Last Sunday I talked about the women disciples of the Lord who, not only went to the Tomb upon the third day to finish the burial process for Jesus, but more importantly were with Him during His ministry. They listened to His teachings, traveled as He preached the Gospel, supported His ministry, and… when everyone else fled and abandoned Christ, they stood steadfast in faith at the foot of the Cross of their Master.
Today we hear of another important female disciple in the life of the Early Church. Her Aramaic name is Tabitha, but in Greek, Dorcas. They each mean “gazelle” in their respective tongues, and by extension, since gazelles are graceful animals, her name personifies her grace-filled character.
She was an early convert to Christianity in the city of Joppa, on the Mediterranean Coast, south of Tel Aviv in modern-day Israel and strongly committed to living her faith through lovingkindness and generosity. She exemplified this by devoting herself to good works and acts of charity, utilizing her talents of designing, tailoring, and sewing to clothe the poor, chiefly widows and orphans.
When she suddenly died, all the Christians of that region lamented her death. In fact, they sent out messengers to find Peter and inform him of her passing, hoping he would come and perhaps perform a miracle. When Peter did arrive, all the women came to meet him and displayed the many garments Tabitha had made for the poor, illustrating just how much of an impact she had the on that community.
Peter did end up providing a miracle by raising Tabitha from the dead, undoubtedly doing so to bring others to Christ, but also that this pious woman could continue her good works and charity.
The story of Tabitha is a powerful witness of faith, but it is also a great reminder that all acts of kindness, no matter how small, can uplift an entire community and have lasting effects.
