Dorcas
Notes
Transcript
Happy Sunday! We are continuing to study “Faith in the Margin”, some of the shorter, lesser known stories in the Bible that often get overlooked by the 10,000 ft view of Scripture, which we just went through last year for the Story.
This week, we’re looking at a woman named Dorcas, whose Hebrew name was Tabitha. Her story is in the last part of a very well known chapter of Acts, and often get’s overlooked because it’s sandwiched between the conversion of Saul and Peter baptizing Cornelius and the other gentiles. Let’s take a look at Acts 9:36-43
Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
There’s a few really important things in this passage. First of all, that word “disciple” for Tabitha is the Greek μαθήτρια “matheetria”, which is the feminine version of the word for disciple. The reason that’s important, is if we search for that, this is the only time in the whole new testament that this word is used. Tabitha is the only woman explicitly referred to as a disciple and most of us don’t even know her name!
Next, if we look at how Peter approached Tabitha, you might notice the parallels to the same act performed by Jesus in Luke 8:49-56 with Jairus’ daughter. Like Jesus, Peter was moved for the recently deceased, and those who mourned her. He sent everyone out of the room, just like Jesus did, and where Jesus spoke “Talitha koum”, or “little girl, arise” Peter speaks “Tabitha koum”, calling the disciple to rise.
Also like the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, the resurrection of Tabitha led many who saw and heard about the event to believe.
Tabitha, who was blessed by the Lord with a great miracle, and who was called a disciple, has no record of great evangelizing or miracles to her name. We have no record of her preaching a fiery sermon in the synagogue or making an articulate defense of the gospel. Instead, what we know about Tabitha is that she cared generously for the widows in Joppa, providing even the basic garments they needed, which they showed to Peter.
Being a disciple is a multi-faceted endeavor. Spreading the gospel by our words is a critical part of that, but so is spreading the gospel by our actions, simple acts of kindness for those with genuine needs.
Like the old saying goes, “share the Gospel with everyone you meet, if necessary, use words”. I encourage you to find some small way to care for another person this week, like Tabitha would.
Thanks for joining me again this week, hope y’all have a great week. Grace and peace.
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