In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:36-42 NIV)
Do you know how many people were raised from the dead in the Bible? God wanted to prove to us that he has power over death. That there’s hope even in the face of death. So, do you know how many people were raised from the dead in the Bible? It depends a little on how you count it. For today, we’re going to say: Seven. In the Bible, there are seven powerful examples of God’s power over death. Can you list them? In the Old Testament, the two great prophets—Elijah and Elisha—each raised a boy from the dead. In the New Testament, Peter raised to life the woman in our lesson today, and Paul raised to life a man who fell asleep and died during one of his sermons. Jesus himself raised three people from the dead: The son of the widow at Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and his own friend Lazarus. That makes seven people raised from the dead.
I said it depends a little on how you count it. Another man was raised from the dead in the Old Testament when his dead body touched the dead bones of Elisha. He popped right back to life! On Good Friday, when Jesus died, tombs broke open and believers who had died were raised back to life. Of course, we haven’t mentioned the greatest resurrection of all: Jesus! But for us today, if we think of specific people whom God raised from the dead, there were seven.
What if you had gotten to pick out in advance who they would be? Of the billions of people who have lived on earth, what seven people would you have chosen to raise from the dead? We’d expect it to be the most important, most influential people, right? Kings. Inventors. Great leaders. Talented people. Whom would you have chosen? Well, of those seven people whom God chose to raise from the dead, how many were kings? 0. How many were scientists? 0. How many were prophets? 0. Whom did God choose? 3 young boys. 1 young girl. Jesus’ friend. An old lady. And the guy who fell asleep and died during church. Those were the seven people God raised from the dead. Maybe God wants to teach us about who is important in his eyes. What do you think?
Today, we hear about a woman. “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.” Joppa was a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, about 38 miles from Jerusalem. It’s famous as the place that Jonah set sail from to not go to Nineveh. There was a Christian woman in Joppa with a name that unfortunately doesn’t translate well into English: Dorcas. Dorcas is a beautiful Greek name that means “gazelle.” It’s just Dorcas doesn’t sound so great to us. So, we’ll use her other name: Tabitha.
It’s surprising that we don’t hear anything about Tabitha’s family. We don’t hear about her parents. They were probably dead. We don’t hear about a husband. She wasn’t married or was a widow. We don’t hear about any children. Tabitha probably didn’t have any. It sounds like it was just her. Just Tabitha. I wonder if she felt like a nobody. Like she had nothing. Just Tabitha.
At least, that’s what we probably would have thought about her: Just a nobody. We’re always evaluating other people, aren’t we? In our minds, we’re always deciding how important other people are. “Are they worth my time? Are they worth a ‘hi’?” Often, we decide, “No!” Most people just aren’t that important to us, right? It sounds awful to say that, but isn’t it true? There’s a lot of people we just don’t care about. It’s very easy to neglect the people who aren’t important.
I bet I know whom you look down on the most. I bet I know whom you consider the biggest “nobody” you know. Who? You. Am I right? I bet the person you talk to the worst is yourself. I bet the person you call “worthless” or “nothing” or “not important” more than anyone else is yourself. Is that true? If we’re supposed to treat other people like we treat ourselves, that can be a big problem. We treat other people like nobodies because we feel like nobodies. We neglect the people we don’t consider important, starting with ourselves. Do you ever feel like a nobody?
Then you need to realize something: Jesus cares deeply for even the seemingly least important people. Of the billions of people in our world who have died, only seven were raised back to life on earth. Who was one of them? Tabitha. This single lady with no family. Why? Because she mattered so much to Jesus. We’re told that Tabitha “became sick and died.” When the Christians heard that Peter was nearby, “they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’ Peter went with them.” In these simple details, there is something amazing. Tabitha mattered. Jesus cared deeply for her. When she died, Peter dropped everything and came at once. Do you see what the Bible is teaching us? Jesus cares deeply for even the seemingly unimportant people.
Like you and me. Jesus cares deeply for you. I know you don’t always feel important. Often you feel like a nobody. You feel guilty for your sins. But Jesus died to take your sins away. He rose to give you eternal life in heaven. You matter to Jesus! It’s true you’re not good at everything. In fact, you fail at lots of things. Me too! But God doesn’t love you because of what you’re good at. You know that, right? God doesn’t love you because of how you look. You know that too, right? God loves you by grace. It’s his undeserved love. God wants you to realize something today: You matter to God, just like Tabitha did. You are important to God. You are loved by Jesus.
So when Tabitha died, Peter showed up. “When he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.” It doesn’t sound like Peter knew Tabitha personally, but when he showed up, the people were quick to show Peter what Tabitha was like. What did she focus on? Sewing. Tabitha spent her time sewing robes and clothes for widows and poor people.
And there’s a part of us that thinks, “That’s it? All this hubbub for a lady who just sewed stuff? Does that really matter?” Our problem goes deeper than not caring about unimportant people. We don’t care about unimportant things. If someone wants to give glory to God, they should go out and do something glorious, right? Invent cool stuff. Save people’s lives. Win championships. Rule over people. Isn’t that what we think? Sewing stuff for widows? How did that make it into the Bible? If someone wants to give glory to God, they should do something glorious, right?
Yes! It’s just that in God’s eyes, simple acts of kindness like Tabitha was doing are the most glorious works in the world. The clothes she made for the poor she was really making for Jesus, because whoever helps anyone in Jesus’ name is serving Jesus himself. She had only one talent, but look at how much she used it! Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Tabitha saw an opportunity to show love, and she made the most of it. In God’s eyes, that’s the most beautiful thing. Just like Jesus cares for the seemingly least important people, Jesus loves even the smallest things that Christians do in his name. Like sewing. Or listening. Or changing diapers. Or giving rides.
When I hear this story, I can’t help but think of something here at our church. Can you guess what it is? Pins and Needles. Pins and Needles is our sewing group. Twice a month, a group of not quite young ladies get together and talk a lot and drink coffee—and sew quilts. Then they give their quilts away. To newborn babies. To patients at hospitals. To widows in nursing homes. Those ladies sew stuff. Does that matter? Yes! Do you know what Jesus thinks? There’s nothing more beautiful. Jesus loves even the smallest things that Christians do in his name.
What’s your Pins and Needles? I hope God opens your eyes. To not feel sorry for yourself. To see the opportunities God gives you to love other people with Christ’s love. What can you do? What seemingly unimportant thing could you do for seemingly unimportant people all to the glory of God? In the 300s, a Christian pastor named Chrysostom said, “If you want to be remembered, imitate Tabitha, not going to expense on lifeless matters like big buildings, but displaying great generosity in regard to your fellow human beings.” Catch what he’s saying? Don’t pour yourself into lifeless matters. Pour yourself out generously on your fellow human beings. Then you’ll be remembered. Like Tabitha. What’s your Pins and Needles?
But, before we praise Tabitha a little too much, there’s one more thing we need to see. Do you know what was the greatest thing that Tabitha did? It wasn’t sewing. Do you know what it was? She died. Of all the things that Tabitha did, the thing that brought the greatest good for others was her death. It sounds upside-down. But God used her death to bring more people to Jesus than anything she had done in life. God has a habit of using our moments of greatest weakness to showcase his power and grace. So that all glory goes to him. God is the real hero in this story.
Because the greatest part of Tabitha’s story wasn’t the good things she did. It was the amazing things God did for her. “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.” God’s greatest good came through death. Does that sound familiar? When you finally feel like you’re living life to the fullest, you get hurt. You get cancer. Why? Maybe God’s using you to do showcase his grace.
When it was all said and done, “this become known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.” God’s greatest plan for Tabitha was to allow her to suffer and die, so that in his raising her from death, people would be drawn to Jesus and believe in him. Just like God’s greatest plan for the world was to allow Jesus to suffer and die, so that through his resurrection he could bring us salvation. Just like God in his good plans for you is allowing you to go through hardships right now. So that you trust in Jesus. So that you put your hope in our God who raises the dead. So that through your faith in the midst of trial, other people might believe in the Lord.
If you want to make a list of “Important People Whom God Should Raise from the Dead,” the Bible says, “A single lady with no family.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely. There is no one more important than her.” If you want to make a list of “Super Important Good Works that Give Glory to God,” the Bible says, “Sewing clothes for widows.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely. There is nothing better that can be done in my name.” If you want to make a list of “Ways God Carries Out His Will in Our Lives,” the Bible says, “Letting us die.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely, so that you can rise.” You matter to Jesus. Just look at Tabitha! Your life matters to Jesus. Just look at Tabitha! So, what’s your Pins and Needles?
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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