Tabitha is healed

A.D. The Bible continues, #12

"The healing of Tabitha" Acts 9:36-43

Intro… Headstone, “Tabitha, a disciple of Jesus, full of good works and acts of charity. She is loved and mourned by the widows she cared for and provided for.”

·       Got to meet with some good friends this week, our kids were young together…now we’re navigating the teen years…we just want them to follow Jesus.

Big Picture: (Common starting point)  Like Tabitha, Peter and Simon, God wants to do a mighty work in our lives. The question is, “Are we willing, available and able?”

·       Tabitha, met practical needs through the sewing of garments.

·       Peter, used by God in a powerful way, (to raise the dead!) now beginning to see how the gospel is for all people.

·       Simon, moving from unclean to clean in God’s eyes.

·       God’s power is evidenced in all their lives, as they are intertwined in today’s story.  

Text:  Acts 9:36-43

Today’s story is set in the period of dynamic church growth that followed the events of Pentacost.

v. 36…Tabitha

·       The original Greek text describes this woman as 'mathetria', a female disciple.

·       This is the only time the New Testament uses this word.

·       There are three places where the words disciple or disciples include women: Acts 9:1-2, 36; 18:24-26b.

·       We know there were lots of disciples of Jesus, men and women.

·       Yes, Jesus left the future of Christianity in the hands of the 12 men, but he also had influence over women disciples who helped spread the gospel.

·       Jewish name; Tabitha, Greek name; Dorcas.

·       Both meant “gazelle.”

·       She was known for good works and acts of charity.

·       An admired member of the community, esteemed by all. 

·       (Like the opening tombstone illustration)….Fill in the blank “_______________ was known for___________________________________________.”

·       Yes, God uses great preachers like Peter and Paul, but he also uses “regular people” who are full of good works and acts of charity.

v.37  The 'upper room' 

·       Acts 1:13

·       Upper rooms have a special significance in the Christian story.

·       An upper room was the scene of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, and it is mentioned twice, in the story of Tabitha.

·       The upper room is a place that is removed from the “daily grind” of the ground-floor courtyard and public rooms.

·       It is a relatively quiet place where contact with God might take place.

·       Do you have an “upper room” in your house or in your life?

v. 38 Peter gets called into action. (and he gets right to work)

·       These people were well aware of Aeneas's healing, (9:34-35).

·       So for them, it wasn’t too far of a stretch for this to be an extension of divine power to raise Tabitha from the dead.

·       The widows are standing around weeping and showing the garments that she had sewed for them. 

·       Ritual mourning follows her death.

·       She has many friends, and they all wish to show their respect and affection by openly grieving. 

·       Mourning was not a restrained activity in the ancient Middle East.

·       People showed their grief by wailing, crying, and tearing the upper part of their woven garment.

·       The more noise, the more the dead person was loved.

And what does he do when he gets there?  He clears the room.

Got rid of the distractions.  (v.40)

·       As he had seen Jesus do in the case of Jairus's daughter, (Luke 8:51) he ordered the mourners out of the room and prayed.

·       He’s not trying to show off or make a big demonstration.

·       He’s just talking with God, and commands in the name of Jesus this woman to come back from the dead.

Knelt down

·       respect/reverence to God…worship posture, standing, kneeling, arms raised, some sort of physical reaction…

Facing away from the body

·       focusing on God’s power

Prayed 

·       trusting God for the outcome

·       Using her Jewish name (Tabitha)

·       He called out in confidence (and we need to do the same, trusting God to heal or not).

It is an 11-mile northwest walk from Lydda to Joppa.

·       By travelling there Peter is moving to the limits of Jewish territory - further away from Jerusalem, which at that time was hostile to the infant Christian church.

·       The journey is a reflection of his inner journey, as he moves away from Judaism towards a new understanding of his mission…to reach non-Jews.

v. 41b  She was presented alive.

·       The Greek word used for “raised up” is the same word used throughout the NT for Jesus’ resurrection.

·       Tabitha’s healing serves to remind all Christians of our promised resurrection in Christ.

When God heals us, we are presented alive.

·       Whether that’s a physical healing, emotional or released from addiction etc.

·       She is not only returned to life, she is returned to her community, those she loved and cared for.

·       And that’s what happens when we are healed properly.

·       We go back to the ones who love us…

·       Tabitha took God’s commands about society’s most vulnerable seriously. “Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.” Zechariah 7:10

v. 42  And look who gets the ultimate glory, God.

·       It was an amazing show of God's mercy and power, and "many people believed in the Lord."

·       “Remarkable miracles lead to many more genuine conversions as the gospel spreads.”

v. 43 Peter stays with Simon the tanner.

·       Why is this important?

·       Peter breaks down a cultural barrier by staying with Simon.

·       This was an important step for Peter in beginning to reach people who were “not like him.”

·       Simon had customs that Peter didn’t necessarily agree with.

·       Simon “did things differently.”

·       Simon didn’t adhere to strict Jewish religious traditions.

·       Hmm…sounds like people today we all know…

·       “Yeah but they don’t act like Christians…”

·       Tanners were despised by Jewish society because they dealt with the skins of dead animals.

·       (Simon lived in Joppa, by the ocean, 125 above sea level for breezes, stinky animals…)

·       Most likely, Simon was shunned by the local synagogue.

·       Yet, that’s exactly who Peter chose to stay with…a great example.

·       Peter staying with Simon suggests that Peter himself was not overly concerned with observing Jewish ceremonial traditions.

·       Gal 2:14, “When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?”

·       Who are we shunning from our church, either on purpose or by accident?

·       No one should be shunned!

Why this is important in the birth of the church…

·       The healing of Tabitha is a pivotal moment in Peter's life.

·       He and the first Christians are inspired and amazed, and the infant Church spreads and grows because of this miracle.

·       After this amazing miracle, Peter realizes God has a much bigger role for him than just converting Jews.

·       (From last week) in Acts 10:9-16, Peter realizes he now is called to reach all kinds of people, not just Jews.

·       This was one of Luke's main points when he wrote the Acts; he was writing largely for Gentile Christians.

·       This was a faith confirming moment for these new Christians.

·       God can heal anybody of anything, anytime.

Conclusion:  It’s great to read about total healing as in the case of Tabitha.

·       “Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.”  Oswald Chambers in Run Today's Race.