In Acts 9 we have a well-known, but oft skimmed passage. Here we read about Tabitha, who has the memorable, but unfortunate Greek name “Dorcas”, who was a beloved Christian woman in Joppa, who died and was raised from the dead by Simon Peter. This story is fascinating because Peter’s arrival in Joppa will be the hinge upon which the rest of the Acts of the Apostles turn. It’s in Joppa where Peter has the vision of the meat-sheet, and learns not to call anything unclean that God has called clean. It’s from Joppa, at Simon Tanner’s house that Peter is called to visit gentiles. Peter comes to Joppa on Dorcas’ account and does a miracle and the city turns to Christ and then he has a transformative vision in Joppa, and from Joppa he’s called and witnesses the Holy Spirit descending upon the Gentiles and this becomes the basis for his position of rejecting the imposition of circumcision and the Mosaic Law on Gentile’s turning to Christ. So, it’s fair to say that the death and miraculous raising of Dorcas in Joppa is a major link in the chain from a primarily Jew-to-Jew form of evangelism to a Jew-to-Gentile form of evangelism. Note well, that Dorcas is a Greek name. Which may be a subtle hint that Tabitha may have been a Hellenic Jew or perhaps was half-Greek (though, I admit this is doubtful since we aren’t told her ethnic heritage and we would expect Luke to give us this datum).
So, we can see this is an important piece in the narrative structure of Peter’s life that God was writing. And Luke, in Lucian fashion, gives us a delightful and delicate pair of repeated terms that bring the whole event together.
Let’s look at the pericope, with the key words underlined:
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 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!”
39 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.
40 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. 41 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. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. (NIV)
OK, right now you’re probably wondering what, exactly, I have in my coffee mug…incidentally I need to make another pot!...but you’re probably thinking, “Luke, you talked about a pair of words that get repeated for emphasis…the words you underlined are not the same words.” Yep, they’re not. Not in the NIV, anyways.
The pair of verbs we’re considering are: ἀνίστημι an-ees-tay-me (to arise) and: παρίστημι par-ees-tay-me (to stand beside). Now, Luke uses the verb “to arise” pretty often, and, yes, it’s the verb for “resurrect”. So, sometimes it has a Christological significance, but sometimes it seems to simply be the routine verb for “get up”. Here, the first usage is routine, the second clearly isn’t! And the verb “to stand beside” has a whole slew of potential meanings: stand beside, arrive, draw near, present, offer, be present, etc.
And as we can tell, these two repeated verbs are clearly used in decisively different senses in their different uses. Peter “gets up”, and he commands Dorcas’ body [incidentally that has some anthropological significance, but I’ll have to deal with that another day] to “get up”…but it’s obviously a different kind of “getting up”. The widows “stood by” showing Peter the good works Dorcas did and then he “presents” her to them, as though showing them that God has done a good work and an act of mercy by restoring the one who had done good works and acts of mercy.
The dual repetition and sense-change for these two verbs in such close proximity suggests, to me anyways, that Luke wants to call our attention to what’s happening theologically, below the surface. I translated this passage this morning and have been pondering it. I’ll admit I’m not certain I completely (or even mostly) understand what Luke was trying to do! But I have a vague notion that what he’s trying to tell us in the subtext is that if we wish to tell the dead woman to “arise” we have to “arise” at the call to help. Moreover, those who have people “presenting themselves” praising their righteousness, are the kinds of people whom God will “present” to those who praised them, resurrected and honored.
Peter honored God and the people by getting up at the call and God honored him by allowing him to perform a mighty miracle. Dorcas honored God by caring for the poor and helpless, they cried out to God honoring Dorcas, and God honored Dorcas and the poor by raising her from the dead.
I’m sure as I ponder this text more, in preparation for preaching through it in several months I’ll discover a clearer picture of what Luke was trying to say with artistic beauty. But, for now, I think it’s clear that God honors those who honor Him. Those who respond to the call to serve God are the ones who get to serve God. Rise and Shine!