It is not surprising that the members of the Sanhedrin rushed Stephen to a violent death almost before he finished his speech. He had been extraordinarily blunt with them. He challenged some of the assumptions on which they laid their claim to religious leadership and to an exclusive, privileged position for the religion of the people of Israel.

In his speech (Acts 7:1-53) Stephen pointed out that their ancestors had consistently rejected the leaders God had sent them. He also told them that Israel had misunderstood God's choice of Jerusalem as the only place where he was to be worshipped. Jesus had made a similar point to the Samaritan woman in John's Gospel (4:20-24 ).

For saying such things he had to die. He died like Jesus, asking the Father not to hold their crime against his persecutors. As Stephen is dying he asks Jesus to receive his spirit just as Jesus had handed over his spirit to the Father.

Since we are baptised Christians our lives will follow the pattern of Stephen's life. Firstly, since we are humans and since we live with humans it is virtually certain that some time we will have somebody to forgive. Secondly, we must pray that at the hour of our death, whenever or however it comes, we will be able to echo Stephen's words "Lord Jesus, receive my soul."