Acts 6:15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
My favorite band has a song with the lyric, “Ain’t it funny how the way you feel shows on your face, and no matter how you try to hide it states your case.” Perhaps not poetry for the ages, but I like it!
The Sanhedrin had had a go at the apostles a couple of times now. They were, no doubt, surprised that these country boys from Galilee were not afraid of them! I’m sure it was deeply frustrating. But this time would be different! Stephen wasn’t one of the 12. He hadn’t been with Jesus. He wasn’t varsity! He was minor league and they would make short work of him and set the church back on its heels. If they couldn’t phase the 12 they could make the others so afraid they’d scatter, and this ‘church’ problem would be solved!
They must have been so surprised when they brought Stephen in and he stood before them. They looked closely at him to see the fear in his eyes and revel in it. But that’s not what they saw! Instead of a trembling nobody, in over his head, they saw something different. They saw that his face was like the face of an angel. What are we to make of that?
Angels in Scripture are messengers. When they show up they are delivering God’s Word, His message. I don’t think that the Sanhedrin were impressed at the beauty of Steph-en’s face. That’s not why his face was like the face of an angel. You can look ahead to chapter seven and find that Stephen preaches there. But Stephen’s face was preaching before he ever opened his mouth! Stephen may not have been one of the ones privileged to physically be with Jesus, but he had encountered the Holy Spirit. He should be a great inspiration to us!
The apostles are an unrepeatable group - the ones in the Bible were it. They were the only ones to have been with Jesus as He walked the earth and see Him after the resurrection. But Stephen? He is the first great example of what all of God’s people can be! He came to faith after the resurrection and he probably, at some level, felt sad that he had not experienced Jesus the way Peter and John did, but he didn’t let that hinder him. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and he had a story to tell!
Does my face tell a story? Does yours? We don’t really have to ponder that question. The answer is yes. The real question is, what story does my face tell? When people see me, is it immediately apparent that I have been encountering God? It should be. But my problem is that I sometimes focus on the problems rather than the Problem-Solver and then my face shows it. I’m a firm believer in the power of a smile, and as a committed follower of Christ, I have something to smile about! I need to be a walking advertisement for the optimism of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
