Has The Father Drawn You?

Acts 8:1–3 (NKJV)

1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

In our last study we were able to get into the separation of the resurrection of the just and unjust. We were also able to see how Stephen interceded for the nation of Israel in honor of the covenant that God has made with the descendants of Jacob (Jer.31:31-33). In this study we will see how the Lord lays the ground work to honor Stephen’s death and prayer to save one of Israel’s elite. Saul, a Pharisee of the Pharisees (Phlp.3:5; Acts 26:5), will be loosed from all restraint to abound in his sinful nature (Rom.7:13), so that the image of sin would become known to him (Jn.9:41). It was necessary that the Stumbling Stone enter the realm of the dead souls behind the gates of the prison of Hades (Rom.5:17; 9:33; 1Cor.1:23; Eph.4:9; 1Pet.3:19) and cause sin to increase in us that grace may also abound to us (Rom.5:20; 1Cor.15:55). By becoming alive to sin (consciously aware) we are then able to see our spiritual bankruptcy and call upon the Savoir for mercy and salvation (Matt.5:3-4; Rom.7:8-9; Lk.18:13).

Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Luke doesn’t hide or cover the sin of Saul consenting to the death of Stephen. Remember that Luke is a companion of the apostle Paul later in his missionary journeys. Luke and Paul were not ashamed to leave Saul’s sins uncovered because they knew their acceptance was based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul, who was Saul, overheard the intercession of Stephen praying for him, even as he put him to death. In my opinion, it was not just the love of Christ that motivated Paul, but the intercession of Stephen to the Lord on Saul’s behalf, that afterward drove Paul to be the greatest missionary the world has ever known. Paul was able to go much further than the Lord was able to go in the flesh (Jn.14:12; Eph.2:10) and Stephen literally laid the ground work for that. The Lord was appointed to the house of Israel (Matt.15:24) but Paul was appointed to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). The conviction of consenting to the death of Stephen through the remembrance of Stephen’s love for him will encourage Paul's sacrificial love for the Gentiles to come to saving faith. The persecution by Saul was necessary so that the gospel would spread throughout the world and was by the Lord’s design that the church should scatter and suffer for His Name. Saul, a twofold weapon for Christ, was a divine instrument to bring in the persecution and later the sanctification of the church. In the beginning, Saul thought he was doing the Lord service by ridding Israel of these blaspheming Christians; but was blinded by the sin of putting his country (Israel) before God (Jn.16:2; Ex.20:3), as is often said, "For God and country," but ignorantly serving men (country) as their god. Saul exalted the laws of Israel above the very Person who sovereignly instituted those laws and can sovereignly nullify those laws at His own pleasure (Isa.46:9-10). Saul did not know God as he presumed (Ps.50:21).

Most likely the Hellenistic Jews were the first to scatter out to the surrounding ‘regions of Judea and Samaria’ (Acts 11:19-20). The apostles staying behind suggests there was a believing remnant of native Jews who also remained in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26; 11:2, 22). Until Saul began his campaign to throw Christians in prison, the twenty thousand or so members continued to gather for worship in the holy city. Therefore, the majority of those twenty thousand members began to disperse and embark on the trip back to their respective Gentile nations when the persecution started almost instantly after Stephen's death.

It is, however, questionable whether the term πάντες is to be literally understood, in the sense that every Christian left the city. Luke himself reports one exception, when he appends the words: πλὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, so that it is certain that at least the apostles remained in Jerusalem. They regard that city as the post to which the command of the Lord had assigned them, and which they do not feel at liberty to abandon, without an express declaration of his will. And, besides, the holy city, the central point of Israel, was still, in their view, the future central point of the kingdom of Christ. The apostles, therefore, supported by their faith, courageously maintained their position in the midst of the dangers which threatened them. [Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Gotthard, V. L., Gerok, C., & Schaeffer, C. F. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Acts (p. 139). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.]

The Lord commanded the disciples to go into all the nations and make disciples in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe those things that the Lord has commanded (Matt.28:19-20). Therefore, it was essential, in the providence of God, that Stephen's death and Saul's campaign cause the dispersion of the believers. The providence of God will now lead the disciples out of the holy city and throughout Israel and beyond. The gates of Hades will not prevail against the church of Christ, beginning with the death and persecution of our Lord, and every believer after, who is persecuted and dies in Christ will also be raised with Him (Matt.16:18; 1Cor.15:54-56)!

And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

Some commentators, like John MacArthur, believe that the devout men were unconverted Jews who sympathized for Stephen and his cause.

Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. If we take literally the record that the church was scattered and only the apostles remained in Jerusalem, these godly men (andres eulabeis) are likely to have been non-Christian Jews.8 This would mean that the opponents of Stephen do not represent the views of all the Jews in Jerusalem: some sympathy for Stephen and his cause is implied. Indeed, if the Mishnah rule which forbade lamentation for one who had been executed (m. Sanh. 6:6) was recognized at this time, their action is quite remarkable. It represented either a belief that Stephen was not legally executed or a public protest against the Sanhedrin’s action. [Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 276). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.]

However, I would suggest that the opposite is true. As noted above, the possibility remains that there were Hebrew believers who remained with the apostles. It is more probable that the devout men are believers who ‘wept’ for Stephen and made arrangements for his burial. It is doubtful that the devout men were unconverted or undecided Jews; because after witnessing the death of Stephen, fear would have encompassed their heart, and it would have been too great a risk to be identified with Stephen’s cause and be excommunicated from the privileges of the synagogues and the temple. We know from the following verse that Saul entered every house church (ἐκκλησία) and lugged people away into prison (v.3). This is further evidence that there were believers who were, either too slow to disperse, or intentionally remained behind with the apostles.

The intensity of sorrow (a great lamentation), as Luke describes, would also indicate the close intimacy that these devout men had with Stephen. It is unlikely that the undecided or unconverted Jews would weep for Stephen with such emotion and exasperation. The Greek word for lamentation (κοπετός) is rooted in κόπτω, which literally means to beat the breast in grief. In my opinion, it is very unlikely that unconverted Jews would so enthusiastically mourn for Stephen and his cause of death. Luke also describes that this lamentation was ἐπί αὐτός. This means that the sorrow the devout men felt was specifically and directly related to the loss of Stephen. Stephen was going to be missed by these devout men. They literally wept ἐπί (over or above) him. As Stephen laid there lifeless, the men mourned above him. In my mind, there is no doubt that these men were believers who suffered with Stephen in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were not ashamed to be directly associated with the man who was just stoned to death for, so-called, blasphemy against the Sanhedrin and the temple. It also alludes to a natural reaction to his death; not a superficial, sorrowful glance at an unexpected tragedy. However, that said, I do agree with MacArthur, that the Lord still had some elect in the holy city that would be potential converts.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

The verb συνευδοκέω describes Saul’s partnership in Stephen’s death and gives us the impression that he was ‘active’ in the stoning of Stephen. It also gives us the heart and attitude of Saul towards Stephen. The verb συνευδοκέω means that Saul approved and took pleasure in the death of Stephen (Rom.1:32). Therefore, Luke doesn’t show Saul any mercy in the exposure of the attitude motivating his sin. I chose to bring this up in this context to show the continuation of Saul’s attitude towards the early church. Luke writes that he made ‘havoc of the church.’ Λυμαίνω, according to Barclay, describes Saul treating the assembly of believers with bloody and sadistic cruelty. John MacArthur comments:

Saul literally tore the church apart—an act that would haunt him for the rest of his life so that he felt utterly unworthy to be called an apostle (cf. Acts 22:3–5, 19–20; 26:9ff.; Gal. 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:9; 1 Tim. 1:13). The persecution resulted in the scattering of the church. But God used the wrath of men for His gospel purposes. [MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (pp. 230–231). Chicago: Moody Press.]

Luke continues to describe Saul’s persecution of the church by ‘dragging off,’ both the men and women, ὁ ἐκκλησία εἰσπορεύομαι κατά ὁ οἶκος (from inside their homes). The definite article ὁ identifies each οἶκος (house) that the believers ἐκκλησία (gathered) in was specifically targeted by Saul. That is to say, that Saul went into each ‘house church,’ which the believers were known to meet for prayer and the Word, and violently carried them off to prison. Most likely the neighboring houses tipped off Saul to the influx of people coming into these homes for worship. It is also plausible that some of these were designated homes that yearly offered hospitality to the Hellenists who came for the annual feasts in Jerusalem. By Saul ‘dragging off’ men and women shows that he gave no mercy to the followers of Jesus Christ. If the women had children, this meant that the children were left alone to care for themselves. Saul showed no partiality to this movement and expansion of these early Christians. Saul’s desire was to put this so-called ‘sect’ to death. James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, was the first to write an epistle to the tribes that were scattered as a result of this persecution (James 1:1). In his letter to the scattered tribes, he reminds the believers of how the rich oppress and drag the poor into the courts. Even though the verbs ‘drag’ and ‘dragging off’ are separate Greek words, they both give us a word picture in their context of the violence and oppression the rich bestow upon the poor.

James 2:6

But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

Saul understood the Christians to be a dangerous threat to the national security of Israel. In his mind they were terrorists that needed to be stomped out immediately. He took pleasure in serving his native people by eliminating this threat. Saul loved his country because his country was his god. After being hauled away from their homes, the church was ‘committed’ (given over) to the authority and trust of the prison. Those Christians, who resisted, as Stephen did at first, may have been killed without a trial before they even made it to prison. Luke paints a terrifying picture of Saul’s rampage against the church, but the good news is that Saul has an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who stands as a testimony of God’s amazing grace to the vilest and most evil of men (Acts 9). No matter how heinous your sin may be, Saul’s conversion, gives you hope that God will transform you into a true servant of the Lord. After Saul’s conversion, he is given a new name, for his apostleship to the Gentile churches. Never does Paul try to hide or forget his sin, but rather, uses it to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ his Savior. Listen to Paul confess his sin and boast in the imputation of the Lord’s righteousness on his behalf:

1 Co 15:9-10

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Ga 1:13

For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.

Ac 26:10

This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Acts 22:4

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

1 Timothy 1:13

although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Has the Lord dragged you away to the place of salvation in His Name? Has He sent the oppression and persecution of the devil to confirm your trust in His cross?