54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Bishop Thomas Ken wrote: ‘Teach me to live that I may dread, the grave as little as my bed.’ Amidst the savagery, venom, barbarity and murderous cruelty of this scene, there is something beautiful about how it ends: peacefully, for this radiant man of God. In fact, it seems he was given very special grace as he faced the end of his earthly life. He saw heaven just fractionally before stepping into it. What a glorious gift. Also, how lovely it is to witness the Christ-like way Stephen both lived and died.

As we have noted previously, ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see.’ Stephen’s opponents were furious, and unwilling to hear (57), like little children physically putting their hands over their ears because they don’t want to do as they are being told.

The mention of Saul (58) prepares us for a dramatic turn to come in the progression of the story, just one chapter later. This young man also was violently opposed to the gospel, but, thanks be to God, people can change!