: Gram. N. T., 40. 3.Tr.]. The widows are not here mentioned as representatives of all the poor (Olsh.); we may, on the contrary, easily imagine that widows would be more readily overlooked than entire families, since the Hellenistic father of a family would support his claims with comparatively greater vigor, and it was possibly this very circumstance which caused such treatment of lonely females to be felt the more acutely.The causes which led to this neglect of the Hellenistic widows, can only be conjectured. We have no reason to ascribe it to any arrogant spirit on the part of the Palestinian Jews, nor to any actual ill feeling; it is more probable that the want of a sufficient personal acquaintance with the foreign widows, and with their private circumstances, may have occasioned the neglect of which complaint was made.

Act 6:2. a. Then the twelve called, etc.When the apostles were informed of these complaints, they immediately adopted measures for arresting the further progress of any feeling of discontent, and for removing, at the earliest moment, any cause which might weaken the union and brotherly love of the Christians. They introduced, at the same time, a division of labor, which the wants of the Church required, and which freed the apostolic office from tasks of inferior moment, that were inappropriate and that also occasioned a large expenditure of time. But they do not proceed to action in an independent manner. They agree among themselves that a change is needed, and that a certain distinctly defined course ought to be adopted, and then communicate the result of their deliberations to the Church. But they do not undertake to nominate the particular individuals who are to be invested with the new office; they ask the Church to select and propose suitable persons, to whom they, the apostles, might assign that office. They accordingly called unto them (Mid. ) not simply a committee of the Church, nor even the original nucleus, the one hundred and twenty mentioned in Act 1:15 (Lightfoot), but the whole multitude of the disciples, that is to say, all the male members. The circumstance that seven men were chosen, has led some writers (Mosheim; Kuinoel) to suppose that the Church of Jerusalem consisted already of seven sectional congregations [classes, (Meyer); familias, (Kuin.)], each of which assembled in a different locality, and chose one of the seven men; this opinion is entirely without a historical foundation. [The number, seven, was most probably selected because of its sacred associations. (J. A. Alexander.)Tr.]

Act 6:2 b. It is not reason, etc.The apostles unreservedly state to the church, (a) what they do not desire, (b) what they do desire. When they state the former, they employ the figure of speech called Litotes: . The word , according to its ordinary usage, is not simply equivalent to quum or bonum. The course which the apostles mention in Act 6:2, unquestionably displeased them only because their conscience condemned it, since they would not be justified in the presence of God in adopting it. They did not believe that it was right to abandon the word of God (), that is, the preaching of the Gospel, or to assign a subordinate position to the ministry of the word. They did not think that they were authorized to serve tables (namely, to attend personally to the arrangements, and to distribute food to the poor and the widows), if such service compelled them to neglect the great work of their lives, which the Redeemer himself had allotted to them as their first duty ( , Act 1:8; Act 2:32; Act 4:19-20, and comp. Luk 24:47-48). It was not the act itself of serving, that seemed to the apostles to be degrading and inconsistent with their position, for they expressly term the sacred office itself a , ver 4. But they cannot reconcile it with their sense of duty to serve tablesto offer food for the body instead of affording nourishment to the souls of mento neglect the spiritual charge of souls, in order to gain time and strength for supplying the wants of the poor. It was this course, which, when they considered their first and highest duty, naturally did not please them. They tacitly assume that the method which had hitherto been adopted in providing for the poor, can no longer be observed. The right and the duty to perform this work, had been hitherto restricted to the apostles; charitable gifts were laid at their feet (Act 4:35; Act 5:2), and were distributed or applied according to their judgment, Act 4:35. When the number of the members rapidly increased, and the apostles could no longer personally attend to every case of want, they no doubt availed themselves of the aid of other members of the church, without, however, introducing any definite system, form, or official representation. When this informal method was found to be productive of unfavorable results, and to lead to discontent and unpleasant feeling, it became necessary to apply a remedy. Nevertheless, the apostles could not consent to dedicate their time and strength to this business, in order to satisfy every claim; such a course would have been equivalent to a complete withdrawal from their appropriate sphere of duty. They desire, on the contrary, to persevere in prayer and the ministry of the word. The latter, , constitutes an antithesis to ; they declare that they wish to dedicate themselves permanently, and with all their strength, to the ministry of the word, the preaching of the Gospel, but primarily, to prayer.

Act 6:3-5 a. Wherefore, brethren.The apostles desire to place the entire charge of the church, as far as its external affairs are concerned, in other hands, in order that they may themselves be unimpeded in discharging their appropriate and sacred duties; they propose that an office should be created, bearing a distinct and independent character, or one to which specific duties should be assigned: this plan was adopted, Act 6:6. They transfer to others a part of the duties and the rights which had previously been confined to them personally, and establish another office in addition to the apostolate, which had hitherto been the sole ecclesiastical office; so that here they commence the work of supplying wants in the organic structure of the church of Christ, and securing its completeness. They entertained no apprehension that, by adopting this course, they would seem to distrust the Holy Ghost who guided the church of Christ, but proceeded, without hesitation, to complete its defective organization as a society, by creating a new office; comp. Baumgarten: Apgsch. I. 115 f.

b. And the saying pleased, etc.The apostles, however, do not actually accomplish their design without the concurrent action of the church. They might have acted on their own authority alone, and have been sustained by the consciousness that they contemplated, not their personal interests, but those of the church. They might have even alleged that the difficulty which had arisen, was a symptom of a morbid feeling existing in the church, and that, consequently, a tender regard for the latter advised that the members should not be consulted. They might have entertained the delusive thought, that their duty to the Lord himself and to their own office required them to act solely on their own authority, and in a perfectly independent manner, in reference to those below them. But they neither entertained such views, nor adopted such a course. They believed that the church had reached the period of maturity, presented a statement of the circumstances, and proposed a remedy, which at once received the sanction of the whole church, Act 6:5. The members selected seven men, in accordance with the request of the apostles, and presented them to the latter as individuals in whom they placed confidence.

c. The apostles had previously specified certain important qualifications to which the members were to give heed in effecting a choice. The Seven must be (a) , i.e., men of acknowledged integrity of character and purity of lifemen of good repute. In addition to this qualification, which referred in general to their moral character, the Seven must be (b) , i.e., men who had received the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son, together with all the powers and gifts of wisdom and knowledge which the Spirit imparted. Why are such prominent personal gifts and qualifications demanded? Not simply because the administration of the property of the church was to be intrusted to these officers, but, undoubtedly, also for the following reason: their duties were not to be restricted to the supply of physical wants and the direction of purely temporal interests; they would be specially required to provide likewise for the spiritual wants of the poor, and, generally, to promote the spiritual interests of the church. The apostles desire to occupy a position which will enable them to fulfil their official duties with entire freedom, and to dedicate themselves wholly to prayer and the ministry of the word; but they certainly do not intend to free themselves entirely from the care of temporal affairs. The seven men, on their part, are, primarily, to take charge of the poor, as well as of the temporal affairs of the church in general; but it is certainly not intended that they should be excluded from all participation in the spiritual labors of the apostles.

d. The names of the seven men chosen by the church, are given in full. The most prominent of the number is Stephen, who is described as a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, and to his history Luke devotes the second part of the present chapter, and the whole of the next. It is in the highest degree improbable that should here mean simply fidelity and conscientiousness (Kuinoel); the term rather denotes Stephens positive religious and Christian life of faith. It was doubtless this fully developed spiritual character that attracted general notice, and induced the church to nominate him as the first of the seven.It is admitted by all that Philip is the same individual, who, after the death of Stephen, preached the Gospel in Samaria (Act 8:5 ff.), and, at a certain point between Jerusalem and Gaza, baptized a man of Meroe, an officer at the court of Candace (Act 8:26 ff.). He is again mentioned in Act 21:8 f., as an evangelist, and expressly described as one of the seven. We are entirely unacquainted with the history of the other five persons. The legendary accounts which have been preserved (e. g., that this or that one had belonged to the company of the seventy disciples of Jesus, or had, at a later period, been invested with the office of a bishop in a certain place), are entitled to no consideration. The statement that Nicolas was a proselyte of Antioch, is remarkable. It is possible that the one or the other of the rest was a Pagan by birth, and had been incorporated with the people of Israel (after being circumcised and offering sacrifices), before he received the Christian faith; but Nicolas alone is distinctly stated to have been a proselyte. It is a mere conjecture, supported by no evidence, (although expressed as early as the age of Irenus [adv. Hr. II., 27]), and suggested only by a combination of Rev 2:15 with the present text, that he became the head of a sect at a later period, and was the founder of that of the Nicolaitans.The circumstance that the seven names are all Greek, has led to various conclusions, e. g., that the seven men were not Jews who had been born in Palestine, but Hellenists. Those writers who assume that all the seven were Hellenists, differ in their ultimate conclusions. Some regard the fact as a proof of the impartiality or magnanimity of the Hebrews, who wished to remove every cause of complaint on the part of the Hellenists by selecting the seven from the whole number of the latter. (Rothe). Others suppose that these seven were chosen exclusively for the service of the Hellenistic portion of the church, and that [which title, however, does not once occur in the whole Book of the Acts (J. A. Alex.)Tr.] had been already appointed for the Hebrews, at an earlier period (Vitringa, Mosheim). Neither of these conjectures is supported by historical evidence, and, indeed, Greek names were, at that time, quite common among the Hebrews [e. g., one or more of the apostles. (de Wette).Tr.]. It is probable that some of the Seven were Hebrews, and the rest, Hellenists.

Act 6:6. Whom they set, etc.The men that had been chosen by the church, were now presented to the apostles, who conferred the new office upon them, and solemnly installed them with prayer and the imposition of hands. They first offered prayer, in conjunction with the church, in behalf of the men, entreating that the grace and the gifts of God in Christ, might be imparted to the latter; for the call to serve the disciples and especially the poor, was in truth a call to serve God in the persons of the the latter [Mat 25:40], and from Him alone, the endowments and fitness, the blessing and the increase could come. Then the apostles laid their hands on the men, by which act they consecrated and blessed them, and transferred an office with which they had themselves been hitherto invested.

Act 6:7. And the word of God increased.The internal danger of the church, which had threatened to terminate in a rupture, was, no doubt, happily averted by the adoption of the measure already described. The remedy appears to have been adequate; it was successfully employed, in consequence both of the appeal which the apostles had made to the religious principles of the members of the church, and of the vigorous aid which they received from the Seven. These men, whose labors were attended with the divine blessing, were powerfully sustained by the consciousness that they were rightfully engaged and walking in the path of duty. It is true that Luke does not distinctly state these facts, but they are implied by another and still more striking result which he records. The more successfully the unity of the Spirit was kept in the bond of peace [Eph 4:3], the more rapidly the word of God increased; that unity produced a powerful effect on the minds and hearts of others, and many individuals, as a consequence, received the truth in faith; the number of Christians in Jerusalem rapidly increased, and a great company even of the priests . This expression describes their conversion as an act of obedience to the gracious will of God in Christ; its introduction here is the more appropriate, as it was precisely in the case of priests that a firm resolution, or a positive determination of the will, was most of all needed, in surmounting the prejudices peculiar to their order, and in offering worship to the Crucified One, the sole Mediator and Priest. It was only a very deep conviction, expressed in the words; It is the will of God!, and a very sincere purpose to obey God, that could have produced such a result.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

I. The difficulty which occurred in the bosom of the church, between the Hellenists and the Hebrews, assumes a typical character. The first internal danger originated in the hypocrisy and selfishness of a certain man and his wife, Act 5:1 ff. The present danger proceeded from the association of two companies, each of which was compacted by identity of language and of national customs and manners; hence the spirit of party, roused by conflicting interests, threatened to assume a distinctly defined shape. Such a carnal bond of union may be formed, even in a community professedly established on faith in Christ and love to him, when the natural man attempts to give precedence to his temporal interests, to money or to honor. The regeneration and renewal of the individual and of the human race, is arrested, checked, or, at least, threatened, by the old man [Eph 4:22] who revives his claims. The church of Christ is polluted and desecrated by the world, in the midst of which it exists, and by which it is influenced. If even the primitive or apostolical church exhibited no unblemished ideal, the church in any succeeding age cannot be more successful.It is remarkable that both of the spots or wrinkles [Eph 5:27] which are described in Act 5:1 ff. and Act 6:1 ff., are found precisely in that feature of the primitive church which was the most glorious and beautifulbrotherly love, reciprocal and self-sacrificing aid and support, the community of goods. It was the most precious and perfect fruit of the vigorous life of faith at which the hidden worm began to gnaw. The great Adversary manifests his presence in a spot where it had been least of all expected, and it is but too true, that when God erects a church, the devil builds a chapel at its side.

2. How admirably the present occurrence illustrates and demonstrates the truth, that the word of God, and the word alone, is the remedy and instrumentality which the Church of Christ should always employ. Even when the occasion imperatively demanded that every cause of complaint should be removed, the apostles firmly resist the tempation to engage in labors and business that would have absorbed all their time and attention. On the contrary, they secure more time, and greater facilities for attending to the ministry of the word, which was, indeed, their great vocation. It was their first duty to give themselves to the [2Co 5:18]. The word alone, as it is the word of God, and is spirit and life [Joh 6:63], can render effectual aid and confer a divine blessing; and fidelity in its service never fails to receive manifold evidences of the favor of God. The apostolical church assumes the character of a church of the wordthe character which every church must bear, that claims to be apostolical. The church recedes from the true position which it should occupy, in the same proportion in which the word of God is overshadowed by the word of man, by ceremonies, by the traditions of men, by the administration of ecclesiastical affairs, or by any mere mechanical service.

3. It is instructive to study the development of the church of Christ, as illustrated on the present occasion. Even as the Redeemer himself was true man and increased in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man [Luk 2:52], so, too, his church is a truly human community. It not only increases externally in age, in numbers and in influence, but it is also appointed by the will of its Founder and Lord, to grow internally. This process may be thus described:The organization which the church adopts, and its visible forms of life, are gradually developed from within, proceeding from its own centre of life and punctum saliens, that is, its pulsating heart of faith. It is obvious that when the Redeemer established his church on earth, he did not immediately endow it with a full and complete apparatus of offices, orders and forms of government; on the contrary, he bestowed on it only a single officeone that was exceedingly simple in its character, and yet indispensablewhen he appointed the apostles to be his witnesses. He designed that other and fuller forms should be developed from within, by the self-determination of the church, and in correspondence to the exigencies of the times; and the primitive office, the apostolate, was so constituted as to expand like a tree, sending forth successively, as its branches, new offices and orders, adapted to new times and circumstances. Christ is not Moses; the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Joh 1:17. Christ did not appoint bishops, or presbyters or deacons, either in a direct manner, or by a verbal command; but the Spirit of the Lord, observing the rule of his word, and regarding the times and circumstances, has furnished such institutions, as each special occasion demonstrated to be appropriate, useful, and necessary. Thus the office of the Seven was introduced at the present time in the most peaceful manner. It is, no doubt, also true, that the apostles ascribed less importance to the office than to the character of the men: Wherefore, look ye out seven men, full of the Holy Ghost, etc., Act 6:3. The latter, as we cannot doubt, received no other name or official title than that of The Seven, and no other is given to them in the Acts; comp. Act 21:8. But this administrative office continued to exist ever afterwards, and was introduced into congregations in other places. The act of inducting the men into office with prayer and the imposition of hands, like the general proposition to select them, was voluntary on the part of the apostles, in imitation of models furnished by the Old Testament, but was, nevertheless, subject to the guidance of the Spirit which was in them.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Act 6:1. When the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring.When numbers increase in the church, its moral strength and purity diminish in the same proportion. (Quesn.).The church on earth always suffers tribulation: when external persecution ceases, internal disturbances, of a still more alarming character, succeed. (Starke).Because their widows were neglected.To overlook, is human; to correct and improve, apostolical and Christian. (id.).Even when devout men, like the apostles, faithfully perform the duties of their office, they cannot always prevent unfavorable remarks from being made; 1Co 4:3. (id.).

Act 6:2. It is not reason that, etc.It sometimes occurs that disorders suggest wise measures, and evil practices lead to the establishment of wholesome laws. (Quesn.).The duty of the Christian to observe proper limits in his course of action. (Lisco).

Act 6:3. Of honest report, etc.In this case suitable persons are appointed as almoners; the apostles do not select men who can simply write, cast accounts, and transact business, but who are, besides, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom. (Starke).Spiritual matters must be administered in a spiritual manner; God will examine the accounts. (K. H. Rieger).

Act 6:4. We will give ourselves, etc.The whole life of a pastor is here described in two words: Praying, and Preaching; through the former, he receives from God; through the latter, he imparts to others that which he has himself received from above. (Gossner).Prayer occupies the first place, as it prepares the way for the ministry of the word; it imparts a spirit and a mouth to the preacher, and an ear and a heart to the hearers.

Act 6:7. And the word of God increased.This welcome fact is another rose blooming among thorns. (K. H. Rieger).

ON THE WHOLE SECTION.

The right mode of effecting improvements in the temporal affairs of the Christian Church: I. What are the legitimate causes that lead to changes? Obvious imperfections and defects. II. From what sentiments and course of action may improvements be reasonably expected? When it is the common object of all to remove every cause of offence, and to promote a spirit of union. In the case before us, no close investigation of the past was attempted, but all were resolved to maintain the established order, according to which the direction of affairs belonged to the apostles. Peter, who addressed the church in the name of the Twelve, did not withdraw his own aid and that of the other apostles, nor abandon the members, when a difficult point connected with their affairs demanded attention. Neither did he disregard the grievances or the rights of those who complained; he himself proposed and introduced a new arrangement in a legitimate manner, and in the name of the other apostles. This arrangement assigned a proper position to those who had complained, and enabled them to combine their efforts with those of others in effecting a salutary change. It was a gentle, self-denying, and kind spirit which animated all alike, and conducted the whole discussion to a satisfactory issue; and it is that spirit, which, in all analogous cases, will always receive the blessing of God. (Schleiermacher).

The first instance of conflicting views and feelings in the apostolical church: I. The occasion which led to it; II. The mode in which the difficulty was removed; III. The blessing which followed. (Langbein).

The appointment of the Deacons: I. The cause which led to it, Act 6:1; II. The manner in which it was effected, Act 6:2-6; III. The blessing which followed it, Act 6:7. (Leonh. and Sp.).

The appointment of the Deacons, an illustration of the good understanding and prompt coperation which should characterize the action of pastors and their people: I. The guidance of the congregation is intrusted to the apostles; but they listen with fraternal sentiments to the voice of rebuke and complaint; II. The office of the word, to which the apostles had been divinely called, remains in its integrity in their hands; but, for the sake of the common good, they cheerfully resign a part of the power which they had exercised in the temporal affairs of the church; III. The congregation selects from its own number certain men, who are worthy of confidence, and to whom the care of the poor is intrusted; but the apostles consecrate these men, and impart their blessing.

The church, the mother of the poor: I. Her maternal duty: it proceeds, in part, from the distress existing in this evil world, in which she dwells as a daughter of heaven; in part, from that spirit of love and pity, which her Lord and King, the divine friend of the poor, has infused into her; II. Her maternal care: it embraces both the temporal, and also the moral and spiritual wants of the poor; III. Her maternal joy: on earth, to rescue souls from bodily and spiritual pollution; in heaven, to stand before Him who said: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least, etc. Mat 25:40.

The poor are the wealth of the church: I. They call her spiritual gifts into action; II. Invigorate the spirit of love; III. Constitute her ornaments in the eyes of the world; IV. Add to the treasures which she lays up in heaven.

Compare the tradition of Laurentius the martyr [during the persecution under Valerian, A. D. 258]; when his persecutors commanded him to surrender the treasures of the church, he gathered together the poor members, presented them to the Roman magistrate, and said: These are the true treasures of the church.

The primeval bond connecting poverty and Christianity, a blessing to both: I. To poverty: it was not till He who became poor that we might be rich [2Co 8:9] had established Christianity on earth, that (a) the divine right of the poor was recognized, and that (b) the Holy Spirit inspired men with a sincere concern for the poor; II. To Christianity: the care of the poor (a) led to the development, (from the earliest times), of its divine virtues

love and pity, patience and self-denial, the contempt of death, and confidence in God; (b) it also demonstrated in the presence of the world that Christianity had a right to exist, and possessed the power to accomplish the redemption of the world; (illustrative facts to be selected, and applied to the present times).

The Christian mode of caring for the poor: I. It derives its life and vigor from love to Christ; II. Its object is to alleviate and remove spiritual and temporal distress; III. Its glory consists in rendering services to the church in an humble spirit. (Leonh. and Sp.).

The office of a guardian of the poor, an office of dignity: in view, I. Of its ancient origin; it is the oldest ecclesiastical office, next to that of the apostles, by whom it was instituted and consecrated; II. Of its exalted purpose; it is designed to provide for the body and the soul; III. Of the numerous qualifications which it demands: honest report, the Holy Ghost, wisdom, Act 6:3; IV. Of the divine blessing which it imparts and receives.

Act 6:4. Under what circumstances can an evangelical pastor discharge the duties of his office with joy and success? I. When his strength is derived from prayer; II. When his authority is derived from the word of God; III. When his labors are not his own personal efforts, but, in truth, a work of God. (Harless).

Footnotes:

[1]Act 6:3. a. after seems to be an interpolation, for it is wanting in B. D. [and Cod. Sin.], as well as in several ancient versions and fathers; the Syriac version substitutes for . [. inserted in A. C. E. H.; Vulg.; omitted by Lach. and Tisch.; Alford regards it as a doubtful point, and inserts it in the text, but in brackets.Cod. Sin. originally omitted also before . but a later hand (C) inserted it.Tr.]

[2]Act 6:3. b. , which the authorities support, is unquestionably to be preferred to the Subj. [of the text. rec. and Vulg. (constituamus) which follow B (e sil). and H. The Indic. in A. C. D. E. and Cod. Sin., is adopted by recent editors.Tr.]

[3]Act 6:7. Instead of , some manuscripts [minuscules, together with] the Syr. vers. and Theophylact, read , which is to be rejected as a later alteration. [The text. rec. is retained by Lach., Tisch , Alf., etc. The conjectural emendation of Casaubon, who inserts after , and, as in Act 21:16 (Winer: Gram. N. T. 64. 4) supplies after , although approved by Beza and Valck., has not found favor with later critics.Cod. Sin. originally read . , for which a later hand (C) substituted . .Tr.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

CONTENTS

The Church of Christ requiring it, Deacons are chosen. Stephen being elected, and speaking by the Spirit, is opposed by many.

Act 6:1

And in those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

As the last chapter opened with an account of the corruption which had crept into the Church, in the awful instance of Ananias and Sapphira, so here again we enter upon this chapter, with the relation of other taints of our Adam-nature transgression, in the murmuring and dissatisfaction breaking out in the Church. Reader! it will be our mercy to gather, under the Holy Ghost’s teaching, improvement from it, in learning, that the purest moment of the Church, in this time-state of her being, (for such, surely, this era was,) is not free from sin. And, oh! how blessedly do such convictions preach Christ, Yes! thou dear Lord! well is it for thy people, that thy name is the Lord our righteousness! Jer 23:6 ; Isa 14:24-25 ; 1Co 1:30-31 .

It should seem from the account here given, that so numerous was the Church of the Lord now become, that the alms collected from the more affluent of the people, were not enough for the daily supply of the more needy. And it is more than probable, from the infirmities of a poor fallen nature, partiality might have been shewn in the distribution. Be this as it may, there arose a murmuring by the Grecians, (by which, I suppose, is meant the Jews of Greece, to distinguish them from those of Judaea,) on this account, which no doubt much disturbed the harmony of the Church. Reader! do not overlook the merciful designs of the Great Head of his Church, in disposing the inequalities of life in the outward circumstances of it. I do not doubt, but that the Lord made much good spring out of this seeming evil, among Christ’s redeemed ones, who found themselves neglected. For if the unkindness of men, even of brethren, inclines the heart to look more to the Lord and less to man, the very sorrow is made sweet. Jesus would hot, for he needed not, have made his Church poor, had not poverty best suited her present time-state of being. Sweet is that scripture, pray turn to it, for it suits the Church of Jesus in all ages; I will also leave in the midst of thee, an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord, Zep 3:12 . Depend upon it, that it is our affliction and poverty, both in spirituals and temporals, which minister most advantageously to keep the heart near Jesus. For amidst all the love we seem, to have to Him, if at any time we get out of this conscious need of Jesus, we find the same risings of pride as Israel of old, and say as she did, we are lords, we will come no more unto thee, Jer 2:31 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

The Angel in Man

Act 6:15

The angels seen in the New Testament are described as having glorious countenances. The probability is that at this wonderful moment in the life of this remarkable man he was in a measure transfigured. There is in the countenance of Stephen a manifestation of something within him that may be called angelic.

I. In the first place, I would consider the angel in human life in its universal latency. You may put it in another way, viz.: In every human being born into this life of ours there is a possible angel. It may be no new truth, but it is a truth the majesty of which is too often forgotten. Man is fearfully and wonderfully made however you regard him. It is said of one if my memory serves me well it is Goethe the great German it is said of one great man that he never stood in the presence of a group of children without baring his head. Childhood for him was awe-inspiring, not because of what it was so much as because of its latent possibilities. It is only a fallen angel that can make a devil.

II. How is this angel in human life to be quickened and developed? I turn to Stephen. ‘A man full of faith.’ That is the first step. The angel belongs to the sphere invisible, and the very first step in the quickening of it is faith. For faith involves that a man should begin to live in the eternal, should begin to realise his relation to God, should begin to trust in the Infinite for help and life and love. It may be very ignorant, very crude, very narrow, and very imperfect at first. But where there is a true perception of the invisible and the eternal the angel lives.

III. We next come to consider the manifestation of the angel in this earthly life. (1) The first characteristic of the angelic life is heavenly-minded-ness. (2) The angel life manifests itself further as a life of service. (3) Note particularly the manifestation of the angel in the countenance. The face is a wonderful vehicle for expressing the state of the emotions of the soul.

IV. Consider the ascent of the angel into its liberty and glory. (1) The first thing to be said on that head is that death obviously cannot touch the angel. ‘I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ Who saw it? Why the angel saw that. (2) But there is something yet more glorious to tell than that death cannot touch the angel. Death liberates the angel.

John Thomas, Myrtle Street Pulpit, vol. m. p. 67.

References. VII. 7. Expositor (4th Series), vol. iii. p. 121; ibid. (5th Series), vol. v. p. 449. VII. 11. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. vi. p. 49. VII. 14. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. vii. p. 112. VII. 14-43. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xlv. No. 2631. VII. 16. Expositor (4th Series), vol. x. p. 249. VII. 22. F. B. Cowl, Preacher’s Magazine, vol. xviii. p. 239. Expositor (7th Series), vol. vi. p. 442. VII. 26. Ibid. (4th Series), vol. ii. p. 64. VII. 35. G. Trevor, Types and the Antitype, p. 83. VII. 37. H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 1627, p. 65. Expositor (4th Series), vol. ii. p. 85. VII. 38. Ibid. (5th Series), vol. x. pp. 236, 240. VII. 41. H. J. Bevis, Sermons, p. 176. VII. 42. Expositor (6th Series), vol. ii. p. 428. VII. 43. Ibid. (4th Series), vol. iii. p. 121; ibid. (6th Series), vol. iii. p. 25. VII. 47. W. Cunningham, Christian World Pulpit, vol.) xliv. p. 118 Expositor (6th Series), vol. vii. p. 117. VII. 53 Ibid. vol. iv. p. 385.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

Chapter 14

Prayer

Almighty God, thy mercy meets us everywhere. It is not far to seek. Thy mercy in Christ Jesus is round about us, we breathe it, we live under its influence, without it we must surely die. We speak of thy great mercy, and thy tender mercy. Thou dost fill us with amazement, because of the wondrousness of the mercy which covers all thy works. We come by the way of mercy, the way of judgment we dare not tread. On that road there are swords that slay us, and lions that devour, and wrath that burns. We come by the way of the cross. We put our feet in the footprints of Jesus Christ. We stand beside the Priest slain for us by his own hand, and because of this blood we have hope that our sin may be forgiven. We would that every night might see the destruction of the day’s transgression. We would not carry the guilt of today into the unsullied light of to-morrow. We would bury it by the cross of Christ in the darkness of the night, never to be seen again. Thus do thou give us assurance that our guilt shall not be piled up against us into infinite aggravation, but shall be destroyed day by day, so that if we sleep the unwaking sleep, we shall be found in heaven, forgiven souls. Come to us in Christ Jesus, Thy Son, today, and make festival in our souls. May we enter into the Lord’s banqueting house, and enjoy the hospitality of infinite love. May this be no common day in our experience. From the dawn even until the eventide, and the shining of the night stars, may there be joy in our hearts, singing as of angel voices, and lights that shine from the upper places. We would enjoy the Christian Sabbath. We would understand in our hearts the meaning of the resurrection of our Lord, and having looked into the place where the Lord lay, we would look up into the place where the Lord stands, and find in his intercession the utterance of all our prayers. We bless thee for such desires. Thou didst bring the heart out of the darkness, and gave it the joy of light. Once we had no such feeling. We were content with our chains, and found our miserable joy in our mean bondage. Now we have breathed the higher air. Now we have had gleams of the higher light. Now we begin to feel the enjoyment of a nobler fellowship, and our souls are inflamed with high and spiritual desire. Surely thou wilt open thy book with thine own hands. It shall not be to us a book of letters only, but it shall glow with divine presences and sacred influences, and out of the living pages there shall come living gospels. God grant that so it may surely be.

Show us how little we are and frail, always walking upon the brink of our own grave; feeling even in the warm summer air the chill breath of death. Show us that the flowers wither, even whilst they unfold. Give us to feel that winter is at both ends of the spring, and is a continual threatening of its life. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Still lift up our lives above all mean fearfulness, and give us the inspiration of heroism, the noble and glorious courage of men to whom the issues of a great battle are confided. May we be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. May we know what it is to enjoy the assurance of the Divine favour. Being no more tossed about by every wind of doctrine, may we stand in the sanctuary of thy truth, and fear not fire, or tempest, or famine, or sword. Lord God of Elijah, of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the great and glorious company of the Apostles, lift us, the children of modern days, up into very noble manhood, and may the last estate of the world be better than the first.

Comfort us according to the sharpness of our pain. Our eyes are often weary because of the burden of tears. Our sleep sometimes flees away before the ever encroaching anxiety which devours the mind. We have pain of body, sorrow of soul, darkness of outlook. Our property has dwindled, our prosperity has been shaken to its foundation, or there is sickness at home, the little one is ill, the oldest of our loved ones is saying farewell. The heart knoweth its own bitterness. We pray thee, therefore, in Christ thy Son our Saviour, come to us with the comforts that heal the heart, and make us glad because of recovered confidence.

To others thou hast given great joy. Every day sees a battle won. Every night closes upon a fortune advanced. All the days are triumphs. There is no aching of the head, no pain of the heart, no distress of the imagination. Anxiety is a bitterness unknown, and fear has no place in the life. The Lord sanctify such experience, and restrain those who enjoy it, lest they fight against God.

Look over our little life, and repair it every day. The wind blows it down, the fire burns it, the enemy undermines it. Poor little life! So small to begin with, so weak at its best! Oh, pity it! Continue to redeem it. Thou hast not spared the blood of thy Son to ransom it, and therefore at the last it shall be found in thine own hand. Thou that dwellest between the Cherubim shine forth! Amen.

The Election of Deacons

Act 6:1-8

THERE is nothing concealed in the action of the New Testament Church. Verily this whole thing was not done in a corner. The case of Judas Iscariot is not covered up, nor made the least of. It is not referred to furtively as if the writer would gladly escape from the subject. Ananias and Sapphira are not names withdrawn from the sacred record because of the lies which they told. And the murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews is not passed over without reference. The whole life of the Church is brought under the shining light, and everything is narrated, with almost abruptness, as it is with certain minuteness of detail. The Church is not a secret institution. The Church of Christ was never meant to be a concealed force in society, or to have its inner life and inner mechanism, upon which outsiders were not allowed to gaze. Christianity abhors all official secrecy. It is a religion which lives in the daylight. Its registers are not hidden away in iron safes, its writing is written as with a pencil of the sun. It is well known that in consequence of its frankness the Bible has brought upon itself the opprobrium of those who are accustomed to hide all undesirable and repulsive features of character or habits of life. Who would publish an expurgated edition of the Bible! We undertake to adapt our poets to modern tastes and modern readers. There are transactions recorded in the Bible, which, if taken out of their proper atmosphere and setting, cause a sensation of revulsion in the heart, but taken in their places, read according to their surroundings, not torn out of their natural atmosphere, and perused in a high and noble spirit, they are as much part of the Bible as they are part of human life; and they have their high and noble uses in the Bible, which uses can only be understood by those who read in the spirit, and who see in death itself an element out of which life may be brought. It is refreshing to belong to a Church that is so open and fearless, whose judgments are not secret censures, and whose excommunications are not vengeful anathemas, but the just expression of well-argued conclusions.

How was this difficulty of the early Church adjusted? It might have ended in a rapture. To-day it would surely terminate in many instances with a secession. What was it that guided the Church aright in this first misunderstanding and difficulty? The spirit of love ruled the mechanism of the Church. There can be no permanent difficulties in any Church in which the spirit of love is supreme. If a Church is only a religious debating society, then we shall determine many issues merely by numbers, or merely by accidental force of some kind or other. He who introduces the spirit of debate into any community, incurs the very gravest responsibility. We do not meet to argue, to controvert, to oppose one theory to another, we meet to pray. But who can define that great word pray? We have narrowed it, and impoverished, and mechanized it, until now it has become a species of routine. If the Church could meet to pray, to bring a thousand hearts into confluence, to dismiss every dividing force, and quality and quantity, and with a thousand-fold voice to cry from the foot of the Cross to the throne of Heaven, the devil of debate would be burned in his native fire. It is most interesting to watch the rise and culmination of this first difficulty in Church government. The Apostles look well in this relation. What is their starting point? They argue all the question out, from the standpoint of a clear conception of apostolic work. Your first conception will generally determine the whole course of your argument. Starting with a noble conception, a man will naturally fall into the outworking of a noble course, and will generally reach a useful, because worthy and righteous, conclusion. What was the conception of the Apostles of their own work? They magnified their office. “We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.” And the Apostles could pray! Just lately, in this very story, we heard them pray, and the place where they were assembled was shaken! And the Apostles could also preach. They divided their hearers into two classes, friends and enemies. There was no languid opinion about Apostolic preaching. The mere critic could not play his little game at pedantry under the Apostolic sermon. It was one of two things in an Apostolic sermon, repentance, surrender, crying to Heaven for pardon, or gnashing of teeth, and malignant hatred, the very fire of hell! We have come to new definitions, and definitions of a most unfortunate and disastrous kind. We pray quietly, easily, superficially, mechanically, respectably; without sensation, without passion. We could almost write our prayers and read them, and sleep over them, and so could others. The suppliant is never maddened by his own inspiration, so that he shall pray the sun down and open his eyes in unexpected midnight. These regulation hours have ruined us. These beginnings and endings have played havoc with the inspiration of the Church.

The apostles conceiving their work to be of this high and supreme kind, were rather anxious than otherwise to escape the daily ministration of the tables. Up* to this time they had taken part in the distribution of the public stock, and now they gladly seized the opportunity of leaving this necessary routine to others who were ready to undertake it, whilst they went forward to do the large and inclusive work. This supreme conception of Apostolic service, was itself ennobled by the trust which the Apostles reposed in the people. Who were called together? The whole multitude. The apostles “called the multitude of the disciples unto them.” He is the great apostle who has faith in the people. Christianity is the people’s religion pre-eminently. There are those in the ministry of Christ who can testify that they owe all their comfort, prosperity, and influence, to the trust which they reposed in the people. The Apostles did not form a little company. They did not select certain notables, or approved specimens, but having to deal with a people’s question, they consulted the people’s instinct, and therein they have set an example to all Christian associations. Let it never be forgotten, that in this first difficulty of the Church the Apostles did not undertake to settle this matter themselves, nor did they call representatives of the Church, they called the whole multitude, and left it to be adjusted and determined by the whole Church.

Whilst this was the case at the outset, it was impossible that the whole Church could constitute a committee of action, therefore the apostles said, “Look ye out seven men,” who shall really be yourselves condensed. Such men as shall themselves be equal to the whole multitude. Large-minded generous men, who can see every aspect of a case, and deal with noble wisdom with the practical difficulties of life. The qualifications of the seven are plainly stated. They were to be, “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” There are no merely secular duties in the Church. We have divided Church service into the temporalities and the spiritualities. I am not aware that such a distinction was acknowledged by the Apostles. But allowing that some things might be called temporalities, even they were to be handled by men, “full of the Holy Ghost.” Church matters are not merely matters of political system. There is nothing done in Christ’s Church, whether the opening of a door, the lighting of a lamp, or the preaching of the everlasting Gospel, that is not to be done under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. A door may be so opened as to affront the Spirit of God; a visitor may be so shown to a seat as to manifest a truly Christian spirit on the part of the indicator. There is no part of our work in any section that is not holy unto the Lord. Art thou weary in well doing? Remember thy weariness is an offence to God. If man engaged me to be in the ministry I might sometimes be annoyed by it, and be tempted to flee away from it, but when God ordains a man to the ministry, and ordains him in the mountain somewhere, and ordains him at the Cross of His own Son, he is not at liberty to take offence, he does not live within the region where whims and prejudices ought to take effect. He is God’s servant, whether called by this name or not, and he must take his orders from God and to God must submit his work. So, as I read Christian history; I see that the ministry is one. We are all the ministers of Christ; the doorkeeper and the preacher are both in the same ministry, there are no priests and outsiders. There is no outer circle and inner circle in my conception of the Church. You have the gift of opening a door, I may have the gift of expounding a passage, both the gifts are from the same Giver. I have no doubt that the men chosen in this text were better able to serve tables than the Apostles. We have not all the same gifts. We must rid ourselves of the mischievous sophism which teaches us that some kinds of service are menial. There is no menial service in the Church, unless you make it menial by an unworthy spirit.

Looked at as a piece of Church statesmanship, can you suggest a single amendment to this policy? Do not the Apostles vindicate their Apostleship by their noble wisdom and their general strength of mind, and by their practical sagacity? It is not every man in the Apostleship who could have settled a case so. The ancient proverb tells us that “every fool will be meddling.” The reason why some ministers are uncomfortable and unsettled is that they will meddle with things that they really cannot arrange. I have confidence in the people. Impose a duty upon a friend, and show by your manner of doing it that you mean him to reveal his best quality. When this spirit seizes us all distribution of labour will not be a division of front, but will rather show that the front is more united because the labour is wisely divided. This instance gives us a glance into the inner life of the early Church. There was great success in those days. We long to have lived amid that tumult of triumph. It is dull now. It is weary monotony today. To have lived when the war-horses went out in thousands, and their riders returned with infinite spoil! Oh, they were brave days of old! There were giants on the earth in ancient times. Men were converted in multitudes. There came against the Church daily a great human flood. It is not so now. It is easy to take the census of religious attendance today. The old grave days of tumult and uproar, and rush, and sacred eagerness to be first at the sanctuary, read like a species of religious romance. Who is to blame? Has God changed, or has man become weary? In the ancient Church you see an illustration of the possibility of there being superiority without jealousy. There were the twelve Apostles and the seven helpers, and the seven did not entertain jealousy about the twelve, nor did the twelve make censorious remarks about the seven. They divided their labour, and went to work with both hands to serve the Master. Jealousy kills us all today. We dare not speak to one man lest another man should see the action. There are those who would gladly give something to know if we shake hands more warmly with one man than with another. How did this evil spirit get into the Church? Mark, I am not speaking about any particular Church, but about the whole Church of Christ, the whole world over. Jealousy is as cruel as the grave; it can only be cast out by the Spirit of God. If a man feel himself the very least under the influence of jealousy, he ought at once to betake himself to fasting and prayer. You know well enough whether there is any jealousy in your heart. If there is, I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that you kill it this very day. Could I be jealous of the success of another minister, I would be no minister of Christ myself. His success is mine. To that spirit must we come. Tell me of any Church that is crowded with eager thousands, that is the scene of daily triumphs in Christ, and I am a member of that Church. Its triumphs are ours, we are not divided householders; we are one great family.

What was the effect upon the public? When this matter was settled, the result upon the public mind is given in these words, in Act 6:7 , “The word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.” It is equal to cause and effect. A united Church means a world impressed by the noble scene. The Church of Christ is not united today. There are Christians of high and noble quality who are not, would not, could not occupy a pulpit out of their own communion. The law forbids them. High ecclesiastical authority interdicts them and yet we are said to be all Christians. The noble purpose of Christ is marred by certain geographical distinctions and ecclesiastical arrangements, in the making of which Providence had neither part nor lot. The Church must be united before the world will be redeemed. Hence Christ’s great prayer, “May they all be one, that the world may believe.” We want the apostle now who can bring men together, who can magnify points of union, who can show that the Church, though divided on many minor points, ought to realize its vital union, magnify and display it, and thus Christ’s soul would be satisfied.

The 8th verse deals exclusively with Stephen. We shall have something to say about Stephen presently. They made him a minister of tables, and he became the first martyr of his Master. Stephen was developed by circumstances. Being put into this office, he developed his true quality of mind and heart. There are those who cannot be kept in obscurity, and who cannot be limited to merely technical publicity. What if Stephen had been the predestined successor of Iscariot? What if this man had been unintentionally neglected? Who can tell? Into these matters we may not enter; but whoever is full of faith and power will do great miracles and wonders in every age, and if he escapes martyrdom it will be by some supreme miracle of God.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

XI

THE OFFICE OF DEACON, THE PHARISAIC PERSECUTION, STEPHEN AND SAUL TO THE FRONT, A NEW ISSUE, AND THE REJECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE ANOINTED CHURCH BY JERUSALEM

Act 6:1-8:3 .

So far in the book of Acts we have considered two leading thoughts: (1) the coming of the Holy Spirit to occupy and to accredit the church; (2) the Sadducean persecution, waged on account of the issue made by the church and the Holy Spirit that Christ was risen from the dead. The topics of discussion in this chapter are very important. We have already noted that the protracting of the great revival commenced at Pentecost (which really lasted three and a half years), detained, in the Holy City, multitudes of the Jews of the dispersion for so long a time that great necessity arose, which was met by a burst of philanthropy never surpassed in the world’s history.

Our first topic is the creation of the office of deacon. The church was composed of Hebrews and Hellenists, or Grecians. The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews, speaking the mixed Hebrew tongue, called Aramaic, and were generally more rigid than the Hellenists in devotion to all the rites and traditions of the past.

The problem of fairly distributing the benevolent fund of the church to all the needy ones now confronted the church. There came up a complaint on the part of the Grecians, that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. That was the problem. It would not do to have the church divided on a matter of that kind, and there had to be a solution of that problem. The solution was that the apostles ordered the church as a whole to select a body of men who should attend to this financial, or secular matter; and that they would then be ordained to the work by prayer and the laying on of hands. The church thereupon elected seven men, calling them from among the Grecians, the parties from whom the complaint came, and these seven men took charge of this matter and relieved the apostles from having to consider the temporalities when all their energies should be devoted to preaching the Word. That was the solution of the problem.

Let us connect and explain the following: Act 2:45 , where they had everything common, and out of that common fund provided for all the necessitous cases of the entire congregation; Act 4:35 , where Barnabas and others sold their possessions and put the proceeds of the sale into this common fund; Act 6:1 , where complaint arose about the fairness in the distribution of this fund; Act 11:29 and Act 12:25 , where a contribution was made for the purpose of aiding the poor saints in Jerusalem; 1Co 16:1-4 , where Paul says, “As I have given order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store . . . that no collections be made when I come,” this fund to be sent to Judea to help the poor saints; 2 Corinthians 8-9, which is devoted to the same subject; and 1Ti 5:3-11 , where Paul instructs Timothy, who was then at Ephesus, as to what kind of widows to receive on this beneficiary list.

My object in grouping these scriptures is to show more clearly than heretofore in what respect they had “all things common” that it was with regard to the necessity. Those who had abundance either gave money, or sold their property and got money, and put it into a common fund, and that fund had to be distributed among all of the necessitous cases, according as each had need.

When you study this account all the way through the New Testament, you will see that it did not approximate in meaning what the Socialists now claim for it; that it did not mean that all of the property was to be common, but that all should participate according to the ability, to create a fund common to the necessity.

We have here the lesson in church polity, that though the apostles themselves were present, the election of officers must be by the church, being congregational in form and polity, and every member of the church, male and female, being entitled to an equal vote in matters that related to the congregation. We have already found the same thing in the election of the successor to Judas. Here again it is made perfectly plain that even the twelve men, inspired of God, did not assume to elect officers of the church. They directed the church to do the electing, and they participated in the ordination. This was the institution of the deacon’s office referred to in Phi 1:1 , where Paul writes to the bishops and deacons, and whose qualifications are set forth in 1Ti 3:8-13 .

The philosophic ground on which this institution rests is the division of labor. An Old Testament parallel is Jethro’s suggestion to Moses to appoint judges to judge the small matters, and let him (Moses) judge only of matters God-ward. In Christ’s time, Judas exercised the deacon’s office. That college of apostles was a church in embryo, and Judas, one of the twelve, carried the bag, with the result that he extracted from it its contents. “He was a thief,” John says. We may well ask another question: Is there a failure when the preacher exercises the deacon function, and was that the reason for now putting this temporal matter into the bands of laymen?

A preacher can dip a brush In lampblack and swab out all the white in his reputation, if he goes wrong on the use of church funds.

I knew a preacher who wanted all the time to be deacon as well as pastor; he kept all the funds, and there was a great row at the final examination of his financial accounts.

The Methodists and the Romanists both hold that a deacon is an order of the clergy. It cannot be that it was intended to institute a new order in the ministry, for the reason assigned: “We cannot leave the word of God and serve tables; therefore, look ye out brethren from among you, suitable men, to attend to this, and we will give ourselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer.” That makes it perfectly plain that they were not intending to create a new order of preachers, but secular officers to attend to the temporalities of the church.

I heard a sermon by a great Mississippi Baptist preacher, S. S. Lattimore, father of J. C. Lattimore, of Waco, and 0. S. Lattimore, of Fort Worth. The subject was, “We Cannot Leave the Word of God to Serve Tables,” and the position he took was that the deacon is elected to serve tables: (1) The tables of the poor. (2) The table of the Lord’s Supper. (3) The table of the pastor. I thought it a very ingenious division of the table question.

If, then, it was not intended to create a new order in the ministry, what about the preaching of two of these deacons Stephen and Philip? The explanation is that deacons sometimes become preachers. Two of these seven did. We see such things happen now, but they were not elected to the office of preacher in this case (Act 6:1-6 ).

The present classifications in the ministry are: (1) pastors, meaning shepherds; bishops, meaning overseers of the work, which refers to the same office; pastors or bishops are those that have charge of the church; (2) evangelists, or kingdom preachers; (3) missionaries. A missionary may not necessarily be an evangelist. Those can hardly be called different orders in the ministry that is, one is not higher than the other; it is not a graded thing, but it is a classification.

Some people are concerned to know whether a deacon should be a married man and a father. I will say that is better, but I would not consider it absolutely necessary. We certainly cannot infer it from the passage that is usually quoted: “Likewise their wives . . . grave.” The word does not mean “wives,” i.e., the wives of deacons, but it means “deaconesses.” It is better that these men be men of rich religious character and experience, and possessing the confidence of the denomination, as they are going to handle public funds.

The result of the solution of this problem which confronted the church is found in Act 6:7 : “The word of God increased, and multitudes were converted.” There are certain essential elements of the rite or ceremony of ordination indicated here: (1) election by the church; (2) prayer; (3) laying on of hands. Those three things belong to the rite, or the ceremony, or ordination.

These remarks have been preliminary. We now advance in the discussion. A new man came to the front at this time, and his character and work rendered him prominent, not only then, but in all ages since. That man was Stephen, and the character of his work was as follows. The record states (1) that he was full of the Holy Spirit; (2) that he was full of faith; (3) that he wrought miracles and wonders. When it says that he was full of faith, it means that he had a clearer and stronger faith than any other man then living on the earth. No one of the apostles had such clear recognition of the meaning of the kingdom of God and of the church and of the work of the church as this man Stephen. He is the colossal figure in the history of the early church. He presented a new matter to the people which it took the apostles a long time to see.

In Act 6:9 we find a synagogue and some other terms of the verse that need explanation. This was a Jewish synagogue, not for resident Jews, but for Jews of the dispersion, who stayed for a long time in Jerusalem, and as they did not understand the Hebrew language, the ordinary Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem did not benefit them much, so it is called (1) the synagogue of the “Libertines” (Freedmen); (2) “Cyreneans and Alexandrians” Jews from northern Africa, where they had been settled by one of the Ptolemies; (3) “Cilicia and Asia,” the home of Saul; a great many Cilician Jews were in that synagogue. It is implied in their making an issue with Stephen that Stephen himself, being a Grecian, being one of the dispersed Jews, and better able to speak to that class than to the Hebrews, was pushing, particularly among these dispersed Jews, the grand thoughts concerning the kingdom of God that he bore in his own mind. He was very aggressive; he carried the war into the enemy’s territory. Saul of Tarsus was probably the rabbi of this synagogue. He was educated first at home, then he was graduated in their theological school, of which Gamaliel was president, and became a rabbi, and was of this particular synagogue.

The method of resistance to the gospel now adopted by this synagogue, which was entirely new, was to debate the question. There had been no debate heretofore. The Sadducees did not try to debate with them. This young man, Saul, was a trained thinker, speaker and logician, and he did not propose to let this thing go without “tackling” it in debate. So there was a challenge for debate. Stephen was making certain points, and he was making them among these Grecian people. Still young and ambitious, he had his fire; he believed confidently in his ability to beat any man in -the world. They put it up to him to debate the question. And this is the new method of resistance. The two opposing were the rabbi of this synagogue, and Stephen, who was pushing war over into that synagogue. I would like to have heard the discussion. I am sure it was a fight of the giants.

The issue now is not the resurrection of the dead, but on the whole of the old dispensation having served its purpose; it is vanishing and a new dispensation takes its place. Many of the things in the old dispensation were nailed to the cross of Christ. Their great Temple is now an empty house; its veil is rent in twain from top to bottom; a new temple has been anointed, according to the prophet Daniel, in Daniel 9 the anointing of the most holy place the Holy Spirit coming down and filling the house that Jesus built, leaving the other house vacant. Everything in connection with that system that is local and transitory has vanished away. In other words, Stephen was making right there in that debate just exactly the argument that is made in the letter to the Hebrews that in the new dispensation is a greater than Moses, a greater than the angels, a greater than Joshua, a greater than Aaron. That a greater sacrifice than the bullocks, sheep, and goats, offered on Jewish altars, had been offered. There is then the new temple, the new Sabbath also, everything new now; just what the letter to the Hebrews discusses. This is the issue that Stephen made that this Jesus is the one pointed out by Moses and by the prophets as the true Messiah. That is the forward step taken by Stephen.

The result of the debate is given in Act 6:10 : “And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spake.” They could not resist the power of his eloquence, and Saul went down in the fight. A deaf man was once asked why he attended a big debate, since he could not hear. He said he could always tell which side got whipped. “Why?” he was asked. “Because the one that gets whipped gets mad.” So Saul, failing in this new method of resistance by discussion, revived an old one, an account of which we find in Act 6:11-14 . They took up that old “rusty sword of persecution” that the Sadducees had tried. They took this thing into the courts, and brought the power of the council to bear on it, and decided this matter dogmatically.

When they arrested Stephen and tried him before the Sanhedrin there were three charges, and that shows what he had been preaching:

(1) Their witnesses testified that this man Stephen had spoken blasphemous words about their Temple. I have no doubt that Stephen said it was an empty house that had served its day that it was only waiting a short time until it would be blotted out from the earth, and one stone would not be left upon another that it was never to be erected again, never to have the altar of sacrifices again. That is the first charge, and we see how plausible they made it.

(2) That he spoke against the law. I have no doubt that they made plausible proof on that, and yet it was false. He did not speak against the law, but just as Christ said: “I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil it” that the law in all of its types and shadows and ritual had been completed, filled full, and there was no more use for it; that there was a new law, calling for a different Sacrifice, calling for a different Priest.

(3) That he preached that so far as the customs taught by Moses were typical and ritualistic, and pertaining to a past dispensation, they would be changed. I have no’ doubt that he stood there and preached that the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles was broken down and ground to powder. And he had more faith in that than any other man of his time. His appearance and bearing before the Sanhedrin were marvelous. He did not look like a guilty man; he did not look scared. When they looked steadfastly at him they saw a face illumined a face like the face of an angel. The Lord God was the light of his countenance. The light and glory of God was in his eye. He stood there as a king among men. He did not come in like a whipped cur, begging pardon for existence or appealing for pity.

Let us analyze his defense, and especially make clear his charge against them. The defense corresponds to the charge in its three parts Act 6:13-14 . It shows that the Jews misunderstood their own scriptures, which distinctly showed the transitory nature of the old dispensation. He submits his proof: (a) That Moses foretold the coming of a Prophet like unto himself, whose teaching should be final, (b) The prophets foretold the same thing, (c) The tabernacle of Moses was temporary, and succeeded by the Temple, (d) That God had left the old Temple, since he dwelleth in a temple not made with hands. Stephen was preaching a temple not made with hands the church every stone in this new temple being a living stone, or a converted man or woman, (e) That all through the probations of their history they had rejected the definitely appointed leaders. They had rejected Moses; they had rejected God; they had rejected the prophets; they had rejected the Lord himself, when he came in fulfilment of the prophecy of Moses; and now, to cap the climax, they were rejecting the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent from heaven; they were resisting the anointed church which that Spirit accredited. The effect of the defense and the charge on that Sanhedrin was terrific: “They gnashed on him with their teeth.” They were “cut to the heart.” The word of God was a sword in the hands of Stephen. It was living and powerful, and dividing the joints, reaching the marrow and laying bare the soul itself in its nakedness. His face was shining. One of the great painters, Rembrandt, obtained his special style by putting a halo around the face. The photographers adopt that style now, in which the face is flooded with light, and this is exhibited in the picture. We read that the face of Stephen was illumined, and looking up, far above earthly courts, he sees the heavens opened, and the heavenly court. He sees the supreme court of the universe, the glory of God, and Jesus, who is represented as seated on the right hand of God. He has leaped up to his feet. Stephen said, “I see Jesus, standing at the right hand of the majesty on high.”

That vision was according to a prophecy of our Lord. When Christ had been put on oath, about three and a half years before this time, by this same Sanhedrin, having the same officers, he said (testifying under oath that he was the Messiah), “Hereafter ye shall see me at the right hand of God.” They counted that blasphemy when Christ said it. Now Stephen, remembering the words of the Lord says, “I see him. He said he would appear at the right hand of God. I see him there.” His appearance was his demonstration that he was the Messiah. According to what promise of the Lord? Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself.” When the time of a Christian’s death approaches, there is a coming of the Lord. Jesus meets him at the depot of death, and receives him into the everlasting tabernacles. Stephen, the brittle thread of his life about to be snapped in twain, and his soul to be evicted by violence from his crumbling body, says, “I see him; he is standing; he said he would come, and he has come.” What was the reason of the effect on that council? It is that this vision which this man evidently saw was a plea established upon what Christ had said, and, therefore, they were affected instead of this man being affected, and though affected, yet not in love with the truth brought to light. They hated it. The greater its light the more they squirmed; the greater the light, the more they writhed in it. Just like a worm exposed to the light, they could not stand the effect of the light. So they brought in a verdict on the charge of blasphemy, and he was executed as indicated by the penalty, which was stoning. Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin and voted in rendering this verdict, the proof of which is found in Act 8:1 ; Act 26:10 : “Saul was consenting unto his death . . . when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them.” But Stephen made a twofold prayer, which sustains a relation to the words and deeds of our Lord. His first prayer was, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” looking into the face of Jesus, just as we look into any man’s face. Jesus was there, and as the tenement of clay was about to crumble, and the soul was about to be evicted, Stephen said, “Lord, receive my spirit.” What word of Christ does he recollect? “It is finished. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” The other part of his prayer was, “Lord Jesus, lay not this sin to their charge,” praying for his murderers.. Jesus made intercession for the transgressors: “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” So Stephen was talking to the Lord, that he lay not this sin to their charge. Augustine said of this prayer in one of his great homilies:

Si Stephanus non sic orasset, Eccleaia Paulum non haberet.

If Stephen had not so prayed, The Church had not had Paul.

I sometimes think of that prayer and that fiery disputant who was mad because he had been defeated in the debate, and who is now a persecutor, a witness and judge, and of Stephen, looking in the face of the Saviour, and saying, “Lord, lay not this sin to Saul’s charge,” and then I track that prayer until I see it answered.

There is special significance in the fact that the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of Saul. He was the chief persecutor, and as the law required that the witnesses should lay aside their outer cloaks, and cast the first stone, so when they disrobed themselves of their outer cloak in order to stone Stephen, they brought their clothes and put them at the feet of this young man named Saul, showing that everything was being done under his direction and leadership.

The persecution now commenced is unlike the Sadducean persecution. It is the most sweeping transaction that the Jews ever conducted in their history. It includes that most abominable of all exercises inaugurated inquisitorial visitation into the private home, and the dragging of men and women violently before the courts, and then when they were put to death, Saul gave his vote against them. It reached every man, every woman, and every child in the church, except the apostles, and expatriated those whom it did not select. The fire was so hot that they fled in every direction.

A distinct prophetic period here ends according to Daniel, who said that when the Messiah comes, he will confirm the covenant with many for one week; that in the middle of the week he should be cut off that is, he would confirm it for one week of three-and-a-half years during his public ministry, and then he would confirm it three-and-a-half years after his death. This persecution of Saul is the end of the second three and-a-half years. Hereafter the salvation of the Jews is an exception; hence there will be no ingathering of the Jews until they shall say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” It means that the God of salvation is now shut out from their faces. But this persecution affects the church in a broader understanding of its commission. Its members see now, as I will show in a subsequent discussion, that Samaria must have the Word of God; that the Gentiles must also have it, as was seen in the forward step of this fiery Stephen, such as they had never had before, and that no apostle had up to that time. This gives Stephen a prominent place in the transition. He is a keystone figure in the transaction. He is the colossal leader that gets the church out of its rut of preaching to Jews only, and puts the wheels of the carriage of salvation on a graded road and track that will lead to every nation, tribe, tongue, and kindred in the world. Likewise Saul sustained a vital relation to this great transition. He was the man who by that debate and that persecution, just as effectually, though unconsciously, helped to spread the gospel to the whole world, as he did later when he preached it himself. Thus again the wrath of man was made to praise God.

But what of the execution of Stephen on the verdict of a Jewish court, on a Jewish charge, with a Jewish penalty, as compared with what the same Sanhedrin had said three years before to Pilate (Joh 18:31 ) of the unlawfulness of their putting a man to death? Pilate said, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law,” and they said, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” Here they were putting a man to death, and they were trying him according to their law, and Paul says, “We tried and put to death.” Here is the explanation: This was the year A.D. 37, in which Tiberius, the Emperor, died, and the new emperor had not come in, and as procurators were appointees of emperors, there were no procurators. At this juncture there was no procurator in Palestine, no Pontius Pilate, and, therefore, they took matters into their own hands at the risk of a subsequent explanation of it when the emperor should come to it. Just here the Pharisee persecution ended by the conversion of Saul, and then the church had rest (Act 9:31 ).

Act 7:2-3 ; Act 7:22 ; Act 7:25 ; Act 7:53 shed much light on the Old Testament. Act 7:2-3 says, “The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.” The Revised Version of Genesis indicates that God’s call to Abraham took place after he got into the promised land. Stephen here says that that call came before he got to Haran. The King James Version rightly translates Gen 12:1 and the Revised Version “slips up” on it. The Authorized Version says, “God had said to Abraham.” Act 7:22 says, “And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works.” That throws light on the education of Moses, and also on the public official deeds of Moses. Act 7:25 says, “And he [Moses] supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance.” That throws light on the interference of Moses in Egypt, and shows that God had told him that he was to deliver Israel. He had a revelation which we do not learn from Exodus. He supposed his people understood that they were to be delivered by him. Act 7:53 says, “Ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.” That is light on the Sinaitic covenant that it came through the ministry of angels, later reaffirmed in the New Testament, accepted by Jews, and especially claimed by Josephus. Just here is needed an explanation of Act 7:16 , which says, “And they were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for the price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” The only explanation of that is that there is an error in the text of the copyist. Abraham did not buy that land. If we go back far enough we will see that it was Jacob’s and not Abraham’s; and that Jacob claimed that he got it by bow and spear. His sons, Levi and Simeon, got it by as rascally a trick as was ever perpetrated.

QUESTIONS 1. What are the leading topics so far discussed in Acts?

2. What are the themes of this chapter?

3. What is the distinction between Grecians and Hebrews in Act 6:1 ?

4. What problem now confronted the church, and what its solution?

5. Connect and explain the following scriptures: Act 2:45 ; Act 4:35 ; Act 6:1 ; Act 11:29 ; Act 12:25 ; 1Co 16:1-14 ; 1Cor. 8-9; and 1Ti 5:3-11 .

6. What lesson of church polity here taught?

7. Was this the institution of the deacon’s office referred to in Phi 1:1 , and whose qualifications are set forth in 1Ti 3:8-13 ? What the proof?

8. On what philosophic ground does this institution rest, what Old Testament parallel, who in Christ’s lifetime exercised the deacon’s office, and what the result?

9. Was the deaconship, now established, an order in the ministry as taught by some denominations? If not, how explain the preaching of Stephen and Philip, who were deacons?

10. What are the present classifications in the ministry? Give examples.

11. Must a deacon be a married man and a father?

12. What was the result of the solution of this problem, which confronted the church?

13. What are the essential elements of the rite of ordination?

14. What new man now comes to the front, and what character of his work rendered him prominent, not only then, but in all ages since?

15. Explain the synagogue of Act 6:9 and the other terms of the verse, and what is implied in their making an issue with Stephen?

16. Who was probably the rabbi of this synagogue?

17. What entirely new method of resistance to the gospel now adopted by this synagogue, and who were the opposing leaders?

18. What is the issue this time as contrasted with the Sadducean issue, and what great forward step had been taken by Stephen which created this issue?

19. What is the result of the debate?

20. Failing in this new method of resistance by discussion, what old one did they revive?

21. What charges did they bring against Stephen, and what the plausibleness of each?

22. What his appearance and bearing before the Sanhedrin?

23. Analyze his defense; especially make clear his charge against them.

24. What is the effect of the defense and the charge, on the council?

25. What is the vision of Stephen, what its relation to a prophecy of our Lord, also to a promise of our Lord, and what the reason of its effect on the council?

26. Did they render a verdict, and on what charge was he executed, as indicated by the penalty?

27. Was Saul a member of the Sanhedrin, did he vote in casting this verdict, and what the proof?

28. What was Stephen’s twofold prayer, and what its relation to the words and deeds of our Lord?

29. What said Augustine of this prayer in one of his great homilies?

30. What is the significance of the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of Saul?

31. What is the sweeping persecution that followed, what its signification, what its character, what its extent, and what its result?

32. What distinct prophetic period ends here, and what its meaning to the Jewish nation?

33. How did this persecution affect the church with reference to the commission?

34. What may be said of Stephen’s relation to this great transition?

35. What was Paul’s relation to it?

36. Compare the execution of Stephen on the verdict of a Jewish court, on a Jewish charge, with a Jewish penalty, with what the same Sanhedrin had said three years before to Pilate, and explain.

37. How did the Pharisee persecution end?

38. What light on the Old Testament from Act 7:2-3 ?

39. What light is also from Act 7:22 ?

40. What is from Act 7:25 ?

41. What is from Act 7:53 ?

42. Harmonize Act 7:14 with Gen 46:26 f; Exo 1:5 ; Deu 10:22 .

43. Explain Act 7:16 .

44. Explain the word “church” in Act 7:38 .

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Ver. 1. Of the Grecians ] , Graecists; such (say some) as were by birth and religion Hebrews, but dispersed among the Gentiles; those to whom James and Peter wrote their Epistles. Others think they were Greek proselytes, that were circumcised, and read the Septuagint.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

1 7. ] ELECTION OF SEVEN PERSONS TO SUPERINTEND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALMS.

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

1. ] , in contrast to the former entire unity of the church: introducing that great and important chapter in her history of Judaizing divisions , which from this time onward disquieted her.

. . . ] See ch. Act 1:15 : but not necessarily as there, ‘within a very few days:’ the expression is quite indefinite. Some time must have elapsed since ch. Act 4:32 .

] The Hellenists (from ) were the Grecian Jews : not only those who were themselves proselytes, nor only those who came of families once proselytized, but all who, on account of origin or habitation, spoke Greek as their ordinary language, and used ordinarily the LXX version.

The Hebrews were the pure Jews , not necessarily resident in Palestine (e.g. Paul, who was , Phi 3:5 . See also 2Co 11:22 ), nor necessarily of unmixed Jewish descent , else the . would hardly have been an additional distinction, but rather distinguished by language , as speaking the Syro-Chaldaic and using the Hebrew Scriptures.

] The use of this appropriate word shews, I think, that Olsh.’s supposition, that implies all their poor , is not correct. Those poor who could attend for themselves and represent their case were served: but the widows , who required more searching out at their own houses, were overlooked. And this because the Apostles, who certainly before this had the charge of the duty of distribution, being already too much occupied in the ministry of the Word to attend personally to it, had entrusted it apparently to some deputies among the Hebrews , who had committed this oversight. For the low estimation in which the Hellenistic Jews were held by the Hebrews , see Biscoe, History of the Acts, pp. 60, 61.

. . . ] Some have argued from this that there must have been ‘deacons’ before: and that those now elected (see below on their names) were only for the service of the Hellenistic Jews. But I should rather believe, with De Wette and Rthe, that the Apostles had as yet, by themselves or by non-official deputies, performed the duty. The was the daily distribution of food: see on Act 6:2 .

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Act 6:1 . ; cf. Act 1:15 , and see above in Act 5:41 . There seems no occasion to regard as marking a contrast between Act 5:41 and the opening of this chapter, or as contrasting the outward victory of the Church with its inward dissensions (as Meyer, Holtzmann, Zechler, see Nsgen’s criticism in loco ); simply introduces a new recital as in Act 3:1 . It may refer back to the notice in Act 5:14 of the increase of the disciples, and this would be in harmony with the context. On the expression . ., as characteristic of Luke, see above, and Friedrich, Das Lucasevangelium , p. 9; in both his Gospel and the Acts expressions with abound. Harnack admits that in passing to this sixth chapter “we at once enter on historical ground,” Expositor , 5, p. 324 (3rd series). For views of the partition critics see Wendt’s summary in new edition (1899), p. 140, Hilgenfeld, Zeitschrift fr wissenschaft. Theol. , p. 390 ff. (1895), and also in commentary below. Wendt sees in Act 6:1-7 the hand of the redactor, the author of Act 2:5 ; others suppose that we have in 6 the commencement of a new Hellenistic source; so Feine, J. Weiss, Hilgenfeld. Clemen refers Act 6:7-8 to his Historia Petri , whilst Act 6:9 commences his Historia Hellenistarum (Act 6:1-6 belong to a special source); others again see in chap. 6 the continuance of an earlier source or sources. , when the number of the disciples was multiplying (present part [188] ); verb frequent in LXX, sometimes intrans. as here, Exo 1:20 , etc., and see Psalms of Solomon , Act 10:1 , and note in Ryle and James’ edition; cf. also its classical use in its more correct form, , in the Acts: Act 6:7 ; Act 7:17 ; Act 9:31 ; Act 12:24 . On St. Luke’s fondness for this and similar words (Friedrich) see p. 73. Weiss calls it here a very modest word, introduced by one who knew nothing of the conversions in many of the preceding chapters. But the word, and especially its use in the present participle, rather denotes that the numbers went on increasing, and so rapidly that the Apostles found the work of relief too great for them. , the word occurs here for the first time in the Acts (surely an insufficient ground for maintaining with Hilgenfeld that we are dealing with a new source). The same word is found frequently in each of the Gospels, twenty-eight times in Acts ( once, Act 9:36 ), but never in the Epistles. It evidently passed into the ancient language of the early Church from the earthly days of the ministry of Jesus, and may fairly be regarded as the earliest designation of the Christians; but as the associations connected with it (the thought that Jesus was the and His followers His ) passed into the background it quickly dropped out of use, although in the Acts the name is still the rule for the more ancient times and for the Jewish-Christian Churches; cf. Act 21:16 . In the Acts we have the transition marked from to the brethren and saints of the Epistles. The reason for the change is obvious. During the lifetime of Jesus the disciples were called after their relationship to Him; after His departure the names given indicated their relation to each other and to the society (Dr. Sanday, Inspiration , p. 289). And as an evidential test of the date of the various N.T. writings this is just what we might expect: the Gospels have their own characteristic vocabulary, the Epistles have theirs, whilst Acts forms a kind of link between the two groups, Gospels and Epistles. It is, of course, to be remembered that both terms and are also found in Acts, not to the exclusion of, but alongside with, ( cf., e.g. , Act 9:26 ; Act 9:30 , Act 21:4 ; Act 21:7 ; Act 21:16-17 ): the former in all parts of the book, and indeed more frequently than , as applied to Christians; the latter four times, Act 9:13 ; Act 9:32 ; Act 9:41 , Act 26:10 . But if our Lord gave the charge to His disciples recorded in St. Mat 28:19 , bidding them make disciples of all the nations, ( cf. also Act 14:21 for the same word), then we can understand that the term would still be retained, as it was so closely associated with the last charge of the Master, whilst a mutual discipleship involved a mutual brotherhood (Mat 23:8 ). St. Paul in his Epistles would be addressing those who enjoyed through Christ a common share with himself in a holy fellowship and calling, and whom he would therefore address not as but as and . They were still , yet not of man but of the Lord (only in one passage in Acts, and that a doubtful one, Act 9:43 , is the word or used of any human teacher), and the word was still true of them with that significance, and is still used up to a period subsequent (we may well believe) to the writing of several of Paul’s Epistles, Act 21:16 . How the word left its impress upon the thought of the Church, in the claim of the disciple to be as his Master, is touchingly evidenced by the expressions of St. Ign., Ephes. i. 2; Magn. , ix., 2; Rom. iv. 2; Tral. , v., 2 (St. Polyc., Martyr , xvii., 3, where the word is applied to the martyrs as disciples of the Lord, and the prayer is offered: ). and are both used by St. Luke ( cf. Luk 5:30 ), by St. John, and also by St. Paul, Phi 2:14 , and 1Co 10:10 , the noun also by St. Peter, Act 1:4 ; Act 1:9 . The noun is found seven times in the LXX of Israel in the wilderness ( cf. 1Co 10:10 ); so in Phi 2:14 it is probable that the same passage, Exo 16:7 , was in the Apostle’s mind, as in the next verse he quotes from the Song of Moses, Deu 32:5 , LXX; so is also found in LXX with the same meaning, Num 14:27 . is also found in Wis 1:10 , Sir 46:7 , with reference to Num 14:26-27 , and twice in Psalms of Solomon Act 5:15 , Act 16:11 . In Attic Greek would be used (so and ). Phrynichus brands the other forms as Ionian, but Dr. Kennedy maintains that and from their frequent use in the LXX are rather to be classed amongst “vernacular terms” long continued in the speech of the people, from which the LXX drew. Both words are probably onomatopoetic. Kennedy, Sources of N. T. Greek , pp. 38 40, 72, 73, 76; see also Rutherford, New Phrynichus , p. 463; Deissmann, Bibelstudien , p. 106. Here the word refers rather to indignatio clandestina , not to an open murmuring. . The meaning of the term, which was a matter of conjecture in St. Chrysostom’s day, cannot be said to be decided now (Hort, Judaistic Christianity , p. 48). The verb , to speak Greek (Xen., Anab. , vii., 3, 25), helps us reasonably to define it as a Greek-speaking Jew (so also Holtzmann and Wendt). The term occurs again in Act 9:29 (and Act 11:20 ? see in loco ), and includes those Jews who had settled in Greek-speaking countries, who spoke the common Greek dialect in place of the vernacular Aramaic current in Palestine, and who would be more or less acquainted with Greek habits of life and education. They were therefore a class distinguished not by descent but by language. This word “Grecians” (A.V.) was introduced to distinguish them from the Greeks by race, but the rendering “Grecian Jews” (R.V.) makes the distinction much plainer. Thus in the Dispersion “the cultured Jew was not only a Jew but a Greek as well”; he would be obliged from force of circumstances to adapt himself to his surroundings more or less, but, even in the more educated, the original Jewish element still predominated in his character; and if this was true of the higher it was still more true of the lower classes amongst the Hellenists no adoption of the Greek language as their mode of speech, no separation of distance from the Holy City, no defections in their observances of the law, or the surrender as unessential of points which the Pharisees deemed vital, could make them forget that they were members of the Commonwealth of Israel, that Palestine was their home, and the Temple their pride, see B.D. 2 , “Hellenist,” Schrer, Jewish People , div. ii., vol. ii., p. 282, E.T.; Hamburger, Real-Encyclopdie des Judentums , ii., 3, “Griechenthum”. But bearing this description in mind, we can the more easily understand the conflict with Stephen, and his treatment by those who were probably his fellow-Hellenists. If as a cultured Hellenist St. Stephen’s sympathies were wider and his outlook less narrow than that of the orthodox Jew, or of the less educated type of Hellenist, such a man, who died as St. Stephen died with the prayer of Jesus on his lips (see Feine’s remarks), must have so lived in the spirit of his Master’s teaching as to realise that in His Kingdom the old order would change and give place to new. But the same considerations help us to understand the fury aroused by St. Stephen’s attitude, and it is not difficult to imagine the fanatical rage of a people who had nearly risen in insurrection because Pilate had placed in his palace at Jerusalem some gilt shields inscribed with the names of heathen gods, against one who without the power of Pilate appeared to advocate a change of the customs which Moses had delivered (see Nsgen, Apostelgeschichte , p. 69). in W.H [189] with smooth breathing, see W.H [190] , Introduction, p. 313, and Winer-Schmiedel, p. 40; here those Jews in Palestine who spoke Aramaic; in the Church at Jerusalem they would probably form a considerable majority, cf. Phi 3:5 , and Lightfoot’s note. In the N.T. is opposed to (Rom 1:16 ), and to , Act 6:1 . In the former case the contrast lies in the difference of race and religion; in the latter in the difference of customs and language. A man might be called , but he would not be in the N.T. sense unless he retained in speech the Aramaic tongue; the distinction was therefore drawn on the side of language, a distinction which still survives in our way of speaking of the Jewish nation, but of the Hebrew tongue. See Trench, Synonyms , i., p. 156 ff. In the two other passages in which . is used, Phi 3:5 and 2Co 11:22 , whatever difficulties surround them, it is probable that the distinctive force of the word as explained above is implied. But as within the nation, the distinction is not recognised by later Christian writers, and that it finds no place at all in Jewish writers like Philo and Josephus, or in Greek authors like Plutarch and Pausanias (Trench, u. s. ). , cf. St. Luk 5:30 , . . : not found elsewhere in N.T. and not in LXX, but used in this sense in Dem. (also by Diodorus and Dion. Hal.) = , Attic: imperfect, denoting that the neglect had been going on for some time; how the neglect had arisen we are not told there is no reason to suppose that there had been previously Palestinian deacons (so Blass in [191] , critical notes), for the introduction of such a class of deacons, as Hilgenfeld notes, is something quite new, and does not arise out of anything previously said, although it would seem that in the rapidly growing numbers of the Church the Hebrew Christians regarded their Hellenist fellow-Christians as having only a secondary claim on their care. Possibly the supply for the Hellenists fell short, simply because the Hebrews were already in possession. The Church had been composed first of Galileans and native Jews resident in Jerusalem, and then there was added a wider circle Jews of the Dispersion. It is possible to interpret the incident as an indication of what would happen as the feeling between Jew and Hellenist became more bitter, but it is difficult to believe that the Apostles, who shared with St. James of Jerusalem the belief that consisted in visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, could have acted in a spirit of partiality, so that the neglect, if it was due to them, could be attributed to anything else than to their ignorance of the greatness of the need. , see below on Act 6:2 . : not found elsewhere in N.T. or in LXX, only in Jdt 12:15 . It is a word only used in Hellenistic Greek, cf. Josephus, Ant. , iii., 10, 1; but it may be noted that it is also a word frequently employed by medical writers of a class of fevers, etc. See instances in Hobart, pp. 134, 135, and also in Wetstein, in loco . : not merely a generic term for the poor and needy under the Mosaic dispensation no legal provision was made for widows, but they would not only receive the privileges belonging to other distressed classes, but also specific regulations protected them they were commended to the care of the community, and their oppression and neglect were strongly condemned it is quite possible that the Hellenistic widows had previously been helped from the Temple Treasury, but that now, on their joining the Christian community, this help had ceased. On the care of the widow in the early Church, see Jas 1:27 (Mayor’s note); Polycarp, Phil. , vi., 1, where the presbyters are exhorted to be , and cf. Act 4:3 . The word occurs no less than nine times in St. Luke’s Gospel, three times in the Acts, but elsewhere in the Evangelists only three times in St. Mark (Mat 23:14 , omitted by W.H [192] and R.V.), and two of these three in an incident which he and St. Luke alone record, Mar 12:42-43 , and the other time in a passage also peculiar to him and St. Luke (if we are justified in omitting Mat 23:14 ), viz. , Mar 12:40 .

[188]art. grammatical particle.

[189] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

[190] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

[191] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.

[192] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

Acts Chapter 6

Persecution of the Christian for Christ’s sake is an honour from God (Phi 1:29 ), as grace makes it a blessing to the church and a testimony to the world. The real danger is from within, and this yet more when the confidence of love yields at all largely to an evil eye and a discontented tongue. And so it was now. After God had so signally judged the deception of Ananias and Sapphira, fleshly and selfish complaint broke out among the Hellenistic or Greek-speaking Jews apparently against those of Jerusalem and Judea. It was not the Jews of pure descent jealous of those from elsewhere who profited by the self-sacrificing love which sold houses and lands that none might want. Still less was it the germ of those Judaizing divisions which were to be a source of not only deep, wide, and long-lasting disquiet, but of the utmost danger in denying the grace and corrupting the truth of which the church and the Christian are the responsible depositories.

‘Now in those days when the disciples were multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews that [or, because] their widows were overlooked in the daily ministration’ (ver. 1).

The murmuring came from those who had more or less of foreign admixture: whereas ill-feeling usually and naturally characterized those who boasted of associations wholly Israelitish. It was the Greek-speaking Jews who murmured against the Hebrews. That the mistake and indeed wrong was with the complainers seems clear, if from nothing else, from the grace evinced by all those who were the object of their murmuring, as the sequel shows. It is habitually the wrong-doer who denounces men better than himself. ‘Their widows’, they alleged, were being overlooked in the daily supply of wants. We are not told that so it really was, but so they complained. The poor ‘widows’ are ever remembered of God. The mouth of murmurers should be stopped, if the allegation were false.

‘And the twelve, having called the multitude of the disciples unto [them] said, It is not seemly that we, leaving the word of God, should serve tables. Look out then, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of [the] Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint over this business; but we for our part will give ourselves closely to prayer and the ministry of the word’ (vers. 2-4).

Up to this time the administration was in the hands of the apostles, as we see in Act 4:35 , though probably they may have employed many brethren in the actual distribution to each needy individual. But that there were already officers whose province it was, is not only without, but against the evidence of Scripture. I am aware that Mosheim tries to prove such a class of functionaries from ‘the young men’ ( ) in Act 5:6 which he will have rather fancifully to be the counterpart of the ‘elder’ ( ) who do not appear till the end of Act 11 , K?hn?l and Olshausen accepting his thought. But the usage of Scripture nowhere countenances any such official ‘younger men’, as it does often in the use of ‘elders’. On the contrary in the same context, on their return from burying Ananias, they are called ‘the young men’, ( ) which cannot be conceived to have such a force and therefore ought to refute it for the previous and corresponding term. They were simply the younger brethren, on whom would naturally devolve any prompt call for a laborious and sorrowful duty of a physical nature. Compare 1Ti 5:1 , 1Ti 5:2 , Tit 2:6 ; and 1Pe 5:5 . That not the Hellenists but the Hebrews had deacons already is the unfounded idea of the same writer, whose history would have small value as to later times if not far better than his use of the inspired source. It would be hard to say where Mosheim is right in his review of the apostolic church.

The fit moment was come for the apostles to be relieved from outer [temporal] work and thus free for what was spiritual. They direct therefore the establishment of responsible men for the daily ministrations in Jerusalem. This service was diaconal, yet peculiar (as Chrysostom long ago remarked) because of the actual circumstances there. Hence it may be that the term ‘deacons’ is not here or elsewhere given to ‘the seven’, but this number of theirs even more than ‘the twelve’ becomes a sort of distinctive badge. As the money came from the disciples in general, on them do the apostles call to look out from among them brethren in whom they could happily confide; yet the apostles, acting for the Lord in order, established them over the business. It was not seemly or proper (for admits of a wider sense than the very narrow one of ‘pleasing’, or ‘our pleasure’) that they should forsake the word of God, and serve tables. To this their continuance in that work would otherwise have come. Loving wisdom thus turns ungrateful complaints for good. That it is in this a principle of moment is rendered evident. Where the Lord gives, He chooses, as for all ministry in the word; where the assembly gives, they choose, as in this case.

We see the same thing in 2Co 8:18 , 2Co 8:19 , where a brother was chosen by the assemblies as fellow-traveller with Paul and Titus, thus providing for things honest not only before the Lord but also before men. This is the meaning of the phrase ‘messengers of churches’. They were selected by the assemblies which sent help to the poor saints elsewhere, as the apostle would not take charge of the collection otherwise. Compare also 1Co 16:3 , 1Co 16:4 . In the case of ‘elders’ we find the apostles choosing, and not the disciples (Act 14:23 ), and so Titus is told to do (Tit 1:5 ).

The three principles are quite distinct: (1) the Lord choosing and sending those whom He gives as gifts to the church, (2) the apostle, or an apostolic man by express commission, choosing or establishing elders; and (3) the assembly choosing the administrators of its funds, whom the apostles set solemnly over this business.

That ‘the seven’ were deacons (in the traditional sense of a brief noviciate or apprenticeship to the priesthood) is as unscriptural as that they had previously been of the ‘seventy’ whom the Lord sent out ‘two and two’ with a final message through Judea. Their work was not to preach and baptize but the dispensing of help to the temporal need of every day. Philip no doubt did preach, but he, we are expressly told, was ‘an evangelist’. It was therefore in virtue of this gift, not of that appointment to care for the poor in Jerusalem, that we find him, in the dispersion of the assembly, preaching in Samaria and beyond (Act 8 ). Just as evidently had Stephen the gift of a teacher if not of a prophet, which he exercised in a most solemn testimony before the council. But neither the multitude chose, nor yet did the apostles appoint, a single man to preach or teach. Evangelists and teachers were given by Christ the Head; and so they are still. The church is neither the source nor the channel of ministry: which is the exercise of a gift flowing from Christ at the right hand of God. So it was at the beginning, and so it remains de jure till He comes again.

Here it was but a local charge, however important and honourable, to which, as the multitude chose, the apostles appointed. The distinction is as plain as it is complete, but men are apt to view matters of the kind through the medium of habit and prejudice. Their duty was to carry out the distribution of the means for relieving the wants of the Christian community; which would leave the apostles free for the service of the word of God. Their number was doubtless suitable to the requirements of their work. Their qualifications were that they should have a good report, and be full of the Spirit and wisdom. To make their establishment more or other is as common as it is baseless. It would be unaccountable, if men had not objects foreign to Christ, and so to God’s word.

‘But we,’ say the apostles emphatically, ‘will give ourselves closely to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ This is much to be weighed. For that service of the word prayer should take the first place. So it was with the apostles, but not so with the Corinthian saints, who forgot not only that power is to be subordinated to order (1Co 14 ) but that life according to Christ has to be exercised now in holy and constant self-denial, as the prime duty of him who names the Lord (1Co 9 ). Prayer is the outgoing and expression of dependence, and is so much the more requisite, that the ministry of the word be not in the will or resources of man, but in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, yet in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that the faith of the saints stand not in men’s wisdom but in God’s power. In the order of the soul’s blessing from God the word takes precedence, as we may see in comparing the end of Luk 10 with the beginning of Luk 11 , where we have the moral sequence of these two means of grace. Receiving from God goes before drawing near to our Father. But for the due ministry of the word prayer is the great pre-requisite that flesh may afford no occasion to the enemy, and the individual may be a vessel to honour, sanctified, meet for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work.

‘And the saying pleased [lit. before] all the multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of [the] Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and having prayed they laid their hands on them’ (vers. 5, 6).

The grace shown by the apostles had a remarkable answer to it in the multitude, for that all the names are Greek indicates a Hellenistic connection. Persons seem to have been chosen without exception from the ranks of the Greek-speaking believers, the very class which had murmured against the Hebrews. Was not this grace enough to make the suspicious ashamed? There was no human provision of a balance or of a fair representation, as habits of business or the spirit of a law-court would suggest. God was looked to in faith, and the most marked conciliation prevailed. The supposition that there had been already Hebrew caretakers, and that Hellenists were now added to look after Hellenistic interests, is ;to miss and mar this beautiful account of divine love in full activity, by supposing the infusion of a mere worldly prudence.

It is also to be observed that ‘the seven’ when chosen were presented to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them in token of fellowship with their appointment. Imposition of hands was an ancient sign of blessing, Gen 48:14 , especially of official recognition, Num 27:23 , or of commendation to God’s grace, Act 13:3 , Act 14:26 (Act 15:40 ). The impartation of the Spirit by that act in Act 8:17 ; Act 19:6 , or again in 1Ti 4:14 , 2Ti 1:6 , is distinct, as will be shown in their places. Probably in the establishment of elders there may have been a similar laying on of hands, as some have gathered from 1Ti 5:22 . But as Scripture is silent as to the fact, it would seem in order to guard believers from that fatal routine of superstitious form which has overlaid Christendom to the dishonour of the Lord and the hurt of rule. Even if apostolic hands were laid on presbyters, we are not told it; but where the duty was of an outward character, and godly men were chosen by the multitude, the apostles (we are expressly told) did lay hands on them. Not the multitude, but, as we have seen, the apostles chose elders for the disciples (Act 14:23 ), and Scripture does not tell us of their laying hands on them, even if the fact were so. How infirm is the ground-work of ecclesiastical pride! How perfect is the word of God both in what it says and in its reticence!

The measure taken by the apostles in appointing servants for the exterior duties of the assembly, leaving themselves free for prayer and the ministry of the word, was owned by the signal blessing of God. Administration of money is a delicate and difficult task, especially if it be undertaken by such as serve in the word. In a low condition it gives influence of the basest kind to those who otherwise could have little or none. But here we are in presence of the Holy Ghost working in energy, holiness, and love, and in raising souls above the fleshly feelings that threatened danger to the church. None would be more struck by the unselfish wisdom of the apostles than the sacerdotal class, ordinarily apt to be greedy of power and influence, if not of worse still.

‘And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied exceedingly; and a great crowd of the priests1 were obedient to the faith’ (ver. 7).

1 It is painful to note how prone men of learning are to parry and pare down the marvels of God’s grace. Thus Beza, Casaubon, and Valckenaer would change the text – Elsner, Heinsius, K?hnol, and Wolf, the only legitimate use of the last clause – to get rid of this great work among the priests. Is aught too hard for the Lord? Were priests alone a hopeless class? The Peschito (not the Philoxenian) Syriac had already yielded to similar unbelief, and the Arabic also, both omitting all notice of the priests.

It looked most promising surely, when the word of God grew as an object of faith and a distinct power among men, when the disciples so greatly multiplied in the city of solemnities itself, when the very priests were now flocking in, unwonted sight as this was, what could most think but that the scattered and peeled nation were at length learning divine wisdom? Would they not soon repent and be converted for the blotting out of their sins, so that seasons of refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord and He might send the Christ Who had been fore-appointed for them, Jesus? Appearances gave a colour, if not currency, to this thought such as never after that could be claimed for it. The truth was that God was but severing unto the name of Jesus from His ancient people such as should be saved, before He sent His armies, destroyed the murderers of His servants (yea, we can add, of His Son), and burned up their city according to the word of the Lord.

And so, if I err not, God is now doing in the active work of salvation which He is carrying on throughout the earth, in Christendom especially. It is the sure sign, not of the world’s surrender to Christ and the cross, but that the Lord is separating His own from the world which is hastening to inevitable, unsparing, and condign judgment. Never till then can there be universal or stable blessing for the earth as a whole, such as we are entitled to expect according to Psalms. 65 – 68; Psa 72 ; 92 – 107; and to the Prophets generally. The heavens must receive Jesus till the times of the restoring (not the destruction) of all things of which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since time began. It is the corrupt harlot, not the true bride, that wants to reign in the absence of the Bridegroom. If grace convert ever so many or ever so extraordinarily, as with the priests, they were but saving themselves from that crooked generation. Judgment personally inflicted by the Lord must precede His introduction of God’s kingdom in power and glory; but this does not hinder the action of sovereign grace in changing His own and translating them to be with Himself on high before the day of His judgment dawns on the earth. For when His day comes they are already with Him, and hence they follow Him out of heaven, and appear with Him for the execution of that judgment.

Another element of moment is now introduced – the free action of God’s Spirit even in Jerusalem, where all the twelve apostles were.

The ordination, if we call it ordination, of ‘the seven’ was for a temporal service, expressly not for spiritual ministry by the word, but on the contrary, by handing over to them the exterior duty, to let the apostles be undistracted in their blessed work. Assuredly, if it be a ridiculous perversion in one part of Christendom to devise a modern answer in the charge of the paten and chalice, it is only a shade better to make it a sort of probationership to the office of a presbyter. Scripture is overlaid and ignored by human tradition. ‘The seven’ were stewards for the poor, and not a formal noviciate for a full-blown minister. It was reserved for dissent to find a still lower deep, through money to constitute (what one of their own best men called) ‘the lords deacons’, with power to conciliate or coerce, to pamper or starve out, the minister. How unlike are all these to the holy ways of God and His word!

Yet one of ‘the seven’ is brought before us as used and honoured of God in a way quite outside the work for which they were appointed. ‘And Stephen, full of grace1 and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people. And there arose certain of those that were of the synagogue called2 [that] of the freedmen [Libertines], and of Cyrenians, and of Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia,3 disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they suborned men, saying, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes; and coming upon (him) they seized and brought him into the council, and set false witnesses, saying, This man ceaseth not speaking words against the4 holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and change the customs which Moses handed down to us. And all that sat in the council, gazing fixedly on him, saw his face as it were an angel’s face’ (vers. 8-15).

1 Such is the reading of ABD, of more than twenty cursives, and of the best ancient versions.

2 If we might safely adopt the reading of Tischendorf’s last edition ( with A, eight cursives, Sah. Memph. et al), the construction would be easier, ‘of those called L’. But the mass of uncials, cursives, versions, et al, is adverse.

3 Lachmann was bold enough to omit ‘and of Asia’, because of its absence in

4 The best authorities omit ‘blasphemous’, which the Received Text adds with ‘this’ against the mass.

Beyond a doubt the levelling spirit of democracy, the unwillingness to recognize those who are over us in the Lord, is very far from the word of God. But even in those days when the church shone in order and beauty as never since, when the highest authorities that ever God set in the church were all there, we behold His sovereign grace acting in a man with no other title than what grace gave him. He was not even a bishop or presbyter; he had been set apart with others to a grave but lowly service. Yet we find him soon after described as full of ‘grace’ (not ‘faith’ merely) and power, working great marvels and signs among the people. There was no jealousy in that day of grace and power: for all who could and did glorify the Lord there was room and welcome. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of liberty. Even law, as well as the world and the flesh, gender bondage, and pride, and sin, man being what he is.

The fact is that Scripture knows nothing of ordaining a man to preach or to teach, still less if possible for the administration, so-called, of baptism and the Lord’s supper. Superstition has entered, and the power of religious habits of thought founded on everyday routine; so that even pious men fail to see in the Bible what contradicts their theory and practice, and they attach to scriptural acts or words in defence of their own thoughts a meaning which is quite foreign to the truth.

According to Scripture, if a man has a spiritual gift from the Lord, he is not only free as regards others but bound before the Lord to use it. Otherwise let him beware of the condemnation in the parable of the unprofitable servant, who counted his lord hard and was afraid and went away and hid his talent in the earth. It is no question of a Christian’s rights but of the grace of Christ, as well as of the obligation on him who has received the gift to use it according to His will to Whom the church belongs and for His glory. So says the apostle Peter, and it were well that men who misuse should hear and weigh his words: – ‘According as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God: if any man speak, as oracles of God, if any man minister, as of strength which God supplieth, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, Whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen’ (1Pe 4:10 , 1Pe 4:11 ).

I purposely press this scripture which is in perfect keeping with all others that treat on the same subject. It seems the more apposite as Peter was there with the eleven when God put forward Stephen to act on it. The free energy of the Holy Spirit in gift is therefore in no way a Pauline peculiarity as some affect to believe. In the Epistles of the great apostle of the Gentiles, no doubt, we have the truth on this head, as on so many others dependent on Christ’s headship of the church, developed more profoundly and comprehensively than the Lord was pleased to do by any others. But the principle is the same in a]l. Thus we find James warning the brethren not to be many teachers, knowing that we shall receive greater judgment, not because they were not ordained. And as the Second Epistle of John thunders against receiving a man (ordained or not), who did not bring the doctrine of Christ, so does the Third encourage Gaius (however Diotrephes might oppose) in all loving reception of such as went about preaching the truth. John had authority, if anyone on earth then had, to act for Christ; but he takes no other ground than the character of the doctrine they preached, for rejecting or receiving them. It was a question for him (is it for us?) simply of Christ, of the truth. This we must have if we are to love in truth. Love is of God, and God is love, but we must have the truth in order to love the truth. Otherwise it is the most illusive and fatal of snares.

Nor can one hesitate to say, that whatever might be the great marvels and signs that Stephen was doing (ver. 8) to the glory of the rejected but exalted Christ, the Second Man in heaven, the wisdom and the Spirit by which he was enabled to speak (ver. 10) were a reality yet deeper and more blessed. The one might arrest anyone, but no adversary could withstand the other. And there were many adversaries, here of course all of the circumcision.

Who were the Libertines? It would seem, according to the oldest interpretation on record, Jewish freedmen banished in A.D. 19 from Rome, whither Pompey had carried many prisoners taken in war, but afterwards emancipated by their masters and allowed to adhere to their religion. It is natural, as another has suggested, that men such as these should show strong feeling if they conceive that the religion for which they had suffered abroad was insulted or endangered at home. They are at any rate put into the foremost rank of Stephen’s adversaries by the inspired historian. If it be so, it is a Grecized Latin word. This too would account for the expression ‘called’ as due to the connected ‘Libertines’. Some have tried to make out a city Libertum in Africa, and it is known that there was a bishop of Libertum at the synod of Carthage in A.D. 411. But if such a town existed in the days of Stephen, and it was not too small to be noticed, it could never take precedence of Cyrene and Alexandria.

Doubt has been felt whether two synagogues were meant, or five. It appears to me that Winer is not justified in the former supposition, that the first used would have sufficed to have united the five classes, and that the second is not to indicate only two parties, each possessing a common synagogue, but the difference of such as came out of cities like Cyrene and Alexandria with the freedmen first named from those of provinces like Cilicia and Asia. When we are told that there were then some 480 synagogues in Jerusalem, it seems very unlikely that there should not be a separate place for each, as the Jews were notoriously numerous in most if not in all.

It is of solemn interest to observe how unbelieving men can find a show of reason to fasten the most odious charges on the truth which they hate and on those who proclaim it. Yet why suborn men to inform, if they honestly felt indignation at alleged wickedness? One can understand that to claim for Jesus the title of the Christ, the Anointed, was to imply His superiority to Moses; also to hint at the transitory nature of the temple, which the Lord had said was to have not a stone left on another, might be regarded as blaspheming the God Whose house it was.

However this may have been, they thereby roused the people and the elders and the scribes. Here the Pharisees would be as furious as the Sadducees or more so. It was a general outburst of proper Jewish resentment; and so Stephen was seized and brought into the council. If the words had been said, the witnesses were none the less false. Nothing could be more wickedly untrue than that he said anything disrespectful to God or Moses, to the law or the temple. But wicked men hear with a wicked feeling, and the Spirit pronounces them false witnesses, though Stephen’s words might sound as they reported. ‘For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.’

I know not why commentators should question the singular mark of divine favour vouchsafed to Stephen’s person, unless they abjure faith and deny the yet more wondrous privilege at the close of his discourse. It is striking that he who was accused of reviling Moses and God should receive from God a sign like that which His servant Moses enjoyed. The Jews at any rate ought to have felt it to be a solemn appeal to them above all mankind. The occasion was worthy of divine intervention whether in the case of him who received the commandments of Jehovah for Israel, or in his case who bore witness to the rejected but glorified Son of man, and that ‘better thing’ to which His atoning death was to give birth according to the law and the prophets. The supernatural attestation singularly suited both. But there is no evidence possible which wilful unbelief cannot evade, not even if one rose from the dead, as our Lord warned (Luk 16:31 ).

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act 6:1-6

1Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4″But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

Act 6:1 “disciples” This is literally “learners” from the verb manthan. It is important to realize that the NT emphasizes “becoming disciples” (cf. Mat 28:19; Act 14:21), not merely making a decision. This designation for believers is unique to the Gospels and Acts. In the Letters, the terms “brothers” and “saints” are used to designate the followers of Jesus.

“were increasing in number” This is a present active participle. Growth always causes tension.

“complaint” This term means “to speak privately in a low voice” (i.e., private conversations between individuals, Moulton, Analytical Lexicon, p. 81). It occurs several times in the LXX of Exodus describing the Wilderness Wandering Period (cf. Exo 16:7-8; Exo 17:3; also Num 11:1; Num 14:27). This same word is found in Luk 5:30 and several times in John (cf. Joh 6:41; Joh 6:43; Joh 6:61; Joh 7:12; Joh 7:32).

“the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews” This refers to believing Jews, those who were from Palestine and spoke primarily Aramaic and those who grew up in the Diaspora and spoke primarily Koine Greek. There were certainly cultural and racial overtones in this situation.

“the daily serving of food” The early church followed the patterns of the Synagogue. Every week funds (i.e., alms) were collected to feed the poor. This money was used to buy food, which was given out weekly by the Synagogue and daily by the early church. See Special Topic: Almsgiving at Act 3:2.

It seems from history that many Jewish families who lived and worked in other countries returned to Palestine in the father’s later years so that he could be buried in the Promised Land. Therefore, there were many widows in Palestine, especially the Jerusalem area.

Judaism had an institutional (i.e., Mosaic Covenant) concern for the poor, alien, and widows (cf. Exo 22:21-24; Deu 10:18; Deu 24:17). Luke’s writings show that Jesus, too, cared for widows (cf. Luk 7:11-15; Luk 18:7-8; Luk 21:1-4). It is, then, natural that the early church, patterning itself on both the Synagogue social services and the teachings of Jesus, would have an overt concern for church widows.

Act 6:2 “The twelve” This was the collective title for the Apostles in Acts. Those were the first specially chosen companions of Jesus during His earthly ministry, starting in Galilee.

“summoned the congregation of the disciples” Exactly what is meant here is uncertain in this sense that the church was made up of several thousand people at this point, so no home or business was large enough to accommodate this gathering. This must have taken place in the Temple itself, probably Solomon’s Portico (cf. Act 3:11; Act 5:12).

This is the first example of what came to be called congregational polity (cf. Act 6:3; Act 6:5; Act 15:22). This is one of three biblical ways the modern church organizes itself:

1. episcopal (i.e., one top leader)

2. presbyterian (i.e., a group of leaders)

3. congregational (i.e., the whole body of believers)

All are present in Acts 15.

“It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables” This is not a disparaging word about serving, but the beginning of the sensed need for a division of pastoral responsibilities among the people of God. These were not offices, but delegated functions. Gospel proclamation must take priority over some needed ministries. The Apostles were uniquely called and qualified for their task. Nothing should take away from that task. This was not an “either/or,” but a “both/and” situation.

The word “serve” is the common Greek term for service, diakonia. Unfortunately many modern commentators, looking for guidelines for the later office of deacon (cf. Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:8-10; 1Ti 3:12-13), have used this text to define that ministry task. However, these are not “deacons”; they are lay ministers/preachers. Only eisegesis can find deacons in Acts 6.

It is interesting to me how this early church conducted its ministry without buildings.

1. When they all met together it must have been at the Temple.

2. On Sabbaths they surely met with their local synagogues and on Sundays probably in house churches.

3. During the week (daily) the Apostles moved from believer’s home to believer’s home (cf. Act 2:46).

Act 6:3

NASB, NRSV”select”

NKJV”seek out”

TEV”choose”

NJB”must select”

This is an aorist middle (deponent) imperative. Something had to be done to restore unity and the spirit of one accord. This pastoral issue had the potential to affect the furtherance of the gospel. The church had to organize for ministry. Every believer is a called, gifted, full-time minister (cf. Eph 4:11-16).

“seven men” There is no reason for this number except that it was often the symbolic number of perfection in the OT because of its relation to the seven days of creation (cf. Genesis 1; Psalms 104). In the OT there is a precedent for this same process of developing a second-tier leadership (cf. Numbers 18). See Special Topic: Number Symbolism in Scripture at Act 1:3.

NASB, NJB”of good reputation”

NKJV”of good reputation”

NRSV”of good standing”

TEV”who are known to be”

The differences in these English translations reflect the two different usages of this term.

1. “to witness to” or provide information about (cf. TEV, NIV)

2. “to speak well of someone” (cf. Luk 4:22).

“full of the Spirit” The filling of the Spirit has been mentioned several times in Acts, usually in connection with the Twelve and their preaching/teaching/reaching ministries. It denotes power for ministry. The presence of the Spirit in a person’s life is detectible. There is evidence in attitude, actions, and effectiveness. Widows are important, but gospel proclamation is priority (cf. Act 6:4). See full note on “filling” at Act 5:17.

“and of wisdom” There are two kinds of wisdom in the OT.

1. grasp of knowledge (academic)

2. wise living (practical)

These seven men had both!

“whom we may put in charge of this task” They had a task-oriented assignment. This passage cannot be used to assert that deacons handle the business matters (KJV, “this business”) of the church! The word “task” (chraomai) means “need,” not “office” (Alfred Marshall, RSV Interlinear, p. 468).

Act 6:4 “devote ourselves” This Greek term is used in several senses.

1. to closely associate with someone, Act 8:13

2. to personally serve someone, Act 10:7

3. to be steadfastly committed to something or someone

a. the early disciples to each other and prayer, Act 1:14

b. the early disciples to the Apostles’ teaching, Act 2:42

c. the early disciples to each other, Act 2:46

d. the Apostles to the ministry of prayer and the Word, Act 6:4 (Paul uses the same word to call believers to steadfastness in prayer, Rom 12:12; Col 4:2).

“prayer and the ministry of the word” This phrase is fronted (i.e., placed first) in the Greek sentence for emphasis. Isn’t it paradoxical that it was these “seven” who were the first to catch the vision of the world mission of the gospel, not the Apostles. It was “the seven” whose preaching forced the break with Judaism, not the Apostles.

It is so shocking that the Apostles were not the initiators of the Great commission, but these Greek-speaking Jews. Acts never records them fulfilling the task assigned to them by the Apostles but instead depicts them as gospel preachers. Their qualifications seem more in line with this task than the administration and pastoral care needed by the church in Jerusalem.

Instead of bringing peace, their ministries brought conflict and persecution!

Act 6:5 “Stephen” His name means “victor’s crown.” All of the “seven” had Greek names, but most Jews of the Diaspora had both a Hebrew name and a Greek name. Just the names themselves do not mean they were all Greek-speaking Jews. Reason says there may have been both groups present.

“full of faith” The term faith came from an OT word (i.e., emeth) that originally meant a person whose feet were in a stable stance. It came to be used metaphorically for someone who was trustworthy, faithful, dependable, and loyal. In the NT this term is used for the believer’s response to God’s promise through Christ. We trust His trustworthiness! We faith His faithfulness. Stephen trusted in God’s trustworthiness; therefore, he was characterized by God’s character (i.e., full of faith, faithfulness).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Believe, Trust, Faith, and Faithfulness in the Old Testament ()

“full of. . .the Holy Spirit” There are many different phrases which describe the ministry of the Spirit to believers:

1. the wooing of the Spirit (cf. Joh 6:44; Joh 6:65)

2. the baptism of the Spirit (cf. 1Co 12:13)

3. the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22-23)

4. the gifts of the Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 12)

5. the filling of the Spirit (cf. Eph 5:18).

To be full of the Spirit implies two things: (1) that the person is saved (cf. Rom 8:9) and (2) that the person is led by the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14). It seems that one’s “fullness” is related to one’s continually being filled (present passive imperative of Eph 5:18). For “filled” see full note at Act 5:17.

“Philip” There are several Philips in the NT. This one was one of the Seven. His name means “lover of horses.” His ministry is told in Acts 8. He was instrumental in the revival in Samaria and a personal witness to a governmental official from Ethiopia. He is called “the evangelist” in Act 21:8 and his daughters were also active in ministry (i.e., prophetesses, cf. Act 21:9, see SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE at Act 2:17).

“Prochorus” Little is known of this person. In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 4, James Orr (ed.) says he became bishop of Nicomedia and was martyred at Antioch (p. 2457).

“Nicanor” Nothing is known about this person in church history. His name is Greek and means “conqueror.”

“Timon” Nothing is known about this person in church history. His name is Greek and means “honorable.”

“Parmenas” This is a shortened form of Parmenides. Church tradition says he was martyred at Philippi during the reign of Trajan (cf. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 4, p. 2248).

“Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch” More information may have been given about this man because his city may have been Luke’s home. Being a Jewish proselyte involved three ritual acts:

1. that the person baptized himself in the presence of witnesses

2. that the person, if a male, was circumcised

3. that the person, if they had opportunity, offered a sacrifice in the temple

There has been some confusion about this man in church history because there is a group of a similar name mentioned in Rev 2:14-15. Some early church fathers (i.e., Irenaeus and Hippolytus) thought he was the founder of this heretical group. Most of the church fathers who mention a connection at all think the group may have tried to use his name to assert their founder was a leader in the Jerusalem church.

Act 6:6 “they laid their hands on them” The grammar implies that the whole church laid hands on them (cf. Act 13:1-3), although the referent to the pronoun is ambiguous.

The Roman Catholic Church has used texts like this one to assert Apostolic Succession. In Baptist life we use texts like this to assert ordination (i.e., to dedicate people to a particular ministry). If it is true that all believers are called, gifted ministers (cf. Eph 4:11-12), then there is no distinction in the NT between “clergy” and “laity.” The elitism set up and propagated by biblically unsupported ecclesiastical traditions needs to be reexamined in light of NT Scripture. Laying on of hands may denote function, but not special standing or authority. Many of our denominational traditions are historically or denominationaly-based and not a clear biblical teaching or mandate. Tradition is not a problem until it is raised to the level of Scriptural authority.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LAYING ON OF HANDS IN THE BIBLE

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

murmuring. Greek. gongusmos An onomatopoeic word. Here, Joh 7:12. Php 2:14; 1Pe 4:9.

Grecians = Greek-speaking Jews. Greek. Hellenistes.

neglected = being overlooked. Greek. paratheoreo. Compare App-133. Only here.

daily. Greek. kathemerinos. Only here.

ministration = ministering. App-190. It was the relief of Act 2:44, Act 2:45.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

1-7.] ELECTION OF SEVEN PERSONS TO SUPERINTEND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALMS.

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Chapter 6

Now in those days, when the number of disciples was multiplied ( Act 6:1 ),

We found the Lord adding to the church and now He’s multiplying. I love the Lord’s mathematics.

there arose a murmuring ( Act 6:1 )

Now another problem with this community living that was practiced by the early church sharing everything. Another problem arises here in chapter 6.

there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration ( Act 6:1 ).

Daily the people would come to receive their dole from the church. They had everything in common, so they had a commissary. And each day they would give out according to the needs of the people. Give them their food and all. The Grecians do not imply that they were Greeks. But they were Jews who had followed the Hellenist’s culture. Many of the Jews had taken Greek names. And had become totally acculturated to the Grecian culture which was spread throughout the world by Alexander the Great. Greece brought culture to the ancient world. And even after Rome conquered over Greece, these pockets of Grecian culture remained and were strong in the ancient world. There were those who had adapted the Greek culture. There were those who were still living by a strict Hebrew culture. So when it speaks of the Grecians and the Hebrews, they were, all of them, Jews. But there were those who were of the Greek culture, the Hellenistic culture, those of the Hebrew culture.

Now those who had adopted the Hellenistic culture felt that there was favoritism when they were doling out the supplies and all. That there was favoritism being shown towards those who were of the Hebrew culture. The little old women who would come up in their Hebrew garb would get an extra dole. Where these ladies who would come in their Grecian fashions would get less. And they’d say, “Hey, wait a minute. This isn’t right that these widows who are of the Hebrew culture are getting more then those of the Grecian culture.” So they came to the disciples with this problem.

So the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them [they had a big gathering of the people], and they said, It is not reasonable that we should leave the word of God, and serve at these tables ( Act 6:2 ).

In other words, “We have more important things to do than to stand at the tables and to dole out the church’s welfare. It isn’t right. It isn’t reasonable that we should have to take the responsibility of doling out the church’s goods.”

Wherefore, brethren, look out from among yourself seven men ( Act 6:3 )

And these are the traits and the characteristics they’re to possess. One: they are to be,

men of honest report, [Two:] full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business ( Act 6:3 ).

So it isn’t right that we should leave the ministry that God has given unto us to take care of the tables, so let’s appoint seven men, good reputations, filled with the Holy Spirit, having wisdom, and let them take charge over the church’s commissary and,

We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and the ministry of the word ( Act 6:4 ).

Now you remember when we were talking last Sunday about the men that God uses? They are men of prayer, and they are men of the Word. They’re men who put this as the top priority in their lives. They do not allow other things to interfere with their prayer or with their study of the Word. They are men of the Word and men of prayer. And so here, this pressure to take an active role, to settle this dispute, they backed away from it. They said, “Let’s just pick out seven men to do this in order that we might be able to give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”

And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch ( Act 6:5 );

An interesting thing appears here, and that is when they chose these seven men, look at their names: Nicolas, Parmenas, Nicanor–these are Greek names. So those of the Grecian culture felt that their women were getting a lesser dole, and so in wisdom, they chose men who obviously had come from a Grecian culture themselves to take charge of overseeing the church’s welfare. It’s a wise way to solve a difficult problem.

When we were growing up, I had two brothers. And my mom was a outstanding pie baker, among other things, and there was always that problem of the last piece of pie. And so often my brother and I would be vying for that last piece of pie. And that’s a polite way of saying fighting. I’ve fought over more than one piece of pie. And it was an advantage of being the older brother, too. But when we would bring our dispute to my mom and we would both be claiming that piece of pie or desiring our portion of that piece of pie, she would always let one of us cut it in half and the other one got the first choice. Boy, I mean we got out the micrometers. It was just a good solution to a difficult problem. And so it is interesting to me that in picking these men, they picked men with Greek names. Indicating that they probably had themselves a Hellenist cultural background.

It would be easy for anyone with any kind of ambition to be going up the ladder in the church to say, “Hey, wait a minute. Why do you want me to wait on tables? I want to preach the Gospel.” The qualifications by which they chose these men, they would’ve all been qualified ministers of the Gospel for sure. Yet, these are the men who were chosen. But to me it is interesting that as we move on in the book of Acts, the activities of the next person that we get to are none other than Stephen who was one of those chosen who was spoken of as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. We will see Stephen being used by God in things other than waiting on tables. But that’s where he went to begin his ministry.

There are a lot of people who feel called to the ministry. When they attend Calvary Chapel and they see the marvelous work that God is doing here, it has a way of inspiring men to go into the ministry. It is interesting that during the first twenty years or so of my life, when we were scraping the bottom all of the time to get enough money to buy food and the necessities, and pastoring little churches, fifty, sixty, seventy people, at that time I seemed not to inspire anybody to go into the ministry. But the interesting thing about those today who are being inspired towards the ministry is that they want to begin with a full time pastorate of a church of five hundred or so. A church that is able to provide them with a nice parsonage and an adequate salary. And they seem to forget that the first twenty years of my ministry I worked in secular jobs to keep the family in food and clothes and shoes. “Oh, but I feel that God is calling me to the full time ministry.” Romaine has a good way of dealing with these people. He gives them a mop and says, “Alright, you want to start your full time ministry? The men’s room is back there. You might as well learn what the ministry is all about.”

But, it is important that we start somewhere. But rarely does a person start at the top. God usually brings us through the ranks. Stephen started on waiting tables, and I’m certain that he was faithful in that area and then God moved him up. So many times people come up and say, “I feel called to the ministry”. And I say, “Do you teach a Sunday school class?” “No.” I say, “Well, that’s where you start. Go over and volunteer to teach a Sunday school class. Are you on the prayer watch?” “No.” “Then volunteer to take a prayer time.” That’s where you really start in the ministry. You start in those more insignificant places. When you are faithful in the little things, the Lord will then raise you up and give you bigger things. It is interesting to me that the next two people that we come across in the record are not apostles but are two of these men who were chosen to wait tables, Stephen and Phillip. And we see the marvelous work that God raises them to having begun waiting tables. It isn’t long before God takes them from there. So they chose these seven men.

Who they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them ( Act 6:6 ).

We have, it seems, developed a custom of laying hands on people and then praying. But from the book of Acts, it would seem that their pattern was praying and then laying their hands on people. We find this in a couple of places where they pray and then laid hands on them. I think we find that pattern also in about the thirteenth chapter when Paul and Barnabus were sent forth in their ministry. Verse three of chapter 13, “And when they had fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” So the pattern was to pray and then lay hands on them. I don’t know that there is anything to that, but it’s just interesting to me that we have that other tendency of just laying hands on people then praying, where they did it the other way around.

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly ( Act 6:7 );

Again, we see the work of God adding to the church. A powerful community.

and a great company even of the priests were obedient to the faith ( Act 6:7 ).

Now one of these seven men,

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue on the Libertines, and the Cyrenians, and the Alexandrians, and those of Cilicia and Asia, and they were disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist [or to counteract] the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake ( Act 6:8-10 ).

Here they got into these arguments, but Stephen was just walking all over them. He spoke with such wisdom and such a Spirit that he was just putting them down.

So they suborned men [or paid off men], which said, We’ve heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, came upon him, and they caught him, and brought him to the council, and they set up the false witnesses, which said, This man does not cease 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 unto us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel ( Act 6:11-15 ).

Beautiful, isn’t it? And so, because they could not overcome his argument, the wisdom, the Spirit by which he spoke, they went to devious methods to stop his witness, hiring these men to make these false accusations against him, accusing him of blasphemy. Accusing him of speaking against the temple and against the law of God.

Now, there probably was a certain element of truth, for it is quite possible that Stephen did tell them that this temple is going to be destroyed. Because Jesus had told the disciples that “not one stone was going to be left standing upon another” of that temple when they asked Him of the signs of His coming and the end of the age. They were there in the temple and they were looking at these huge stones, and Jesus said, “Not one stone is going to be left standing on another.” So Stephen could have been telling them that, “Hey, this temple is going to be destroyed.” And also he could have been telling them, “That having the law of Moses is not enough for salvation. You must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. That salvation cannot come by the law of Moses, but salvation comes through a living faith in Jesus Christ.” And it could very possibly be that Stephen was saying these things, and they just twisted them slightly or reported only half of what he said.

And of course, that is one of the dangers of talking to any reporter is that they usually just quote less than half of what you say and then often quote it out of context so it sounds like you said something entirely different from what you said. Which almost amounts to a misquotation. Because they take it out of the context in which it was quoted. You begin to get very leery of interviews with reporters or T.V. commentators or whatever. We have a case right now where one of the famous commentators is being sued for the editing of a interview and all and seeking to bring an impression that perhaps not a reality, but though he is a very smooth man, they are not at all innocent of the charges that are being made. Because when they interviewed those scientists down at Creation Research Institute, they did the same thing. 60 Minutes did a hatchet job on Dr. Gish and on Dr. Morris in their editing and all. So it’s possible to take the statements that a person makes out of context and to use them against the person. And this is no doubt what was being done to Stephen. There was a certain element of truth in what they were declaring, and yet, putting it in a different context and making it sound like something other than what he had actually said.

So as we move into chapter 7, we find here the story of the young man Stephen whose face shinning like an angel’s stands up to make his defense before these people. And then on in to chapter 8, as the second of these, Phillip takes off for Samaria, and later on down to Gaza, and then to Azotus and did his marvelous work for God. Two men chosen to wait tables, promoted by God to powerful ministries within the early church. Faithful in the little things, being promoted to greater things. Shall we pray?

Father, we thank You again for the privilege of studying Your Word. For the joy, the blessing, the strength that Your Word brings to our lives. Help us, Lord, that we might grow through the knowledge of Your Word into a better understanding of Your plan and Your will for our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

May the Lord be with you, keep His hand upon you, watch over and use you. Whatever it is that God has called you to do, be faithful. Give it your best, and then God will raise you to another task. And bring you through the ranks. So may you be used of God in a very special way. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

Act 6:1. ) viz. [multiplying themselves]. In the case of a multitude, a cause of murmuring easily arises.- , of the Hellenists) These were Jews born outside of Palestine, to whom it seems the Greek tongue, besides the Hebrew, was vernacular: as in our days there are many Lusitanian, German, etc., Jews.-, were overlooked) without any evil design. The apostles were not sufficient for the administration of all things at once.- , their widows) who, even in a society of saints, are more easily forgotten, since men are better able to urge their own claims.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Act 6:1-7

THE SEVEN CHOSEN

Act 6:1-7

1 Now in these days, when the number of the disciples-Luke, as a faithful historian, now narrates further development of the church; a gradual unfolding of gospel principles is made in the preaching of the gospel, and a gradual development in the organization of the church. The church was established on Pentecost; the historian now reaches a point where the church is four or five years old. The increase in the number of disciples brought about a complication of affairs, and gave an opportunity for the apostles to arrange in a more systematic order for the work and discipline of the large and growing number of disciples. Now in these days is a phrase of indefinite time; it is generally understood that the ascension took place about A.D. 30; some think that it was in A.D. 29 and others in A.D. 33; the date is immaterial. The first six chapters of Acts are generally supposed to cover a history of four or five years; hence, at this time the church would be that old. This was a period of great prosperity, as the number of disciples increased daily. A murmuring or muttering or complaining arose among the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews. Grecian Jews were Hellenists, or Jews who were born and reared in another country than Palestine; Hebrews were the Jews who were of pure Jewish blood and spoke the Hebrew language. Paul said that he was a Hebrew of Hebrews (Php 3:5), which meant that he was of pure Hebrew blood and that he spoke the Hebrew language. The cause of this complaint was because the widows among the Grecian Jews were neglected, or overlooked, in the daily ministration. This murmuring or whispering of discontent is a sin frequently condemned in the New Testament. (Php 2:14; 1Pe 4:9.) This complaint seems to have been against the apostles, as they had charge of the funds that had been contributed. (Act 4:35 Act 4:37 Act 5:2.) Daily ministration shows that there was a daily distribution of things which were needed. This sin of neglect is the second sin that is recorded against any member of the church.

2 And the twelve called the multitude-Here we have the twelve apostles mentioned, showing that for these few years of the church all twelve of the apostles were still at Jerusalem. This shows that Matthias was regarded as one of the apostles, for it would take him to complete the list of the twelve. (Act 1:26.) The number of disciples here is spoken of as the multitude of the disciples. The apostles stated that it was not best, or satisfactory, for them to give their time to ministering to tables, serve tables. They had a higher and more important work to do-preaching the word. In order for them to serve tables they would necessarily have to forsake the word of God in part at least. Tables, as used here, does not mean money tables as in Joh 2:15, but rather the tables used in the common daily distribution of the food. Ministration is from the Greek diakonia, and means the same as to serve. The Greek word diakonia, or diakonos, as used here, has the same meaning as used in Php 1:1 and 1Ti 3:8-13; it is usually translated deacon. There are three English words in our version by which diakonos is translated; they are minister, servant, and deacon. Sometimes it is translated bond servant or bondman; it is frequently used to designate a minister of the gospel. (1Co 3:5; 2Co 3:6; Eph 3:7.) The word deacon is almost a transcription of diakonos. (Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:8-12.) It is also applied to Phoebe. (Rom 16:1.)

3 Look ye out therefore, brethren,-The term look ye out means to look at in order to select, to seek out as persons for office. The entire multitude of disciples was instructed to do this. They were to select from among themselves seven men. There is no significance in the number seven except that it is a sacred number and usually implies completeness. This number was considered sufficient for the work that they were to do. The qualifications are specified; they were to be men of good report, full of the Spirit, and men of wisdom; these we may appoint over this business. The first qualification of good report is important ; it is mentioned in Act 10:22 Act 16:2; 1Ti 5:10. The second qualification was that they were to be full of the Spirit; this phrase is frequently used in regard to spiritual gifts and miraculous powers. (Act 2:4 Act 4:8.) Furthermore, they were to be men of wisdom, which means that they were to have practical sagacity, good sense, and sound judgment. Whom we may appoint has received much discussion. Some think that the we has reference only to the apostles; others think that it includes the entire church and apostles; since the apostles are directing in this, it seems clear that it includes only the apostles.

4 But we will continue stedfastly in prayer,-We here designates the same we in the preceding verse; it is clear that it includes the apostles. The apostles would continue stedfastly; that is, would adhere to that which they had been doing. (Rom 12:12; Col 4:2.) The apostles had been spending much time in prayer; they were determined to continue in prayer; this does not merely mean private prayer, but here in the sense of public worship. (Act 16:13.) If the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, needed to continue stedfastly in prayer, how much more do we need to pray! The ministry of the word, in which they were to steadfastly continue, means serving as preaching and teaching the word. Here, again, we have the word diakonia, as used in verse 1, but here it has reference to preaching as the special ministry with which the apostles were concerned.

5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude:-The suggestion made by the apostles met with the hearty approval of the whole multitude/ There was no dissent in the meeting; they unanimously concurred in the direction given by the apostles, and proceeded according to their direction. They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus. All these names are from the Greek language, and indicate the generosity of the Hebrew portion of the multitude in putting this matter in the hands of the Grecian Jews from whom the complaint had come. Stephen is mentioned first as he was the most conspicuous of the group; Philip is the next one mentioned. We have a record of Stephen and also of Philip in the later history of the church; but we do not have any mention of the others after their appointment. Philip is to be distinguished from Philip the apostle. This Philip is Philip the evangelist. (Act 21:8.) Some of Philips labors in Samaria and elsewhere are mentioned in the Acts; Stephen was the first martyr; and some think that Nicolaus is mentioned in Rev 2:6-15. The other four names are not referred to elsewhere in the New Testament. Some have contended that the Greek names do not prove that these were all from the Grecian Jews; they think that three of the seven were Hebrews, three Grecians, and one a proselyte.

6 whom they set before the apostles:-After the selection of these seven men who were qualified as mentioned in verse 3, they were placed before the apostles who prayed and laid their hands upon them. Much discussion has been had as to the form of ordaining these men. The imposition of hands was a practice of long standing among the Jews. Jacob laid hands on the sons of Joseph (Gen 48:13-14); it is recorded also that Moses laid hands on Joshua (Deu 34:9); the Levites were set apart to the service of the tabernacle by the imposition of hands (Num 8:10); hands were laid on the scapegoat to impart to it the sins to be carried away (Lev 16:21). The laying on of hands was a symbol of the impartation of the gifts and graces which were needed to qualify them for their new duties; this was accompanied with prayer that God would bestow the necessary gifts upon them. Some have thought that this is the beginning of the officers in the church known as deacons; it may be, but these men are not called deacons. We do not know whether they were appointed in this case of emergency, and ceased when the supplies were exhausted, or when the church was scattered abroad. (Act 8:1.) It is claimed that they did the work of deacons, and that their work is described by the same Greek word that is used for deacons ; this may be true, but the fact remains that they are nowhere in the New Testament called deacons.

7 And the word of God increased;-Increased, as used here, is from euxanen, which means kept on growing all the more because the apostles were now relieved from the daily ministration of the food. The number of disciples multiplied as the result of the increased activities of the apostles in preaching the word. Multiplied is from the original eplethuneto, which means that the preaching of the apostles and the multiplication of the number of disciples kept pace with each other. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. The priests were usually Sadducees; it was a sad day for Annas and Caiaphas and all the sect of the Sadducees (Act 5:17) when such a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Three things are mentioned here to show the progress of the church: the word of God increased, the number of the disciples multiplied, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Obedient to the faith is equivalent to obeying the gospel; faith here means faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the gospel.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

The story alternates between the opposition of the outside crowd and the condition of the Church in its own borders. A difficulty arose concerning the distribution of relief which had a national tone. As we consider the story it is very arresting to notice that whereas the complaint had come from the Greeks, all those appointed in the new diaconate bore Grecian names.

In this connection it is declared that “the Word of God increased,” “and the number of the disciples multiplied.” One of those elected, Stephen, was a remarkable man; as the chronicler says, he was “full of grace and power.” His witness brought on him bitter attack, which was popular rather than priestly, the first manifestation of this kind of opposition.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

Meeting Murmuring within and Persecution Without

Act 6:1-15

The Grecians here mentioned were Jews who had lived abroad and spoke Greek. There were as yet no Gentiles in the Church. It was regarded as an annex to Judaism, and people had to become Jews before they were admitted to its privileges.

What a glimpse is here afforded of the simplicity and fervor of the primitive Church! The daily ministration of relief; the choice of godly men to attend to secular details; the prime importance of prayer and the ministry of the Word; the recognition by the Apostles of the rights of the people-all is so spiritual and so worthy of the era of the Holy Spirit. Alas, that so fair a dawn should ever have been overcast!

The Church must dedicate to God those whom she has chosen under the guidance of His Spirit. Stephen on the one hand, and Saul on the other, were the leaders of their respective parties. We see traces of the latter in the references to them of Cilicia, Act 6:9. Stephens enemies prevailed over him by brute force, but he was conqueror through the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

In Acts 6 we see brought out very vividly Satans two master methods by which he has endeavored to hinder the work of God throughout the centuries. In the first half of the chapter we see him endeavoring to hinder by inward dissension; in the second half by outward persecution. In the Epistle to the Philippians Paul urged the believers to go on together in the unity of the Spirit. He told them that as long as they work together in love and unity they need never be afraid of the attitude from without. Even their adversaries realize it is impossible to hinder those who stand together in Christian harmony. But if that inward peace is destroyed, then the church is weakened when it has to face a godless world.

Choosing the Seven (Act 6:1-7)

In the first four verses of Acts 6 we see Satan trying to disturb the inward peace of the church. God had accomplished a wonderful thing. Day after day and week after week ever since Pentecost, God had added to the church daily such as should be saved. Three thousand definitely stepped out from among the multitudes who rejected Christ on the day of Pentecost; another two thousand were added shortly after. Then in Acts 5 we learned that a great many believers were added to the Lord, and it looked as though Christianity was to sweep everything before it.

Satan saw that he must busy himself if he was to hinder this work. He found access to the hearts even of Gods own children and started a spirit of murmuring and complaining among them, for he knows that if he can set believer against believer, he will easily accomplish his fell purpose.

Oh, how many a church, how many a testimony for God, has been destroyed in that way! God may be graciously working, precious souls are being saved, and then some member gets an idea that he is not being appreciated. He begins murmuring and goes around in the church complaining against his brethren. Little unkind things are said reflecting on others, and so a spirit of opposition develops. Then people wonder why the work of God does not make more progress, and why there does not seem to be more power in the ministry, and why more souls are not being saved. It is all because there is a root of bitterness inside, which is not judged. How many warnings we have in Gods Word against such things! He has told us to avoid murmuring and evil speaking.

A brother was strongly denouncing another brother to a friend of mine, and pointing out his faults and inconsistencies. My friend turned to him and asked quietly, Is it because you love your brother that you are talking like this? The calumniator blushed with shame. It is not love that leads people to do this; it is Satan acting through Gods people and leading them to take an unkind or discourteous attitude toward their brethren.

In this way Satan tried to disrupt the church at Jerusalem. In the days when so many were being saved and the Spirit of God was working so mightily, one would think that there would have been no place for murmuring or selfishness. But it was in those very days that there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. The word Grecians does not mean Gentiles. It should be translated Hellenists. It signifies Jews who were born not in Palestine, but in other lands where Greek was the language commonly used. In other words, they were Greek-speaking Jews. Up to this time the Gentiles had not been brought into the church at Jerusalem. Those converted on the day of Pentecost were Jewish and the Gentiles that had been converted or proselytized were all linked with the house of Israel in some way. The Hellenist Christians had a great many Gentile ways about them because they were brought up among the Greeks. The Hebrews were the Jews of Palestine who were much more rigid observers of the law of Moses than the Hellenists. A great deal of bitterness existed between these two groups. The Hebrews of Palestine, very proud of their heritage, looked with suspicion and sometimes with contempt at their fellow Jews who were born among the Gentiles. The Hellenistic Jews, who gloried in their wider freedom, felt that the Hebrews of Palestine were very narrow-minded and self-centered.

This spirit of dissension, which existed before their conversion, cropped up after they were saved. When people are saved, the new nature they receive does not entirely change their old nature. We still have our natural tendencies which we must judge continually in the presence of God. A brother lost his temper during a meeting and at the close apologized: You must excuse me, its the Irish in me. A dear brother quietly said, God can make the Irishman behave like a Christian. We are not to excuse ourselves if we go wrong because of national characteristics.

These Hellenist Jews and the Hebrews of Palestine were converted and brought to Christ, yet Satan found a means of creating dissension among them. The Hellenist Jews said, Our widows are neglected in the daily ministration. In other words, If a Jewish widow born in Palestine comes for help she gets two loaves; but a Hellenist widow only one. Our widows are not being treated fairly. So they began to complain and murmur.

I have no doubt that those disciples who had charge of the food distribution tried to be fair and upright, but it is not easy to please everybody. It is so easy to imagine people treating us coldly and indifferently. We find fault with so many things for which we have no real ground of complaint.

However, the twelve immediately called the rest of the disciples together and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. I suppose the complainers had gone to these leaders and said, You ought to do something about this; there must be a fairer method of administration. But the twelve answered in effect, Brethren, we have an important job to do. Our business is to minister the Word of God. But recognizing that the care of the physical needs of the people required attention, they commanded: Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. In other words they said, You think that some are not acting honestly? Then you choose seven men, seven deacons of your own selection, so you will have no more reason to complain, but they should be men of honest report. It takes a man of integrity to handle the finances of the church; a man full of the Holy Ghost to care for the temporal things of the assembly as well as to preach the Word. The disciples continued, But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Notice the order-prayer first, and then the ministry. Often the ministry of the Word seems so powerless and weak because there is so little prayer behind it. A man of God must be a man of prayer; he must know the importance of waiting on God in private if he is to have the power of God in public. The twelve said as it were, Our business is to spend our time in the presence of God in order that we may receive a message from Him and present that message in the energy of the Holy Ghost, that it may be used in the building up of the saints. God grant that we too may ever have this ideal before us!

We are told that the saying pleased the whole multitude. Apparently everybody had an opportunity to express himself. It. is amazing how little of church politics you find in the selection of these seven men. I do not know of any worse form of politics than that wherein someone tries to dominate or control a certain situation in the church. There was nothing of that here.

One might have expected the people to say, We must be sure to have three Palestinian Jews, three Hellenists, and then we will let these six decide on the seventh one. Thats the way we might do it today. But they did not do that at all. When the matter was put up before the whole church they met together and chose seven Hellenistic Jews! Every one of them had a Greek name: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. Nicolas was not even a Jew, but a Gentile who had been a proselyte to Judaism and a convert of Christianity. Instead of having a mixed committee, one not likely to dominate the situation for any one group, they said, We will make up a committee entirely of the party that is doing the complaining. Imagine their putting these brethren in charge of the care of physical needs.

And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. When dissension is checked within, then Satans work is hindered without, and the work of God continues in great power and blessing. My brethren, is there not something here that ought to speak to every one of our hearts? Are you praying for a revival and blessing in the church of God? Do you ever go into the presence of God and say, Lord, revive me. Is there something in me that hinders a revival; has this tongue of mine been working overtime to hinder the work of the Spirit of God? If we have, we may all say, God, give me grace to judge it in the presence of the Lord, that the Holy Spirit may have free course and the Word go forth with great power.

The Persecution of Stephen (Act 6:8-15)

We are told in a later Epistle of Pauls that they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus (1Ti 3:13). And we find in Act 6:8 that one of these men who had been appointed as a deacon to serve tables fulfilled his ministry so blessedly that God said to him, Stephen, I have a wider ministry for you; I have something more for you to do. We read, Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. This is the first time we read of any member of the church, other than the apostles, doing miracles. God put His hand on Stephen and He used him to perform miracles and wonders. If you are faithful in a little place, God will have a much larger place for you. If you are faithful in things that are small, He will put you in a place over things that are large (see Mat 25:23). People want to do such big things, but they are often not willing to do the little things.

Stephen had been true and faithful in serving tables and so God said, I want you to go out and preach. But this led to renewed persecution. The devil had not been able to disrupt the work by inward dissension, so he decided to try another method with Stephen. We read: 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. These objectors argued with him; they would rise up in the meetings to ask questions and find fault. But Stephen, full of faith and the Holy Ghost, was more than a match for them all. When they could not accuse him openly they acted underhandedly. They suborned men, which said. We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. We may be sure of this: Stephen never said one blasphemous word against either Moses or God.

But these false witnesses, goaded on by others who had been opposing the truth of God, stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council. What were the blasphemous words? Well, they tried lamely to suggest something: We heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

Had Stephen said that? Certainly not. Had they heard anything like it? Yes, for Jesus Christ had prophesied that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed (as they were in a.d. 70). Also, Jesus Christ had declared the new dispensation would succeed the old (as it did in the providence of God). And so they were simply misusing the words that had been reported from the lips of Jesus Christ. You know the old saying, Half a truth is a whole lie. If you take someones words out of their context and turn them around you can easily make him out a falsifier.

We are told of Stephen that all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. I wish I could have a photograph or picture of Stephen standing before the council, listening to all those false accusations, and noticing the expressions of rage, ridicule, and indignation on the faces of his accusers. Yet he stood there, looking at them with a radiant countenance, full of love, trust, peace, and confidence, undisturbed by all the bitter things that were being said. His heart was not filled with malice because of their hatred toward him, but joy in the realization that he was there as Christs faithful servant.

In the next chapter we read of his defense, but we leave him now facing the council with a countenance like an angel. Stephen has been with the Lord for many years but he has never lost that countenance. He is in glory, still with the face as that of an angel.

We remember the story that our Lord told of the nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, We will not have this man to reign over us (Luk 19:14). Evidently when the Lord Jesus related that parable He looked forward to this very day. He had been crucified and had gone into the far country. Now after some months the Word of God had been preached to Israel, but nationally they were unchanged, as proved by their attitude toward Stephen.

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets

Act 6:1-3

On the Office of the Diaconate

I. The origin of the office. (1) We are introduced here to a class of people called Grecians. They were proselytes to the Jewish worship, and Jews born and bred in foreign countries, whose language therefore was Greek. The home Jews or Hebrews looked down on the foreign Jews or Grecians as having contracted contamination by their long contact with the uncircumcised heathen. (2) The Grecians murmured. This disposition to grumble seriously threatened the well-being of the Church; it formed the gravest danger it had yet had to encounter. The Grecians complained that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. The diaconate was instituted when the temporal requirements of the Church urgently demanded it, and not a day before.

II. The duties of the office. (1) The seven men, according to the text, were elected to “serve.” (2) They were elected to “serve tables.” Speaking broadly, this means that they were to attend to the temporalities of the Church. Their chief duty is to manage the finances of the kingdom, but that done to their own and others’ satisfaction, they may extend the sphere of their usefulness, and assist in the furtherance of truth and goodness. (3) The deacons are to serve the tables of the ministers. One important object in the institution of the diaconate was to relieve the preachers of anxiety and distraction in the zealous pursuit of the work peculiar to themselves. (4) They are to serve the tables of the poor.

III. The qualifications for the office. (1) The first qualification is integrity. (2) Next comes piety, “Full of the Holy Ghost.” (3) The third qualification is wisdom. Without wisdom, the deacon’s administration will do incalculably more harm than good. What is wisdom? A right application of knowledge. But this implies two things. (1) That he possesses the knowledge to be applied; (2) that he possesses tact to apply his knowledge in the pursuit of his official duties.

J. Cynddylan Jones, Studies in the Acts, p. 114.

Act 6:1-6

Hellenist and Hebrew

From the very day of Pentecost, the Jerusalem congregation had embraced a number of Hellenists, or foreign-trained Jews, though we have no means of knowing what proportion they bore to those born in Palestine, called by Luke “Hebrews.” It is certain that their influence must have been out of proportion to their numbers. They were men of higher average intelligence and energy than the villagers of Juda, or the small traders of the capital, and were not likely to acquiesce silently in any neglect which, from being in a minority, they might suffer at the hands of the home-born.

I. The creation of the office of deacon showed all the better that it did not mean to show anything, how unfettered the new kingdom of Christ is by external regulations; how full of self-regulating power, how unhierarchical, how free, how unlike great modern Church establishments; how like a great family of brothers dividing among themselves the work to be done.

II. Another thing which the act of that day did, and was recognised even at the time as doing, was to begin the severance between the spiritual and temporal work of the Church. It had become impossible any longer to continue the serving of tables with the ministry of the Word. That the work might be well done, a division of labour was called for, and the Apostles could not hesitate which side of their double office they should abandon. To bear witness to the saving work of Jesus Christ is not a secondary or accidental function of the visible association we call the Church. It is its very end, its raison d’tre, its one task, to which all else is a mere accessory. Still, it deserves to be remarked how carefully the new office and its duties were lifted out of the atmosphere of mere business into that of worship. The men eligible to office are to be full of the Holy Ghost as well as of wisdom. They are to be set apart to their work with equally solemn religious services, and symbolical acts of consecration, as if their work had nothing to do with serving tables. The earliest instinct of the Church was a perfectly true one, that no office in the kingdom of God can be discharged as it ought to be, no matter how exclusively external or secular it may appear, unless it be discharged by a spiritual man, and in a spiritual way. All the servants of the Church must be first servants of her Master, “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost.”

J. Oswald Dykes, From Jerusalem to Antioch, p. 207 (see also Preacher’s Lantern, vol. iv., p. 641).

References: Act 6:1-7.-E. M. Goulburn, Acts of the Deacons, p. 1; Homilist, 3rd series, vol. iv., p. 311. Act 6:2.-J. Baldwin Brown, Christian World Pulpit, vol. viii., p. 309. Act 6:5.-Bishop Simpson, Sermons, p. 159. Act 6:7.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiv., No. 802; J. N. Norton, Old Paths, p. 292. Act 6:8-10.-E. M. Goulburn, Acts of the Deacons, p. 41. Act 6:8-15.-Homilist, 3rd series, vol. v., p. 12.

Act 6:11-15

The first Christian Martyr. Look:-

I. At Stephen as a man. The third verse gives us to understand that he was a man of “honest report:” literally, a man well testified of-the public bore him good witness. (1) This means that he was an honest man; and not only honest, but that he had a reputation for honesty. (2) But the words further imply that he was a good man. He was good, and he seemed good. A good character should be clear as glass, or, to use the Biblical illustration, transparent as light-a character men can not only look at, but look through, and see God behind and beyond.

II. Stephen as a Christian. (1) He was full of faith. (2) He was full of the Holy Ghost.

III. Stephen as a deacon. (1) He was full of grace. (2) Being thus full of grace, he was of necessity full of power. (3) Moreover, he did great wonders and miracles among the people. For a while he is the most promising and interesting figure in Christian antiquity, and if we possessed his grace we should also inherit his power, and do great wonders, if not miracles, among the people.

IV. Stephen as a disputant. (1) They were not able to resist the wisdom with which he spake. (2) They were not able to resist the spirit by which he spake.

V. Stephen as a prisoner. His character as a prisoner is set forth in the eleventh and succeeding verses. His speech before his judges was remarkable: his bodily appearance was more remarkable still. They all, “looking steadfastly on him, beheld his face, as it had been the face of an angel.”

VI. Stephen as a martyr. Nowhere outside the religion of the New Testament do we behold such majesty and meekness, in the grim presence of death. Pagans may die heroically, Christians only die forgivingly. Heathens may die bravely, believers in Christ only die Divinely. “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”

J. Cynddylan Jones, Studies in the Acts, p. 135.

Reference: Act 6:13.-E. G. Gibson, Expositor, 2nd series, vol. iv., p. 423.

Act 6:15

The Angel-face on Man

There are certain things common to the angel-face on man, amid all the endless variety of type and form-certain things which we may look for (with at least but little exception) on all the faces which carry on them any image, or resemblance to higher worlds, and holier creatures, and by the mention of these we shall make the subject quite practical.

I. Brightness. We cannot be wrong in supposing that there was something luminous in the face of Stephen, which was seen by those who looked steadfastly on him. We always associate brightness with the angels. If Stephen’s countenance had been dull or sad on that day, this in the text had never been recorded of him.

II. Calmness. Stephen was preternaturally calm, and calm in a scene of the utmost excitement. And it is not enough to have a general cheerfulness as the result of a survey of life and the world on the whole. There must be superiority to particular disquietudes, and a keeping of the heart in the stillness of grace, in the great and deep peace of God, in the very presence of any immediate agitations. No one can hope to get the angel-face who furrows and flushes his own with daily excitements, and yields without a struggle to particular temptations in the hope that a general obedience will get him through. The peace of God is to keep the heart and mind as a garrison is kept.

III. Benignity shone out in that wonderful arresting face; without this there could be no resemblance to God Himself, or to His dear Son. He that loveth not, is not of God, and cannot wear an angel-face.

IV. Fearlessness. If an angel were here, to live for a while the life of a man, you would see what it is to be brave. The celestial courage is attainable in terrestrial scenes, if not perfectly yet in large measure, and those who attain it will, by so much more, put on celestial resemblance, and look on human scenes, as it were, with the face of an angel.

V. He who would have the angel-face must look high and far. He must learn to look not so much at things, as through them, to see what is in them and what is beyond.

A. Raleigh, The Little Sanctuary, p. 295.

There is a very awful power of rebuke entrusted by God to His chosen servants; and well may it fill us with awe that He has invested man, to such a degree, with his own attribute. Yet this history of St. Stephen furnishes us with limitations of its use, which are still more needful for us. For man, in his waywardness, often reverses the method of God; He is silent when He should rebuke in what concerns God’s honour: rebukes when he should be silent, in what concerns his own.

I. They who rebuke should have the commission to rebuke. When we rebuke we speak in His name, and this we dare not presume of ourselves. Since rebuke is the voice of God correcting us, they who utter it should be themselves such as to hope that they speak that voice. We must listen to those in authority as our Lord bade to hearken to those who sat in Moses’ seat, but they who speak must, that they sin not, speak the words of God and see that they mingle not their own.

II. Further, since rebuke is of so awful a character and inflicts suffering, it must be given, not without suffering to ourselves also who give it. We may not inflict pain without pain, suffering without suffering. It were to forget our common Master whose office we take; our common frailty, alike liable to be tempted and to need rebuke; it were to make ourselves as God, who alone cannot suffer. It were rather to make ourselves like Satan, who alone torments without suffering, and is made to suffer, since of himself he will not.

III. We must reprove with humility. To reprove with humility we must reprove only those whom we have a right to reprove; not our elders; not those set over us; not those manifestly superior to ourselves. And to those who seem to be our equals, or who are in any way subject to us, we dare not assume any superiority, as though we were, on the whole, better than they.

IV. Lastly, we must reprove in love. We must not, as we are wont, measure the fault by the vexation it causes ourselves. Rather should we be tender, in proportion as the fault affects ourselves. Our one object should be to win, as we may, souls to Christ, and so we should reprove as may best win them.

E. B. Pusey, Sermons from Advent to Whitsuntide, vol. i., p. 75.

The face of Stephen in this world we can never see. We can never read here its revelation of character. Now it is in perfect loveliness, like Him who is seen by His saints in His perfection. One day we may read-if we attain-that special message which God traced before the council in momentary beauty before it was hidden in a bloody grave. The vision of the martyr was a mighty message; but his lips threw that message into words. These words are in part at least recorded for our learning; and if we cannot see the face, the record we can read.

I. Note, first, that earnest desire for truth, which is the first real requisite to its attainment. St. Stephen had evidently desired truth, and searched and studied the Scriptures, and that eager and loving spirit had had its reward. One example of that reward is seen in the vigorous intellectual grasp of the subject, which he had to handle with readiness and under the appalling pressure of a trial for life. All the gifts of Stephen, his earnest desire for knowledge, his subtle dialectic, his noble eloquence, were turned full upon the subject of highest interest, upon the mysterious revelation of eternal truth.

II. There were higher endowments in the martyr than any mere attributes of mind. No mental vigour in such a desperate crisis would have availed to any purpose, unless it had been seconded by a boldness and intrepidity of spirit. Struggling for a cause, new, untried, and deemed altogether contemptible, he possessed his soul with a heroic patience, and bore his part with literally unexampled courage.

Note also his wealth of tenderness. The scene at the death of St. Stephen reminds us of the scene at the death of Christ; the words of prayer, which rose amid the hailstorm of cruel stones, ring through our souls with an effect of penetration, like that of the looks of the great Intercession, at the moment of the nailing to the cross. Do you ask the secret of such a combination of tenderness and courage in any tempted man? There is one answer: an unshaken, a deep, and supernatural union with Jesus Christ.

III. We all surely must, in our degree, hope to bear our testimony at all hazards to truth. Well then, let us note the conditions on which such fulfilment of our reason of life depends. (1) The soul must be true to itself. (2) In the world of revealed faith, all power of witness depends upon conviction. Act with courage upon conviction, and act with charity. (3) When all possible struggle is over we may witness to Jesus by the calmness of a loving resignation.

W. J. Knox Little, Manchester Sermons, p. 215.

The First Martyr

I. Religious persecution began with Christianity. This is a simple fact of history. Strange as it may seem, there is no record in earlier times, amid all the cruelty and reckless disregard of the sacredness of human life, which sullied the annals of the old world, of suffering and death deliberately inflicted on account of religious opinions. Martyrdom, in the strict sense of that word, was an unknown thing when Stephen stood up before the council. In him the terrible prophecy of his Lord began to be fulfilled. If he had failed in the trial, humanly speaking, Christianity would have failed. Had he relented under fear of stoning, the faith of the infant Church would have been shaken. On the other hand, Stephen’s boldness-that calm, high bearing, that face irradiated as an angel’s, rejoicing in danger and death for the Master’s sake-rooted the Christian Church as a living power in the earth. The world and the Church had confronted each other. Did Stephen realise all this-that for a brief hour the world’s destinies had rested with him? It may be so; hence, in the consciousness of that high calling, his face was seen as the face of an angel.

II. There is much to be noted in the Providence of God with regard to Stephen. The chapter before us dwells emphatically upon the singular power of his ministry. Yet this ministry, full of such mighty promise, was cut short at the very outset. Was there, then, a waste of power in that early cutting short of the martyred deacon, in the midst of his days? Was it premature, that dying under the stony shower outside the gates of Jerusalem? Not so. It may well teach us two lessons. (1) The power of a short life. Who has not known instances of the sudden dropping into the grave of some gifted intellect, some character of more than common loveliness and promise? May it not be said that, like the Hebrew hero, such have been mightier in their death than in their life. The memory of Stephen may have been more to the Church of the Firstborn than Stephen’s protracted ministry. (2) And there is a further teaching still. Was Stephen content to die at the beginning of his race? Then do we learn not to be impatient ourselves to behold a completed work; to be willing to lay the foundations, and leave to others to bring forth the top stone with joy; willing ourselves to sow the seed, and let other hands gather in the harvest.

Bishop Woodford, Sermons on Subjects from the New Testament, p. 92.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

CHAPTER 6

1. The Murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews (Act 6:1-7).

2. Stephen; His Ministry and Arrest (Act 6:8-15).

Another failure is brought before us. The enemy acts again. From without and from within Satan pressed upon that which was of God. While the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit acted in Grace and power, the enemy came in to disturb. It is still so. Whenever there is a door opened there are also many adversaries (1Co 16:9).

The flesh manifested itself in murmuring. The assembly took care of the poor; widows being specially helpless, were the objects of daily ministrations. The Jews themselves in connection with the synagogue had special funds for them. They must have also formed a recognized group in the early church (1Ti 5:9-10). The ministration is the distribution mentioned in Chapter 4:35, and as the multitude was very great, including, perhaps, hundreds of widows, this work was quite a task. Murmurings arose and these were born of jealousy, the result of unbelief. It is the first indication of weakness and failure. This reminds us of the murmurings of Israel as recorded in the book of Exodus. The same old thing, the changeless flesh, shows itself among the saved and united company of believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The murmurings were on the side of the Grecians. Their complaint was against the Hebrews that the Grecian widows were being overlooked. The Grecians were not, as some teach, Gentiles, but they were Greek-speaking Jews, born in countries outside of Palestine, and therefore called Hellenists, or Grecians.

The murmuring is at once arrested. Seven men are chosen under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles declared we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word. The Holy Spirit thus separated the gifts called to minister in spiritual things from those in temporal matters. Note how prayer is put before the ministry of the Word. There can be no effectual ministry, no successful preaching and teaching of the Word, unless it is preceded by prayer.

The seven chosen ones are then named. While we know little of these men and the service they rendered, with the exception of Stephen and Philip, it is an interesting fact that their names are all Greek. In this the grace of God is beautifully exhibited. The Grecians were the murmurers, and no doubt they were fewer in number than the Hebrews. A modern day church meeting would have proposed to elect a committee composed of equal numbers of the two parties. But not so here.

Grace and wisdom from above are manifested in this action. The entire seven were chosen from those who had complained. This was the blessed rebuke of Grace.

The seven were then set before the Apostles, and when they had prayed they laid their hands on them. As this laying on of hands is so much misunderstood, and has been made an act by which authority, power and blessing is claimed to be conferred, we must say a brief word on it. It is always proper in reading and interpreting the Word of God, to see if not elsewhere in the Bible the terms or things to be interpreted are used, so that through them the right meaning can be ascertained. The laying on of hands is first mentioned in the Book of Leviticus. In the opening chapters of that book we read how the offerer was to lay his hand upon the head of the offering. Thus we read of the Peace offering: He shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering (Lev 3:2). This meant the identification of the Israelite with the offering itself. And this is the meaning of the laying on of hands from the side of the Apostles. They identified themselves and the assembly with them in their work for which they had been chosen. It was a very simple and appropriate act to show their fellowship with them. All else which has been made of the laying on of hands is an invention. There is no Scripture for the present day usage in Christendom, that a man in order to preach the Gospel or teach the Word of God must be ordained.

miracles among the people. Certain of the synagogue of the Libertines and others disputed with Stephen. (It is wrong to call these Libertines free thinkers. Jews had been taken to Rome as slaves. Their descendants who had been liberated were called Libertines, that is freedmen. They were known as such in Jerusalem and hence the name synagogue of the Libertines.) And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Stephen is accused of blasphemy. The charge is blasphemy against Moses and against God. They succeeded in their satanic work by stirring up the people, the elders and the scribes. Three things are mentioned by them. He ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, against the law, and that he should have said: This Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And then they looked upon him, and behold his face was like the face of an angel. All eyes were attracted to this wonderful sight. Steadfastly they looked upon a face of Glory; a face

reflecting heavens light, heavens Glory; a face reflecting the Glory of Him into whose presence he soon would be called. And may not that young man named Saul also have been there and seen that face? And that dark countenance of that young Pharisee of Tarsus was soon to behold that same Glory-light, and then tell the world of the Gospel of the Glory and that we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory unto glory.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

19. THE FIRST SEVEN DEACONS

Act 6:1-7

The church at Jerusalem grew in a very short time from 120 to several thousand members! This early church, though a great multitude, was a community of love and care. They had all things common. Many sold their estates and gave the money to the church. There were also many in the congregation who were poor. These poor ones, particularly the fatherless and the widows, were clothed, fed, and housed with church funds. But a problem arose. Some of the Grecian widows were being neglected (or at least thought they were), not receiving an equal share of daily compensation with those widows from Judia (Act 6:1). Several things in this passage deserve our attention.

THOUGH THE CHURCH SUFFERED MUCH PERSECUTION, IT CONTINUED, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, TO GROW. Like Israel in Egypt, the more it was afflicted, the more it multiplied. The work of God, the cause of Christ, and the success of the gospel cannot be hindered by man or even hell itself (Mat 16:18).

WHEN THE CHURCH INCREASED STRIFE AND DISCORD AROSE FROM WITHIN! Until now they had been of one accord (Act 1:14; Act 2:1; Act 2:46; Act 4:24; Act 5:12). They had been one in heart, mind, and purpose, serving the interests of Christ and one another. But when they began to multiply, they corrupted themselves. They increased in numbers, but not in joy. Like Abraham and Lot, when the family increased, there was strife. “There arose a murmuring,” not an open falling out, but a petty strife, nurtured by selfishness and pride (Pro 16:28; Pro 17:14; Pro 17:19; Pro 26:21; Pro 28:25).

OF ALL THINGS, THE COMPLAINT WAS ABOUT MONEY! It is a great pity that the insignificant things of this world should ever cause strife between those who profess to be taken up with the far greater things of the world to come. Yet, this evil is so often repeated that it must not be ignored. “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1Ti 6:10). It blinds the eye and perverts the judgment of men (Exo 23:8). Most every spat between a husband and wife is about money! Most every sore spot in a family has something to do with money or other earthly possessions! Most church splits begin with strife about money! How sad!

NO CHURCH HAS EVER BEEN PURE AND PERFECT, AND NO CHURCH IN THIS WORLD EVER WILL BE. Any congregation of believers will, from time to time, have problems to face, deal with, and overcome. Never forsake the church of God, or the local church to which you belong, because a problem arises. Instead, work together with God’s saints to overcome the problem. Husbands and wives do not break up the family because they have a little spat. Neither should we allow petty differences to break up the household of faith. Let us rather yield to one another and serve one another (Php 2:1-5; Eph 4:1-6).

IN ORDER TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND TO PREVENT SUCH PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE, THE APOSTLES, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ESTABLISHED A NEW OFFICE IN THE CHURCH, THE OFFICE OF DEACON. Act 6:1-7 records the establishment of this office.* These first seven deacons were chosen to meet a specific need in the church. Seven were chosen because seven were needed, but that certainly does not imply that every church needs seven deacons.

Why was the deacon’s office established? God ordained this office in his church for one specific and noble reason – Deacons are to relieve their pastors of all secular, worldly concern, so that those who preach the gospel may give themselves entirely to the ministry of the Word (1Ti 4:12-16; 2Ti 2:4; 2Ti 4:1-5; Act 6:2-3). No man can properly give himself to more than one weighty employment. Therefore the churches of God have deacons whose responsibility it is to see that their pastors have no need to concern themselves with mundane affairs. Deacons must take care to see that the material needs of the pastor and his family are met. Deacons are to make certain that the church property and church members are cared for properly. Deacons are to distribute the church’s funds for the ministry of the Word and the care of the poor (1Co 16:2). Deacons are servants. They serve tables, the Lord’s table, the pastor’s table, the tables of God’s saints.

How were the first deacons chosen? Without doubt, the church at Jerusalem met in several congregations scattered throughout the area. The apostles called together the preachers from these congregations and instructed them to choose from among the saints of God “seven men (no women) of good report”. Then those men were ordained to the work. This much is certain: The deacons were all men. They were chosen in compliance with the apostles instructions. They were chosen from among the members of the church. And they were permanently ordained in the office, not installed for a short term.

What kind of men were the deacons to be? The Word of God clearly describes the character of those men who may be properly ordained to the office of deacon. They are not to be chosen upon the basis of friendship, but of faithfulness. Carefully read Act 6:3 and 1Ti 3:8-12. These two passages tell us what the qualifications of a deacon are. No man should ever be placed in this high office who does not meet the qualifications given in the Word of God.

What is the work for which deacons are ordained? The word “deacon” means “servant”. A deacon is a man who serves Christ’s church, the interests of the gospel, and the pastor who proclaims the gospel to him. As the first seven deacons were chosen to relieve the apostles of the burden of caring for the poor, so it is the work of deacons to do whatever they can to relieve their pastor of any burden or care that would in anyway distract him from the preaching of the gospel.

What affect did the service of these seven deacons have upon the church of Christ and the ministry of the gospel? Because of the quiet, unassuming, faithful service of these first seven deacons, the Word of God increased and many of God’s elect were converted (Act 6:7). The gospel was preached where it could not have been preached, if these men had not relieved the apostles. And the church of God grew. Faithful deacons are an asset to any congregation and an asset to any pastor’s labors. Pastors, elders, and deacons, together with the membership of the local church, labor together in the cause of Christ. Those deacons who labor faithfully as deacons earn the respect and esteem of their pastor and of the church (1Ti 3:13).

* The apostles did not simply invent an office in the church as a matter of expediency. They did what they did under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the choosing of Matthias to be an apostle, this was an act inspired of God. We know that it was, because it is confirmed in the epistles. We have no authority to invent offices in the church and appoint people to fill them.

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible

Grecians

Hellenists, i.e. Grecian Jews.

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

when: Act 6:7, Act 2:41, Act 2:47, Act 4:4, Act 5:14, Act 5:28, Psa 72:16, Psa 110:3, Isa 27:6, Jer 30:19

there: 1Co 10:10, Heb 13:1, Jam 4:5, Jam 5:9

Grecians: Act 9:29, Act 11:20

Hebrews: 2Co 11:22, Phi 3:5

their: Act 9:39, Act 9:41, Deu 24:19-21, Deu 26:12, Job 29:13, Job 31:16, Isa 1:17, Eze 22:7, Mal 3:5, Mat 23:14, 1Ti 5:4, 1Ti 5:5, 1Ti 5:9, Jam 1:27

the daily: Act 2:45, Act 4:35

Reciprocal: Exo 18:18 – thou art 2Ki 25:30 – a daily rate Neh 13:13 – to distribute Pro 13:10 – with Pro 15:18 – he Pro 17:14 – leave Ecc 10:10 – wisdom Mat 18:17 – tell Act 2:44 – had Act 15:39 – the contention Act 21:40 – Hebrew 1Co 16:3 – whomsoever 2Co 8:4 – the ministering Phi 1:1 – and deacons Phi 2:14 – without 1Ti 3:10 – use 1Ti 5:3 – widows

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

BEHIND ALL THE attacks and difficulties which confronted the early church in Jerusalem lay the great adversary, Satan himself. He it was that stirred the Sadducees to violence and attempts to intimidate. He filled the heart of Ananias to lie, and thus bring in corruption, tempting the Spirit of the Lord. Now, these earlier attacks having been defeated, he moves in a more subtle way, exploiting small differences that existed within the church itself. The Grecians of whom the first verse of this chapter speaks, were not Gentiles but Greek-speaking Jews, coming from the lands of their dispersion, whereas the Hebrews were the home-born Jews of Jerusalem and Palestine.

The first and greater trouble within the church-that of Ananias-was about money. If the second was not about money, it was over a matter very akin to it; being as to the distribution of daily necessities, entailed by having all things common. The first was about getting the money in: the second about doling out the money, or its equivalent. Those from a distance thought that partiality was being shown in favour of the local people. The greater trouble created only a small difficulty, for it was met instantaneously in the Spirits power: the smaller trouble created the greater difficulty, as we see in our chapter. This, we believe, has nearly always been the way in the churchs history: the most difficult cases to settle are those in which at the bottom there is very little to be settled.

It was only a murmuring that arose, but the apostles did not wait for it to become a formidable outcry. They discerned that Satans object in it was to divert them from the preaching of the Word to social service, so they took steps to end any possible objections. They instructed the church to select seven men to undertake the business, who should be, of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. Their administration was to be marked by wisdom and honesty that should be above all reproach.

In this business the church was to select its own officers; but then the business was the distribution of the funds and food that the church had itself provided. We never read of the church being called upon to select or appoint its elders or bishops or ministers of the Word, inasmuch as the spiritual grace and gifts which they distribute are not provided by the church but by God. The selection and ordination of these consequently lies in the hands of God. To the elders at Ephesus Paul said, The Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. God appoints those who are to administer His bounty.

So the apostles continued to give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. For those who are taught the Word comes first (see 1Ti 4:5), for we only pray rightly as we are instructed in the Word. For those who minister prayer comes first, for apart from prayer they will not speak the Word aright.

Just as wisdom prevailed with the apostles, so grace prevailed in the church, for all the seven men chosen bore names which would suggest a

Grecian rather than a Hebrew origin, and one of them is said to have been a proselyte, which infers that he came even of Gentile extraction. In this way the multitude took care that all murmurings and questionings, whether well-founded or not, should be hushed to silence. The apostles identified themselves with the churchs choice, by laying their hands on the chosen men, with prayer. The adversary behind the scenes was again foiled.

He was more than foiled really; for instead of the apostles being diverted from the Word of God, it increased greatly, and many fresh conversions took place, even many priests being reached. Moreover one of the seven, Stephen, became a special vessel of the grace and power of the Spirit of God; so much so, that for the rest of our chapter, and the whole of Act 7:1-60, we follow that which God wrought through him, until the time of his martyrdom.

The power operating in Stephen was so marked that it stirred up opposition in fresh quarters. The men of the various synagogues, mentioned in verse Act 6:9, were apparently all of the Grecian class, to which Stephen himself belonged. All their argumentative skill was as nothing when pitted against the power of the Spirit in Stephen, so they had recourse to the usual device of lying witnesses and violence. In verse Act 6:11 they put Moses in front of God; but then they knew what would most appeal to the passions of the crowd, to whom Moses, being a man, was more real than the invisible God. So also, in verse Act 6:13, this holy place which was before their eyes, takes precedence of the law; and finally, the customs which Moses delivered us, were perhaps dearer to them than all. Dragging Stephen before the council, they charged him with blasphemy, and with proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth as a destroyer of their holy place and customs. There was this much truth in this charge, that the advent of Jesus had indeed inaugurated a new departure in the ways of God.

In this public way the controversy between the nation and God was carried a step further. They threw down the gauntlet, and God accepted their challenge by so filling Stephen with the Spirit that even the fashion of his face was altered, and everybody saw it. Through his lips the Holy Ghost proceeded to give a closing word of testimony against the nation. The council found themselves arraigned at the bar of God by the Holy Ghost, speaking through the very man that was being arraigned at their bar.

Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary

Obedient to the Faith

Act 6:1-14

INTRODUCTORY WORDS

May we tarry a while to study The Business Side of Church Life.

Our text (Act 6:3) says that there are three requirements: (1) Honest report; (2) Full of the Holy Ghost; (3) Wisdom. Let us take these up one at a time.

1. Men of honest report, Grace never condones crookedness anywhere, at any time. Men who serve in Heavenly things must provide things honest in the sight of all men. They must be men who have established themselves in the minds of those without, as genuinely sincere and wholly trustworthy.

We see in this, that God weighs the “outside” and world-contacts of those whom He would have chosen to do His work. If a man is not faithful in his conduct in the realm of world-business, how can he be counted on as faithful in the realm of the Divine?

Daniel was a man true and tried, He was a man capable of being entrusted with Divine things, because, in the things relating to his premiership under varied kings, he had been found faultless.

Upon two things then, the church should insist-first that the men she chooses to attend to her business should not be novices, unestablished in the confidences of those without; and, secondly, that they should be men who have a record of honor and honesty behind them in the daily business contacts which they have with their fellow men.

2. Men filled with the Holy Ghost. If, in every place of business trust, churches and denominational boards were careful to follow God’s orders, they would be saved much of sore travail. A man may be ever so capable, and ever so honest in his reputation without being right in his heart. There are honest men, men of unquestioned integrity in their every dealing with their fellow men, who are not panoplied for Divine service.

We may think that spiritual life and power is needed alone in the ministry of the Word and in prayer; God thinks that it is needed in attending to “this business.”

Why should men filled “with the Holy Ghost” be needed to man the business side of church life? For this reason-that only such men can do the work, as God wants it done. The Lord should rule in every phase of church life. He is the Head of the “Building Committee” and the “Church Finance Committee” and the “Committee on the care of the poor,” just as He is the Head of the pulpit.

3. Men filled with wisdom. Wisdom, as this verse proclaims it, is not a wisdom of the world; but a wisdom that God giveth. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” What kind of wisdom is that which God gives? It is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be in-treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

Here is the wisdom that the church needs in those placed over her business. There is a wisdom that is not from above. It is “earthly, sensual, devilish.” It tends to “envying and strife.” It fathers “confusion and every evil work.” God deliver us from such wisdom.

God give us men with the wisdom from above, for this wisdom makes the wisdom of this world no more than foolishness. God will “destroy the wisdom of the wise,” and He will “bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Paul knew how to speak with wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world. His wisdom was the wisdom which God ordained.

I. THE WONDERFUL INCREASE IN THE FAITH (Act 6:7)

“And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

One would think that this blessed increase in the number of the disciples was due to the Church’s action in setting aside the seven. If this be true, we can easily trace the reason for its truth.

The cause of the increase in disciples:

1. The Apostles had opportunity to give themselves to prayer. Perhaps some of us can here trace the failure in our own work. We have done many things, but prayed little. Our Lord prayed. He spent whole nights in prayer to God. He prayed before He chose Him the twelve whom He named Apostles. He prayed before He wrought many of His greatest works. He prayed before He even came to the tomb of Lazarus, because He said, as He stood by the sepulcher, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me.”

We fail to go into our closets and shut the door and pray to our Father in secret, therefore we have no reward when we openly preach in His Name.

2. The Apostles had opportunity to give themselves afresh to the ministry of the Word. They could make prayer and preaching everything, not two, out of many things. Through prayer they became efficient in the ministry of the Word. They learned that the Word was the seed that produced a fruitful harvest. They learned that the Word was the power of God that wrought in regeneration.

Here is a second reason for much of our failure. We preach many things, but we preach not the Word. We take a text, but we fail to proclaim the context. We use the Scripture as a basis for talk, instead of making the Scripture our whole fabric of talk. Let us preach the Word.

3. Another cause for the increase in disciples must have lain in the earnest work of the seven in their serving of tables. The care of the saints for the widows; the daily ministrations of money for the needy, put a seal of genuineness to the work of the Church that deeply impressed the populace. They felt that the Church was so different from the Judaism that they had always known.

Judaism had created a group of priests that bound heavy burdens upon men, burdens hard to be borne; Christianity, as espoused by the Church, lifted those burdens. Judaism was harsh in its dealings with the populace, the Church was kind, considerate, and ready to supply the need of the infirm and aged.

II. OBEDIENCE TO THE FAITH (Act 6:7)

We do not care particularly to press the fact that the priests, in large numbers, were among the converts-not that. Here are the words that grip us, the priests were “obedient to the faith.”

Several things are paramount:

1. The Apostles preached doctrine. The expression “the faith,” does not mean that the priests had faith in Christ; it means that they accepted an array of facts concerning Christ. These facts were included in a “credo” (creed), called “the faith.”

There is altogether too much tear-extracting story telling in the evangelism of today. There is too much of calling upon hearts stirred by a good story to accept Jesus as a Saviour, We wish to ask, How can people believe in Him of whom they have not heard? Faith must be builded upon “the faith.”

“Obedience to the faith” on the part of the priests, is proof sufficient that the Apostles preached “the faith.” They preached that Christ was the eternal Logos; they preached that Christ, according to the flesh was of the seed of David, Holy Ghost begotten, and virgin born; they preached that Christ was, in life, sinless, holy, and undefiled,-God manifest in flesh; they preached that Christ died a substitutionary and vicarious death, the Just for the unjust; they preached that Christ had ascended, and was seated at the right hand of the Father, exalted a Prince and a Saviour,-ever living to intercede for His people; they preached that Christ was the coming Messiah, destined to return in the clouds, and to reign on David’s throne,-reigning over the restored and re-united twelve tribes of Israel.

This, with other great fundamentals of doctrine was the sum of the Apostolic message.

2. The priests were “obedient to the faith.” We mean the priests were obedient to the Apostles’ doctrine,-that is, they were obedient to the concept of Christ proclaimed by the Apostles. What did this obedience involve?

(1) It involved separation from Judaism. It was no small matter for the priests to accept Christ. Their whole system of religious dogma had to be set aside when they accepted Christ. Their whole means of livelihood had to be forsaken when they accepted Christ.

Obedience to the faith implied their break with Judaism, the system that had been, in the past, their very religious heart throbs.

It was no small matter for these priests to step down and out. They had never been trained to work in the marts of trade. They had lived on the tithes of the people. They had feathered their nests, financially, by placing upon the common herd burdens hard to be borne.

It was no small matter to step down and out. In so doing they were bringing upon their heads the anathemas of a religious hierarchy that had overshadowed them for a lifetime. The hisses and the curses of the High Priest and his colleagues were not easy to bear. Clouds of persecution swept along by winds of religious wrath, and fanaticism, loomed above the heads of the great number of priests, as they became “obedient to the faith.”

(2) It involved the confession of a new and vital conviction. Surely some great conviction must have settled down upon these priests. They had been convinced of their sin, on the one hand; and of Christ’s claims on the other hand. Their convictions were so deep and so strong that they were ready to sell all that they had to follow their new found light. They counted their lives as nothing that they might win Christ. They counted all else but refuse-after they had seen in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Saviour.

A deep and an abiding faith in a mighty Christ is what gives birth to the spirit of the martyrs. When Jesus Christ is known in all the fullness of His Godhead, men and women are willing to go anywhere and to suffer anything for His sake.

Obedience to the faith carried with it a definite and public renunciation of their old contentions, with an open alignment to new convictions fixed in Christ.

Paul did this same thing, when, forgetting the things which were behind, he pressed toward the things which were before.

III. MARVELOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF FAITH (Act 6:8-10)

Several things are set before us about Stephen:

1. Stephen was a man full of faith. The faith of Stephen was distinct from the obedience to the faith, manifested in the priests. To be sure Stephen was obedient to the faith, but in addition to that, he exercised faith. He held the faith, and he contended for the faith once delivered, but he also knew the mighty power of faith. He had faith in the One who was the very essence of the faith. He had faith in its operating aspect. He stood side by side with those in olden days, “who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

2. Stephen was a man of power, because faith is power. Christ said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Faith believes God, magnifies God, accepts God as the omnipotent One. Unbelief limits the Holy One of Israel. Unbelief makes great works impossible.

Faith is dynamic. Faith is power. Faith is operative where only the eternal God can operate. Faith turns on the current of Heaven. Stephen by faith wrought wonders and miracles among the people.

3. Stephen was a man full of wisdom. The people could not resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Stephen’s wisdom was not the kind that he had received in the schools of men. He was taught of God. He was instructed in the school of Christ. He had asked God, and God had spoken to his soul. He preached with a warmth of conviction that stirred his hearers. He did more, he spoke with a wisdom of statement, that confounded them.

Stephen could say something in a way that convinced the gainsayers. His words reached home. His words were plain and pointed; they carried an undisputable meaning with them.

Alas, there is much of preaching today that is altogether out of the reach of the people. Pulpiters seem to delight in great swelling words. They delight in scattering star dust, and meaningless phraseologies. They say much every way, but their words have no vital message; no bite, no point.

The Word of God is sharp and living. It is a sword that cutteth asunder. Sermons are, too often, the most lifeless and dull commodities that are panned off on the people. Congregations think of the church as a safe retreat from anything that will awaken their consciences, or disturb their slumbers.

Stephen preached with wisdom, and with spirit; his words were a scythe that cut down the grass.

It was so with Peter. As Peter preached the people were cut to the heart and they cried, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

It was so with Paul. As Paul spoke even kings said, “Much learning doth make thee mad”; and one of them trembled, but said, “Go thy way for this time.”

It should be so with us. If our sermons do not cause men to cry out; if they do not slay sin, and set up life, something is the matter with us. Thank God for Stephen.

4. Stephen’s face shone like that of an angel. He had faith and power; he had wisdom and spirit; he had a face radiant with the glory of God. This is as it should be. How can any man preach the wonderful things of God with a countenance as dead as a corpse. The lifeless and listless messenger carries no weight with his words. We do not care for ranting and an excess of human gymnastics in preaching; we do care for a spirit afire for God, and a face filled with glory.

When Christ is all, and in all to us; when we are overwhelmed with His glory and power; when we believe thoroughly in the mighty Gospel which we preach, we cannot but be enthusiastic in our message; we cannot but carry a face lighted with joy.

We saw recently a big and beautiful building with these words engraved on the tablet, “Come ye, rest and worship.” That is just the concern of the average church.

The devil never uses such words on the tablets of his theaters. He may seek to quiet the troubled heart, convicted with sin; he may seek to keep his sons in peace of mind, but he does not advertise it.

Certainly Christ gives rest to the troubled soul, however, His Word is not an anesthetic for souls hastening to hell.

God give us preachers filled with the light of life. God give us ministers with tongues touched with live coals from off the altar. God give us preachers with faces lighted up with the Heavenly beauty.

We read that Jesus Christ, on the mount of transfiguration, had a face that shone as the sun. Moses when he came down from the mount wist not that his face shone. If we dwell with Him and walk with Him and talk with Him, will not our faces shine?

IV. MAD OPPOSITION TO THE FAITH (Act 6:9; Act 6:11-14)

Let us now read several verses in the closing section of this 6th chapter of Acts. These verses describe the madness of the men who set themselves against Stephen.

When Stephen’s persecutors saw that they could not resist the wisdom of His words they subborned men who made false statements, saying, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.”

There is no length to which evil men will go to discount the children of God. Even religionists of today, sadly lend themselves to Satan to speak against the ministers of Christ, Let a man, Stephen like, dare to stand outside the regular church ecclesiasticism, and everywhere “the leaders” will malign him, and misrepresent him; reporting things that are entirely contrary to what is truly said, or done.

These false statements stir up the people. Against Stephen the elders and the scribes came, and caught him, and brought him before the council, adding further falsities to what they themselves had been told. They went so far as to say that Stephen had spoken against the Law.

Let no man think that he who lives godly in Christ Jesus shall escape some such conflict as that which met Stephen. The man who has no opposition, is the man who is suave and oily-tongued; the man who stands in with those who are walking contrary to the Word of God.

Judaism was the dominant religion among the Jews. The man who dared to stand without its portals and preach Christ was immediately a target for the darts of Jewish jealousy and hatred.

Ecclesiastical systems are fast becoming so corrupted in their leadership, and so unscriptural in their contentions, that true saints will soon be compelled to withdraw from co-operation in their programs. When these saints, led of God, step aside and begin, in an aggressive way, their proclamation of Truth, then old-time persecutions will again come to the fore.

Even now, “machine Christianity” is making the pathway of many a faithful preacher most difficult to pursue. Lies and libels abound against real men of God who, willing to pay the price, have refused to fellowship with error. Thus it was in the days of the early Church. The Church was hated and persecuted by an ecclesiastical system that had made void the Word of God by their traditions. So shall it be, and so it is in these last days.

Shall the Stephens of today succumb? Or, shall they face the ones who oppose them? Let them stand forth clothed in the wisdom of God, and endued with the power of God.

Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water

1

Act 6:1. Number of the disciples was multiplied. This was said as an explanation of how there came to be some difficulty over caring for the needs of the dependent ones. The Grecians were Jews who spoke the Greek language; I shall quote from history: “The church, though consisting wholly of Hebrews, comprised two classes of persons; one party understood only the Hebrew and Chaldee languages, which was used in their synagogues at Jerusalem and its vicinity, while the other had been accustomed chiefly to use the Greek language, into which the Old Testament scriptures had been translated (the version which we now call the Septuagint), and which had been for some time in common use, previous to the coming of Christ, in all the Jewish synagogues dispersed throughout the cities of Greece, as well as Egypt. These last were called Hellenists or Grecians.” Jones’ Church History, Chapter 1, Section 2. The Hebrew-speaking Jews had a feeling of superiority over the others, and the Grecians thought. that feeling had crept into the church, so that partiality was being shown in the distribution of food. Daily ministration refers to the disbursements that were made out of the funds of the “community of goods” that was introduced in chapter 2:44, 45 and 4:34, 35. It should be observed that this distribution was made on the basis of need or dependency. The statement in connection with the work is worded, “according as he had need.” This idea is further set forth by the fact that it was the widows for whose sake the disturbance of our present verse was caused. And this point should not be overlooked when we come to considering the work of the men who will be chosen later in this chapter.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Act 6:1. In those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied. The literal rendering was multiplying is more forcible; while the apostles after their liberation went on with their high mission, every day the number of believers continued to increase in spite of the second arrest of the apostles and the scourging.

There arose a murmuring. This dissatisfaction was the first and immediate consequence of the attempts of the Church of Jerusalem to bring about a general community of goods.

Of the Grecians. The words are better rendered of the Grecian Jews. These were persons converted to the religion of Jesus from Judaism, but who, owing to their origin or habitation, spoke Greek as their ordinary language, and used the Greek version of the LXX. There were at that time a vast number of Jews who, residing chiefly in foreign parts, had lost the use of their native Hebrew, and generally spoke the Greek language. Many of these, belonging to Jewish families settled in Egypt and other countries, had come to reside in Jerusalem, then as ever the capital city of their people.

Against the Hebrews. The Hebrews were the pure Jews who, not residing necessarily in Palestine, still used the Hebrew Scriptures and spoke the dialect of the sacred tongue then currentthe Aramaic. The distinction between the Grecians and the Hebrews was not one of nationality, but of language.

Because their widows were neglected. Some commentators have supposed that these widows are mentioned as representatives of all the poor and needy who claimed their daily subsistence from the Church; but this is improbable. It is easy to conceive of these poor lonely women, who belonged to what was considered an inferior caste, being neglected in such a distribution.

In the daily ministration. This refers to a daily distribution either of food or money among the poorer and more helpless members of the Church. The funds which defrayed the cost of such a distribution were supplied by the free donations of the richer brethren (see chap. Act 2:45 to Act 4:34). The almoners were, in the first instance, no doubt the apostles themselves; but when the number of the believers had increased, this duty of course was deputed to assistants.

There is no doubt that the real cause of these murmurings which disturbed the peace of the early Church, must be sought for in the jealousy which always existed between the Jews who, with the ancient language, had preserved more rigidly the old customs and tone of Hebrew thought, and the Grecian or foreign Jews who, with the Greek language, had adopted broader and less rigid views generally; the former dwelt for the most part, though not exclusively, in Palestine. We find, for instance, the family of St. Paul, which belonged to this exclusive Hebrew caste, settled in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia.

The adoption of Christianity does not seem to have welded together these two great divisions of the people. As years went on, the schism even appears to have widened. The pure Hebrew Jews seem to have resented the broad inclusive spirit which soon welcomed the Gentile of every land and race into the fold of the Church, and, standing partly aloof, to have gradually formed themselves into that company of schismatics known later as Judaizing Christians, who so bitterly opposed St. Paul, and then the men of St. Pauls school of thought. Of this first great schism in the Church, which appears in this sixth chapter of the Acts, we find traces existing as late as the third century.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

The church was being blessed and multiplied but the conditions were not perfect. The flesh was asserting itself. Act 6:1 carries us back to the close of chapter 4, and we see that the charity which led to hypocrisy there, led to murmuring here. Grecians should be translated Grecian Jews to distinguish them from the native born. The apostles who had been distributing the alms could do so no longer, and hence the institution of the office of deacon (Act 6:5), after the Greek of serve tables (Act 6:2). (It is interesting that their names are all Greek.) Note, the exalted nature of the Christian ministry (Act 6:4), the high qualifications of those who even should carry on the secondary work of that ministry (Act 6:3), the democratic nature of the church assembly, and yet the respect for order and authority (Act 6:6). The whole multitude selected the deacons, but the Apostles ordained them. Note also the direction in which the truth of the gospel was now advancing (Act 6:7).

The above leads up to the personal history of Stephen, whose ministry was not limited to that of an almoner, and who was endued with miraculous power (Act 6:8). Act 6:9 is explained by the fact that in addition to the Temple in Jerusalem there were many synagogues, where the Jews from different countries assembled according to local preferences. (The Libertines were Jews from Rome). The servant is not greater than his Master, and if false witnesses caused the death of the One, the other should not expect different treatment (Act 6:11-14), but the master has not forsaken his servant (Act 6:15).

The defense of Stephen before the Sanhedrin (chap. 7) is a historical address carrying his hearers through the glory of Gods dealings with Israel from the call of Abraham to the building of Solomons Temple, with special emphasis being laid on Joseph and Moses who were remarkable types of Christ (Act 7:2-50). One instinctively feels that he was proceeding to a climax in his witness to Christ and the resurrection, when he was diverted by the gathering opposition of his hearers, and broke off in the language of rebuke at Act 7:51-53. Their fury vented itself upon him at this time (Act 7:54; Act 7:57-58); but he was marvelously sustained, and had a marvellous testimony to bear of what he saw, which enabled him, as his Savior before him, to pray for the forgiveness of his murderers with his last breath.

A comparison of Stephens words with the Old Testament records show certain variations, but the Holy Spirit through him may have been adding details to that record. On the other hand, Stephen was a Grecian Jew, using doubtless the Septuagint or Greek translation of the Old Testament, which would explain some things.

Note in Act 7:55 the first manifestation of the glorified Christ on record. Note in Act 7:58 the illegality of Stephens judges when compared with Luk 18:31. Also note in the same verse the presence of Saul, who, in a sense, owed his conversion to this scene, and of whom we are soon to learn more (see Act 22:20).

The second offer of the kingdom to Israel is brought to an end here, and in our next lesson we enter on the transition period through which the story of the church passes out of the Jewish into its Gentile stage.

Note in closing, that the name Jesus (Act 7:45), should be rendered as in the RV Joshua, the two in the original being the same.

QUESTIONS

1. To what earlier event in the history of the church is the opening of this lesson related?

2. What is the significance of Grecians in 6:1?

3. Whence does the word deacon originate?

4. What distinguished men of Israel were now uniting with the church?

5. What is the interpretation to be put upon the synagogues of the Cyrenians, etc.?

6. What was the character of Stephens defense before the Sanhedrin?

7. What important epoch is thought to have come to an end at this time?

Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary

Here observe, 1. How the number of Christians increased upon the foregoing persecution: as the Jewish church in Egypt, the more it was oppressed, the more it multiplied; so the Christian church here got ground by opposition; In those days the number of the disciples was multiplied Act 6:1.

Observe, 2. How the number of believers increasing, there arose (as it too often happens among a multitude) a murmuring among them: The Grecians, that is, such Jews as were dispersed abroad among the Greeks, complaining that their widows were neglected, and received less than the widows of the Hebrews in the daily distribution of the church’s money for charitable uses.

Thence learn, That neglect of the poor, particularly of the godly poor, is a sin in all, but especially in the churches of Christ.

Observe, 3. How the apostles desiring to have the poor well provided for, and not having leisure themselves personally to take care of them, advise the church to chuse seven persons out of the hundred and twenty, mentioned chapter the first, to be stewards and dispensers of the church’s stock, to distribute the same with equity and indifference to all proper objects of charity without exception.

Thence learn, That a general concern for the poor, and a tender regard to their necessities and wants, is a duty that well becomes the ministers and ambassadors of God: God’s poor are his treasure, his jewels, the signet upon his arm; they are always in his eye, and upon his heart: how well then doth it become the ministers of God to take care of them who are so dear to him?

Observe, 4. How the apostles resolve to perform their duty to God and their people, with such zeal and application, as became persons of their holy character and profession. We will give ourselves continually unto prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Where note, 1. That such as are called by God to the work of the ministry, ought to give themselves wholly to it: We will give ourselves continually thereunto.

2. That a minister’s giving himself unto prayer, is as great, if not a greater duty than giving himself to the preaching of the word: We will give ourselves continually unto prayer, and to the ministry of the word: To the one as the end, to the other as the mean; it is God that sets the word on work, but it is prayer that sets God on work: That minister that is not fervent in prayer cannot expect to be successful in preaching. Pray for us, says the apostle to the Thessalonians, that the word may run and be glorified; he that begged prayer of others, did not neglect it himself, but prayed without ceasing.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Widows Among the Hellenists Neglected

Earlier, Luke told Theophilus that various ones sold some of their possessions and laid the money at the feet of the apostles. He further reported that the money was distributed among the brethren according to need. Now, Luke reports that a complaint arose among the Hellenists, who likely were converts from among the Jews who had been scattered throughout the world and now spoke Greek and followed the customs of those using the same language. They felt their widows were not being cared for as well as the widows of the Hebrews, or those who spoke Aramaic, in the daily distribution, or serving of tables. Whether the charge resulted through an accidental or intentional oversight is not known. However, the perceived problem obviously threatened the peace and unity of the young church ( Act 6:1 ).

Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books

Act 6:1. In those days Some time after the fact last recorded had taken place; when the number of the disciples was multiplied For it appears their number increased continually and rapidly, notwithstanding the opposition made by the priests and rulers to the preaching of the gospel: indeed that opposition, instead of checking the progress of Christianity, contributed to it: there arose a murmuring The historians manner of speaking, , the disciples multiplying, there arose a murmuring, seems to imply, that the murmuring was partly, at least, the consequence of the great increase of the disciples. And certainly, 1st, In proportion as the number of Christians increased, the scandal of the cross would be diminished, and many would be inclined to unite themselves to them, who were influenced by motives not perfectly pure, and were not truly converted to God, and made new creatures in Christ. 2d, The accession of a great number of converts to the church, perhaps chiefly from the poor, would render it more difficult than it was before, to afford all the necessitous a proper supply. But, whatever was the cause of the murmuring here spoken of, it was the first breach made on those who were before of one heart and of one soul. Partiality crept in unawares on some, and murmuring on others. Ah, Lord! how short a time did pure, genuine, undefiled Christianity remain in the world! How soon was its glory, at least in some measure, eclipsed! Of the Grecians Greek, of the Hellenists, that is, the Jews born out of Judea, so called, because they used the Greek as their native language. These were descendants of such Jews as, in several national calamities, had been forced to flee to Alexandria, and other Gentile countries, or, on account of trade and commerce, had chosen to settle there, and yet kept themselves unmixed with the Gentiles; and, retaining the knowledge of the true God, were wont to come occasionally, especially on the solemn feasts, to worship at Jerusalem. Against the Hebrews Who were natives of Judea, and therefore used a dialect of the Hebrew, or Syro-Chaldaic tongue; because their widows were neglected In some degree, as they supposed; in the daily ministration Of the charities that were distributed to the poor members of the church. It is justly observed here by Mr. Scott, that as the greatest part of the public stock must have been contributed by the Hebrews, perhaps they, who acted under the apostles in this business, thought it right to show more favour to the poor widows of that description than the others. It is very probable, however, that the Hellenists suspected more partiality than there really was. Be this as it may, by this real or supposed partiality of the Hebrews, and the murmuring of the Hellenists, there is reason to think the Spirit of God was grieved, and the seeds of a general persecution were sown. For, did God ever, in any age or country, withdraw his restraining providence, and let loose the world upon the Christians, till there was a cause for it among themselves? Is not an open, general persecution, always both penal and medicinal? a punishment of those that will not accept of milder reproofs as well as a medicine to heal their sickness? and at the same time a means of purifying and strengthening those whose hearts are still right with God?

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

VI: 1. From the preceding account of the struggle, between the apostles and the Sadducees, Luke now turns to consider, briefly, the internal condition of the Church during the same period. Though the mass of the disciples had attained many of the excellencies of Christian character, they were still but men, and liable to the partialities and prejudices of men. This became manifest in a manner which at first threatened serious consequences. (1) Now, in those days, the disciples having multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenist against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. The disciples in Jerusalem now numbered largely over five thousand. In so large a multitude, it was almost impossible to look after the wants of all with equal care, and some unintentional oversight must unavoidably occur. The daily ministration is undoubtedly that distribution from the funds contributed by the brethren, which was made to every one according as he had need. That it was made daily, confirms our former conclusion, that there was no general equalization of property, but only a provision for the needy. The Hellenists were Jews of foreign birth and Greek education, and were so called because of their conformity to the manners of the Hellenes, as Greeks were called. Many of them were, perhaps, not permanent residents in Jerusalem, but had remained there after Pentecost on account of their interest in the new religion. They were the more likely to be neglected, because less familiarity known to the apostles and their assistants.

Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)

Acts Chapter 6

Other evils, unhappily, assail the church (chap. 6). The flesh begins to shew itself, in the midst of the power of the Holy Ghost, the trouble arising from the different circumstances of the disciples, and in those things in which grace had been especially manifested, on the side on which they were connected with the flesh. The Hellenists (Jews born in Grecian or heathen countries) murmur against the Hebrews (natives of Judea), because the widows of the latter were favoured, as they imagined, in the distribution of the goods bestowed on the assembly by its wealthier members. But here the wisdom given by the Spirit meets the difficulty, profiting by the occasion to give development to the work, according to the necessities that were growing up; and seven persons are named to undertake this business, for which the apostles would not forsake their own work. We also find, in the case of Philip and Stephen, the truth of what Paul says: Those who have used the office of a deacon well, purchase to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Observe here, that the apostles put prayer before preaching in their work, their conflict with the power of evil being more especially carried on in it, as well as their realisation of the power of God for the strength and wisdom they needed; and, in order that they might act directly on Gods part, it was necessary that grace and unction should be maintained in their hearts.

Observe also the grace that discovers itself under the influence of the Spirit of God in this matter: all the names, as far as we can judge, are those of Hellenists.

The influence of the word extended, and many priests were obedient to the faith. Thus, until now, the opposition from without, and the evil within, did but minister occasion to the progress of the work of God, by the manifestation of His presence in the midst of the church. Take especial notice of this fact. It is not only that the Spirit does good by His testimony, but, although evil is there without and within, yet where power displays itself, that evil does but bear witness to the efficacy of His presence. There was evil, but there was power to meet it. Still it shewed there was leaven even in the Pentecostal cake.

The energy of the Spirit manifests itself especially in Stephen, who is full of grace and power. The Hellenist Jews oppose him; and, not being able to answer him, they accuse him before the council, and in particular of having announced in the name of Jesus the destruction of the temple and of the city, and the change of the customs of their law. Here, observe, we see the free power of the Holy Ghost, without any sending by any other to the work, as in the apostles appointed by Christ Himself. It is not authority in the apostles, it is not in the Jews of Palestine. He distributes to whom He will. It is the godly and devoted Hellenist who renders the last testimony to the heads of the nation. If priests believe on the one side, Jews from without Judea bear testimony on the other, and prepare the way for a still more extended testimony; but at the same time for the definitive rejection, morally, of the Jews as the basis and centre of the testimony, and of the work of gathering together. For as yet Jerusalem was the centre of testimony and gathering. Peter had testified of a glorious Christ promising His return on their repentance, and they had stopped His testimony. Now judgment is pronounced on them by the Holy Ghost through the mouth of Stephen, in whom they shew themselves open adversaries to this testimony. It is not the apostles who, by official authority, break off with Jerusalem. The free action of the Holy Ghost anticipates a breach, which did not take place so as to form a part of the scripture narrative. The thing is done by the power of God; and the taking up to heaven of the witness raised up by the Spirit to denounce the Jews as adversaries, and to declare their fallen condition, placed the centre of gathering in heaven according to the Spirit-that heaven to which the faithful witness, who was filled with the Spirit, had gone up. Already, while on earth, he had the appearance of an angel to the eyes of the council who judged him; but the hardness of their hearts would not let them stop in the path of hostility towards the testimony rendered to Christ-a testimony which comes out here in a special way as the testimony of the Holy Ghost.

Fuente: John Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament

HELLENISTS AND HEBREWS

1. Do not forget that the gospel began among the Jews exclusively, the Gentiles having nothing to do with it; hence the Christian Church, originally like the Jewish, was purely Judaic. With the roll of a century, it underwent a radical somersault, eliminating the Jewish and incorporating the Gentile element. Grecian in E. V. leads to the conclusion that they were Gentile Greeks, which is incorrect. They were Jews, native and proselyte, who spoke the Greek language and used it in their synagogue worship in contradistinction to other Jews [doubtless nearly all native], who spoke the Hebrew language, using it in their synagogues. It was natural to recognize a degree of preference for these native Jews and pure Hebrews, though, doubtless inadvertently, holding them in a degree of estimation above the Greek-speaking Jews, largely proselytic; hence the complaint that the Hellenistic widows were neglected in their daily ministration. Christian widows, unencumbered with families at that time, got filled with the Holy Ghost, turned preachers, being eminently useful as soul-savers; thus devoting all their time, with no means of support, they lived on church charities. What a pity in this respect, the church of the present day does not go back to first principles! How eminently useful our unencumbered holy widows would be if thus utilized, preaching the gospel in family circles, mission-rooms and on the streets. Dr. Carradine, in his last pastorate in St. Louis, used them much to the glory of God and the salvation of souls, recognizing the policy of the Apostolic Church. At this time the Greek language [spoken by these Hellenistic Jews] was the language of the world, having through the Alexandrian conquests reached all nations and become universal. While reading the Old Testament, we all see the hand of the Almighty on the Jews, but intuitively drift to the conclusion that it was not on the Gentiles. In this we are egregiously mistaken. The difference is that we have the inspired history of the Jews and not of the Gentiles. B. C. 32, Alexander, a youth of one and twenty years, succeeded his father Philip on the throne of Macedonia, a small country in northern Greece. Finding but thirty-five thousand dollars in the royal treasury, and thirty-five thousand men in the army, the first transaction of his regal administration was to divide out the money equally among the soldiers, giving each man a dollar apiece. Observing that the young king left himself moneyless, a bystander asked, Now, king, what have you left for yourself? The sanguine youth responded, My hopes. What are your hopes? Why, that I shall conquer all the world. At that time the Persian Empire reached from India to Ethiopia, containing a hundred and twenty-seven States, nearly all of the known world which was sufficiently important to appropriate, except Greece, which, though small, had simply proved too heroic for the Persian conquest, even under the leadership of Xerxes, with his two million and five hundred thousand warriors, the largest army ever mustered on the globe. Alexander succeeds in inspiring his little band with the same paradoxical hope of conquering all the world. Consequently he invades the great Persian Empire, is met by the royal army on the plains of Granicus. A terrible battle ensues, leaving forty thousand Persians dead on the field, while Alexander didnt lose a man. This stunned the mighty Persian monarch and woke him up to recognize in the young Grecian no child at play. Great preparations were now made, feeling sure they would capture the impudent youth with his audacious followers and settle the matter once for all. Alexander meets them on the plains of Issus. where an awful battle is fought, lasting three days. One hundred thousand Persians are left dead on the field, while Alexanders loss was simply nothing. This awful defeat sent panic throughout the Persian Empire. King Darius gives the matter personal attention. An innumerable army is rendezvoused from the one hundred and twenty-seven States of the Empire. The sons of royalty from the diversified kingdoms encourage the army with their personal presence. King Darius is on hand, commander-in-chief. The powers of earth are combined against the paradoxical foe they find in the haughty young Grecian. They meet on the plains of Arbela, which, I trow, proved the greatest battle the world ever saw. It lasts a solid week. Rivers of blood deluge the fields. Mountains of the dead accumulate. Three hundred thousand Persian warriors are left dead on the field. The Greek is everywhere triumphant. Darius flies for his life, his vast army utterly demolished and disorganized. Alexander overtakes the fugitive monarch on the banks of the Indian Ocean. Darius now pleads for his crown, proposing to Alexander that they divide the world half and half. Alexander points to the sun, then in his noon-day glory. Do you see that sun? Could the world endure two suns? You know they would burn it up. So this world can not have two kings. I must have it all. Now, account for the fact that this boy of one and twenty, with no money and a handful of men, conquered all the world and wept because he couldnt find another one to conquer. God was in it. This wonderful Greek language, the finest the ages ever knew, the culmination of that climacteric Greek learning in which they excelled all nations, astonishing the ages with their achievements in poetry, oratory, philosophy and the fine arts, thus eclipsing all the nations of the earth and becoming the honored teachers of the young kings resorting thither from every land and clime to learn wisdom at the feet of the Greek philosopher. Why these great wonders? God, through these poets, orators, philosophers and scholars, was manufacturing the Greek language, the beauty, precision, and vivacity of those mechanism is the riddle of modern scholarship. God thus prepared it His chosen vehicle, in which to preach the gospel to every nation. He gave Alexander the conquest of the world that he might turn over every government on the globe to the cultured Greeks, who established their wonderful language in the learned circles of every nation under heaven, thus through these wonderful providences preparing the world for the reception of the gospel. Again we have the significant fact that in the early centuries of the Christian era this wonderful language was taken out of the mouths of all nations like the Hebrew of the Old Testament at an earlier day, lest the nations of the earth might corrupt them. Therefore we have the inspired archives of the Hebrew and Greek kept in their pristine purity, locked up in these dead languages, whither we can all go and find the unadulterated truth as it is in Jesus, and transmit it to the world. Oh, the wonders of the divine administration!

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament

Act 6:1. A murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews. The original word here rendered Grecians is Hellenists; from Hellen, son of Deucalion, king of Thessalia, who was drowned during the inundation which laid all Thessalia under water, two hundred and forty eight years after the deluge of Ogyges. Erasmus says that the ancient jews called all uncircumcised nations by this name; and so indeed it would seem, for Mark calls the woman of Tyre and Sidon a Hellenist: chap. Act 7:26. But after the jews were dispersed among the gentiles, the term became gradually applied to all the jews born among the gentiles, and who for the most part spake the greek tongue. Annota. Antwerp edit. 1538. These Hellenists were assuredly circumcised, and they are obviously distinguished from proselytes in chap. Act 2:11. Abraham is called a Hebrew, says rabbin Nehemiah, in Lightfoot, because he descended from Heber. Other rabbins say, he derived this name because he used the language of those beyond the Euphrates. Hence we may infer, that they are called Hellenists on account of their extraneous birth and language. The widows therefore of persons born in Jerusalem, being better known, received a better attention than the widows of strangers. It was a fault, but undesigned.

Because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Hunger cries in the ears of heaven. The price of corn in England during the war was almost double its price abroad. Now the depression crushes the farmer, and the farmer crushes the poor. Parochial associations are therefore forming to build large boarding-houses for the poor, and cut them off from the tenderest ties of nature, where their groans cannot be heard, nor their tears seen. In France, the poor are really poor; but they get a loaf on Monday, and another on Thursday. Men of property have a list of widows, and of the poor who are blind and lame, to whom they extend weekly alms. I am horrified at the new name of those boarding prisons.

Act 6:3. Look ye out among you seven men of honest report. The office of deacon is the same in the christian church as in the jewish synagogues, from whence it was derived. See the note on Mat 4:23. It was an office filled both by ministers and members of the church, and not unfrequently by women. Phebe was a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea. Rom 16:1. And I know not why the Vulgate and other versions should render the original minister, or servant. The Greek church was obliged to ordain pious matrons to that office for the sake of gaining access to their own sex. As to the injunction, to look out suitable persons for the office, I see no impropriety in this, for the distribution of their alms; nor do I see any connection between this, and the call of ministers to the sacred office, which must ever originate with the Spirit of God. The exterior effects will then guide the ministers and the people in calling them to the work. But the adjection, whom we may appoint over this business, qui commettions ce ministere, imports the apostolic sanction and charge of impartiality. The like officers were in the synagogues. It is probable that the city was divided into seven districts, for the temporal and spiritual superintendence of the poor, and for the worship of God.

Act 6:5. They chose Stephen, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Stephen was also a minister of the word. All the seven deacons are called by their greek names, though six of them were jews by birth; but their parents might have lived among the greeks. Their names are also names of dignity or respect. Stephen, a crown. Philip, a lover of horses. Nicholas, a ruler of the people. This last, a gentile by birth and education, stands charged by John, in Rev 2:6, and by some of the fathers, with defending the gentile practice of polygamy, though he himself lived in chastity. Prochorus and Nicanor are said to have been martyred in Cyprus.

Act 6:6. Whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. This was no doubt accompanied with proper charges of fidelity towards God and the church.

The name given to these officers is greek: , deacon: , deaconess: , to minister, to serve at the table, as is explained in Act 6:2. It is not reasonable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. In this view, when our Saviour blessed and brake the bread, he humbly served as the archdeacon of the church, and gave us an example of humility. In Greek authors, the term is applied to waiters at a feast. The deaconesses of the primitive church, besides performing other services, carried the sacred elements from the Lords table (the bread, as our Saxon fathers used to say, having first been hallowed to husel) to their sick and absent sisters in the city.

Act 6:9. Then arose certain of the synagogue the synagogue of the libertines, whose fathers had been liberated from servitude: a low degenerate race.

Act 6:10. They were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. So the proverb was realized: he that is worsted in logic grows angry: but the anger here was madness.

Act 6:11. They suborned men which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses. Jezebel, when mortified at the firmness of Naboth, did the same; not considering that her life would soon pay for that of the subject. So it proved to those rulers in the tragic fall of Jerusalem. The blood of saints shall not be purged with sacrifice.

Act 6:15. The council saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. God inspired him with inward glory and holiness, which emanated in his aspect to convince all of his purity; for he had no one to confront the perjured race, and prove the innocence and sanctity of his life.

REFLECTIONS.

We here see the dignity and glory of the sacred office. The apostles would not leave the ministry, nor interrupt its exercise to serve the tables of the church; others could do that perhaps as well as they, but others could not fill the sanctuary. What a pity then that so many valuable ministers should in our age be compelled to teach schools, and follow trades, because the oblations of the church are too small for their maintenance. But if ministers do this to realize fortunes, the principle, in my judgment, is a forfeiture of the ministry: we cannot serve God and mammon.

When grievances arise in the church, and partiality is itself a real grievance, it is the duty of the elders to meet, and by united and sober counsel redress them on the first complaints. That wound heals best which is speedily dressed: it grows angry and festers by delay. In the house of God we must know no man after the flesh. If our relatives and friends be in the fault, we must not know them as relatives. Thus Levi obtained applause, because in purging the guilt of the golden calf, he knew not his father or mother.

Charities, and a proper attention to the sick and the poor, are among the first and best proofs that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. It was the grand test that primitive christianity was of God, and it must be throughout all ages the invariable proof that we have the mind which was in Christ.

The conversion of the priests in so great a number to the faith of Christ, is also a most striking proof of the divine origin of our religion. Whether we consider their prejudices, whether we consider the loss of bread they immediately sustained, or the persecution they instantly incurred, their faith is proof that a divine conviction was its origin. It was not one odd and peculiar man, but a company of learned and well-informed men who nobly risked their lives and interests for the Lord of glory.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Act 6:1-6. Choice of the Seven.A division shows itself in the Church. The Hellenists (mg.), the members who spoke Greek, having been brought up in Greek-speaking countries, murmur against the Hebrews, those who spoke Aramaic. This happens in these days (cf. Act 1:15); we are not told the month or the year, only there is a transition in the narrative. The Church is growing; the existence of different elements in it is felt. A daily dole, probably financial, takes place (Act 4:35) under supervision of the Hebrew element; the widows of the Hellenist section find cause to complain. The Twelve call a general meeting and propose a cure of the mischief which they cannot personally rectify. Prayer and preaching and teaching is their task (Act 5:42); they cannot turn from this to financial business. They propose the election of seven men to take it in charge, while the apostles devote themselves to their spiritual functions. The qualifications, however, are not those wanted for serving tables; the seven are to be of good report, but are also to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom; speaking is to be their task. In the later constitution there are seven deacons in a church (Euseb., H.E., VI. xliii. 11), and they fulfil practical functions of a subordinate nature; see also 1Ti 3:8-10. In Php 1:1, they are mentioned with bishops who, we see from 1Ti 3:1, have charge of the practical business; in the Didach, xv. 1, bishops and deacons are similarly spoken of together; they may take part in preaching, but that is not their principal office. The seven here chosen are from their qualifications, and from what we afterwards hear of them, preachers not stewards. They are not called deacons, but the story is the account given in Ac. of the institution of that order. The seven have all Gr. not Aram. names; Nicolas is a proselyte of Antioch, the city of which so much is to be heard; the others are born Jews; only Stephen and Philip (was he both one of the Twelve and one of the Seven?) the two first, are afterwards heard of. The community elects and presents them, the apostles after prayer institute them in their office, by laying their hands on them.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

A second time, however, difficulty arises from within Satan’s enmity from without was clearly evident. In Ch.5.1-3 Satan had sought to underhandedly get in among the saints, but this had been exposed. Now he attempts another method, but still working on motives of selfishness concerning material things.

The Grecians (or Hellenists) were Greek Jews, not normally resident in Israel. Friction too easily arises between those of varying cultures, even though in this case both were of Jewish origin. They claimed their widows were neglected in the distribution of necessary provisions, therefore that the Hebrews were favored.

The apostles face this matter wisely. Thy had themselves been sent of God to preach the word, not to care for temporal matters. Therefore they ask the assembly to decide on seven reliable men, “full of the Holy Spirit,” whom the apostles could appoint to take care of these things, while they gave themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Notice that the assembly may rightly decide who is to take care of temporal matters, the service of a deacon. In reference to spiritual things, the ministry of the word and government in the assembly, the assembly does not at all decide: this is God’s decision, to be recognized by all.

God’s grace overruled the whole matter of the friction between Jews and Hellenists in a beautiful way, for evidently all seven chosen (to judge by their names) were Hellenists. The Hebrews gave way completely, to allow those who had complained to have charge of the distribution. Yet they chose men who had spiritual qualifications. We read more of Stephen and Philip later, both of whom manifestly used the office of a deacon well, purchasing to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus (1Ti 3:13). The seven men were set before the apostles, who prayed for them and laid their hands on them, in this way expressing their fellowship with the work they were to do.

This emergency having been met in a spirit of faith and grace, by the power of the Spirit of God, the blessing of the word of God increased, the number of the disciples multiplying greatly. A great company of priests are mentioned as included in this expansion. This was no light matter when the high priest and others prominent among them were so bitterly opposed to the name of Jesus. Their confession of Him would no doubt terminate their official position as priests, but they would learn later that they had a better priesthood in common with all the beloved saints of God (1Pe 2:4-5), not official, but spiritual and real.

Of Stephen we read in verse 5 that he was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Added to this in verse 8 is that he was full of grace and power (J.N.D.trans.), so that he did great wonders and miracles among the people. This is a precious example of God’s working effectively apart from the circle of the apostles. His work arouses the strong oposition of those of the synagogue of the Libertines and other Hellenists from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. Though having been scattered, they were zealous of Judaism and incensed against another Hellenist who would dare to preach the name of Jesus.

Their disputing with him however only exposed their own ignorance compared to the wisdom and spirit God had given him. He was speaking in measure like his Master, whose wisdom silenced Pharisees and Sadducees so effectively that they determined that He must be crucified.

The results are similar here. They found men whom they prompted to speak falsely in accusing Stephen of speaking blasphemously against Moses and against God. Notice, Moses is more important to them than God: in fact, God is left out entirely in verse 13, and the temple and the law added. Using this wicked procedure they excite the people and scribes and elders, so that Stephen is caught and brought before the Jewish council, as the apostles had been before.

The charges of the false witnesses would have meant nothing whatever to the Roman court, but the Jewish council was already antagonized to the name of Jesus, and ready to use any excuse to silence His witnesses. Adding to the false accusation of Stephen’s speaking blasphemous words against the temple and the law, they specifically charge him with saying that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the ritual of the law given by Moses. It is evident they were twisting Stephen’s words, but even if the charge were true, it was no reason for putting a man to death. Very likely he had spoken before as he did during his subsequent address to the council, to the effect that the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands; and probably repeated the prophecy of the Lord Jesus that Israel’s temple would be destroyed, with not one stone left upon another. For they had given the temple the place that by right only belongs to the great Founder of the temple, the Lord Jesus Christ.

At this moment God bears remarkable witness to His servant, causing his face to shine as that of an angel, just at the time when all those of the council were intent on watching him. No doubt Stephen himself was not conscious of this (Cf.Ex.34:29), though he would certainly know the reality of the power of the Spirit of God virtually enfolding him.

Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible

Verse 1

Grecians; Grecian Jews; that is, those who, having been born and educated in the Grecian countries around Palestine, spoke the Greek language, used a Greek version of the Scriptures, and conformed in many respects to Greek customs, though by parentage and in their religion they were Jews.–Daily ministration; the daily distribution of money or food to the needy.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

6:1 And {1} in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the {a} Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the {b} daily ministration.

(1) When Satan has assailed the Church on the outside, and with little result and in vain, he assails it on the inside, with civil dissension and strife between themselves: but the apostles take occasion by this to set order in the Church.

(a) From among their own members, who became religious Jews from among the Greeks.

(b) In the bestowing of alms according to their need.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

4. Internal conflict 6:1-7

The scene shifts back to life within the church (cf. Act 4:32 to Act 5:11). Luke wrote this pericope to explain some administrative changes that the growth of the church made necessary. He also wanted to introduce the Hellenistic Jews who took the lead in evangelizing the Gentiles. Their activity began shortly after the event he recorded here.

In this chapter we see two of Satan’s favorite methods of assailing the church that he has employed throughout history: internal dissension (Act 6:1-7) and external persecution (Act 6:8-15).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

The number of the disciples of Jesus continued to grow. This is the first mention of the word "disciple" in Acts where it occurs 28 times. The word appears about 238 times in the Gospels but nowhere else in the New Testament. This is probably because when Jesus was present, or had just departed to heaven, the New Testament writers referred to His followers in relationship to Him. Afterward they identified them in relation to one another and society. [Note: Blaiklock, p. 74.]

Two types of Jews made up the Jerusalem church. Some were native "Hebrews" who had lived primarily in Palestine, spoke Aramaic predominantly but also Greek, and used the Hebrew Scriptures. The others were "Hellenists" who originally lived outside Palestine (Jews of the Diaspora) but were now living in Palestine. Many of these Jews returned to Palestine to end their days in their ancestral homeland. They spoke Greek primarily, as well as the language of the area where they had lived, and they used the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul classed himself among the Hebrews (2Co 11:22; cf. Php 3:5) though he grew up outside Palestine. The basic difference between the Hebrews and Hellenists, therefore, appears to have been linguistic. [Note: Witherington, pp. 240-43.] Those who could speak a Semitic language were Hebrews, and those who could not were Hellenists. [Note: C. F. D. Moule, "Once More, Who Were the Hellenists?" Expository Times 70 (October 1958-September 1959):100.] Within Judaism frequent tensions between these two groups arose, and this cultural problem carried over into the church. The Hebrews observed the Mosaic Law much more strictly than their Hellenistic brethren. Conversely the Hellenists typically regarded the Hebrews as quite narrow-minded and self-centered.

The Hebrews and the Hellenists had their own synagogues in Jerusalem. [Note: Jewish Encyclopaedia, s.v. "Alexandrians in Jerusalem," by Emil Schürer.] But when they became Christians they came together in one fellowship. As the church grew, some of the Christians believed that the church leaders were discriminating against the Hellenists unfairly (cf. Eph 4:31; Heb 12:15). The conflict arose over the distribution of food to church widows (cf. Act 2:44-45; Act 4:32 to Act 5:11). Care of widows and the needy was a priority in Judaism (Exo 22:22; Deu 10:18; et al.). The Jews provided for their widows weekly in the synagogues along with the poor. [Note: B. W. Winter, "Providentia for the Widows of 1 Timothy 5:3-16," Tyndale Bulletin 39 (1988):89. See also Barclay, p. 50; Emil Schürer, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Christ, 2:437, n. 49; and Jeremias, Jerusalem in . . ., pp. 126-34.]

"It is not here said that the murmuring arose among the widows, but because of them. Women and money occasion the first serious disturbance in the church life." [Note: Robertson, 3:72-73.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Chapter 13

PRIMITIVE DISSENSIONS AND APOSTOLIC PRECAUTIONS.

Act 6:1-4

The sixth chapter of the Acts, and the election of the Seven, mark a distinct advance in the career of the early Church. This sixth chapter is like the twelfth of Genesis and the introduction of Abraham upon the stage of sacred history. We feel at once as if the narrative of Genesis had come into contact with modern times, leaving the mysterious period of darkness all behind. So is it with the Acts of the Apostles. The earliest days of the primitive Church were quite unlike all modern experience. The Church had received a great blessing and a wondrous revelation, and had been enriched with marvellous powers. But just as men act when they have experienced a surpassing joy or a tremendous calamity, -they are upset for a time, they do not realise their position, they do not take all the circumstances in at once, nor can they quite settle what their future course shall be; they must get a little way distant from the joy or the sorrow before they make their future arrangements, -so was it with the Apostles during that space of time which elapsed from the Pentecostal outpouring down to the election of the Seven. We are so accustomed to think of the Apostles as inspired men, that we forget that inspiration did not destroy their natural powers or infirmities, but rather must have acted in consonance with the laws of their constitution. The Apostles must, to a certain extent, have been upset by the extraordinary events they had witnessed. They sought and found daily guidance in the power of the Spirit; but they had made no settled plans, had not compared or arranged their ideas, had formed no scheme of doctrine or teaching, had realised nothing concerning the future of the society they were unconsciously building up under the Divine leading. God had His plans; the ascended Lord had spoken to the Apostles concerning the future of the kingdom of Heaven; but it would be making the Apostles more than men of like passions and like infirmities with ourselves to imagine that during those stirring and eventful days they had Consciously realised the whole scheme of Christian doctrine and government. That period of a few months-for it could not have been more-was a period of Divine chaos, out of which the final settlement of the Church of God began slowly to evolve itself under the direction of God the Holy Ghost. How long, it may be asked, did this period of unsettlement last? A question which resolves itself into the further one bearing directly on our present subject, -what was the date of the election and subsequent martyrdom of Stephen? The answer to this throws much light on the apostolic history and the events recorded in the first five chapters of this book.

I. St. Stephen was put to death some time in the year 37 A.D., after Pontius Plate had been recalled from the government of Palestine, and before his successor had arrived to take up the reins of power. The Jewish authorities took advantage of the interregnum in order to gratify their spite against the eminent orator who was doing so much damage to their cause. Under ordinary circumstances the Jewish Sanhedrin could not put a man to death unless they had received the fiat of the Roman authorities. Now, however, during this interval, there was no supreme authority from whom this fiat could be secured, and so they seized the opportunity and executed Stephen as a blasphemer, according to the method prescribed in the law of Moses. This happened in the year 37 A.D., about four years after the Crucifixion. We must, however, observe another point. During the latter years of his administration, Pontius Pilate had been acting in a most tyrannical manner. This fact explains a circumstance which must strike the most casual reader of the Acts. We there read that the supreme Jewish council made two attempts to restrain the Apostles; the first after the healing of the cripple at the Temple Gate, and the second when Gamaliel dissuaded them from their purposes of blood. After that they allowed the Apostles to pursue their course without any hostility. This appears to the casual reader more striking, more difficult to understand, than it was in reality. We are now obliged to think of Judaism and Christianity as opposed and mutually exclusive religions; we cannot conceive of a man being a Jew and a Christian at the same time. But was not so with the Apostles and their followers at the period of which we are writing. This may seem contradictory to what I have elsewhere stated as to the antagonistic character of the two religions. But the apparent inconsistency is easily explained. As fullblown and realised systems, Judaism and Christianity are inconsistent. The one was a bud, the other an expanded flower. The same individual bulb cannot be at the same moment a bud and a flower. But the Apostles had not as yet realised Christianity as a full-blown system, nor grasped all its consequences. There was no inconsistency when they made a conjoint profession of Judaism and Christianity. The Apostles and their followers were all scrupulous observers of the law of Moses; and no dwellers in Jerusalem were more regular attendants at the Temple worship than the persons who had as yet no distinct name, and were known only as the followers of the prophet of Nazareth. To take an illustration from modern ecclesiastical history, the Apostles and the early Jerusalem Church must have been simply known to the Jewish authorities, just as the first Methodists at Oxford were known to the Church authorities of John Wesleys earlier days, as stricter members of the Church of England than the usual run of people were. This fact alone lessens the difficulty we might find in accounting for the statements made as to the continued activity of the Apostles, and the freedom they enjoyed even after they had been solemnly warned by the Sanhedrim. Neither the Apostles themselves nor the Jewish council recognised as yet any religious opposition in the teaching of Peter and his brethren. The Apostles themselves had not yet formulated their ideas nor perceived where their principles would ultimately lead them. No one indeed would have been more surprised than themselves had they foreseen the antagonistic position into which they would be ultimately forced; and as for the Sanhedrin, the only charge they brought against the apostles was not a religious one at all, but merely that they were challenging the conduct and decision of the authorities concerning the execution of Jesus Christ, and, as the High Priest put it, “intend to bring this Mans blood upon us.” But then history reveals to us some other facts which completely explain the difficulty and vindicate the historical accuracy of the sacred narrative. St. Stephen was put to death in the year 37. At that time he may have been acting as a deacon for two, or even three, years, during which Christian teaching and views made very rapid progress, all unopposed by the Jewish authorities, simply because their attention was concentrated on other topics of much more pressing interest. Pilate was appointed governor of Palestine in 26 A.D. He ruled it for ten years, till the end of 36 A.D., when he was recalled. God causes all things to work together for good, and overrules even state changes to the development of His purposes. Pilates whole period of rule was, as I have already said, marked by tyranny; but the concluding years were the worst. The members of the Sanhedrin were then specially excited by two actions which touched themselves most keenly. He seized on the accumulated proceeds of the Temple-tax of two drachmas, about eighteen pence, paid by every Jew throughout the world, which then amounted to a vast sum, expending it in making an aqueduct for the supply of Jerusalem. This action affected the pecuniary resources of the Jewish authorities. But he attacked them on a dearer point still, for he set up the images of the Emperor in the Holy City, and thus wounded them in their religious feelings, introducing the abomination of desolation into the most sacred places.

All the attention of the priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the people, was concentrated upon the violent deeds of Pilate. They had no time to think of the Apostles, -who, indeed, must themselves have shared in the national enthusiasm and universal hostility which Pilates attempts excited. A common opposition stilled for the time the internal strife and controversy about the prophet of Nazareth which had, for a little, rent asunder the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Let us now repeat the dates to which we have attained. St. Stephen was executed in 37 A.D.; his election took place probably in 34 A.D. The first seven chapters of the Acts set before us, then, all we know of the history of the earliest four years of the Churchs life and work; and yet, though very briefly told, that history tallies with what we learn from writers like Josephus and Philo.

II. Let us now return to the text of our narrative. This sixth chapter offers a very useful glimpse into the inner life of the primitive Church. It shows us what led up to the election of the Seven in these words: “Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.”

(a) The election sprang out of the multiplying, and the multiplying begat a murmuring among the disciples. There is here teaching for the Church of all time, plain and evident to every reader, a lesson which history has repeated from age to age. Increase of numbers does not always mean increase of happiness, increase of devotion, increase of true spiritual life, but has often brought increase of trouble and discontent alone. What a lesson of patient submission under present trials the wise man may here read. God has made all things double one against another; and when he bestows such notable increase as He granted to the apostolic Church, He adds thereto some counter-balancing disadvantage to keep his people low and make them humble. Undiluted joy, unmitigated success, is not to be the portion of Gods people while tabernacling here below. How often has the lesson been repeated in this experience of the past as in our own personal experience as well!

The trial of the apostolic Church was typical of the trials which awaited future ages. The Church, in the Diocletian persecution, for instance, was wasted and torn. The records of that last great trial through which the Church passed, just prior to her final triumph over Paganism, are lighted up by the fires of the most determined attempt ever made to crush the faith of the Crucified One. How often during that last persecution Gods faithful ones must have wept in secret over the ruin of the holy places and the threatened destruction of the faith! Yet the trials of the hours of adversity were as nothing compared with the dangers which beset the Church when the faith triumphed under Constantine, and the multitude of the disciples was increased and multiplied by the power of imperial patronage. The trials of the day of persecution were external, and utterly powerless to affect the spiritual life of Christs mystical body. The trials of a multiplying and enlarging Church were internal; they arose from unbelief, and hypocrisy, and want of Christian love, and were destructive of the life of God in the human soul. The dangers of success, the subtle temptations of prosperity, making us proud, contemptuous of others, self-conscious, dependent wholly upon man, and independent of God, are the lessons, ecclesiastical, social, and personal, pressed upon us by the opening words of this sixth chapter.

(b) These words, again, correct a popular mistake, and reproduce a warning of our Master too often forgotten. When the disciples were increasing, and the hearts of the Apostles all aglow with the success vouchsafed them, “a murmuring arose between the Grecian Jews and the Hebrews.” What a glimpse we get here into the very heart and centre of early Christian social life. It is often the hardest task in historical researches to get such a glimpse as here is given. We know the outer life of societies, of families, of dynasties. We see them in their external form and symmetry: we behold them in their company dress and in their public appearances; but till we get to know and realise their common everyday life, how they ate, drank, slept, how their social intercourse was maintained, we fail to grasp the most important side of their existence. The primitive Church is often thought of and spoken of as if its social and spiritual life were wholly unlike our own; as if sin and infirmity were entirely absent, and perfect holiness there prevailed. This expression, “Now in these days there arose a murmuring,” shows us that the presence of supernatural gifts, the power of working miracles and speaking with other tongues, did not raise the spiritual level of individual believers above that we find in the Church of the present day. The distribution of alms is always attended by jealousies and disputes, rendering the work one of the most unpleasant tasks which can be undertaken by any man. No matter how earnestly one strives to be fair and just, no matter how diligently one may seek to balance claim against claim and righteously to satisfy the wants of those who seek relief, still there will always be minds that will never be content, and will strive to detect injustice and wrong and favouritism, no matter how upright the intention may be. What a comfort to Gods servant striving to do his duty is the study of this sixth chapter of the Acts! Fretting and worry, weary days and sleepless nights, are often the only reward which the Christian philanthropist receives in return for his exertions. But here comes in the Acts of the Apostles to cheer. It was just the same with the Apostles, for they must have been the chief almoners or distributors of the Churchs common fund prior to the election of the Seven. The Apostles themselves did not escape the accusation of favouritism, and we may well be content to bear and suffer what the Apostles were compelled to endure. Let us only take heed that like them we suffer wrongfully, and that our conscience testify that we have striven to do everything in the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ; and then, disregarding all human murmuring and criticism, we should calmly proceed upon our work, in no way discouraged because the recipients of Christian bounty still act as even the primitive Christians did. This is one important lesson we gain from this passage.

(c) We may, again, learn another great truth from this incident, and that is, that the primitive Church was no ideal communion, but a society with failings and weaknesses and discontent, exactly like those which exist in the Church of our own times. The favourite argument with controversialists of the Church of Rome, when trying to draw proselytes from among Protestants, is, as logicians say, of a a priori type. They will enlarge upon the importance of religion and religious truth, and upon the awful consequences which will result from a mistake on such a vital question, and then they will argue that God must have constituted a living infallible guide on such an important topic, and that guide is in their opinion the Pope, as the head of the Catholic Church. The Scriptures are full of warnings-unnoticed warnings they often are, but still they are full of them-as to the untrustworthy character of all such kind of arguments. In this sixth chapter, for instance, the thoughtful and meditative student can see a specimen of these providential admonitions, and a reason for its insertion in the sacred story. Christ came to establish the Christian Church upon earth. For this purpose He lived and suffered and rose again. For this purpose He sent forth the Third Person of the Holy Trinity to lead and guide and dwell in His Church; and surely, a priori, we might as well conclude that in the Church so founded, so guided, so ruled by Peter and the rest of the Apostles, there would have been found no such thing as favouritism, or murmuring, or discontent, -sentiments which might exist in the unregenerate world, but which should find no place in the kingdom of the Spirit. But, when we turn to the sacred record of Christs sayings, and the inspired history of Christs Church, we find that all our a priori presumptions and all our logical anticipations are put to flight, for the Master warns us in the thirteenth of St. Matthew, when speaking His wondrous parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, that sin and imperfection will ever find their place in His Church; and then the history of the Acts of the Apostles comes in to confirm the inspired prophecy, and we see from this chapter how the primitive Church of Christ was torn and racked with mere earthly feelings and mere human infirmities, like the ordinary worldly societies which existed all around; “there arose a murmuring” even in the Church where Apostles taught, where the Holy Ghost dwelt, and where the Pentecostal gifts were displayed. The occasion of the murmuring, too, is noteworthy and prophetic. It was like the trial under which man fell and by which Christ was tempted. It was a mere material temptation. Even in the primitive Church, living as it did in the region and presence of the supernatural, expecting every day and hour the return of the ascended Lord, even there material considerations entered, and the world and the things thereof found a place, and caused divisions where they would seem to have been strictly excluded by the very conditions of the Churchs existence. The Church and the world there touched and influenced one another; and so it must be always. There is a world indeed against which the Church must ever protest-the world of impure lusts and wicked desires, the world of which Paganism was the presiding genius; but then there is a world in which the Church must exist and with which it must deal, the world which God has created and ordained, the world of human society and human wants, feelings, desires, appetites. With these the Church must ever come in contact. Monasticism and asceticism have endeavoured indeed in the past to get rid of this world. They cut men and women off from marriage and separated them from society, and reduced human wants to a minimum; and yet nature asserted itself, and the corruptions of monasticism have been a divinely-ordered protest against foolish attempts to separate between things spiritual and things secular, between the Church founded by Christ and the world created by God. The murmuring arose on this occasion because the Apostles made no such mistake, but recognised fearlessly that the Church of Christ took cognisance of such a question as the daily distribution and the temporal wants of its disciples. The apostolic Church did not disdain a mere economic question, and yet the Church of our own time has been slow enough to follow its example; but, thank God, it is learning more and more of its duty in this respect. The time has been when nothing was considered worthy of the notice of the Christian pulpit or of Church synods and Church courts save purely spiritual and doctrinal questions. The vast subjects of education, of the social life, of the amusements of the people, the methods of legislation or statesmanship, were thought outside the region of Christian activity, and were utterly neglected or else left wholly to those who made no profession at least of being guided by Christian principle. But now we have learned the important truth that the Church is a Divine leaven placed in the mass of human society to permeate it through and through; and perhaps the present danger is that the clergy should forget the apostolic warning, true for every age, that while the Church in its totality, priests and people, should take an active interest in these questions, and strive to mould the whole life of man on Christian principles, it is not at the same time “fit that the ministry should forsake the word of God and serve tables.”

III. But we have not yet done with this murmuring or with the lessons it furnishes for the Church of the future. What lay at the basis of this murmuring, and of the jealousy thereby indicated? “There arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews”; a racial question developed itself, and racial, or perhaps we should rather say, in this case, social and linguistic, differences found place in the apostolic Church, and gave rise to serious quarrels even where the Spirit in fullest measure and in extraordinary power was enjoyed. There was bitter dissension between Jews and Samaritans, though they believed in the same God and reverenced the same revelation. Political circumstances in the past sufficiently explain that quarrel. There was almost, if not quite, as bitter hostility between the Grecians and the Hebrews, because they spoke different languages and practised diverse customs, and that though they worshipped in the same temple and belonged to the same nation. The origin of these differences in the Christian Church of Jerusalem goes back to a very distant period. Here comes in the use of the Apocrypha, “which the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners.” If we wish to understand the course of events in the Acts we must refer to the books of the Maccabees, where is told the romantic story of the struggle of the Jews against the Greek kings of Syria, who tried to force them into conformity with the religion of Greece, which then was counted the religion of civilisation and of culture. The result was that the intensely national party became bitterly hostile to everything pertaining to Greece and its civilisation. The Jews of Palestine of that period became like the purely Celtic Irish of the Reformation epoch. The Irish identified the Reformation with England and English influence, just as the Jews identified Paganism with Greece and Syria, and Greek influence; and the result was that the Irish became the most intensely ultramontane nation, and the Palestinian Jews became the most intensely narrow and prejudiced nation of their time. The Palestinian or Hebrew Jews, speaking the Ararnaeic or Chaldee tongue, scorned Greek language and all traces of Greek civilisation, while the Jews of the Dispersion, specially those of Alexandria, strove to recommend the Jewish religion to the Gentile world, whose civilisation and culture they appreciated, and whose language they used. The opposition of the Hebrew to the Grecian Jews was very bitter, and expressed itself in language which has come down to us in the Talmudic writings. “Cursed be he who teacheth his son the learning of the Greeks,” was a saying among the Hebrews; while again, we hear of Rabban Simeon, the son of Gamaliel, St. Pauls teacher, who used to embody his hatred of the Grecians in the following story: “There were a thousand boys in my fathers school, of whom five hundred learned the law and five hundred the wisdom of the Greeks; and there is not one of the latter now alive, excepting myself here and my uncles son in Asia.” Heaven itself was supposed by the Hebrews to have plainly declared its hostility against their Grecian opponents. Hence, naturally, arose the same divisions at Jerusalem. There were in that city nearly five hundred synagogues, a considerable proportion of which belonged to the Grecian Jews. All classes and all the synagogues, Hebrew and Grecian alike, contributed their quota to the earliest converts won by the Apostles; and these converts brought their old jealousies and oppositions with them into the Church of Christ. The Hebrew or the Grecian Jew of yesterday could not forget, today, because he had embraced a belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, all his old feelings and his old hereditary quarrels, and hence sprang the Christian dissensions of which we read, prophetic of so many similar racial and social and linguistic dissensions in the Church down to the present time. The Acts of the Apostles is a kind of magic mirror for Church history. In the olden times men dreamt of a magic mirror into which one could look and see the course of their future life depicted. We can see something of the same in this inspired book. The bitter dissensions which racial and linguistic differences have made in the Church of every age are here depicted in miniature. The quarrels between East and West, between Greeks and Latins, between Latins and Teutons, between Teuton and Celt, between Roman Catholic and Protestant, between the Whites and Negroes, between European Christians and Hindoo converts; the scandalous scenes still enacted round the Holy Place at Jerusalem, where peace is kept between nominal Christians only by the intervention of Mahometan soldiers, -all turn upon the same points and embody the same principles, and may best find solution upon the lines laid down by the Apostles. And what were these lines? They laid down that there are diversities of function and of work in the Church of Christ; there is a ministry of the word, and there is a serving of tables. One class should not absorb every function; for if it does, the highest function of all, the ministry of the word and prayer, will inevitably suffer. Well, indeed, would it have been had this lesson been far more laid to heart. How many a schism and rent in the visible Church of Christ has been caused because no work, no spiritual function, was found for a newly-awakened layman anxious to do something for Him who had done so much for his soul The principle here laid down in germ is a very fruitful one, suitable for every age. A new crisis, a fresh departure, an unexpected need, has arisen, and a new organisation is therefore at once devised by the Apostles; and well would it have been had their example found closer imitation. We have been too much in the habit of looking upon the Church of Christ as if it were once for all stereotyped in apostolic times, and as if there were nothing to be done in the living present save to adapt these ancient institutions to our modern needs. The Roman Catholic Church has been in many respects more true to apostolic principles than the children of the Reformation. With all her intense conservatism Rome has never hesitated to develop new organisations as new needs have arisen, and that in the boldest manner. It has often been remarked that the Church of Rome would never have lost John Wesley and the Wesleyans as the Church of England did. She would have put a brown cassock upon him, and girded him with a rope, and sent him forth as the head of a new order, to do the work to which he felt impelled and for which God had qualified him. Experience has taught us, however, that we cannot safely neglect apostolic precedent; and the warning implied in the words of the Apostles, “it is not fit that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables,” has been amply fulfilled. The highest ministry of the word has been injured by the accumulation of all public work in the Church on one class alone. What minister of Jesus Christ does not feel that, even with the wider and more apostolic views now prevalent, with all the recognition of the service which the godly Christian laymen render, the old tradition is still strong, and clergymen are too absorbed in the mere serving of tables, to the neglect of their higher functions? The laity often complain of the poor, thin, meagre character of the preaching to which they are compelled to listen; but how can it be otherwise when they demand so much purely secular service, so much serving of tables from those whose great work is to teach? The Church of England, in her service for the ordination of priests, demands from the candidates whether they will devote themselves to the study of the Word of God, and such other studies as bear upon the same. I often wonder how her clergy are now to fulfil this solemn vow, when frequently they have not a night in the week at home, save perhaps Saturday evening, and when, from early morning to late at night, all their energies are swallowed up in the work of schools, and clubs, and charitable organisations, and parochial visitations, leaving little time and still less energy for the work of meditation and thought and study. The clergy are the Lords prophets, watchmen upon the walls of Zion. It is their great business to explain the Lords will, to translate the ideas of the Bible into the language of modern life, to apply the Divine principles of doctrine and discipline laid down in the Bible to the ever-varying wants of our complex modern civilisation; and how can this function be discharged unless there be time for reading and for thinking, so as to gain a true notion of what are these modern wants, and to find out how the eternal principles of the Scriptures are to be applied to them? We require a great deal more organised assistance in the work of the Church, and then, when that assistance is forthcoming, we may expect and demand that the highest ministry of all, “the ministry of the Word and prayer,” shall be discharged with greater efficiency and blessing. The Apostles, in meeting this crisis, laid down a law of true development and living growth in the divine society. The Church of Christ is ever to have the power to organise herself in the face of new departures, while at the same time they proclaim the absolute necessity and the perpetual obligation of the Christian ministry in its highest aspect; for surely if even for Apostles it was needful that their whole time should be devoted to the ministry of the word of God and prayer, and the Church of that time, with all its wondrous gifts, demanded such a ministry, there ought to exist in the modern Church also an order of men wholly separated unto those solemn duties.

IV. The Apostles, having determined upon the creation of a new organisation to deal with a new need, then appeal to the people for their assistance, and call upon them to select the persons who shall be its members; but they, at the same time, reserve their own rights and authority, and, when the selection has been made, claim the power of ordination and appointment for themselves. The people nominated, while the Apostles appointed. The Apostles took the most effective plan to quiet the trouble which had arisen when they took the people into their confidence. The Church has been often described as the mother of modern freedom. The councils of old time were the models and forerunners of modern parliaments. The councils and synods of the Church set an example of open discussion and of legislative assemblies in ages when tyrannical authority had swallowed up every other vestige of liberty. The Church from the beginning, and in the Acts of the Apostles, clearly showed that its government was not to be an absolute clerical despotism, but a free Christian republic, where clergy and people were to take counsel together. It is a noteworthy thing indeed, that even in the Roman Catholic Church, where the exclusive claims of the clergy have been most pressed, the recognition of the rights of the laity in the matter of Church councils and debates has found place down to modern times. The representatives of the Emperor and other Christian princes took their seats in the Council of Trent, jointly with bishops and other ecclesiastics, and it was only at the Vatican Council of 1870 that this last lingering trace of lay rights finally disappeared. The Apostles laid down by their action the principle of Church freedom, and the mutual rights of clergy and people; but they also gave a very practical hint for the peaceful management of organisations, whether ecclesiastical, social, or political. They knew what was the right thing to do, but they did not impose their will by the mere exercise of authority; they took counsel with the people, and the result was that a speedy solution of all their difficulties was arrived at. How many a quarrel in life would be avoided, how many a rough place would be made smooth, were the apostolic example always followed. Men naturally resist a law imposed from without any appearance of consultation with them or of sanction on their part; but men willingly yield obedience to laws, even though they may dislike them, which have been passed with their assent and appeal to their reason. In Church matters especially would this rule apply, and the example of the Apostles be most profitably followed. Autocratic action on the part of the clergy in small matters has often destroyed the unity and harmony of congregations, and has planted roots of bitterness which have ruined ministerial usefulness. While steadily maintaining great fundamental principles, a little tact and thought, a wise condescension to human feeling, will often win the day, and carry measures which would otherwise be vigorously resisted.

Finally, the Apostles enunciate the principles which should guide the Church in its selection of officials, specially when they have to deal with the temporal concerns of the Society. “Look ye out therefore from among you seven men of good report.” Attempts have been made to explain why the number was fixed at seven. Some have asserted that it was so determined because it was a sacred number, others because there were now seven congregations in Jerusalem, or seven thousand converts. Perhaps, however, the true reason was a more commonplace one, and that was that seven was a very convenient practical number. In case of a difference of opinion a majority can always be secured on one side or other, and all blocks avoided. The number seven was long maintained in connection with the order of deacons, in imitation of the apostolic institution. A council at Neo-Caesarea, in the year 314, ordained that the number of seven deacons should never be exceeded in any city, while in the Church of Rome the same limitation prevailed from the second century down to the twelfth, so that the Roman Cardinals, who were the parochial clergy of Rome, numbered among them merely seven deacons down to that late period. The seven chosen by the primitive Church were to be men of good report because they were to be public functionaries, whose decisions were to allay commotions and murmurings; and therefore they must be men of weight, in whom the public had confidence. But, further, they must be men “full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” Piety was not the only qualification; they must be wise, prudent, sound in judgment as well. Piety is no security for wisdom, just as in turn wisdom is no security for piety; but both must be combined in apostolic officials. The Apostles thereby teach the Church of all time what are the qualifications necessary for effective administrators and officials. Even in charitable distributions and financial organisations the Church should hold up the high standard set before her by the Apostles, and seek out men actuated by religious principle, guided by religious truth, swayed by Divine love, the outcome of that Spirit whose grace and blessing are necessary for the due discharge of any office, whether of service, of charity, or of worship, in the Church of Jesus Christ; but possessed withal of strong common sense and vigorous intellectual power, for love and zeal separated from these often fall into mistakes which make religion and its adherents a laughing-stock to the world and a hindrance to the cause of truth and holiness. God can indeed make the weak things of this world to confound the high and mighty, but it would be presumptuous in us to think that we can do the same, and therefore we must seek out the instruments best suited in every way to do Gods work and accomplish His purposes.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary