Day 1098: Peter raises Tabitha - Acts 9 vs 32 - 43

32-35 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralysed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

36-37 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. 38-39 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.

40 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. 41-43 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. Acts 9:32-43 English Standard Version

Luke now goes back to the ministry of Peter, and tells us how Peter “went here and there among them all.” Like a faithful shepherd tending the sheep, the apostle moved about the various congregations which had been formed as the word spread. And so he came to Lydda. Here, in Jesus' name, Peter healed a man who'd been paralysed for eight years. The result was that a large number of the population of Lydda and Sharon believed on the Lord. Sharon probably refers to the Plain of Sharon, which is the coastal region between the mountains of central Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. Lydda was 22 miles N-W of Jerusalem, and about eleven miles S-E of Joppa.

We see that death was a reality for those first Christians, and it brought distress to many souls. Especially when someone died who’d been such a stalwart in the Church. And such was Tabitha, a woman known for good works and acts of charity. Because Joppa was near to Lydda, and that Peter was there, the disciples sent him an urgent request to come to them. When he arrived, Tabitha was laid out in an upper room, and Peter was met by grieving widows who showed him all the garments she had made for them.

There had been healing in the early Church, such as with Aeneas, who'd been paralysed for 8 years. But raising the dead was a new thing. Stephen had been martyred and buried. But now Peter puts everyone out of the room, and kneels down to pray. Would that Luke recorded all that Peter prayed. But, after praying, Peter turns to the corpse and says “Tabitha, arise!” And she was then presented alive to all the saints.

Tabitha did not write a book about her death experience. Luke doesn't record what she saw, or where she went. Oh be careful of reports of those who died, and who say they went to heaven and saw Jesus! And why did the Holy Spirit raise Tabitha, but not Stephen. Was He showing us that the works that Tabitha did were just as important as the sermon Stephen had preached. Truly, 'the wind blows wherever it pleases.'

But the outcome was that many people in Joppa heard of this miracle, and believed on the Lord. And Peter lodged with Simon the Tanner, waiting for the next assignment from the Holy Spirit. It would not be long in coming.