The Face of an Angel

 Face of an Angel

January 30, 2026

Acts 6:8-10, 15 (NKJV) 

8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

…

15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

There is a curious passage in Acts 6 about Stephen. It was said of him that he was full of faith and power, and did great signs and wonders. If fact he was so full of the Holy Spirit that even his detractors said that his face looked like an angel. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but perhaps is was something like what happened to Moses when he returned from the mountain where he met the Lord.

Exodus 34:29-30 (NKJV) 

29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of theTestimony [were] in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

So what does it mean to have a face of an angel? How did they even know what an angel looked like? Whatever he looked like, Stephen made a distinct impression on the Jews in Jerusalem, so much so that they put him on trial and then stoned him to death. Something about Stephen aroused their fierce anger. They had just crucified Jesus and now the were going to stone Stephen. How full of hate they must have been to lift their hands against one who even looked like an angel.

Whatever they saw in Stephens face, it reminded then of Jesus. They could tell that he had been with Jesus and their hatred of Jesus spilled over to Stephen. There are also other accounts in Acts where the disciples demonstrated that they had been with Jesus, so much so that they were derisively called “Christians” or little Christs. But the question for us is, “can people tell that you know Jesus?” Is there anything in your face that makes you look different from all those around you? Does your face shine like Moses? That’s a pretty high bar to meet, but perhaps there is something less dramatic in your countenance that reminds people of Jesus. Perhaps there is a peace that come into the room when you enter, or a sound of compassion when you speak. Whatever it is, there should be something about you that demonstrates to people that you know Jesus. It’s like the saying attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, which goes something like this, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”