Perspective: When the Path Becomes Treacherous

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When the Path Becomes Treacherous

But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Luke 6:27-28 (NRSV)

You know the effort I have given

And You know exactly what it cost

And though my innocence was taken

Not everything is lost

From "Your Love" by Brandon Heath

In Jesus, we are offered a path to follow in life, a path of love and service, but nobody ever said that it is an easy or safe path to follow.  For a path of love, it can become surprisingly treacherous at times.

St. Luke, the storyteller who is known primarily for writing the Gospel that bears his name, wrote a second work known as the Acts of the Apostles.  While Luke's Gospel tells us the story of Jesus, Acts serves as a sequel, telling us the story of some of the people who followed in Jesus' footsteps.  In this latter work, we read about an exemplary follower of Jesus named Stephen.

When we first read about Stephen, he is chosen along with six others to ensure that the needy among the community of faith receive the food they need.  Luke describes him as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" who "did great wonders and signs among the people."  Because Stephen stands out from the crowd, he draws some unwanted attention from people who not only disagree with what he says but resent him for the gifts he has been given.  They take him before the religious leaders on trumped-up charges and bring forward some false witnesses who lie about him.¹

Does any of this sound familiar?

To show us how closely Stephen is following Jesus, Luke calls to mind several landmarks from Jesus' journey.

When the religious leaders hear the charges against Stephen, they look at him and see "that his face [is] like the face of an angel."²  In the Gospel, we read that, one day, Jesus hikes up a mountain with three of His closest disciples.  While Jesus is praying, His disciples look at Him and see that He has taken on a radiant, heavenly appearance.³

Stephen, instead of trying to defend himself against the false accusations, delivers a sermon that leaves the religious leaders grinding their teeth.⁴  In the Gospel, we read that, Jesus returns to His hometown toward the beginning of His public ministry.  At the synagogue, He delivers a sermon that enrages the congregation to they point that they drag Him out of town and attempt to throw Him off a cliff.⁵

While the religious leaders are seething, Stephen looks up, watches the heavens open, and sees Jesus standing at the right-hand side of God, and he tells the religious leaders what he sees.⁶  In the Gospel, we read that, after Jesus is baptized, the heavens open.  The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus as a dove, and a Voice from heaven speaks.⁷

Enraged by what Stephen has said, the religious leaders cover their ears, start screaming, drag him out of town, and beat him to death with rocks.⁸

God has blessed each of us with gifts with which we can be a blessing to the world.  When you realize what you were put on this world to do and pursue it with all your heart, you will stand out from the crowd.  When you are making a difference in the world around you, people will take notice, but not all of the attention you receive will necessarily be good.  Some people will admire you, but others will resent you for your gifts.  Some who feel that they have something to lose might even perceive you as a threat and respond with hostility.

One thing that stands out to me about Luke's Gospel is that, when Jesus is crucified, He does not die defeated.  In Matthew and Mark's accounts, Jesus cries out, just before breathing His last breath, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"⁹  According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says some very different things on the cross.  First, He prays on behalf of His killers, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."¹⁰  When one of the criminals who is crucified with Jesus asks Him to remember him, Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."¹¹  And, before Jesus breathes His last breath, He prays, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."¹²  Jesus is not at all alienated from His Father, and His spirit, unlike His body, remains unbroken.

In the Acts of the Apostles, while Stephen is being stoned to death, he echoes what Jesus says on the cross.  When the religious leaders begin pelting him with rocks, he commends his life into Christs's hands, praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  With his last breath, he asks God to forgive his killers, praying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."¹³

St. Stephen has followed the path of Christ all the way to the bitter end, and, like Jesus, he dies undefeated.

The path Christ calls us to follow has the potential to become treacherous, but following this path requires us to love those whom we might consider our enemies and to pray for those who would do us harm.¹⁴  When we pursue our calling in life, we can expect to experience some resistance, but this must not stop us.  St. Paul suggests that, when all else is lost, we can hold on to three things: faith, hope, and love.¹⁵  When we suffer for doing what is right, we can hold on to the faith that our suffering will not be in vain, the hope that others will benefit because of our efforts, and a love for all people.  The life, death, and resurrection of Christ shows us that love is stronger than death.


Notes:

1. Acts 6:1-14 (NRSV)
2. Acts 6:15 (NRSV)
3. Luke 9:28-29
4. Acts 7:1-54
5. Luke 4:16-30
6. Acts 7:55-56
7. Luke 3:21-22
8. Acts 7:57-58
9. Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34
10. Luke 23:33-34 (NRSV)
11. Luke 23:39-43 (NRSV)
12. Luke 23:46 (NRSV)
13. Acts 7:59-60 (NRSV)
14. See also "Thin Ice and the Spear" by Shane Hipps.  Mars Hill Bible Church podcast, 11/29/2011.
15. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Stoning of Saint Stephen was painted by Paolo Uccello around 1435.