The Prayer that Saved Saul of Tarsus?

Stephen was a man with a good reputation (Acts 6:3). He was an evangelist who was “full of grace and power, [and] was doing great wonders and signs among the people” (v. 8) during the early days of the church.

Sadly his evangelistic activity eventually gets him arrested and is made to appear before the very court that condemned Jesus to death. When he was given the opportunity to present a defense, he instead plays the part of a prosecuting attorney and delivers a seething indictment against the court. He charged the court of being a “stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, [who] always resist[ed] the Holy Spirit. As [their] fathers did, so do [they]. Which of the prophets did [their] fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom [they had] now betrayed and murdered, [they] who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (Acts 7:51–53). They, and not Stephen, were the true law breakers. 

Stephen's indictment was the same as Jesus' when he lamented over Jerusalem saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (Matt. 23:37). The court's response was immediately violent. Stephen wasn't allowed to finish his defense, instead they dragged him out of the city to execute him, but not before the heavens were opened to reveal Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Apparently only Stephen could see him, yet he testified to what he saw, but the vision only enraged the officials further. As they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and falling to his knees with death mere moments away, he loudly prayed one last prayer. He prayed for his persecutors, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (v. 60). Among the mob who were stoning Stephen was a young man standing by in some official capacity and who zealously approved of Stephen's execution. His name was Saul.

 

The rest is history.

Traditionally the emphasis on Saul's conversion is on Jesus' appearance to him, but we often neglect that Jesus was responding to Stephen's prayer, “Lord, do not hold this sin against him.” Jesus was responding Stephen's prayer which was perfectly in keeping with God's' will, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). It was the very thing Jesus had modeled on the cross when he looked down on his Roman executioners praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Stephen was like Christ. Are you?