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St. Stephen was an in-your-face, confrontational preacher. He called his Jewish listeners "stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears" (Acts 7:51). Stephen challenged the people by accusing them and even their fathers of always resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). He called them "betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). It's no wonder that Stephen became the first martyr. Stephen was not only confrontational but also forgiving. Like Jesus, he loved and forgave those who murdered him. He prayed: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60). To love like Jesus, we need to love people enough to challenge them to repentance. Yet we should never challenge them without love. Christians specialize in "tough love" — not in being tough, and not in the fake love of permissiveness, but in love based on the toughness of truth. Do and speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). Love even though it hurts. Be like Jesus, Who loves us so much that He confronts us in the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. |
