"Jesus, standing at the right hand of God." By standing he signifies firmness and immovability. And even they already admitted this: they already at that time considered Him to be standing.
Acts 7:57–60. But they, crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and rushed upon him with one accord. And having cast him out of the city, they began to stone him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen, who prayed and said: Lord Jesus! Receive my spirit. And kneeling down, he cried out with a loud voice: Lord! Do not charge them with this sin. And having said this, he fell asleep.
When Christ said: "You shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand" (Matt. 26:64), the Jews called this blasphemy and attacked Him. So too now: having heard the words of Stephen, they rushed at him. But then they tore their garments, while here they "stopped their ears."
"And having led him out of the city, they began to stone him." Finding themselves utterly unable to put an end to Stephen's speech, they "began to stone him." Even if he had been speaking falsely, he should have been released as a madman. But if he was speaking the truth, they should rather have marveled. "And having led him out of the city," they kill him, just as they also did with Jesus.
"And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man." By witnesses, Luke means those whom the Jews put forward for the purpose of giving false testimony against Stephen. By this the evangelist hints at two circumstances: that even those who were considered witnesses were rather ready to commit murder, since they removed their garments in order to throw stones more freely and without hindrance — and that the one who would later become the preacher to the whole world was himself at that time lending assistance in the murder, and that thus a certain divine, wondrous, and superhuman change took place in him.
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" is a saying that teaches and shows them that he will not perish.
"They were stoning Stephen." Since justification is accomplished by faith in Christ, and in Him human nature received innocence in abundance and granted us a new right, by virtue of which our souls no longer go to Hades, but, as before, are sent into the hands of the Living God, knowing this, holy Stephen said: "Lord Jesus! receive my spirit." And blessed Peter writes: "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to Him, as to a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19).
"Having knelt down, he cried out with a loud voice: Lord! do not charge them with this sin." He does not simply pray, he says, but with fervor, since God permitted his soul to remain in his body until that moment. Notice the voice and the excess of patience in suffering. By this he shows that what he had said to them before, he said not out of anger, but in order to put them in difficulty, to convict and reproach them.