The Tangible Gospel: The Raising of Tabitha Text: Acts 9:36-43
Introduction: Death, the Paper Tiger
We live in a world that is terrified of death, and so it has decided to pretend death is not there. We hide it away in sterile hospitals and quiet funeral homes. We speak of it in hushed tones and euphemisms. The unbelieving world has two options when confronted with the abyss: distract yourself from it with entertainment and trivialities, or despair before it as the final, meaningless end. For the materialist, death is the ultimate brute fact, the great extinguisher that renders all our striving absurd.
But for the Christian, death is something else entirely. It is still an enemy, the last enemy to be destroyed, as Paul tells us. It is an aberration, an intruder into God's good world, the wages of sin. We do not pretend it does not sting. But we also know that its stinger has been pulled. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a declaration of war against the tyranny of the grave. The resurrection of Jesus was not simply a resuscitation; it was the decisive battle of that war. And the story we have before us in Acts 9 is a report from one of the front lines. It is a localized skirmish that demonstrates the reality of the cosmic victory that has already been won. This is not a quaint tale about a nice seamstress. This is a demonstration that the King has come, and He has the keys to the house of death.
The church is therefore an outpost of the resurrection. We are a colony of people who have been brought from death to life, and we live as though the resurrection is a present reality, not just a future hope. This miracle in Joppa is a signpost, a tangible, historical event that points to the foundational truth of our faith: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in His people.
The Text
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. 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. 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." 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. 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. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
(Acts 9:36-43 LSB)
A Disciple and Her Death (v. 36-37)
We begin with the introduction of this remarkable woman.
"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. 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." (Acts 9:36-37)
The first and most important thing we are told about Tabitha is that she was a "disciple." This is not just a label; it is her core identity. Everything else flows from this. Her life was defined by her allegiance to the Lord Jesus. And what was the evidence of this discipleship? She was "full of good works and charity." Notice the word "full." This was not a weekend hobby. Her life was overflowing with practical, tangible acts of love. Her faith was not an abstract set of beliefs she held in her head; it was a faith that had hands, a faith that worked a needle and thread. This is precisely what the apostle James talks about. Faith without works is a corpse. Tabitha's faith was manifestly alive.
But disciples die. The gospel is not a magical shield against sickness and the grave in this age. The reality of the fall is still with us. "She fell sick and died." The response of the believers is tender and respectful. They washed her body, an act of love and dignity. But notice, they laid her in an upper room. They did not rush to bury her. There is a seed of expectant faith here. They are grieving, but they have not yet despaired. They have heard what God is doing in the neighboring town.
Faith in Action (v. 38-39)
The disciples in Joppa do not simply sit and weep. Their faith moves them to act.
"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.' 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." (Acts 9:38-39)
They heard Peter was near, the apostle who had just healed Aeneas in Lydda. Their faith is not a blind leap in the dark; it is a reasonable response to what God has already been doing. So they send for him with urgency. This is a community of faith acting together. They believe that the power of their risen Lord is accessible through His appointed apostle. They are not praying into a void; they are appealing to the delegated authority of Christ on earth.
When Peter arrives, he is met with a powerful and poignant scene. He walks into a room filled with tears. But these are not just tears of loss; they are tears of love. The widows are there, and they have brought the evidence of Tabitha's life. They are "showing all the tunics and garments" she used to make. This is her legacy. Her memorial service is an exhibition of her good works. Her life was woven into the very fabric of the community, clothing the poor and caring for the vulnerable. This is the kind of fruit that grows on the tree of genuine faith. Her works are her witness, even in death.
Resurrection Command (v. 40-41)
Peter now takes charge, following the pattern of his Master.
"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. And he gave her his hand and raised her up." (Acts 9:40-41)
First, he sends everyone out. This is not a performance for the crowd. This is a holy transaction between God, His servant, and the deceased. Peter is imitating Jesus, who did the same when he raised Jairus's daughter. He clears the room of emotionalism to get down to the business of prayer. He kneels, demonstrating his utter dependence. Peter has no power in himself. He is a branch, not the vine. The power belongs to God alone.
After praying, he turns to the body and speaks with apostolic authority. "Tabitha, arise." This is not a request. It is a command. It is the performative word, the word that creates reality, spoken in the name and authority of the One who said "Lazarus, come forth." And death obeys. The enemy must release its captive at the command of the King's ambassador. "She opened her eyes." Life returns. The miracle is immediate and complete. Peter then gives her his hand, a gesture of fellowship and restoration, bringing her back into the land of the living.
The Fruit of the Miracle (v. 42-43)
The miracle was not a private affair. It had a public purpose and a profound effect.
"And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon." (Acts 9:42-43)
Peter brings the grieving saints back in, and their sorrow is turned to astonishment and joy. But the impact ripples out beyond the four walls of that upper room. The news spreads throughout the whole town, and the result is exactly what God intended: "many believed in the Lord." Miracles in the Bible are never simply about fixing a temporary problem. They are signs that authenticate the gospel message. They are bells that are rung to get the attention of a deaf world, calling them to listen to the proclamation of the cross and resurrection. The raising of Tabitha's body was a sermon in action, leading directly to the salvation of many souls.
And the final verse is packed with theological dynamite. Peter stays "with a tanner named Simon." Tanners worked with the skins of dead animals, a profession that made a man ceremonially unclean under the old covenant law. For Peter, the chief apostle to the Jews, to lodge in the house of a tanner is a massive statement. The gospel that has power over human death is certainly not going to be bound by the ceremonial regulations concerning dead animals. This act is a practical demonstration that the old dividing walls are coming down in Christ. God is preparing Peter, right here in this unclean house in Joppa, for the vision He is about to give him on the rooftop, a vision that will throw the doors of the church wide open to the Gentiles. The gospel that raises the dead is a gospel for all people.
Conclusion: A Tangible Faith
So what does this story mean for us? First, it reminds us that our faith must be as tangible as the tunics Tabitha made. A faith that consists only of right thoughts and orthodox sentiments, but never puts on its work boots to serve the saints and the poor, is a dead faith. We are saved by grace through faith, and that grace produces a life "full of good works."
Second, this story is a preview of our own future. The raising of Tabitha is a small, temporary reversal of the curse of death. It is a foretaste of the great resurrection at the end of the age. For the believer, death is not a period at the end of the sentence of our life; it is a comma. It is a doorway into the presence of the Lord, to await the day when He will say to all His sleeping saints, "Arise."
Finally, this story shows us that the power that accomplished this is the same power at work in the church today. It is the power that raises spiritually dead sinners to new life in Christ. Every time a person is born again, it is a miracle that makes the raising of Tabitha look like a warm-up exercise. For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts. He has spoken His resurrection word, "Arise," to our dead souls. And because He has done this, we now live as a people of the resurrection, serving one another with a tangible faith, and facing the last enemy not with fear, but with a confident hope in the One who holds the keys of death and Hades.