Acts of the Apostles (23)
Introduction
In this next section of Acts, Luke turns his attention away from Saul (for the time being) and comes back to recount some of Peter’s ministry. Up to this point, it is an itinerant ministry within Israel, a ministry to the Jews, but we are building up to the conversion of a Roman soldier in the occupying army.
The Text
“And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Æneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner” (Acts 9:32–43).
Summary of the Text
Peter was traveling through a number of different regions, and he joined up with the Christians at Lydda (v. 32). He there met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed for 8 years (v. 33). So Peter addressed him by name, “Aeneas.” He went on to say that Jesus Christ makes him whole, and he then told him to get up and make his bed. Aeneas obeyed immediately (v. 34) When the inhabitants of Lydda and the neighboring town of Saron saw him up and walking around, they turned to the Lord (v. 35). This particular miracle convinced everybody.
Now Lydda was about twelve miles southeast of Joppa, which was on the Mediterranean coast, just south of Caesarea. A Christian woman named Tabitha (or Dorcas) lived there, and she was full of good works and charitable deeds for the poor (v. 36). Now it happened that she got sick and died, and so they washed her, and placed her in an upper room (v. 37). Now the disciples had heard that Peter was in Lydda, which was right next door, so to speak, and so they sent two men to ask him to come immediately (v. 38). So Peter came to the upper chamber where she was, and all the widows were there, weeping and showing him the good works that Dorcas had made with her own hands (v. 39). Peter put them all out, and knelt down to pray. He then turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, arise” (v. 40). She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He offered his hand, lifted her up, and summoned the saints and widows back into the room, and presented her to them (v. 41). The word of this got around Joppa, naturally, and so a lot of people trusted in the Lord (v. 42). And Peter stayed quite a long time there, at the house of one Simon, a tanner (v. 43). And this sets the stage for the next adventure.
The Healing of Aeneas
During the reign of Caesar Augustus, the poet Virgil undertook to create a glorious founding narrative for the city of Rome, and its empire. In his Aeneid, he tells the story of a Trojan warrior who escapes from the Greeks during the sack of Troy, and who eventually makes his way to Italy in order to establish the foundation of a new empire. On the way he has a love affair with Dido, queen of Carthage, but his destiny requires him to leave her. She commits suicide as a result, and this is the origin of the enmity between Carthage and Rome. If you want to place Dido, according to Josephus, Jezebel was her great-aunt. And you may be wondering about where Romulus and Remus fit in, the legendary founders of the city of Rome—they were descended from Aeneas on their mother’s side, and Mars was their father.
We will learn in the next story about Tabitha that Luke is paying close attention to the meaning of names, but he doesn’t really need to point out anything specific here. This story would have hit the original readers in just the same way that a story for Americans would have hit—if the apostle had come across a paralyzed man named George Washington, and then healed him. This episode is clearly an enacted mini-parable. Note the paralysis, and note the only solution.
Tabitha/Dorcas
The woman that Peter raised from the dead went by two names, and both of them had the same meaning. Tabitha was the Aramaic word for gazelle, and Dorcas was the Greek word for the same. So when she is first introduced, her Aramaic name is given, which Luke renders into Greek, which his Greek-readers would know meant gazelle. It seems clear that he wanted them to know this about her—she was a like a gazelle—gentle, beautiful, and swift. Luke then calls her Dorcas in the narrative, but when Peter addresses her, he speaks to her as Tabitha. Her good works were gazelle-like, not machine-like.
Saved to Good Works, Not by Them
Scriptures are abundantly plain in teaching us that our good works do not contribute in any way, shape or form to our justification. We are justified by faith alone, and that’s it. But while we are not saved by our good works, we are saved to them.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”Ephesians 2:8–10 (KJV)
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”Philippians 2:12–13 (KJV)
We can see this element in both of these episodes. The first instance, in the healing of Aeneas, might seem like a trivial thing. But it is in the text, and I think we should point to it. Aeneas has been bed-bound for eight years, and the very first thing he is told to do after he is healed is to . . . make his bed.
And with Tabitha, what was her reputation? What was she famous for? She was rich in good deeds, which the Scripture call us to. She was productive in the making of garments, and she was kind to the poor. She was a wealthy woman, rich in good works, and all her friends were easily able to point to the work of her hands. Jesus teaches us to be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). And Paul teaches those who are rich in this world to be rich in good deeds (1 Tim. 6:17-18). Tabitha was raised because she still had some half-finished projects.
Those who are saved by grace through faith need to make sure that they leave material evidence of that grace behind him. We are not plowing the sand.
The gospel really is a gospel that is all of grace, nothing but grace. And at the same time, we are commanded to walk in a manner that is worthy of that grace (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:11). And walking worthy has an impact. Walking worthy gets things done (Eph. 2:10).