Synagogue of Freedmen vs. Stephen

Once again, if you'll turn with me, please in your Bibles to Acts chapter 6 we will continue with where we left off this morning the acts of the Apostles chapter 6 this morning we worked through the establishment of the first deacons and We finished off by looking specifically at the description of Stephen the first of Those that are chosen he was described as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

That these were brought before the Apostles and after praying they laid their hands on them which again That action of laying hands upon individuals very much going back into the Old Testament and a Jewish tradition at that point, but in this case what it would be would be a Indication of the Apostles acceptance and setting apart of These individuals for the work of what we would call the diaconate.

Would that develop some more in the future? I mean once the the deacons are established in the church say in Ephesus or something like that. Would they only be dealing with? Widows and things like that.

No, I think there would be an Expansion of of their duties at that point though it would it would not certainly in the apostolic period ever be anything relevant to Buildings or things like that because they they didn't have buildings.

Didn't have church buildings could not have church buildings. And even once church buildings began to be had they were very often either borrowed or Temporary certainly during the Great Persecution between 260 and 313.

Any of those buildings were in grave danger and many of them were torn down burned. Similar to what we're seeing in various countries around the world today as well. With churches then and so it wasn't just that the deacons dealt with Property issues, but they engaged in ministry and service to the Saints.

This was what they were involved in doing and the Apostles set them aside prayed for them and laid their hands upon them and Once again, we're told in verse 7 the Word of God kept on spreading and the number of the disciples Continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to The faith now certainly this must have impacted greatly the thinking of the Jewish leadership leadership and the Sanhedrin as a as a whole.

They could not be ignorant of the fact. Even if it wasn't being discussed openly There would be the discussions. Did you hear about so and such and such a person such and such a priest? He's following the way he's he's believed and I can assure you that just as the Apostles were busy studying the Word of God praying ministering the Word of God and Developing the theology of the church in response to the challenges that they were receiving this is probably the very same time period where What is today known as the anti-missionary movement would have begun.

Jewish apologetics Is generally identified as the the anti-missionary movement. Judaism is not a Is not a faith today that seeks to proselytize. But there are a number of people involved in anti-christian defense.

Argumentation shall we say probably the best-known individual today in the English-speaking world be rabbi Tovia Singer who is very very active and this would probably be the period of time where The argumentation begins and it is interesting that by the middle of the second century.

When you read people like Justin Martyr in his dialogue with Trifo the Jew You already see the outlines at that early period. Pretty much the the argumentation that would take place today. So each generation has had to deal with this obviously now we view it as a almost a specialty area of evangelizing the Jewish people, but this was the very birthplace out of which The church comes there in Jerusalem, this wasn't some side issue this was this was everyone who was being evangelized at this point until you have the the beginning of the outreach to to the Gentiles and so Obviously there was a compelling element to the argumentation of the church.

Based upon primarily those Old Testament texts. There's no New Testament. There's no Gospels and none of that pen has not touched parchment to begin the process of Writing the New Testament at this particular point in time and so these are people who are interacting with with the Jews with Jewish priests and They are demonstrating who Jesus is solely on the basis of the text of Scripture itself and It is interesting to speculate how did they have much in the way of the text of Scripture themselves?

It's not like those scrolls were it's not like every Jewish person is running around with a with a set of the scriptures. Those scrolls were huge. They're extremely expensive. Almost all the access that you had to those was in the synagogue and this may have been why?

There is very early on very very early on a Preference on the part of the Apostles for the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Greek Septuagint it would not be something that the that the Jews would want to be sharing necessarily with this upstart group being their their scriptures and That may be why as well.

We just do not find Christian scrolls of the New Testament the Christians always wanted to use the codex form the book form that we use today and that was extremely unusual at the time. Could find its its origin even at this early period of time because when when many of your priests are becoming obedient to the faith there is going to be a Negative reaction there is going to be an apologetic reaction.

There is going to be something's going to happen and we know exactly what that is Here in Acts chapter 6 and it's only going to get worse from there one other point of speculation because it's only one verse we can't exactly build much out of it, but We know that when Jews come from James to Antioch This is related to us in Paul's epistle to the Galatians chapter 2.

When we go a few chapters later on down the road back to Acts chapter 15 the Great Jerusalem Council There are Jews who are very strongly Demanding that Gentiles must first become Jews before they can become Christians now.

When it says these priests are becoming obedient to the faith You know the question immediately Arises exactly, what does that mean? And what was the ramifications of that in regards to the orthodoxy of These particular individuals and of course we need to recognize that some of the key subjects some of the key issues in relationship to Justification things like that Had not even been raised as yet these these topics were not being debated.

They were going to come up over time and they would come up over time and then answers would be would be given. But that's just sort of a one-verse commentary on the continued growth there in Jerusalem of the faith and then the Spotlight shall we say switches over or shall we say back to Stephen? once again reminding us that he is full of grace and Instead of it was faith in the Holy Spirit here is and Stephen full of grace and power Was performing great wonders and signs among the people now Generally wonders and signs would be miraculous Exercises of power it was this was this Casting out demons was this healing people.

We were not told it's rather interesting To simply have the assertion that he's doing these things, but not we're not told What these things were what the context of them were we're just simply told that God was with Stephen in a particularly powerful fashion and that These signs would be deemed being done among the people which Could be amongst the Christian people, but probably not probably amongst the people there in Jerusalem.

So these were public signs and that's what then leads to the conflict that we start seeing brewing in Verse 9 so Stephen is doing these miraculous things just as the Apostles are Which he was not doing prior to the Apostles setting them apart and laying hands upon them.

There may be a Emphasis there upon the unity of the work of the Spirit that they people aren't just running off doing their own things. But some men from what was called the synagogue of the freed men including both Syrians and Alexandrians and some from Cilicia and Asia rose up and argued with Stephen now.

Who is this? It'd be wonderful if someday in some Digging going on in Jerusalem if they come across a a first century Structure and find within it a plaque or something along the lines. It says something like the synagogue of the freedmen.

Everywhere you dig in Jerusalem and pretty much everywhere in Israel You end up running into something historically significant which significantly raises the cost of living. Because you got to stop and bring in the antiquities folks and then they've got to do all their digging around and get out what needs to be gotten and We had to we when we visited the synagogue the first century synagogue at Migdal Which was Mary Magdalene's hometown?

Which means it was Since he since Jesus preached in the synagogues in in Galilee that probably was a room that he preached in Once They had realized what it was the the people that had the land that was trying to build the building.

Just had to completely redesign the building and as goofy as it looks and it does look goofy. They have covered the the synagogue and just cut that out of the first floor and built everything around it Doesn't look real great to be honest with you it looks a little bit weird, but that's what they got to do.

Because at almost everywhere you dig there. You'll you'll run into some kind of really important historical thing. There they have discovered synagogues in Jerusalem, which you which you might go well of course why wouldn't they?

Why wouldn't they because the temple? The temple was the place of worship that now there were synagogues prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, but They were not the central Part of the worship. As long as as long as the temple was in existence much of the You know the liturgy and life the Jewish people Was focused upon the pilgrimages to the temple and and going up to Jerusalem and things like that.

It was after the destruction of the temple that the synagogue then takes on Further significance in the life of the Jewish people for obvious reasons because there's there's no place to go to any longer I don't know sacrifices to be offered.

But synagogues did exist. Synagogue a simply means to gather together, so it's just an assembly hall and at this point. It would be a place of teaching of Instruction from the Word of God. Down front you'd have the seat of Moses.

And the person who would be leading the study or reading the from the scrolls would sit by the seat of Moses. We visited one Synagogue, I think it was about a third century third or fourth century synagogue from Wasn't best a crazen crazen.

They can't find a first century one which I sort of wonder given the curses of Jesus on The Satan crazen if that might be why but be it as it may the the place for the storage of the scrolls is still there and it's right next to the seat of Moses where the person would Sit and so the scrolls would be very easily Transported to that individual and we read of Jesus being handed scrolls and things like that in the in the synagogues.

But who are these freedmen? Well, it seems that the most logical way of understanding who these were Well, there's two ways of understanding you you could spiritually and religiously view them as proselytes to Judaism and hence they've been freed from paganism rather than else.

But but the term had such a strong Meaning at that time was simply people who had been liberated from bondage liberated from slavery. If you were a freedman then you actually had your freedom and you you carried documents around that Demonstrated that that's what you were lest you end up being returned into slavery.

And so this particular gathering Was made up of primarily foreigners Syrenians Alexandrians and Alexandria by the way Even at that time absolute important center of learning scholarship the library in Alexandria, which Christians eventually burned while the wonders of the ancient world and so Syrenians Alexandrians and some from Cilicia and Asia, so this is a This seems to be a place Where you had individuals who Were from the Diaspora they were from outside Jerusalem and they gathered together and Again, I'm speculating here.

I'm reading between the lines, but in my experience people who have joined a religion and Are a minority in that religion Tend to be extremely zealous To sort of make up for the fact that they're looked down upon by many others within that religion.

So I've seen for example converts to Islam that were more Muslim than the rest of Muslims were Because they didn't look Islamic. They weren't raised in that way. And so they I Think they're trying to prove something.

And it's speculation on my part, but you'll notice that They basically want to rise up and argue with Stephen they see that what Stephen is saying is a fundamental challenge to the reality of their faith and In fact if what Stephen is saying is true They cannot simply continue with the status quo they cannot continue with Judaism as Judaism has always been if Jesus was the Messiah and if there was an empty grave then they saw what that meant and So they rise up and they argue with Stephen.

Maybe these are just the young guys who like to do this. Maybe these are our Twitter warriors or Facebook warriors you know something along those lines, but we're going to discover that there's a lot of brave people behind keyboards, but in real life it can get Very very different and it did in this in this situation.

And so we have these Jews and they seemingly Also given his name. Maybe he was a Greek and so they They felt more at home in engaging him or he could engage them better because of the language issues.

Again, we're not specifically told but they rise up and they argue with Stephen and this is this is sort of the very beginning of the apologetic effort of the church. Because now you have what Paul is going to be doing and what Peter is going to be doing you've got this Disputation taking place in public.

However, we're told They were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Now there had been the promise. I think it's Luke 21 where Jesus Promises the disciples when you're cast out of synagogue when you're brought before kings and those in authority.

You will be given the words to speak you will be given wisdom. The spirit will be with you. And so this is somewhat of a fulfillment of that. They were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking them, of course, we would Recognize that any wisdom that any of us has is a gift from God, but this would seem to be a special supernatural Manifestation that the Spirit of God was working with them to not only do signs and miracles.

But now when he is faced with challenges He is given a supernatural wisdom from the spirit that these individuals who probably would have been quite knowledgeable Were not able to refute. When when that kind of thing happens there's got to be a response.

And when you cannot win honestly. Well, I know this never happens in our day, but when you can't win the debate honestly. You try to win it dishonestly now. We don't find this at all shocking or surprising because sadly this is far more the normative way of things happening in our culture today than any other.

They secretly induced men to say we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Well, who would have ever thought of something like that? Well given that it had been that very same type of accusation That had been used against Jesus only a matter of weeks earlier months earlier and This is going to come up again in the not-too-distant future.

Paul is going to find himself in chains for a very lengthy period of time. Witnessing to Roman soldier after Roman soldier because of the exact same accusation. Not only in Jerusalem, but in Caesarea, and then on a ship and on islands and finally in Rome itself.

This accusation We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God so I can imagine now I We are not told yet. Where's Paul in all this or shall we call him Saul? He's gonna be there in chapter 7.

He's gonna be there. And they're gonna lay their cloak cloaks at his feet when they're stoning Stephen Cilicia hmm Tarsus hmm connection. Did Paul know the men of this synagogue. Did he know the men who had been arguing with Stephen in all probability?

Yes, and Hence when the accusation is Lodged against him years later We have heard him speaking Blasphemous words against Moses and against God. You think that might have echoed in his ears. You think that might have said something as to what these people's true intentions were in regards to him.

Had he been involved in this we're not told we're not told he just Appears and it's unlikely That he just happened to be visiting Jerusalem that day. He was a student of Gamaliel, so he's around and Has he traveled since the days of the sense the resurrection and just knows now they're in Jerusalem.

We're just we're not told. One of those things that may be in the eons of eternity will have plenty of time to ask about but we're not told. But it is interesting to look at the form of the accusation and then realize That's going to be used over and over and over again and What it means to those who are making that accusation?

So they secretly induced men to say these things and they stirred up the people the elders and the scribes and they came up to him and dragged him away and Brought him before the council. So here we go again now.

Did they come up to him? While a debate was going on while an argument was going on did they wait until a later period of time when he maybe was Alone didn't have a bunch of fellow believers around him so that they they didn't didn't start a battle in the streets.

We're not told. They just approach him. They come up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the council. They put forward false witnesses who said this man Incessantly speaks against this holy place and the law.

For we have heard him say that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us and So once again you take Half truths. We forget identified Jesus as the Messiah.

There's going to be Discussion of fulfillment doing away with old things All sorts of stuff like that and so you you take Partial truths and then you twist them and you turn them and you take them out of context and you add other things.

Wasn't there an element of truth though Matthew chapter 24 Will destroy this place. Well this says Jesus will destroy this place. Well. What were they what were they trying to key on there? What was what was the the element here was there.

Had they heard? The same thing that Paul was going to say in Acts chapter 17 on Mars Hill when he tells the Greeks it's by Jesus that you're going to be judged that he is going to be the judge at the end of time or That Jesus had prophesied the Jerusalem would be destroyed and that the Christians should flee um.

Don't know but the assertion is in essence to say well this is the these are these are the descendants of the people who Jeremiah had said to centuries and centuries earlier the temple the temple the temple all you speak about is the temple don't you realize that God's going to take you away from this place and they continued in their Belief that as long as the temple existed that they had God's Favor, but also notice will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.

So so evidently automatically. Even at this time where you you have the people meeting in the temple and they're dressing as Jews and they're meeting at the Jewish times of worship and and all the rest of stuff you can't start preaching the gospel without the ramifications of what fulfillment means coming out and So they're taking elements of this and stringing it together and doing it in such a way that they know The council before which these things are going to be heard and so what's going to be most offensive to them.

It's going to change and alter and morph and and get different. Once you're no longer from front of the Sanhedrin. Once you've got to deal with Romans or even Jews who are Sympathetic to the Romans and under Roman control then that's gonna sort of change the nature of the accusations you make and eventually once you get to Rome, which is sort of like What are all these people arguing about?

Anyways, I really don't care too much one way or the other but but these Accusations are meant to be the most offensive in the site of the Sanhedrin the council before which the charges are going to be heard and So Stephen is brought in and The chapter Division is unfortunate.

Once again, you know, we know who was responsible for this. We are thankful for Robert Estienne Stephanos and his insertion of Verse divisions. It helps us so much to find what everyone's talking about.

I realize that but Maybe it's just because chapter 7 is so long and it was just sort of like, okay. This is gonna end up being a small book. We got a guy divided someplace. And so this is where the division takes place.

Because it's sort of a cliffhanger and fixing their gaze on him. All who were sitting the council saw his face like the face of an angel now. What does that mean? Does that mean his face was glowing? Does that mean his face had some kind of? supernatural aspect to it.

Most people have never seen an angel, so I'm not sure that it's a Illustration that communicates a whole lot to any one of us. I've I've not seen an angel. I've I've seen little children that I said looks like an angel.

But I really didn't know what I was talking about when I said that it's just something you're supposed to say when you see little kids. So Evidently what is being communicated here is that there is a Serenity and a supernatural authority That is emanating from Stephen and The only thing that I can see that would explain why the scripture wants to explain this to us Is because this is not going to turn out.

Well, this is not going to turn out. Well and This is the beginning of Hebrews chapter 11 for the Christian Church the the the noble saints and martyrs and prophets of old Suffering for their faith and losing their life in the process and so sitting in the council saw his face like the face of an angel.

God was with him and Maybe the whole point here is that when you see this and then you see him dying and agonizing death in the near future God did not abandon him during these things. And in fact that vision he's going to have of the heavenly places as he is leaving this life is Simply the continuation of this being filled the spirit filled with grace filled with power filled with faith.

Here is a a servant who is being consumed for his Lord. His is a short and brief but very bright ministry and So they look upon him and the high priest chapter 7 Makes a mistake. Makes a mistake. Because he says to him.

Well, he has to say to him legally. But he says to him are these things so. Well Stephen was clearly a frustrated preacher. He had a lot to say and he's going to say many things and he is going to demonstrate a mastery of Scripture and he is going to do what the Apostles have done and once again if you if you wish to Before the next time we pick up at this point if you wish to read through the story Do so with one particular thing in mind if your translation does not make it clear.

Then then mark it watch the little teeny tiny font notes. But see how much citation of Scripture the Old Testament Scripture the Tanakh Of Stephen weaves into his commentary. It is it is a commentary on the history of the people of Israel drawn from their own scriptures and so it this is what results in the Action is that he is going to bring to bear a tremendous accusation now we saw Exactly what happened when the Apostles did that in brief compass and They became furious, but a camellial said well, well, well, well, well, well so already Stephen has clearly heard the Apostles doing this.

He's capable of doing this by the Spirit bringing the scriptures to bear and When you do in this context there is going to be Shockingly a strong condemnation of pharisaic Judaism. Sort of hard to miss that if you've listened to Matthew chapter 23.

If you're going to be faithful to Jesus's message. There's going to be no way around these things. Stephen is well aware of that and so he is going to lay a very Solid foundation, but in laying that very solid foundation.

He likewise lays the very solid foundation. For the judgment that is going to come against him and so Backing up to verse 15 from chapter 6 that very short little chapter God was with Stephen as he Stood before these men God never left him.

It was God's purpose that Stephen give this testimony. Give this biblically based presentation and Then seal his testimony with his blood. That's not an accident. That's not God out of control. That's God perfectly in control.

Accomplishing his purpose in this situation. Do we pray that God would deliver people? From persecution, of course we do does that mean God will always do so. No, it does not. No it does not. Let us close our time the word of prayer our grace Heavenly Father.

We Once again consider these words we consider the conflict that took place back. Then we realize that it is one a Conflict that must continue as long as the gospel is proclaimed in this world. And so we ask once again for faithfulness.

We ask for strength. We ask for those who this night experienced persecution for the sake of the gospel that you would Strengthen them that you would be with them fill them with power as you did Stephen.

Those who languish in prison those who feel abandoned Lord that you would be with them in their Service and ministry to you. But as we have opportunity Lord, may we be faithful witnesses just as Stephen was we pray in Christ's name.

Amen.