Martyrs and Other Targets

Acts 6:8-15

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

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Uptown - downtown
No one's fussy I'm a target
Black, white - day, night
No one's fussy I'm a target

"Target" written by and recorded by Joe Jackson from "Night and Day"

The Word of God was spreading. The gospel of Jesus Christ was spreading. The Way of eternal life was spreading. It was spreading like wildfire and would not be contained. One of the surest signs of this was the name of this first martyr of the church, Stephen. Stephen is not a Hebrew name. Stephen is a Greek name. He either was a Jew or he knew Judaism well, but his name is Greek. The Temple elite knew if this wasn't nipped in the bud and nipped right now they and their way of life was in jeopardy.

Stephen was found. He was full of grace and power and did great wonders and signs among the people. He was perfect for persecution. As far as the temple rulers were concerned he wasn't "one of us" he was "one of them." He was the perfect target.

The elite weren't very fussy, they were looking for a target and there was Stephen. He didn't look like them. He didn't worship like them. His name wasn't like one of theirs. He was the perfect target.

Joe Jackson was in his at the beginning of his Latin music phase when he recorded "Night and Day." This is no more evident than on "Target." Sue Hadjopoulos percussion work is the highlight of this piece. It doesn't sound like anything Joe recorded before and set a new direction. Kind of sounds like what Stephen was doing in a way. Something new was happening, and as Stephen was in the faith, Joe was a British Punk/New Waver fording the streams of Latin music.

This album was the apex of Joe's career. This was the beginning of the end of Stephen's life. People who do new things tend to face challenges regular people never see. That's why I love Joe's music. That's why Stephen is considered a saint of the church.