Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5,15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14

Acts 7:55-60

Stephen is one of the deacons chosen from the Greek-speaking Jewish community in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6). Though a deacon’s role is to ensure that the followers of Jesus attend to the needs of the poor, Stephen soon emerges as a controversial representative of the Jesus movement (6:8ff). In his speech to the Jewish ruling council (7:2ff), he repeats the prophets’ criticism of attachment to the Temple rather than Moses’ teachings (7:44-53; cf. Jeremiah 7:1ff).