“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
That last line haunts me.
As his enemies hurl stones at him to kill him, he spends his last moments entreating the LORD to forgive them.
As his bones are shattered and he dies from horrific trauma, his last words are, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."
The same selflessness is shown by Moses 1,300 years prior, when the LORD in his righteous anger seeks to destroy all of Israel.
"But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
Spare them and punish me instead, Moses tells the LORD.
Paul the Apostle, writing in Romans says, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,"
We have to ask ourselves how these men separated across thousands of years could possibly hold the same, counter-intuitive to human nature ideal of self sacrifice for an unworthy people.
The answer to that question was displayed on the hill of Calvary 2,000 years ago, when from upon an old wooden cross these words were spoken.
Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Stephen in his death throes, Moses on Mount Sinai and Paul in his letter to the Romans display a simple principle of those who walk with Christ. They begin to act like Him.
They imitated the unchanging mercy and grace that was in God's eternal character for all time, and which was displayed on the cross for the entire world to see.
The nails in his hands and feet, the crown of thorns on his head, the torn flesh on his back from the whip, the spear in his side and the wrath of God poured out on Jesus, all for us - all for you and for me.
Self sacrifice for an undeserving people.
Listen, I want you to know that it's okay to call out evil when you see it, as Stephen did. It's your responsibility to do what is within your means to stop evil from being perpetrated against your fellow man, and to rebuke those who do evil. I do not believe Christ is calling us to weak pacifism where we allow evil to prevail in our culture and our society.
I believe it is biblical to have a hatred for the things God himself hates.
But I also know that if we are to hold ourselves to the standard of Christ, then we must have no hatred in our hearts for any man, especially our enemies.
We must love them.
Of all the tough pills to swallow, the most difficult is the Lord's command to not only "Love your enemies" but to "do good to them which hate you."
If you don't struggle immensely with this passage, as I myself do, then you have not fully understood the command.
Those who would rob and murder you if given the opportunity, are to be treated my respect and kindness.
Those who's purpose is to defraud and tarnish your reputation, are to be treated fairly and with noble actions.
Don't hyper-spiritualize the concept being given here - you are not commanded to be weak or to allow your enemies to harm or defraud you. The truth of the matter though, is that these things will inevitably happen and when they do, you must go beyond the discipline it requires to not respond in kind.
You must actually do the complete opposite and do good to your enemies.
Which begs the question, why? Why would you possibly by called to repay evil with good? Why would you treat someone deserving of the harshest of punishment, instead with love?
Because that's what Jesus did for you.
Romans 5:10 (KJV) says "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.."
Now you, Christian, understand why you must love your enemies.
Because when you were an enemy to God, he still loved you.
While you were yet hostile in rebellion to Him, He sacrificed His life for you, that you may be reconciled to Him and saved.
Justice will come. Vengeance for all wrongs will be poured out by the only one righteous enough to punish in anger. But you and I, being followers of Christ, are called to become more like Him and do for others as He did for us.
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Jesus the Messiah, Matthew 5:44-48 KJV
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jozef Lalka is a former Infantryman with the Canadian Armed Forces and founder of War Doll.
Since releasing from the military, Jozef has devoted his life to the scriptural motivation of the warrior culture, and the mentorship of the next generation. Jozef works as a graphic designer, photographer and videographer while pursing a passion for current global conflicts and how they relate to historical events.