Last Saturday July 30 was National Whistleblower Appreciation Day according to a resolution passed by unanimously by the Senate on July 8. Who knew? I didn’t until I googled “whistleblower.”
The National Whistleblower Center web site says, “The designation of July 30th is to commemorate legislation passed by the Continental Congress on that date in 1778, which stated that government employees have a duty to report misconduct, fraud and other crimes in government to the appropriate authorities in a timely manner.”
Web articles about Whistleblower Day note that many whistleblowers suffer retaliation, loss of job, etc., for bringing to light corruption or misconduct in the agencies for which they work. A day recognizing them is part of an effort to highlight their struggle to bring important truth into the open and help government and other agencies obey the law.
Bureaucracies and governments have often been hard on those who speak uncomfortable truths. In our text for this week from Acts 6:8-15, 7:51 – 8:3 one of the first deacons from last week’s text encounters retaliation for the uncomfortable truth he spoke to the Sanhedrin. After rehearsing the more tawdry parts of the history of Israel, detailing their rebellion against God and the leaders He appointed, Stephen pointed out in chapter 7 verse 48 that the presence of the temple would do them no good, since God does not dwell in an earthly temple. Moreover, in verses 51 and 52, they were guilty of opposition to the Holy Spirit through their murder of the “Righteous One,” that is, Jesus.
The result was the ultimate retaliation. Stephen became the first Christian martyr, dying by stoning at the hands of the Sanhedrin. Yet as he died he said something that was not whistleblowing and that indicated his purpose in exposing the evil deeds of the Sanhedrin was not to do them harm. Echoing Jesus’ own words from the cross in verse 60, Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Our notion of a whistleblower story with a happy ending is that the person revealing the uncomfortable truth is vindicated and that the corrupt officials or managers or whatever get the punishment they deserve. But the Christian form of the story turns that happy ending on its head, with the “whistleblower” sacrificing his life and his murderers receiving a gracious prayer for their forgiveness.
Stephen’s offer of forgiveness, rather than righteous judgment, is what triumphs in the end. As verse 58 and chapter 8, verse 1 say, a young man named Saul was present, helping and approving of the murder. And it won’t be long until Acts shows us Saul receiving that forgiveness and becoming one of the greatest speakers of truth to corrupt and evil powers. Let us remember Stephen and Saul when we wish the truth to expose evil and remember that the final trajectory of Christian truth is forgiveness.
This reminds me of John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus died willingly for those who despised him, making friends of his enemies.