In the conclusion to his sermon, Stephen claims the current generation is stiff-necked, just as rebellious as the wilderness generation, and will, therefore, fall under the same judgment (7:51-53). The conclusion to Stephen’s sermon draws on themes found throughout the Hebrew Bible.
First, resistance to the apostolic message represents resisting the Holy Spirit. The people are called stiff-necked. The word appears only here in the New Testament and 8 times in the LXX, usually in the context of covenant unfaithfulness (Exodus 33:3, 34:9, and Deut 9:6). To be stiff-necked means to “be stubborn, obstinate, or rigid” (HALOT).
Second, they are also described as having “uncircumcised hearts.” This phrase is also associated with covenant unfaithfulness (Jer 9:25, Lev 26:41, Jer 6:10, Ezek 44:7, 9).
Third, the people are resisting the Holy Spirit. “Resistance” is a rare word in both the New Testament and the LXX, appearing only here in Numbers 27:14, where it describes the rebellion of the people in the Wilderness of Zin. The present generation has not accepted the word of God as it has been revealed to them.
Stephen, therefore, claims the leadership of Israel has the Law, but they refuse to obey it. Is it true that Israel has not obeyed the Law? One might argue that they have kept most of it since they make the sacrifices correctly and practice the Works of the Law, which sets them apart as Jews (Sabbath, circumcision, etc.) But as the prophets, John the Baptist, and Jesus have all pointed out, the external doing of the Law means nothing if there is no change of heart – sacrifice without obedience with worthless.
Stephen accuses the present generation of the same hard-headed resistance to the word of God, which was demonstrated by the worst of Israel’s kings. Persecuting and killing the prophets who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. Those who persecuted the prophets would include Ahab and Jezebel in the northern kingdom, Manasseh in the south (who was reputed to have killed Isaiah and any other true prophet who challenged him), and the temple authorities who persecuted Jeremiah. Jeremiah spoke against the Temple and was nearly killed. Jesus also challenged the Temple and was killed.
The most stinging part of this critique is that these prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah and were silenced by the nation’s appointed authorities. The Sanhedrin would most likely have agreed with Stephen on this point—the prior generations were corrupt—but not so the current administration.
This generation has done the same to the Righteous One himself! At this point, Stephen joins the Apostles, instating that Jesus’s execution was killing the Messiah. When Stephen refers to Jesus as the Righteous One, he emphasizes that he has suffered and died innocently at the hands of the men assembled to hear this speech! Little wonder they react with such fury.
Finally, Stephen accuses the Sanhedrin (and that entire generation) of receiving the Law but not keeping it. They had the Law and the Prophets, which testified to the coming of Jesus, yet when he came, he was not accepted; rather, he was executed as a criminal. The speech is, therefore, not critical of the Law or the Temple; it is a stinging condemnation of the people who had received the Law in the first place.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Stephen appears to be teaching whole hearted truth in this passage, but a truth that was not easy to swallow. The themes from the post above were indubitably aimed to resonate with the audience, to pierce directly through their comfort zone. I certainly agree that the resistance and rigidity of following the law does appear to show a routine, not a change of heart – and this was exactly what Stephen was driving towards.
What I truly find interesting in this passage is that Stephen probably knew exactly how far to go before the people would be angry. But instead of caring for his own life, he boldly (almost cantankerously) targets the Jewish political and spiritual leaders – reminding them of what they have done. Whether or not they actually believed what he said, this certainly upsets them enough to stone Stephen. God certainly had a plan in this, impacting Saul/Paul to follow God’s plan, and to impact many others who may then have questioned why he was put to death, and the claims that he made.
The other detail that was pointed out in our course notes about Messiah standing in judgment against the Jewish leadership was really a new perspective for me. At that moment, I am certain that all the pieces fit, that the false accusations were similar to Jesus’ accusations were an indication of Stephen’s worthiness to be a follower of Christ, and that Stephen was brought into the presence of the Lord at that very moment.
Anna, good job on your discussion post this week. I noted that you thought it was interesting how many times Stephen used Old Testament Bible passages to tell the story of salvation. This is true, Stephen used several different passages such as Acts 7:42-43 and 7:49-50. However, I think there was a strategic reasoning behind why Stephen did this. Going back to the first short paper we had to write last week, I found that when the early Christians followers were living out their new faith they were also living out their past Jewish heritage as well. Why would their past Jewish heritage make Stephen want to include Old Testament Bible passages you ask? This is because Jewish heritage included the use/belief in the prophets prophecies. This is seen throughout the book of Acts such as when Peter quoted Joel in Acts 2:17-21 or King David in Acts 2:25-28; 34-35. Therefore, the point I am trying to make here is that I think Stephen knew believers were more likely to accept/believe in the story of salvation when it involved their ancestors, history, and fulfillment of prophecies.
Also, I liked how you mentioned the great passion and love Stephen had for God. If you take a step back and think about it Stephen had some of the most tremendous faith in the Bible because he was willing to lay down his life for it (Acts 7:60). What an amazing type of faith to have right?
Long writes about Acts 5:51 in which Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims that the people of the nation of Israel are “stiff-necked people” with “uncircumcised hearts and ears” who “always resist the Holy Spirit” for rejecting the Messiah. Imagine what Stephen would say if he were addressing the nation of the United States of America today! We are described as a “post-Christian” nation since we have turned so far from the foundational Judeo-Christian beliefs upon which our nation was founded. Long writes, “sacrifice without obedience is worthless” and similarly James 2:17 says, “faith without deeds is dead.” I would argue that the United states, as a whole, has neither sacrifice nor faith, obedience nor deeds. Imagine how our Heavenly Father is grieved by our rejection of His Son, the Savior He sent to die for us. Non-believers reject “the Righteous One” while many believers daily fail to live up to the sacrificial godly lives we are called to live in order to spread the Gospel.
Polhill (p. 2095) notes “the repeated rejection of God’s will is the point of his story” which was a harsh but truthful conclusion, and this could be said of the United States of America today. Long concluded “it is a stinging condemnation of the people who had received the Law in the first place.” As I read the Book of Acts, my observations lead me to draw comparisons between Israel’s rejection and America’s rejection of the Righteous One. Learning the history of the spread of the Gospel through the Book of Acts will hopefully help the Church to avoid the mistakes of the past.
I think that the Jewish leaders in Acts and the New Testament are often viewed negatively. This is understandable, as they deny Christ as the Messiah, kill him, and act out against many other Christians. Yet, I think we are so fast to ridicule and judge the Jewish Leaders that we forget to place ourselves in their shoes to try and understand what they must have been thinking. Long asks the question “Is it true that Israel has not obeyed the Law?” The Israelites were doing their best at what they believed they were called to do. Yet, we see they were not doing what they were truly called to do when Jesus explains that the attitude of the heart is more important than the physical completion of the law. When Stephen accuses the leaders of being “stiff-necked” in Acts 7:51, he is correct in doing so. The Jewish leaders were so close-minded and unopen to listening, learning, or understanding who Jesus was and what he taught. They had carried out the same laws and traditions for hundreds of years, so this kind of change threatened their way of life. What they did not realize was the new life being promised to them was better. Stephen knew the Jewish leaders had not kept the law and prophets because they disregarded how it pointed to Jesus being the Messiah; yet, the Jewish leaders were confident they were keeping the law and prophets entirely. This dispute not only cost Stephen his life, but also the lives of those judging him, for they were too “stiff-necked” to hear the truth.
At the end of Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7, he claims that the current generation of Jewish people is stiff-necked, comparing them to the generation that wandered in the wilderness. This results in Stephen concluding that this generation will fall under the same judgment as the generation who wandered in the wilderness. The term “stiff-necked” is only references once in the new testament but eight times in the Septuagint, meaning to be stubborn or rigid. The Jews of the New Testament are also described as having “uncircumcised hearts”, which is associated with covenantal unfaithfulness.
As Long notes, one might argue that the Jewish generation and leaders of the time did follow the law and sacrifices which separated them from the gentiles. This would stand in opposition to Stephen’s claim of lack of following and obeying the law. Yet, as John the Baptist and Jesus recognized and pointed out, following the law is meaningless if the attitude of the heart remains unchanged. The resistance of the generation of Jews, according to Stephen, was the same as the previous generations which killed the prophets. Similarities become apparent when comparing Jeremiah and Jesus, who both challenged the Temple, resulting in the near-death of Jeremiah and the actual death of Jesus Christ. The prophets prophesied about the coming Messiah and the Jewish leaders and community killed them. Then, Once the Jewish Messiah arrived, the Jewish nation preceded to kill their own Messiah. This displays how the sinfulness and unfaithful hearts of the Jewish people led to them denying God’s prophets and His Messiah, yet God did not abandon Israel. His love for His people and the world caused Him to give us grace and forgiveness, desiring through His son whom we crucified, salvation and freedom.
It is so important to understand how realistic it still is for people to act as these “stiff-necked” Jews during the time of Stephen’s ministry. It is also important to recognize the continuity between the Jews at this time and the Israelites as they rebelled in the wilderness of Zin (Long, p. 43). This word meaning “stiff-necked” or “resistance” is mentioned in Acts 7 but also in Numbers 27:14. This continued theme, this reiteration of focus on people resisting the Holy Spirit, is so important to understand and remember. People both in the Old and New Testament rejected the testimony of the Messiah. After Jesus had appealed to the temple, the Jews still rejected Him. The Messiah was standing in front of them, and they ignored his gift. Peter spoke to a large audience of about 3000 Jews who converted and believed the miracle of the Messiah. However, with Stephen, the Diaspora Jews were not nearly as recipient to the message of the Messiah. In fact, they stoned Stephen and killed him because they were so dismissive and rejective of the gospel message. I find it interesting how applicable this is today. There are so many people around us every day that reject the gospel message because they are without as much evidence as they would like to have, or the gospel message may seem too impossible to be true. In all honesty, Stephen’s approach seems more aggressive than people today would be recipient of. On one hand, this approach would be considered necessary and some people would take it well. On the other hand, Christians should meet people where they are (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, ESV) in order to tell them of the gospel of Christ. There are so many people who “resist” the Gospel – as Christians, it is our duty to tell everyone about this good news, regardless of who we meet.
The phrase that stands out to me from this passage is “stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears” (Acts 7:51). Hearing this makes me realize how stubborn people sound when they do not accept what Stephen has said and what they have witnessed. This was something that made the people listening quite upset and arguably so. “Stephen concluded with a direct attack on Israel for rejecting the Messiah” (Polhill 2095). Stephen makes a reference to Old Testament language. Maybe to make his point using something that the people would be familiar with. He took it a step further and accused them of being the ones to kill their Messiah like their ancestors had done with the prophets. “Stephen accused his Jewish listeners of killing the prophets and now rejecting their ultimate God-sent deliver the Righteous One” (Polhill 2095). Although people today were not around during the time of Stephen’s speech, some of his message still affects us today. “Stephen claims the current generation is just as stiff-necked and rebellious as the Wilderness generation and will therefore fall under the same judgment” (Long). Some Christians today would agree that people reject the Bible and Jesus like those who were the recipients of Stephen’s speech would. There are people who reject the Holy Spirit and do not believe in God. Although Christians might see this as stubborn given all what the Bible says and how we are led by conviction of the Holy Spirit, people still have free will to choose what they believe.
Stephen’s speech remains just as relevant today as it was when he first gave it. In all generations, there will be those who claim to follow God, and who receive His Word, yet do not live lives that represent Christ well. This thought is also affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 when He proclaims that many will argue on Judgement Day that they were believers, but they will be turned away as they did not do the Father’s will. Similarly, there will always be individuals repeating the same mistakes of the past, but refusing to identify themselves with people from the history books; thinking themselves to be more refined or evolved. For example, many Americans use tactics from and believe in the causes of Communism, though they continuously feel the need to tell others that there’s is “the real version”, and that previous versions were just organized by flawed or corrupt people. However, they have not refined their views, they only forgot history… much like the Pharisees that Stephen is preaching to. Just as we must use history to protect systems of government that encourage human flourishing, Stephen used Old Testament language like “stiff-necked” and “uncircumcised” to try and reveal the Pharisees for who they really were (Polhill, 2008, p. 2095). The Pharisees – despite what they thought of themselves – had killed the Messiah just as the previous generations had killed many Prophets and men of God (Long, 2019; Polhill, 2008, p. 2095).
I had always found the phrase stiff-necked rather amusing. I once tried calling my mother that when she shot down one of my many schemes as a child. While I would not recommend using this phrase on the women who birthed and raised you, I do think Stephan used this term rather brilliantly for a few reasons. Tying in with the rest of his sermon’s theme throughout chapter 7, Stephan brings in a stinging Old-Testament reference. “A stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears…” refers back to the wilderness generation of the grumbling and unfaithful Israelites. This is not only a reference that all Jewish people would understand, it is also one that would likely make a lot of people mad. Pohill shares “he was no doubt led by the Spirit, who knew the heart of Stephan’s listeners, to make this accusation. Using the OT languages, he accused them of being stiff-necked people…” (Pohill 2095).
This is powerful imagery for the people to hear at that time. As easy as it can be to look back in history and see what and where people of the past went wrong or messed up, it can be difficult to actually see some of the same patterns in our individual lives. This is what Stephan challenged the people with. By comparing them with a past generation of grumblers, murders, and spiritually blind people Stephen is not afraid to call out the hypocrisy in Israel’s generation at that time. Stephen is bold enough to share the whole truth with the Jewish people, even if it turns favor away from him.
When reading Stephen’s rebuke, I am reminded of Jesus’ rebukes to the pharisees and the sadducees. He emphasizes how clean they presented themselves on the outside and how this made them hypocrites, saying their hearts were really dirty with greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25). In Matthew 12:34, we see Jesus referring to the pharisees as a “brood of vipers,” saying nothing good can come from what they speak because their hearts are evil, and “out of the abundance of the mouth the heart speaks.” It didn’t matter to Jesus that they were religious. Their heart’s conditions mattered to him. It is so easy even today as Christians to present everything perfectly on the outside, but this doesn’t mean that we are “saved,” “sanctified,” or even “pleasing to God.” We only deceive ourselves when we go about our walk with Christ in such a manner, because God knows the heart of every man. This is not just a new testament idea either, we see it even in the old testament. “Man looks on the outer appearance, but God looks at the heart”(1 Samuel 16:17). In fact, we see it from the beginning of humanity. Adam and Eve hid, and they tried to appear righteous, but God knew they had sinned and he knew their hearts.
This passage in Acts 7, where Stephen calls out the new generation for being ‘stiff-necked’, is very symbolic, as Dr. Long pointed out, of the Israelites similarly getting called out as well as the generation of believers even now. Specifically for the believers that Stephen was speaking to, it had to be quite the adjustment to trusting in the Spirit.
I thought it was an interesting point that Dr. Long pointed out that in a certain way the Israelites did keep the Law, since they mostly did sacrifices correctly. But at the end of the day, if the people of God did not whole-heartedly love and want to serve him, then the sacrifices meant nothing (which this truth was proven over and over again.) God proclaims in Isaiah 1:13, “‘Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me!’” The people of God are repeatedly told to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind”, so when they act as if their good deeds are enough, it’s clearly violating that command.
Not to take the text too metaphorically, but I do think that this Scripture is applicable to believers who are also in a certain ‘resistance’. I think, in a certain way, some Christians nowadays (probably a lot of them) are resistant to the grace of God and fully living in it. I think this passage of Stephen calling out this certain group of believers, can also be applicable to the calling out that some believers nowadays also need.
It is interesting that every generation thinks they are not the corrupt ones even though every previous generation has been. It seems to be a part of human nature to see the evil in the world around you or throughout history and draw the conclusion that you are not a part of that evil, or at least that you’re doing your best to live a good life in spite of the evil around you. This reminds me of what Jesus says in the sermon on the mount about removing the log from your own eye before removing the speck from your brother. Yet, how often do we as Christians read that backwards, assuming that we are the ones with only a speck in our eye while others are the ones with logs. If that is the case then don’t we have an obligation to call them out for it even though we may not be perfect ourselves? After all at least we only have a speck in our eye. But no, because the point of Stephen’s speech and the point that Jesus is trying to make is that the people who are doing all the right things and following that Law perfectly are also the people who on the surface may look like they are doing things the right way. In reality, their hearts they have the wrong motivations and desires. Judging other people and even judging ourselves based solely on our actions is not going to help us grow towards God since that is not the criteria God judges us with. Everything begins with our hearts, and if our hearts are not circumcised as Acts 7:51 says, then our actions cannot come from a place of desiring to know God. If the religious leaders had been practicing the Law for the right reasons they might have recognized that Jesus was the true messiah and welcomed him. But of course, they did what all generations before had done and they rejected the one that was sent to them by God because they couldn’t see past their own evil desires, or rather they couldn’t see past the log in their eye. As Polhill notes, the repeated rejection of the will of God is a major pattern in the Bible and the point of Stephen’s speech is that it is being repeated again in the first century (p. 2095).
Stephen’s condemnation in Acts 7:51-53 places the Sanhedrin within a long tradition of rejecting God’s messengers. His charge of being “stiff-necked” and having “uncircumcised hearts” directly links his audience to the wilderness generation, reinforcing the biblical theme that external obedience to the Law is meaningless without inner transformation (obedience > sacrifice, every time). The leaders of Israel, like their ancestors, have resisted God’s unfolding revelation and, in doing so, have rejected the very fulfillment of the Law—Jesus, the Righteous One.
Stephen’s language draws heavily from the prophetic tradition. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah all condemned Israel’s leaders for their hardened hearts, and their critiques were met with persecution. Manasseh’s alleged execution of Isaiah and the temple authorities’ mistreatment of Jeremiah set a precedent that Stephen now applies to the Sanhedrin. By executing Jesus, they have once again silenced God’s messenger, proving that their legalistic adherence to the Law has blinded them to its fulfillment.
Stephen’s accusation functions within the broader Deuteronomic framework of covenant blessings and curses (Deut 28-30). His use of “stiff-necked” language echoes God’s indictment of Israel’s rebellious nature in the wilderness, a state of obstinance that ultimately led to exile. The prophetic tradition consistently equates resistance to divine revelation with covenant-breaking, rendering mere legal adherence insufficient for true righteousness (Isa 1:11-17; Jer 7:21-26). By rejecting the Righteous One, the Sanhedrin embodies the archetype of Israel’s unfaithful leadership, recapitulating a theological pattern of judgment. Thus, Stephen’s speech is both a legal indictment and an eschatological warning of impending divine reckoning.
This prophetic indictment extends beyond the Sanhedrin—it serves as a theological warning. The pattern of rejecting God’s messengers is not just an ancient failure but a recurring danger. Stephen’s speech, therefore, is not simply historical criticism; it is a call to recognize that true covenant faithfulness is marked by a heart receptive to God’s revelation, rather than just ritual observance.
In Acts 7, Stephen claims that this is a generation of “stiff-necked people”, this can also mean they are stubborn. I struggle with stubbornness and it affects not just me but also others around me. As a society we are so stuck in our ways and we have trouble listening to others and I feel like that is a sin that has affected communities for generations. We can see it in this chapter of Acts as well, when the Isrealites follow the law but Stephen reveals it means more, they lack spiritual transformation and true faithfulness. The phrase “stiff-necked” is powerful because it indicates that they are unwilling to submit to God, it’s a disobedience to God showing that they are unwilling to align their hearts with His commands. The resistance of the Holy Spirit highlights a critical theme in Stephen’s speech. He accuses the people of resisting the work of God, just as their ancestors did in the wilderness. In Stephen’s view, this resistance is not just an external act but reflects a spiritual hardness that prevents them from receiving God’s message through the apostles. The insistence on ritual observance while rejecting the deeper, heart-level obedience God desires echoes the prophetic critiques of Israel’s leaders throughout history.
Acts 7:51 is a powerful message. It is the most provoking part of Stephens defense and sermon as he pleads his case to the Sanhedrin. We are quick to condemn the Sadducees leaders and the Jewish people who refused to acknowledge Jesus for who He was and then executing Him on the cross as well as, persecuting Jesus’ followers after His resurrection. However, you could say we live in a nation that is very similar as we are a formerly Christian nation. America has found itself in a position where we too can know all the laws and the “right thing to do” but choose to turn our hearts and ears away from the truth. This nation that was built under a Christian faith, has evolved into corruption, greed, sexuality, and a hype fixation on independence that has not only turned us away from our beginnings but has also turned us into a laughingstock across the world. The generation Stephen addresses in Acts are described as stiff-necked (stubborn, and obstinate), with uncircumcised heart and ears. This relates to their unfaithfulness and plays into his third point as they continue to resist the Holy Spirit which God has sent to them as a gift! They choose to ignore the signs as it is uncomfortable and when not only Stephen, but the other apostles address the heart issue, they are met with fury and suffer because of it. The hearts are what must change as it is what motivates them and their keeping of the Law that truly matters as Jesus repeatedly preached during His ministry. America could take heed in the words of Stephen here in Acts 7:51 and turn to look in the mirror to evaluate what our hearts are reflecting back to us.