Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Today we hear the story of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. We also hear Jesus calling himself the “bread of life,” as he references the life-sustaining bread given by God to the Israelites in the desert. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles is commonly thought to be the writer of the Gospel of Luke. Acts is like “Chapter 2” of the two-part series. The writer does something remarkable with the story of Stephen. As Stephen is being stoned, the writer quotes him saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He also quotes Stephen saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Anyone who has read or heard the Passion narratives knows what the writer is doing: he is comparing what Stephen is undergoing to what Christ underwent. Furthermore, when Christ calls out to God the Father, Stephen cries out to God himself.
This is a theological statement on Stephen’s (and the writer’s) part. The people who are killing Stephen have convicted him of blasphemy. They are angry with him for calling Jesus “Lord,” a title reserved for God in the Hebrew scriptures and tradition. Even as he dies, then, Stephen is steadfast in the conviction that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. Stephen’s martyrdom gives us a dramatic glimpse into the lives of early Christians. At the very heart of Christianity is faith that to encounter Jesus is to encounter God. And although we won’t get to the Nicene Creed until centuries after their deaths, the martyrs of the first century of Christianity died for the faith we profess every time we recite the Creed together.
The story of Stephen also helps us make sense of today’s gospel. Sometimes Jesus’ sayings can be a little mysterious, drawing us in to ask more questions. In the story of John 6, Jesus’ listeners are so excited by the prospect of the “true bread from heaven.” They beg Jesus to “give it to them always.” If Stephen’s story reminds us that Jesus is truly God, and if this gospel story names Jesus as “heavenly bread,” perhaps God is pointing to “heavenly bread” as one central place we can find him. Lest the Eucharistic celebration become a chore or a bore, we are reminded of the beautiful gift of this sacrament, this means by which we encounter the living God. It was this God who saved the Israelites in the desert; it was this God for whom Stephen dies; it is this God whom we encounter in every Eucharist.
- Katharine Schmidt