These verses in Acts describe the death of the first martyr: Stephen. According to Acts 6:8, Stephen was “a man full of God’s grace and power” and he “performed great wonders and signs among the people.” This seems like the kind of man who would rise to the top of the religious power structures, right? Wrong. According to Robert W. Wall’s commentary, Luke’s reference to the “Synagogue of the Freedmen” seems to represent a Hellenistic Jewish faction which opposed the Hellenistic Christian...

“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” Such thoughtful, generous words. Words oozing with righteousness, Torah...

This week’s Gospel Reading takes us into the wilderness with Jesus. Our first reading—Deuteronomy 26:1-11—also took place in the...