8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people, 9 and there arose certain of those of the synagogue, called of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia, and Asia, disputing with Stephen, 10 and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking; 11 then they suborned men, saying—'We have heard him speaking evil sayings in regard to Moses and God.' 12 They did stir up also the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and having come upon 'him', they caught him, and brought 'him' to the sanhedrim; 13 they set up also false witnesses, saying, 'This one doth not cease to speak evil sayings against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him saying, That this Jesus the Nazarean shall overthrow this place, and shall change the customs that Moses delivered to us;' 15 and gazing at him, all those sitting in the sanhedrim saw his face as it were the face of a messenger.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 6:8-15
Commentary on Acts 6:8-15
(Read Acts 6:8-15)
When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses against him. And it is next to a miracle of providence, that no greater number of religious persons have been murdered in the world, by the way of perjury and pretence of law, when so many thousands hate them, who make no conscience of false oaths. Wisdom and holiness make a man's face to shine, yet will not secure men from being treated badly. What shall we say of man, a rational being, yet attempting to uphold a religious system by false witness and murder! And this has been done in numberless instances. But the blame rests not so much upon the understanding, as upon the heart of a fallen creature, which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Yet the servant of the Lord, possessing a clear conscience, cheerful hope, and Divine consolations, may smile in the midst of danger and death.