"Tabitha, arise" - an exegesis of Acts 9:36-43

"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. 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. 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. 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 9:36-43).[1]

Observation

Author

The author of Acts is Luke, the same person who wrote the gospel of Luke. While not without some controversy, his authorship of these two books has been widely accepted since the early days of the church.[2] One example of internal evidence that supports Luke’s writing both books is found in Acts 1:1, where he refers to his gospel: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” In addition, the “we” sections of Acts indicate that Luke was at times a traveling companion of the apostle Paul. In these “we” sections (Acts 16:10-17, 20:5-21:18, and 27:1-28:16) the narrative changes from the third person plural to the first person plural, demonstrating that the author was at times directly involved with Paul’s missionary journeys.[3] In his letter to the Colossians, Paul further identifies Luke as a physician: “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas” (Col. 4:14).

Date Written

The approximate date for Luke’s writing the Book of Acts is A.D. 61-62. This date can be arrived at through backward reasoning, since Luke did not mention the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or the beginning of Nero’s persecutions in A.D. 64. Yet Luke does record Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, which began in A.D. 60. It is therefore likely that Luke wrote Acts in A.D. 61-62, during the time of Paul’s two-year incarceration in Rome.[4]

Primary Characters

The most prominent human characters in this passage are Peter and Tabitha. The apostle Peter is one of the main leaders of the early church, having preached a sermon at Pentecost that resulted in some three thousand new converts to Christianity (Acts 2:14-41). More recently, Peter has been used as an instrument of God in the miraculous healing of Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35).

Tabitha is a female disciple in Joppa who has recently died. While the name Tabitha (Ταβιθά) was originally in Aramaic, Luke also provides the Greek translation as Dorcas (Δορκάς), which is a good reminder not to carry our twenty-first century sensibilities into the text. While the name Dorcas may not sound particularly attractive to us in today’s culture, it was actually a very beautiful name, meaning “gazelle.”[5] Luke also tells us that Tabitha was “full of good works and acts of charity” (Acts 9:36). Comparing the ESV translation with the NASB (“was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did”) and the NIV (“was always doing good and helping the poor”) underlines the truth that Tabitha did not merely feel compassion for others, but rather she acted on her concerns and put them into action, performing many kind and charitable deeds.

Interpretation

Genre

The Book of Acts is primarily historical narrative, as Luke seeks to describe actual events that took place in space and time. More specifically, some identify it further as “an excellent example of Hellenistic historiography,” which “was not written simply to record records or to chronicle the past,” but also to “encourage… inform, moralize, or offer an apologetic.”[6] Also, in Acts 1:1, Luke refers back to his gospel: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” The opening verses of his gospel point to a thorough investigative effort and deep concern for accuracy in Luke’s writings:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).

It is reasonable to conclude that Luke applied the same historical approach when writing Acts.

Context

The immediate context of this passage is found in the preceding section of Acts 9, when Peter is in Lydda, where Jesus Christ has worked through the apostle to heal Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35). To set a slightly wider context, in the passage just prior to Aeneas’ miraculous healing, Luke gives a progress report of the early church: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31). In a still wider context, Acts 9:36-43 fills an early stage in the story of God’s first major expansion of His church to include the Gentiles, which Luke describes in Acts chapter 10.[7]

Geographical Location

The majority of action in Acts 9:36-43 takes place in the town of Joppa, while Lydda plays a supporting role. Joppa was a “small harbor town on the Palestinian coast, situated on a rocky promontory about midway between Mt. Carmel and Gaza, 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem.”^[8] This was also the same coastal town where many years earlier Jonah had boarded a ship as he attempted to flee from the presence of God (Jon. 1:3). While the particulars of Joppa do not play a major role in the narrative, it should be noted that Peter’s coming to this town may indicate the sovereign positioning of God as He prepares the apostle to take His gospel to Cornelius and the Gentiles. Lydda was located on the Plain of Sharon approximately eleven miles inland from Joppa.[9]

Content

As historical narrative, this passage is fairly straightforward in the interpretation of its content, though some interesting questions do arise that require a closer look. In summary, a follower of Christ named Tabitha has died following an illness, and her body is washed and placed in an upper room. Her fellow disciples have heard that Peter is in nearby Lydda, and (perhaps having heard of the healing of Aeneas) two men are sent to urge the apostle to come without delay. Peter agrees, and when he arrives in Joppa he is led upstairs. There he walks in on a scene of intense emotion. Luke tells us that, “All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them” (Acts 9:39b). Here we have a fuller revelation of what Luke meant back in verse 36 when he wrote that Dorcas was “. . . full of good works and acts of charity.” Dorcas had served her Savior by making clothing for the widows of Joppa.

Peter then asks everyone to leave him alone with Tabitha’s body. Peter kneels and prays, and apparently the Lord answers his prayer, making him aware of a great work He is about to do in the midst of this overwhelming grief. Peter then turns to the body and says, “Tabitha arise,” and she opens her eyes and sits up. Peter offers his hand and helps Tabitha to her feet. Perhaps Peter was concerned about becoming ceremonially unclean, as Luke does not record him touching Tabitha until after she had sat up.

Peter then calls the disciples and widows back into the room, and they see that Tabitha is indeed alive, having been resurrected by her Lord. The word of this miracle spreads quickly throughout Joppa, and many people put their faith in Jesus Christ. One might think that some would give Peter the credit for healing Tabitha, but Acts 9:42 demonstrates that the ultimate glory was attributed to God. Rather than people becoming followers of the apostle we read that "many believed in the Lord" as a result of Peter being used as an instrument of God to raise Tabitha from the dead. Similarly, in the previous healing of Aeneas, Peter had made it clear who had restored the paralyzed man: “And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.’ And immediately he rose” (Acts 9:34).

As the passage concludes, Luke tells us that the apostle Peter will remain in Joppa for many days, staying at the home of Simon, a tanner (Acts 9:43).

Application

Though Acts 9:36-43 is primarily descriptive, it still contains useful insights, particularly regarding our God and the experiences of our brethren in the early church. For instance, the raising of Tabitha is not prescriptive. Christians are not called to follow Peter’s example whenever finding themselves in the presence of a dead body, putting everyone out of the room as they attempt to restore life to the corpse. Yet believers should be greatly encouraged and strengthened when reading this historical narrative and considering the power of God to restore life in the midst of tremendous grief. Again, as a descriptive passage, Acts 9:36-43 does not teach us to expect this kind of miraculous intervention on a regular basis, but it should deepen our faith in the God of the Bible as one contemplates His absolute power over life and death.

Also, if we widen the context and consider what follows in Acts 10, we can recognize the sovereign hand of God moving to position Peter at Simon the tanner’s home. It will be on Simon's rooftop that Peter is given a series of visions that prepare him to take the gospel to Cornelius and the Gentiles. This glimpse into the overarching plan of God to expand His church and include Gentiles in the body of Christ, should fill us with awe, and humble us before our mighty King, the Lord who is sovereign over all of human history.

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[1]The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001); unless otherwise noted, this translation is used throughout.

[2]Frank E. Gaebelein, Richard N. Longenecker, and Merrill C. Tenney, John and Acts, vol. 9 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 238.

[3]F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, vol. 7 of The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1988), 6.

[4]Norman L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007), 124.

[5]William Arndt, Walter Bauer and Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000).

[6]Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 109.

[7]Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 112.

^[8]Anson F. Rainey, “Joppa,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 2, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1982), 1118.

[9]William Ewing, “Lydda,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 3, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1982), 150.