Translation
and he said, “Look, I see the heavens have been opened up, and the SON OF MAN
Go to footnote numberis standing
Go to footnote numberat the right of GOD.
Paraphrase
and he said, “That’s amazing! I see the heavens opened up and GOD’S ANSWER TO MAN’S PROBLEM is on his feet ready to help me and encourage me with the power that was assigned to Him by THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS.”
Footnotes
1
The “son of man” is a disguised way of saying “God’s chosen vessel for mankind.” I have rendered it a bit more pointedly in my paraphrase as “God’s answer to man’s problem”.
2
Some think that Jesus was standing in order to receiver Stephen into heaven. The fact that Stephen said he saw heaven “opened” does speak to the issue of being received into heaven, but I think Jesus’s standing position communicates something different. Stephen knew he was going to heaven because he was full of the Holy Spirit and God had used him to perform many miracles; there was no doubt about where he was going. I think his focus was on getting through the suffering that was coming his way in a manner that gave glory to God. He wanted to die well, not in a way that showed fear, or anger, or any other attitude that would besmirch the name of his God. The fact that Jesus was standing, ready to act, had to do mostly with sustaining Stephen through the pain and using Stephen’s death for God’s glory.