History Repeats Itself

Acts 7:44–53

“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: “‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? says the LORD. Or where will My resting place be? Has not My hand made all these things?’ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

Through the prophet Jeremiah, “this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave to your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless (Jer 7:3–8).” St. Stephen illuminates for us that it is the same situation with what happened to God’s only begotten Son, our LORD Jesus Christ in the hands of stiff-necked priests and teachers of the Law (v. 51). Indeed this is what Jesus had said, recorded for us in the Gospels, "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be! (Luke 20:13–16, Matt 21:37–41)”. The prophet Isaiah also relates to us "The Song of the Vineyard", God created Israel (and the universe) and cultivated it Himself and then He entrusted it to leaders of His chosen people (and to us), that we may dwell in it and partake of its generous bounty but what have we made of it, and what have we given in return? "The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress (Isa 5:7)." And so then God sent His Final Messenger, His Son to make everything right again and He had to suffer and die because of our sin, this is the message of the Gospel shared by St. Stephen to the Sanhedrin. The Son was raised again, this is the blessed assurance that God is making all things new and we can expect it. We are today more than just caretakers of God's vineyard. We are His children and He tells us when we struggle and grumble, "My child, you are always with Me, and everything I have is yours (Luke 15:31)." It appears like the Israelites in the wilderness and like the Jewish leaders, the Apostle makes this parallel to us, and may it be a good reminder not to resist the Holy Spirit as they did, but follow Christ’s leading:

Holy Spirit all divine,

Dwell in this heart of mine;

Cast down every idol throne,

Reign supreme and reign alone.