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Sermons on this passage require preachers to inject some storytelling into their messages. It’s one of the lectionary’s more bizarre selections, and that’s no slight honor. The main problem is that the action described in these six verses–the gruesome murder of Stephen at the hands of an angry mob–is entirely dislocated from the situation that … Continue reading “Acts 7:55-60 Commentary by Matt Skinner”

Stephen is recognized in the church as the first or “proto-martyr.” Before considering details in the lectionary text for the day, Acts 7:55-60, we would do well to ask: Why was Stephen martyred? For the contemporary Christian audience, it is crucial to observe that in his speech, Stephen is not pitting Christianity over against Judaism … Continue reading “Acts 7:55-60 Commentary by Mikeal C. Parsons”

The reading from Acts features two distinct episodes linked by Stephen, an otherwise unknown apostle. A large part of the story is omitted from the lectionary reading. I would recommend including the verses left out (7:2b-43) because the omission affects how one understands Stephen’s speech. The reading is lengthy enough as it is. An obvious … Continue reading “Acts 6:1–7:2a, 7:44-60 Commentary by Marilyn Salmon”

Commentary for these texts is forthcoming. PRAYER OF THE DAY Holy Giver and Receiver of life,Your martyr, Stephen, shined with the light of your Holy Spirit. When his opponents took his life, he offered up his spirit to you, and prayed mercy for theirs. Make Stephen an example of faith and courage for all your followers, forthe … Continue reading “Acts 6:1–7:2a, 44-60 Commentary by Working Preacher”

Luke-Acts in the Season of Easter Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed! The lessons from Acts for the Sundays of Easter provide the preacher with a great opportunity to reflect with Luke on the present and living power of the resurrected Lord for new life in community. It will be helpful to keep at … Continue reading “Acts 5:27-32 Commentary by James Boyce”

The apostles were doing what they believed they were commissioned to do.  Unfortunately, this conflicted with what others believed and how others lived. In this particular instance the apostles’ witness conflicted with the ideas of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. Later in Acts 19 Paul’s witness will conflict with the town of Ephesus and the … Continue reading “Acts 5:27-32 Commentary by Kyle Fever”

Some people already realized that joining the apostles was risky business (Acts 5:13). This episode at Acts 5:27–32 marks the second time that some religious leaders and Sadducees arrested, detained, and interrogated the apostles for preaching the resurrection of Jesus. Previously, Peter and John were imprisoned because the same religious authorities were “much annoyed” at … Continue reading “Acts 5:27-32 Commentary by Mitzi J. Smith”

For the early church depicted in Acts, the resurrection of Christ is less a creedal article of individual faith and hope than a creative force of community formation and fellowship. According to our text summarizing the “state of the union” of the first believers in Jerusalem, the apostles had borne “testimony to the resurrection of … Continue reading “Acts 4:32-35 Commentary by F. Scott Spencer”

The Resurrection calls and enables us to perform powerful tangible acts that coincide with human need. In the immediate literary context, Peter and John had been detained for preaching about how God has raised Jesus and for demonstrating the power of this reality by claiming to have healed a man in Jesus’ name (4:1-11). But … Continue reading “Acts 4:32-35 Commentary by Mitzi J. Smith”

The portrayals of Christ-following community in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37 raise red flags for many Euro-American readers. Some liken it to a kind of “Christian communism,” believing that such extensive sharing — so that “everything they owned was held in common” (4:32) — is not only unrealistic, but dangerous.1 These texts are idealistic, but they … Continue reading “Acts 4:32-35 Commentary by Troy Troftgruben”