Have you seen the face of forgiveness? I hurt a friend recently, unintentionally, and I wanted nothing more than to know that he forgave me. I confessed and asked for forgiveness, because I needed it. When Jacob saw that Esau had forgiven him, he said, “Your face is like the face of God.”
Thankfully, the first deacons were not finished with their work after they resolved the food crisis in Jerusalem. Stephen, full of the Spirit, wisdom and faith was a gifted teacher and apologist. He confounded the religious leaders so that they eventually arrested him. Face like an angel, he began to teach. In the shadows stood Saul, listening in anger. When Stephen explained that like their ancestors the religious leaders had killed God’s servant, they became a stoning mob who put him to death. Stephen saw what they did not: he lifted his eyes heavenward and saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Why was Jesus standing? My Greek Professor, Dr. James Brooks said, “In honor of the first martyr.”
The preacher in the movie A River Runs Through It takes some solace that his son did not go down without a fight. But Stephen chose, like Jesus, to forgive those who took his life. And holding the coats of the rock throwers was Saul, watching. In his work of decimating the church, he must have struggled to understand this amazing forgiveness. I am sure the Lord used this in his life, prompting Saul who became Paul to write in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” In the mirror of Stephen’s face, Saul caught a glimpse of the God who would change his life. People are looking at our faces today. What will they see?
