Question 1

What is Stephen's main point in this long speech before the council?

Accepted Answer

Stephen is answering charges that he spoke against the temple and the law. Instead of giving a short defense, he walks through Israel’s history from Abraham to Solomon. He shows that God called Abraham before there was a temple or land, cared for Joseph in Egypt, and met Moses on holy ground in the desert. Again and again God was active outside the temple, and again and again the people resisted His servants. Stephen’s main point is that rejecting Jesus fits the same pattern of resisting God, and that God cannot be boxed into buildings or traditions.

Question 2

Why does Stephen start with Abraham and mention Mesopotamia and Charran?

Accepted Answer

Stephen begins with Abraham to show he fully honors the fathers of Israel and worships the same “God of glory.” By saying God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Charran or in the promised land, Stephen shows that God’s presence and promises are not tied to one place. Abraham was called to leave his country and family and trust God’s word about a land he had not yet seen. This helps Stephen answer the charge about the temple by showing that God’s covenant began long before the temple ever existed.

Question 3

What is the significance of Joseph being sold into Egypt in Stephen’s speech?

Accepted Answer

Stephen reminds the council that the patriarchs, the very ancestors they honor, were “moved with envy” and sold Joseph into Egypt. Yet God was with Joseph, gave him wisdom and favor with Pharaoh, and used him to save his family from famine. This shows two things: first, God’s plan can work through suffering and rejection; second, God’s chosen servant can be rejected by his own brothers and still be the one God uses to rescue them. Stephen is hinting that the way Joseph was treated by his brothers is similar to how Jesus was treated by His own people.

Question 4

Why does Stephen talk so much about Moses and the burning bush?

Accepted Answer

Stephen focuses on Moses because he has been accused of speaking against Moses. He shows instead that he deeply respects Moses: Moses was saved at birth, trained in Egypt, called by God at the burning bush, and sent to deliver Israel. At the bush, God declared the ground holy and revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Stephen also reminds them that Moses himself foretold that God would raise up another prophet like him, whom the people must hear. This prepares the way for seeing Jesus as the promised prophet while also exposing that their fathers did not obey Moses either.

Question 5

What does it mean that the people were "stiffnecked" and "uncircumcised in heart"?

Accepted Answer

When Stephen calls them “stiffnecked” and “uncircumcised in heart and ears,” he is saying they are stubborn and spiritually hard on the inside, even though they bear the outward sign of the covenant. Their hearts and their listening have not been cut away from sin and pride. He ties this to a long history of resisting the Holy Spirit. Their ancestors persecuted the prophets and killed those who spoke of the coming “Just One.” Now they have betrayed and killed Him. So the problem is not lack of law or temple, but hearts that refuse God’s voice.

Question 6

Why does Stephen say God does not dwell in temples made with hands?

Accepted Answer

Stephen quotes Scripture that says heaven is God’s throne and earth His footstool, then asks, “What house will ye build me?” He is not denying that God commanded the tabernacle or that Solomon built the temple. Instead, he reminds them that God is far greater than any building. God met Abraham in Mesopotamia, Joseph in Egypt, and Moses at a bush in the wilderness. By stressing this, Stephen answers the charge that he despises the temple and warns them not to trust in the building itself while ignoring the God who gave it and the Messiah He has sent.

Question 7

What does Stephen’s vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God mean?

Accepted Answer

As the council rages against him, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looks up and sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. This shows that Jesus, whom they had condemned, is alive, honored, and sharing God’s authority. The picture of Jesus standing suggests He is ready to receive and support His suffering servant. Stephen speaks out what he sees, which angers them even more, but the vision confirms that his faith in Jesus is not misplaced. It also shows that heaven’s verdict on Jesus is very different from the council’s verdict.

Question 8

How does Stephen’s death reflect the attitude of Jesus?

Accepted Answer

As Stephen is being stoned, he calls on the Lord Jesus and says, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” echoing the way Jesus committed His spirit to the Father. Then he kneels and cries with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” This closely mirrors Jesus praying for those who crucified Him. Stephen’s final words show deep trust and love: he entrusts his life to Jesus and asks forgiveness for his killers instead of cursing them. His death shows what it looks like when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit and shaped by the character of Christ.

Question 9

Why were the listeners so angry that they gnashed their teeth and stoned Stephen?

Accepted Answer

The council was already offended by the claim that they had resisted God. When Stephen went further and said they were stiffnecked, uncircumcised in heart, and betrayers and murderers of the “Just One,” the truth cut them to the heart. Instead of repenting, they hardened themselves. His vision of Jesus at God’s right hand was, to them, blasphemy. They covered their ears, shouted, rushed him, and stoned him outside the city. Their anger shows the same pattern Stephen had described: rejecting God’s messengers when they confront sin and point to God’s chosen Savior.

Question 10

What does this passage teach about how God works in history?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God has been guiding history from the start. He called Abraham, promised a land before giving any of it, foretold that his descendants would suffer, and then judged the nation that oppressed them. He was with Joseph in prison, with Israel in bondage, and with Moses in the wilderness. God gave the covenant, the law, the tabernacle, and later allowed a temple, yet He was never bound to one place. At each stage He sent messengers, but many were rejected. Still, His plan moved forward, reaching its fulfillment in the “Just One,” Jesus.

Acts 7:1

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

Joseph Sold into Egypt

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

The Call of Moses

The Rebellion of Israel

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

The Stoning of Stephen

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

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Acts 7:1

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

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Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

Joseph Sold into Egypt

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

The Call of Moses

The Rebellion of Israel

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

The Stoning of Stephen

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

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