Continuing in Acts 9, the narrative in verse 36 moves over to a place called Joppa.
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.
Acts 9:36 NIV
If you’ve studied the Bible, you may recognize Joppa from elsewhere. It actually shows up in several places within the Scriptures, but is probably most well known as the port from which Jonah caught a ship to try and run away from following God’s instructions (see Jonah 1:1-3). The book of Jonah in the Bible tells us that Jonah’s trip still remained in God’s hands, though.
Per the Lookout [cited below], Joppa is now part of the city of Tel Aviv. According to a commentator [Gaertner, p.164], Joppa is on the edge of the Sharon plain.
Concerning the woman described in this verse, you may have heard about a “Dorcas Circle” group at some churches, where women make blankets, quilts, or other clothing for those who need it. This passage – including some later verses – is probably where these groups and places found Biblical precedent for serving others with practical gifts of clothing.
Theoretically, they could also call these ministries, “Tabitha Circles”, and I actually found at least one example of that online (apparently with the same purpose). In fact, since Dorcas means “gazelle” in Greek, I suppose that they could call these “Gazelle Circles”, but I didn’t find any quilting groups named that.
Continuing on to the next couple of verses, though, we learn some bad news.
About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
Acts 9:37-38 NIV
There’s a certain kind of sorrow when a particularly kind and generous person passes away. We live in a world cursed by death. While it takes a little of the sting out of it to know that we can see those saved by Jesus Christ again in eternity, we still grieve to lose those who have made a life out of serving others, especially when their ministry is inspired by their Lord Jesus. (This might be a small thing, and some of it is cultural, but I appreciate that Luke makes mention of the care that was taken for Dorcas’s body. That’s a nice touch, and shows an expression of the love that others had for her.)
It appears that Lydda is less than 15 miles from Joppa, so I suspect that news of Aeneas’s healing (Acts 9:32-35) had made its way around to surrounding cities. Regardless, “the disciples” (who I interpret as believers in Joppa) had heard of Peter’s visit to Lydda. So, they send a couple of guys over to ask Peter to come to Lydda…and quickly! Per a commentary, it seems that the believers knew that the power which God demonstrated through Peter could raise someone from the dead.
Do you remember when Lazarus (brother of Mary and Martha) died, and they sent for Jesus? (See John 11:1-44.) There was a sense of urgency from those who wanted Jesus to heal Lazarus, but Jesus delayed his visit by a few days, knowing that God has the power to raise people from the dead.
I know that it’s customary to end things on a happy note, but I think that it’s also OK to pause and appreciate the grief that Dorcas’s community was experiencing. The Bible shares many miraculous stories of healing, but that doesn’t mean that human beings throughout its accounts – including Jesus – also felt sorrow. As a result, if you are hurting today, know that you are not alone in the body of Christ in that pain. If this describes you, I hope that you will be able to find comfort from others in the church who will sit with you and mourn together (see Romans 12:9-21, especially verse 15). If you’re not hurting or grieving today, though, won’t you consider helping those who are?
From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 29, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, October 29, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 