Commentary - Acts 9:36-43

Bird's-eye view

This remarkable account in Acts serves as a powerful demonstration of the authority of the resurrected Christ, delegated to His apostles. The raising of Tabitha is not simply a heartwarming story about a beloved seamstress; it is a signpost of the new creation breaking into the old. Luke places this miracle strategically. Following the conversion of the great persecutor, Saul, the church is enjoying a period of peace and growth. This miracle, along with the healing of Aeneas just before it, serves to consolidate that growth and confirm the apostolic message. The gospel is not a set of abstract principles; it is the power of God unto salvation, a power that has dominion even over death.

The central theme is the tangible reality of resurrection power at work in the church. What Jesus did in raising Lazarus and Jairus's daughter, He now does through His apostle Peter. This event authenticates Peter's ministry and, more importantly, authenticates the Lord whom Peter serves. It is a foretaste of the final resurrection, a down payment on the promise that because He lives, we shall live also. The result is precisely what we should expect: the story spreads, and many believe in the Lord. Miracles in the book of Acts are never ends in themselves; they are always fuel for the engine of the Great Commission.

Outline

Context In Acts

This passage occurs in a section of Acts that bridges the conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-31) and the formal opening of the gospel to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). Luke is showing the gospel's power radiating outward from Jerusalem. After Saul's conversion, the church experiences a time of peace and is "being built up" (Acts 9:31). Luke then provides two snapshots of Peter's ministry to demonstrate how this building up was happening. First, Peter heals Aeneas, a paralytic in Lydda, which results in "all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon" turning to the Lord (Acts 9:35). Immediately following this, we have the raising of Tabitha in the nearby port city of Joppa. These two miracles function as a pair, showcasing the authority of Christ over both chronic illness and death itself. They set the stage for the next great leap of the gospel, as it is from Joppa, while staying at the house of Simon the tanner, that Peter will receive his vision of the clean and unclean animals, preparing him to go to the Gentile Cornelius.

Key Issues

The Gospel Over the Grave

We must not sentimentalize this account. The raising of Tabitha is a raw display of power. Death is the final enemy, the great curse of the Fall, and here the gospel confronts it head-on. This is not a resuscitation; it is a resurrection. It is a sign performed in the name and by the authority of the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. The authority that emptied Jesus' tomb is now at work through His designated representatives. Every miracle in Acts is a commentary on the gospel. The healing of the lame shows the gospel restores our walk. The casting out of demons shows the gospel breaks the bonds of Satan. And the raising of the dead shows that the gospel has the final word over the grave.

This event is a concrete, historical verification of the apostolic message. The apostles were not preaching a philosophy; they were announcing an event, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And God was bearing witness to their testimony "with signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Heb. 2:4). The raising of Tabitha was one such sign. It was a local event with cosmic implications. It declared to the city of Joppa that the Lord of life was now enthroned in heaven and that His power was loose in the world.

Verse by Verse Commentary

36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did.

Luke introduces us to a woman in the port city of Joppa. Notice first that she is called a disciple. This is the only time in the New Testament this specific feminine form of the noun is used, but the point is clear: she was a follower of Jesus, a learner, a Christian. Her identity was found in her relationship to the Lord. Luke then provides her name in both Aramaic (Tabitha) and Greek (Dorcas), both meaning "gazelle." This was likely a term of endearment, suggesting a woman of grace and beauty. But her true beauty is described next. She was full of good works and charity. This is not a description of how she earned her salvation, but rather the undeniable evidence of it. Grace is not a puddle; it is a spring. The grace she had received from Christ continually overflowed in practical acts of love for others. This was not a sporadic hobby; it was her way of life, something she "continually did."

37 And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

Even a life full of good works does not exempt one from the curse of the Fall. Tabitha gets sick and dies. This is the raw reality of our mortal condition. The believers follow the customary Jewish burial preparations. They wash her body, an act of respect and care, and then lay it in an upper room. This detail is significant. It suggests they were not in a rush to bury her immediately, which was the common practice. Laying her in an upper room, away from the main living area, may indicate a flicker of hope, a waiting for something more.

38 Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

News travels fast in a close-knit community. The disciples in Joppa hear that Peter is in the nearby town of Lydda, where he had just healed Aeneas. This is the crucial connection. The report of one miracle fuels faith for another. They don't send a detailed request; they simply plead for his presence. "Do not delay." There is an urgency here born of grief, but also of faith. They don't know exactly what Peter can do, but they know that where an apostle of the risen Christ is, there is power. They are appealing to the delegated authority of the Lord Jesus Himself.

39 So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

Peter responds immediately. Upon his arrival, he is brought to the scene of death and mourning. The room is filled with widows, who were among the most vulnerable members of society. Their presence and their weeping are powerful testimonies to the character of Tabitha. They are not just mourning the loss of a friend; they are mourning the loss of a benefactor. Their grief is tangible. They show Peter the evidence of her good works: the clothing she had made for them. This is not an accusation against God, but a demonstration of the depth of their loss. Here was a woman whose faith had hands. Her love was not in word only, but in deed and in truth.

40 But Peter sent them all out 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.

Peter takes charge. His actions here closely mirror those of Jesus in raising Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:40) and of Elijah raising the widow's son (1 Kings 17:19-23). He clears the room of all the mourners. This is not a performance for a crowd; it is a solemn transaction with God. He then kneels down and prays. He is the instrument, not the source, of the power. He must receive the authority for this act from the Lord. After praying, he turns to the dead body and speaks a direct command in Aramaic: Tabitha, cumi, "Tabitha, arise." This is the word of apostolic authority, empowered by the Holy Spirit. And the result is immediate and stunning. She opens her eyes, sees Peter, and sits up. Life has conquered death.

41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

The miracle is completed with a gentle, personal touch. Peter gives her his hand and helps her to her feet. The resurrection is not ethereal; it is physical and tangible. He then calls the believers back into the room. Notice the term Luke uses: saints and widows. The "saints" are the believers, those set apart by God. He presents Tabitha to them alive. The one they were mourning is now standing among them. The grief of the church has been turned to astonishment and joy.

42 And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

This is the purpose clause for the entire event. The miracle was not just for Tabitha or for the comfort of the widows. It was a sign for the whole city. The news, as we would expect, spreads like wildfire throughout Joppa. And the result is evangelistic success: many believed in the Lord. The demonstration of Christ's power over death led many to put their faith in the one who holds that power. This is the pattern throughout Acts. God's mighty works confirm the gospel word, and the church grows.

43 And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Luke concludes with a seemingly mundane detail that is actually packed with theological significance. Peter lodges with a man named Simon, who is a tanner. Tanning was a ceremonially unclean profession for a Jew because it involved constant contact with the carcasses of dead animals. For Peter, an observant Jew, to stay in this man's house was a radical step. It shows that the old categories of clean and unclean were already beginning to break down in his mind. This is God preparing him for the next chapter. It is from this very house that he will be called to the home of a Gentile, Cornelius, an act that would have previously been unthinkable. God was stretching him, getting him ready for the truth that in Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, clean or unclean.

Application

This passage has several direct points of application for us. First, it calls us to a faith that works. Tabitha is remembered because her belief in Christ translated into a life of tangible service. Our faith should not be a sterile, private affair. It should overflow into good works that are visible to a watching world, works that adorn the gospel and demonstrate its power to change lives. We are not saved by our good works, but we are most certainly saved unto good works.

Second, this story reminds us that the power that raised Tabitha from the dead is the same power that is at work in us. The resurrection of Jesus was not just a historical event; it is the engine of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit who brought life to Tabitha's body is the same Spirit who brings life to our dead souls and empowers us for service. We serve a Lord who has conquered the grave, and we should therefore live as people who have no ultimate fear of death.

Lastly, we see the evangelistic purpose of God's power. When God works mightily, whether through a dramatic miracle or through the quiet, faithful service of a disciple like Tabitha, the goal is that His name would be magnified and that many would believe. Our lives, our service, and our church communities should be so marked by the reality of Christ's resurrection power that people are drawn to the Lord through us. We are to be living signs, pointing everyone to the one who is the Resurrection and the Life.