Hello and welcome to the show today! You will remember that last week we talked about Peter’s healing of a lame man by the name of Aeneas and how for (Aeneas) that healing completely changed the way he would live his life forever. And today Peter will perform another healing; and in many ways it is a healing that grows out of the people’s response to the healing of Aeneas. It says in…
Acts 9:35 (NKJV)— 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
People Established— Sharon is the plain surrounding Lydda and Joppa, and which extends N to Caesarea.] And so, as we see so often in the book of Acts (cf. ch. 3), this healing leads to the further spread of the Gospel, as [The news spread beyond the town of Lydda to the whole coastal plain of Sharon.] And I mean just seeing this man {walking} was enough to convince everyone who saw him that Jesus was indeed alive and that they needed to place their faith in Him (See John 12:10–11 for a similar instance.). And Peter no doubt was engaging these people, teaching them; discipling them; moving them beyond just the fireworks of the healing to their being able to actually experience in their own lives the presence of God in and through Jesus Christ and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as well. And so Peter was being faithful to the commission Jesus had given him in John 21:15-17 to care for the sheep and help them to get established in the faith. And if we are to truly be the Church, that must always be our focus as well. Now it says…
Acts 9:36a (NKJV)— 36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.
Joppa— Now Joppa was a seacoast harbor town that is known today as Jaffa/Yaffa, and is S of Tel Aviv and 11 miles (18km) northwest of Lydda. It [sits 125 feet above sea level overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. {And it may interest you to know that} Joppa was the town into which the cedars of Lebanon had been floated to be shipped to Jerusalem for use in the Temple construction (2 Chronicles 2:16; Ezra 3:7 ).] But perhaps even more emblazoned in your memory is the fact that it was from the port at Joppa that Jonah left in his attempt to flee from God’s call to go to the Gentile city of Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). And that was both because of Jonah’s hatred of the Ninevites, but also (more generally) because of his nationalist attitude when it came to his faith. In his mind God was for Israel and Israel alone. But God has such a wonderful sense of humor; and sometimes we don’t notice it unless we step back and look at the overall spread of human history. Because (as we will see in our passage next week) it is in Joppa that Peter receives his call to go to the Gentiles! The Jews of the time probably immediately picked up on the irony here. And in both stories God sends a mighty wind. In Jonah’s story it took the form of a storm that causes the Gentile sailors to tremble in fear. But we will see that here it will be the “wind of the Spirit”, who will bring to the Gentiles joy and peace. Such an amazing and beautiful contrast.
The Gazelle— Now in Joppa it says there was a certain disciple named Tabitha. And she may have been [more commonly known by her Gr. name, “Dorcas.”] Now while we don’t know too much about her, if she is anything like her name, she was a very beautiful person because “Tabitha” (like Dorcas) [means Gazelle, "the creature with the beautiful look" (or eyes)… {If you know a bit about ancient writings, you’ll know that} The gazelle was a favourite type for beauty in the orient (Song of Solomon, Acts 2:9, 17; Acts 4:5; Acts 7:3).] But I don’t think it was her outward beauty that most attracted people. It says in the rest of verse 36…
Acts 9:36b (NKJV)— This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.
Who God Uses— And so we see that the way Tabitha impacted her community was by [“always doing kind things for others and helping the poor,” by making “coats and other clothing” (9:39). {And we see that} When she died, the room was filled with mourners, very likely many of the people she had helped.] And you know that speaks volumes to us about the nature of how and who God uses.
Kelcie Huffman’s Funeral— I remember being part of a funeral service for a man from our former church in Ohio; a man by the name of Kelcie Huffman; the kindest, sweetest guy you could ever meet. When I think of men who truly embody what it means to live a godly life, his life will ever be a picture to me of what that looks like. A man always looking for ways to help others. In fact right when I got to that Church he asked me if he could come with me on hospital visitations to help be an encouragement to those in the church who needed it. And looking back, I could count on one hand the people who have ever offered to do that. And I remember just how astonished I was; of all the ministries to volunteer for, that can often be one of the most difficult and (at times) disheartening. But he didn’t care. He wanted to be right where the greatest needs was. Now you know what position he held in the Church? He was our janitor. And yet at his viewing would you guess it, the line of people who came to see him and say their goodbyes stretched around our huge sanctuary and out into the parking lot. And usually you’d expect the lines to dissipate after a while, which is what I expected. But hour after hour the line of people continued to move in through our double doors in the back; people who had been impacted by this tiny little man. It was the largest gathering I ever participated in in all my years of pastoral ministry. And for who? Not a big church leader; not a mighty evangelist; but for a quiet and assuming man who was simply willing to show God’s love to other people. And what this shows you and me is that while God can (and often does) use great preachers like Peter and Paul, he also uses the Tabithas; the Kelcies of the world as instruments of His kindness and healing in the world. And so maybe rather than looking around and wanting the gifts of other Christians, we ought instead to ask God to help us to make good use of the gifts God has already given us.
Now it must have seemed so tragic to lose such a beloved person like Tabitha, especially because people like her are so greatly needed by the Church today. But it says…
Acts 9:37 (NKJV)— 37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
Irreplaceable— You know, in recent days we at our Church here at Renton Park Chapel have faced a very similar loss as a couple of weeks ago we had a memorial service for a very dear member of our congregation. And that is a hard blow to take. During ministry over the years I have seen heaven gain so many great men and women who were very difficult to replace; never were really replaced, honestly. And in times like that, all we can can really say is what Job proclaimed in Job 1:21: “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD”. But death can be hard to process. And it was no different here.
The Interment— It says that when they had washed Tabitha, they laid her in an upper room. [This arrangement was similar to that of the upstairs room in 1:13; 2:1.] [It was a Jewish custom first to wash the dead body, and then to anoint it with spices for burial.] And it is important to note that the interment was not hurried as it probably would have been in Jerusalem, where it was customary to bury the body immediately, as they did with Ananias and Sapphira. Here they take their time, even though the final result they expected to be the same. However, then comes a wonderful bit of news. It says in…
Acts 9:38 (NKJV)— 38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.
Faith-filled Believers— Now it is very clear that these early Christians recognized [that an unusual level of the Holy Spirit’s power was present in the apostles.] But at the same time, this shows a tremendous amount of faith because there is no record in Acts that any of the apostles had raised the dead. And yet here they are convinced that the God who would heal a lame person in Lydda could also raise a dead woman in Joppa. And their logic was probably very simple; like the faith of a child. If Jesus raised the dead during His ministry on earth, is He any less powerful now that He is sitting on His heavenly throne? No, if anything, you would think He was MORE powerful. And you know what, I just LOVE that rationale. What could God do through us if we were to believe like that? Now does that mean that God will raise every dead person; that He will heal every lame or sick person. No it doesn’t. Note that Stephen (whom you could also argue was greatly needed by the Church); God didn’t choose to raise him. And there were sicknesses and infirmities in Paul’s life that God allowed him to struggle with. But that doesn’t mean we should believe in God’s power any less. It just means that God is going to be glorified differently in that situation or circumstance. But this passage does reveal to us that God will be faithful to do whatever He impresses upon our hearts to ask Him to do; whatever He is leading you to pray for. Remember that Peter wasn’t acting on the basis of his own wishes; but rather was being led by the Holy Spirit into doing what God already intended to do from the start. And not just through the Holy Spirit speaking directly to him; but also the Holy Spirit speaking to him through other believers.
Serving The People— And something interesting that can often times get overlooked about Peter’s ministry (and really that of all the apostles) is the fact that while at times they may have told other people what to do, we see that [often the people commanded them!… {I love how here in this verse, not only do they send two men to implore Peter to come, but to come without delay. In other words “Don’t be tardy! Get here quickly!” And Peter obeys. You see Peter was a leader who {recognized that he} served the people and {therefore he} was ready to respond to their call.] That (in and of itself) is an incredible picture to me of what godly leadership looks like. It says in…
Acts 9:39 (NKJV)— 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
The Widows— So we see that [When Peter arrived in the upper room where Dorcas lay in death, he finds a group of weeping widows who had been helped by her ministry. Keep in mind that there was no “government aid” in those days for either widows or orphans, and needy people had to depend on their “network” for assistance. {Well, Tabitha was a part of that network. And we must never forget that} The church {still} has an obligation to help people who are truly in need (1 Tim. 5:3–16; James 1:27).] Government programs can sometimes do some good; but no entity is as powerful and effective at ministering to the poor and needy as the Church; because the Church is the very extension of the hand of God. And you can’t beat God when it comes to loving the poor and disenfranchised.
Garments— Now as these widows are standing around Peter, weeping, they are presenting (literally pointing to) the garments she had made. And these were both inner garments (which were worn underneath), but also outer garments (very similar to the Latin tunica and toga). And I mean this was such a heart-breaking scene. But it says…
Acts 9:40-41 (NKJV)— 40 But Peter put them all out {(just as Jesus had done when He was about to raise Jairus’ daughter; Peter is following the pattern of his Master. And then it says}, and knelt down and prayed {(which, by the way is very similar to what Elijah had done before raising the dead son of the widow in 1 Kings 17:20 and what Elisha had done before raising the Shunammite’s son in 2 Kings 4:33) Peter didn’t just somehow know what to do; no, he followed the pattern of Jesus, which was also the pattern given in scripture. And it says…}. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 Then {(just as Jesus had done with Jairus’ daughter)} he gave her his hand {(not being afraid to be defiled)} and lifted her up {(By the way, [The Greek verb for raised her up is the same word used throughout the NT for Jesus’ resurrection (Gk. anistēmi). {And so} Though her restoration to life was not permanent, it served to remind Christians of their promised resurrection in Christ.] Now after Peter lifted her up, it says…)}; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
Joyous Celebration— And we cannot even begin to imagine the eruption of joy this created amongst all the people. I mean imagine the celebration; the partying. They probably had the funeral dinner all ready and set to go (probably with all of Tabitha’s favorite foods) and (lo and behold) she gets to partake of it. How awesome is that! And I would even say that this was a blessing for Peter as well, who was not only excited that God had raised Tabitha, but that He was willing to do so through him just as He had done through His Master Jesus. And let me tell you, we need to learn exactly what Peter learned that day; that God is willing to move in and through us as well to do His mighty works. Now it says of this miracle…
Acts 9:42 (NKJV)— 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.
And of course those believers needed a Shepherd; a discipler. And so the kind-hearted, Jesus-like Peter does exactly what he had done in Samaria. It says in…
Acts 9:43 (NKJV)— 43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
Peter’s Preparation— And so we see that (because a faith based on miracles is not enough) Peter takes the opportunity to ground these new believers in the truth of God’s Word. And it is a good thing he tarried here in Joppa, because (as we will see) God meets him here in an amazing new way, instructing him to use his keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to open up the kingdom to the next group of people; the Gentiles. And even now we see God breaking down the barriers Peter had previously had for certain types of people, as we see that he is staying with a man by the name of Simon, a tanner. Not only was this a smelly job (because it involved working with animal hides; which would explain his location close to the ocean breezes (10:6), but this also meant he was often left in an unclean state,] which is why it was [an occupation despised by Jewish society because the tanner dealt with the skins of dead animals. The local synagogue probably shunned Simon.] [One of the rabbis said: "It is impossible for the world to do without tanners; but woe to him who is a tanner." A Jewess could {actually} sue for divorce if she discovered that her husband was a tanner.] But lo and behold Peter (once again, just like Jesus) is willing to break out of the prejudice in order to meet the needs of people. And so God is already at work in Peter’s heart. And as we close today, let us also ask God to work in our heart; to make us like Peter and like Tabitha; to (no matter what ministry He calls us to) to keep at the forefront the needs of people; and for us to have the faith that God can and is willing to do whatever He is calling and leading us to do in the lives of those around us. Let’s do so. Amen.
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