Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, April 26, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Mobs are terrifying. Chances are that if Stephen had been speaking conversationally with a smaller group—maybe in a bar or at a church coffee hour—he would have survived the encounter, as unpleasant as it may have been. There may have been ear-covering and shouting. Perhaps it might even have come to blows, but others not involved in the altercation would likely have pulled the combatants apart.
Instead, Stephen is standing alone in a large group of people who disagree with him. And those people are feeding off each other’s negative energy. Maybe one guy snaps back at Stephen, and this encourages others. Maybe as Stephen’s speech escalates into name-calling (“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears!” v. 51) the others start shouting insults back. And pretty soon everyone is so fired up any possibility of civil discourse is obliterated. It only takes one person to throw the first punch before all hell breaks loose. In this case, we don’t know who lit the fuse. We only know that the mob rushed Stephen, dragged him away, and stoned him to death. Probably no one even thought about what they were doing in the moment, they were so carried away by emotion.
These things still happen. Violence breaks out at peaceful protests because one or two people whip others up into a mindless frenzy. People allow their anger to sweep away their reason. They believe anything that justifies their anger. And they sometimes kill people.
It’s easy to talk about “those people” and think we would never been so riled. But if we’re honest with ourselves, I think we’re all capable of that kind of mob mentality under the right conditions. God help us to tirelessly pursue diplomacy—and listening—especially when emotions run high.
How do I help myself take a pause before acting in anger?
