Looking at today's various texts, stones and rocks come up several times. In the Psalm, God is a rock of refuge and a mighty fortress. In 1 Peter, Jesus is the cornerstone, the very foundation on which our faith is built. This can leave us feeling pretty good. Stones are strong and firm. They can hold us up and protect us. But 1 Peter points out that rocks can also make us trip and stumble. And there there is the Acts text.
Following the last couple of weeks where we have focused on the post-Resurrection community. We have seen these people of faith accept that Christ has risen. We have seen them join together into communities, communities that helped one another and shared all they had with each other. Communities that grew out of the faith exhibited in the stories and lives of those that started them.
In the last few chapters of Acts, Stephen has been selected as one of the servant leaders of one of these communities. He, along with a handful of others, is initially set apart to care for the widows in the Greek-speaking portion of the community, he becomes known for his teaching and testimony in the Hellenistic synagogues.
Of course, as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. Stephen is brought up on charges of blasphemy which is punishable by death. Following his own fiery testimony before the ruling religious council, he has a vision of Christ standing at the right hand of God. When he declares this, he is dragged out of the city where they stone him.
In an echo of Jesus' own last words, Stephen offers his spirit to Jesus and then prays for those who are killing him.
Stephen did everything he was supposed to do. He followed Jesus' teachings, he cared for the members of the community, he preached the good news of the risen Christ. Why then is he put to death? What was so threatening about his testimony - both his words and his actions?
Why is a man that cares for the poor in need of stoning?
Why does one who heals those who are sick need to be put to death?
I am reminded of Neo in The Matrix movies. He was pursued by Agents because he refused to be controlled, because his push for what was right fell outside the rules. Neo wanted to throw off the suffering caused by adherence to rules for the sake of rules.
In some ways, this is the same thing that led to Stephen's death. It was not that the authorities wanted people to suffer, but Stephen broke the rules. He showed he would not be controlled by the authorities, and for that he had to be made a lesson of. But where Neo fought those that would imprison him, Stephen chose a different path.
Stephen chose to follow the example of Christ. And in this we can see his continued rejection of the rules. Rather than play by the rules of his captors, rules that say one must fight and kill to maintain control, Stephen continued his act of defiance by refusing to be controlled, even unto death.
This does not mean we should raise death up as something to be sought or preferred, but it does mean that as we serve others, as we seek for the hungry to be fed, for the sick to be made well, we will invariably upset the powers that be. And while being beaten and murdered for that faith is less likely in this country and time, it is not outside the realm of possibility. So while we may not seek out death, it is certainly a potential consequence of a life lived in service to the One.