Sermon Tone Analysis

Public Reading of Scripture [Acts 9:36-43]

Pray

Introduction

Throughout the book of Acts, God is presented as working miracles that when they become known, lead to faith in Jesus.

The miracle of all miracles is not the healing of paralyzed man, or even the raising to life of a woman who has died, but the miracle of all miracles is when God gives life to those who are dead in sin, so they might experience a new birth and live a new life in Jesus — a life in which they will never die again.

After the conversion of Saul, Luke records a series of miracles that the Lord works by Peter.

These miracles are leading up to an important event - the new birth (conversion, coming to faith) of a man named Cornelius, a Gentile, an outsider to the Jewish faith, who will be welcomed into the Christian faith.

And the gift of the Holy Spirit will be poured out on Gentiles and the good news about Jesus will go forth to the end of the earth.

But before this event, God is divinely positioning Peter for what will take place next.

And God does not waste times of positioning.

God’s power is demonstrated in the journey as much as it is at the final destination.

When I travel, I want to get where I am going, and I don’t want to stop along the way.

Travel for me is wasted time.

Walking with God is not like that.

Every step, every stop, is a destination when walking with God.

Every moment matters.

The journey is how God positions us to be his instruments and witnesses for Jesus.

It is in the “passing through” moments where the power of God is most often on display.

God is a God of the way.

He does not work only in a temple or in a certain city (Jerusalem), but God works in these days by His Spirit in a different temple, the temple of the bodies of His people wherever their feet walk.

(see Keener, Acts).

Peter will eventually arrive at his destination of Caesarea where God will use him to witness to Cornelius and his household.

Caesarea was the place that Philip the Evangelist, the one who was a witness for Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, ended up after he had “passed through” and “preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.”

Now, sometime later, Peter is journeying this same way.

And he comes to these towns where Philip would have either preached Jesus or the message would have travelled from his preaching.

The testimony of Jesus would have been scattered and planted and believed in these places because of Philip’s preaching as he passed through.

In the first place Peter arrives, a placed called Lydda, Peter finds a man named Aeneas, bedridden, because he had been paralyzed for eight years.

This is follow-up ministry.

This is pastoral ministry.

Philip the Evangelist brought the first wave of the gospel, and Peter follows reinforcing that message.

It is more than just words — Jesus is alive and has the power to heal! Jesus Christ raises up those who are bedridden and disabled because of disease.

And at witnessing this healing, many turned to the Lord.

It was obvious that Peter’s actions pointed to Jesus.

Some suggest Peter had a spiritual gift of healing.

Whatever gift God gives you by His Holy Spirit, he gives it so that people will be turned to the Lord, or strengthened in the Lord.

God will position you in places to use His gift.

Being positioned in Lydda, the Scriptures now turn to a development in Joppa, some ten-twelve miles away.

Tabitha is first introduced as a disciple.

It is likely she was one who believed Philip’s preaching about Jesus when he passed through.

She is a female disciple.

Luke, as he writes his gospel account and Acts, is careful to point out often that being a follower of Jesus was not limited only to men.

Women were also disciples, and he records women as having an important place in the faith.

(Luke 8:1-3) “...Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

[They had much to offer in service to the Lord] (Luke 10:38-42) Mary and Martha.

Later in Acts we’ll learn of Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), and a woman named Damaris (Acts 17:34).

Tabitha was one of these women disciples.

Tabitha is the Aramaic name meaning “gazelle.”

Luke’s readers speak Greek so he translates her name with the Greek “Dorcas” which means the same - gazelle, or deer.

The Scriptures do not tell us the significance of her name, but Luke only translates a name three times in Acts.

Once with Joseph who is called Barnabas “his name means ‘son of encouragement’ (Acts 4:36).

Again with Tabitha, and another with Elymas to come later (Acts 13:8).

This translation of her name is meant as an attention-grabber.

It records with specificity an event that took place with an actual person that would become widely known.

With this story of Tabitha, it is also a reminder that the power of Jesus that will be displayed in her is a power that translates culture and language, in keeping with the mission of Acts for the testimony of Jesus to translate from Jerusalem to the end of the earth!

Tabitha is introduced as a disciple, and also as one who was “full of good works and acts of charity.”

In the Scriptures you might think that the only good works for God are those works of teaching, preaching, healing. . .

but here God highlights a woman who was kind.

She was a giver.

“Acts of charity” means she had mercy and cared for others who were in need.

The fruit of the Spirit was evident in her life.

This mercy and generosity was her gift from God, and she was using it for the Lord to benefit others.

Such “acts of charity” will play a prominent role in the story of Cornelius in the following chapter.

Tabitha is a disciple of Jesus that serves others, and Cornelius will be someone who does not know Jesus, but will serve others.

Both have an encounter with the living God!

Not because of their good works, but their works are not unnoticed by God and are emphasized in Scripture.

Their works represent the mercy God has for those in need.

The Greek language adds another emphasis not captured in this English — it says “she was full of good deeds and charitable giving which she was constantly doing.”

This is necessary to say, that she was constantly doing these good works, because what comes next in verse 37 brings a stop to her works.

Tabitha’s constant good works and acts of charity did not keep her from illness and death.

It is in “those days” — the days of her good service, that she died.

A common question is “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Or in this case, “Why did such a bad thing happen to a person who did such good?”

That’s the tension God wants you to feel at this point.

To think about how good your works can be, and yet even being a person who does good things will not keep you from the reality of death.

Being a disciple of Jesus will not keep a person from illness, and death.

Following Jesus and doing good does not guarantee a pass from suffering.

Tabitha died.

The last record of death in Acts was Stephen, a servant in the church, a preacher of Jesus, and the Scriptures say that Stephen “fell asleep.”

But here, Tabitha dies.

That word for “death” is used to draw our attention to the finality of her condition.

The constant good works and charity has now ceased.

Without a miracle of God, death prevails and prevents good works pointing to faith in Jesus’ name.

The disciples knew Peter was near.

God had positioned Peter near.

They had likely heard that God had used Peter to heal Aenas.

Perhaps God might use Peter to heal Tabitha?

They ask for him to come without delay.

The Jewish custom was to bury a body before sundown.

But faith is implied on the part of these disciples in Joppa, for they place her body in an upper room and call for Peter.

Faith is present believing that the Lord might yet do a work!

The text reveals more detail concerning Tabitha’s good works.

Specifically, she made tunics and garments for widows.

Widows are especially near to the heart of God.

Widows and orphans — those who are most vulnerable, who in this culture are dependent on the care of others.

This was the religion of Tabitha.

It was those who were most blessed by her works of faith that were weeping at her death.

They were showing Peter what clothes Tabitha had given, with the language suggesting they were wearing the clothes she had made.

Why did Peter put all of the widows outside?

This is exactly what Jesus had done when he healed the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5).

In that account, there was a commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly.