The Martyrdom of St Stephen
1603-04 - Oil on canvas
Musée du Louvre, Paris]
"When they had dragged him outside the gate and stripped off their clothes to carry out his execution, he did not let fall a single timorous word or trembling cry; he stood up and committed his soul to God with calmness, and when the first murderous stones felled him to the earth, he rose to his knees, still not to ask for pity, nor to utter a craven cry, but to plead with his Lord for mercy upon his assailants; then, closing his eyes like a child tired out with the sport of a long summer's day, and dropping asleep upon his mother's lap, "he fell asleep." Believe, then, O Christian, that if you abide in Christ, the like will be the case with you."
-Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
4 comments:
Spurgeon is on to something ;) So often in scripture death is really viewed and referred to as "falling asleep"....
Death now - the resurrection of ALL sometime later....death, it's not an end...nor is it a beginning....but rather, a resting place...awaiting the resurrection.
Thanks for sharing Don.
Absent from the body and present with the Lord is far, far better, as Paul looked forward to.
And yet we do have to wait for our new body, when the Lord Jesus Christ will make all things new, and finally crush the last enemy, Death.
Looking forward to the New Heaven and New Earth, when righteousness will reign with love, and God will remove all pain and wipe away all tears, once and for all.
And His wrath will be received by all who have not received forgiveness of the sin in the name above all names; the name of Jesus Christ.
Thanks for stopping by Chris.
You know that I love Spurgeon, but it seems to me like he was waxing poetic. I doubt that martyrdom is usually that serene and even glamorous.
Still, what's going on behind the scenes is a beautiful thing. The blood of the martyrs is precious to the Lord, and the show of resolve by the Spirit's power is a holy gem in the midst of tumultuous surroundings.
"I doubt that martyrdom is usually that serene and even glamorous."
I agree Craver.
But Stephen blessing those who hated him so much that their ungodly wrath murdered him, is quite humbling to me.
When I'm insulted for simply sharing the Gospel, the insult is usually no biggie, but I sometimes get bent out of shape.
Thanks for stopping by.
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