6
Enter deacons
1 Now in those days, as the disciples were multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows* were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 So summoning the multitude of the disciples the twelve said: “It is not advantageous that we should forsake the Word of God to serve at tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men† of good reputation, full of Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint over this need. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”‡
5 The statement pleased the whole multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and Holy§ Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch,* 6 whom they set before the Apostles; and after praying they laid hands on them.
7 Well the Word of God kept spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem kept multiplying at a great rate, and a large company of the priests were obeying the faith. 8 While Stephen, full of faith† and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.‡
Stephen in a kangaroo court
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
11 Then they instigated men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders and the scribes;§ and coming upon him they seized him, and brought him in to the Sanhedrin; 13 and they put forward false witnesses who said: “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against the holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Natsorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”* 15 All who sat in the council, looking intently at him, saw his face like the face of an angel.†
* 6:1 Wait a minute! Where did all those foreign widows come from? (There must have been a fair number, to have caused the problem.) Would a widow have traveled alone from Asia to Jerusalem to attend the Passover? Had their husbands died in Jerusalem? I would imagine more probably the latter, since time was passing and there were many thousands of believers; people would be dying, getting married, etc. as usual. † 6:3 The term here refers only to males. ‡ 6:4 Prayer and the ministry of the Word—how many pastors, missionaries, ‘apostles’ and such today would fit that description? Don't you suppose we ought to start moving back in that direction? § 6:5 Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Holy” (as in NIV and NASB.). * 6:5 Nicholas is declared to be a foreigner, but some of the other names also sound foreign, so the plaintiffs were well represented. Here we see love and grace in action. † 6:8 For ‘faith’ some 20% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘grace’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). ‡ 6:8 Would not signs and wonders already be miraculous, without being “great”? Stephen was something else! Please notice that Stephen was not an Apostle, so the doing of miracles was not limited to them. Stephen and Philip (chapter 8 below) were deacons. § 6:12 What follows is obviously a put up job; the Sanhedrin is waiting for him. * 6:14 Big deal! Those guys were really hard up. † 6:15 I wonder how many of them had ever seen an angel, to know what one looked like. Perhaps his face had a supernatural shine. Something like that should have given them pause, but they were too far gone.