Peter and Tabitha – Acts 9

A text – Acts 9:36-43      

³⁶ Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. ³⁷ At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. ⁴² This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Meanwhile, he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

A reflection:

In the Book of Acts St. Luke relates many amazing stories of transformation, such as the conversion of Saul the Persecutor to Paul the Apostle. The mission he and Jesus’s disciples had been given to spread the good news of the gospel was going well.

This story cuts over from Paul to Peter. Peter is preaching and healing in Lydda. A believer and really wonderful woman, Tabitha, who had done much good for many people, became ill and very suddenly died. The shock ran through her entire community. The women prepared her for burial, still in shock, but others sent for Peter, who was in a neighboring town. He learned of Tabitha’s life and good works from her friends, just as you might at a funeral visitation or while sitting shiva with her family and friends. The journey and work of grieving was already underway.

Peter had been in this situation before, when a 12-year-old girl had been sick and died, the daughter of a church leader, and Jesus had been asked to come. That experience must have been top of mind when Peter came into the room where Tabitha had been laid. He sent everyone away, he prayed on his knees, and then he told Tabitha to wake up, just as Jesus had told Jairus’s daughter. Tabitha awoke. Peter helped her up. And he presented her back to her community. I am sure Peter remembered what The Master had done with Jairus’s daughter, and believed the Lord would help him do the same. I cannot help but wonder, after the fact, what Peter must have been thinking. He maybe was surprised to think that God had given him this extraordinary power. Perhaps, some moments later, even Peter himself was stunned at what had happened. But there it was. Tabitha was restored to her friends and family to continue her good works.

The stories of the early church are often surprising. They include events we might have a hard time believing, but Luke recorded them so that we too might believe in the power of God and of the name of God’s Son. Are we ever surprised at what God gives us the power to do? How often do we try to tackle something that might ordinarily seem overwhelming? How often might we, if we believed God would give us the power to do it?

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us the stories of Peter and Paul and their work in the mission you gave them to do. Help us remember that you have work for us, too, and that you will give us the power we need to do it. Amen.