But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
Stephen is able to keep his cool even in the face of hatred and persecution because he is more concerned about the true bread from heaven than the bread of earth. This bread is not simply bread that one eats and that leaves one hungry soon after. It is bread that connects us to heavenly realities. It makes the life of heaven present within us. It has this power because it is Jesus himself.
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
Because Stephen is concerned with the bread of God's abiding presence he is able to manifest that presence even in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
"Lord, do not hold this sin against them";
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
We hear the echoes of Jesus in the life of Stephen. If we want to see those echoes in our own lives we need to concern ourselves, above all else, with the bread of life that only Jesus can give.
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