Acts 6:14

Have heard him say. Stephen’s teachings may have been misunderstood by the honest, and were evidently misapplied by the dishonest. This is not infrequently the case in matters that lead to religious dispute.

This Jesus. Again, a contemptuous reference, though on Christian lips the name must have sounded beautiful (cf. ch. 2:22). Note how the false witnesses credit Stephen with continuing Christ’s own preaching.

Shall destroy this place. Compare on Matt. 24:2; 26:61; 27:40. Christ’s words, possibly repeated by Stephen, had obviously made a lasting impression on the accusers’ minds. Furthermore, although they thought Christ to be dead, they were concerned about His destroying the Temple and changing the customs at some time in the future.

Change the customs. This accusation was probably pressed by the Pharisees, since it deals with “customs” (see Vol. V, pp. 51, 52). The charge, though made against Stephen, is still linked with Jesus of Nazareth and His teachings. They had already accused Stephen concerning the Temple and the law (v. 13). Now they accuse him concerning the “customs” that had gathered around the Temple and the law. They claim that these had been given them by Moses, but such a claim was not true. Irksome restrictions had been loaded on the people, mainly since the return in 536 B.C., nearly a thousand years after Moses’ time (see on Mark 7:1-23, particularly on v. 3). It was these traditions that Jesus had scathingly condemned (Matt. 15:1-13).