Meanwhile….
Acts 9:32-43
So in today’s reading we are suddenly back at what is going on with Peter. It is like one of the old westerns…Meanwhile back at the ranch…
In chapter 8 we have all the things that were happening with Philip. We have the trip to Samaria with the sorcerer Peter and John pop in for a quick look and some preaching, then the Ethiopian then the last we hear of him he is traveling from Ashdod North along the coast. Then we jump over to Paul’s meeting of Jesus and his response, now we are back with Peter. It can be a little hard to keep up with the characters and story line.
At some point in Peter is traveling around Israel when the story picks up. Perhaps he is on an evangelism tour spreading the good news from place to place. We join him a Lydda. Where he is visiting the saints in the city. In the name of Jesus Christ he heals a man bed ridden for 8 years. Get up and get your matt.
Acts is full of miraculous healings. It leaves me wondering why it seems like God does not do them today. I know we all have heard abut people like Bennie Han or Earnest Angsley. People go to them to receive a blessing, they want healing, holiness and I hope that some are really touched by God through people like these….But if they are fakes…If they are in it for the money then I can assure they have received their reward and I wonder what ease they may face at the day of judgment…if they are misrepresenting God…if they are false teachers….then God is going to deal with them.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that God can and does heal people. I further believe that he can and will use anyone to move and encourage. But it is always God that does the healing. The healers we now about today, pretty much let people come to them. They set up shop in a church or an auditorium and advertise that they are in town….
Peter is visiting groups of new believers and he picks am man that we can guess was a beggar laying by the street and heals him. Peter goes to him, peter goes to his need.
People see the change in Aeneas perhaps it was a busy moment of the day when lots of people were passing. I would wonder if this man reacts like a person on a game show like “The price is Right.” Jumping and shouting because they have wone the big prize.
The response of the people of Lydda and the surrounding communities is to “come to the Lord.” We are talking about Jews in this story. There is not direct outreach to the Gentiles at this point.
So, The people that respond know what they have seen and believe.
Pretty simple transaction. Heal a known cripple and people joint the church.
That is such a good idea. People can see the power of God. They come with their problems and Sha-Zam! They are healed and converted at the same moment. Groups that have that power are obviously blessed by God and the ones that can’t are false teachers.
Wouldn’t that fill up churches! Wouldn’t it make the whole faith thing so much easier.
Why is it that God does not work that way? If he did pretty much everyone would believe right?
If God worked like that what would be missing?
Would there be any need for faith? If the church grew because of miraculous healings all the time would there be any mystery? If healing came when you went to the church the it is would be like going to the bank for money. You expect them t be there to give you your money and if you don’t have money of your own you might qualify for a loan.
If God worked that way there would be no miracles it would simply be if God likes us or not. We either are getting what is ours or we are taking out a loan from God.
Would there be any need for faith?
The story continues with Tabitha or if you prefer Dorcas. Tabitha is Hebrew and Dorcas is Greek and it translates to us as “gazelle.” This is not said to be a nick name which means that her parents gave her a name that was full of promise and description. Maybe something to live up too.
She is a believer that has heard the good news from someone. Perhaps when Philip came through town or when someone moved in after running from Jerusalem when the persecution started.
She lives in Japps about 9 miles to the west of where Peter is visiting. We don’t know her age but she seems to have a lot of time on her hands and she has made a lot of things for the people around her community. She always was doing good and helping the poor. She seems to have been very active in helping widows.
Evidentially she loved to sew and was probably very good at it. She also seems to have had means to purchase the materials because the people that was making for probably could not afford it.
She gets sick and dies, it sounds fast. He body is washed (prepared for burial) and placed in an upstairs room.
Her friends have heard about Peter traveling near by, perhaps the story of miraculous healing.
I am left with tons of questions that I don’t have an answer too. Like, do they send to Lydda when Tabatha is very sick or when she dies? Nine miles takes a while to cross on foot, the men sent to get Peter would have to do 18 or more by the time they found Peter. If she was dead when they left we are talking about a pretty impressive miracle not resuscitation.
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.
Tabatha was being mourned and cared for by the widows, this is a strong indication that she was a widow herself. The ladies show Peter al the robes and scarves maybe shopping bags and sashes. The women were probably wearing the items instead of bringing things for show and tell.
This lady was such a gift to the community. She was busy and generous. She made the lives of others better. We don’t know what the ladies said or asked Peter to do. But, I know the kind of things we say today.
Why her or him? She was the best cook, worked on all the committees. There are plenty of bad people in the world, why would God take Her?
My aunt Becky asked me that a few years ago. The doctors told her that she had only a few weeks to live. She had been healthy all her life only going into the hospital to have her children and to visit others.
She was the little old lady that drove all the other little old ladies to the doctor appointments, and the beauty shop, and she was a pillar of her church one to the go getters that made things happen.
She said, my church has been praying for me for weeks. Then she pointed to a stack of cards pushed into a decorative wooden box about 5 inches wide on the end table, and said all those people are praying for me, they are from all over the country.
“Tab, can you tell me why? Why is this happening?”
I know that I have been with some of you when similar moments came and the questions you have are valid. They are real and the pain is too great to stand. Moments when we would gladly give our life in exchange for our loved one.
Times when we cry out to God begging for a miracle.
I so wish that I had the ability to heal or at least explain what God is really thinking.
I wish I had the wisdom and eloquence to explain the mysteries of God and Sin and Life and Death.
I wish I knew someone with those abilities that had a church some place that I could go for healing or at least to have the pain and the plan explained.
I would go to ask why babies die or are born in horrible conditions.
I would ask why people haft to suffer from painful diseases or from disabilities.
I would ask what good is it to be a believer if it seems that we have no real tangible advantage in this world.
But, I have never heard of a place like that beyond the “faith healers” that so often seem to put the healing success or failure on the individual that has come for answers and blessing.
God does not work like that either. He never asks us to make ourselves perfect only to believe in Jesus Christ and that he came to save man kind. To save us from the fallen world.
By faith I do have a few answers to life’s hard questions.
What I do know is that this world is not our home and no matter how attached we become to this place it is only temporary. It is imperfect and painful way too often.
But, it is a world where God made some of the creation in his image, to me that means the ability the see beauty, to create and the most godly thing is the ability to love which automatically includes the ability to feel pain and disappointment.
Our reflections in the mirror look exactly like us but they have no power or ability or free will. Our images don’t feel or think.
The image of God in us can be a very difficult trait to deal with especially when we don’t seem to have the power to fix or even understand the things we want because the image of God does not contain the sovereignty and powers of God.
In our story, We don’t know if they had accepted her death or if they actually asked for a miracle. It does not look like Peter knows the woman except through the witnessing of the ladies.
The scripture tells us what peter does next:
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 the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.
The answers vary, sometimes it is for a miracle, other times it is to end the suffering.
We don’t know what he prayed for. I think if it had been me, it might be for revelation. God what do you want me to do in this situation. Why am I here?
Why empty the room? Why turn away form Tabitha? It might have been to remove the internal struggle with doubt that we feel when we pray. To not look on the body might be the same.
When they send for Peter he had been involved in healing several people. But he had never raised anyone from the dead before.
I know some of the things I have prayed for with many of you and for my family and friends. I know that I have a hope of healing or intervention from God in the crises of life.
I was with a family that was waiting on death….we do that sometimes…we know it time is short.
I asked what the family wanted to pray for?
What do you want God to do?
The daughter said, I don’t want to ask for God to prolong her life. I did that with my husband after his heart attack. I fell on my knees and cried out to God to give us more time. He answered my prayer, but he suffered greatly for the time he was with us. I never want to live through something like that again.
In this sinful world, we can never know the full results of the prayers we lift up to God. In our limited understanding, we can’t comprehend especially when it hurts so much.
God, does not work through constant miracles or specific people because it is by faith that we are saved from a sinful unfair world.
Tabitha’s resurrection blessed that people of the community because a fantastic worker was given back to the people that loved her and benefited form her presence. More people became believers because of the event.
But, she was going to die again. She was going to suffer physical death for a second time. Maybe she would have slowly lost her abilities or perhaps he memory would leave her feeling alone and lost.
My aunt died within a few days of my visit. I had written a letter back to her reminded she of our prayers and offering other encouragement. It never got mailed and this morning I got it out to read for the first time since March 2002.
Let me share some of it with you.
March 16, 2002
Dearest Aunt Becky,
You are on my hart and mind and I have my own set of “why” questions. My questions normally relate to my shortcomings, my doubts and fears. Why can’t I be stronger and more accepting of God’s Grace and blessings?
I was so bless by your wanting to talk with me. I am so honored to be in God’s service and to be used in any way to touch his children. Sometimes that is one of my Why, questions. Why would he choose me?
There are a series of personal recollections from child hood memories whanr I stayed with her when my brother was severally injured.
Then the close of the letter.
My prayers for you are that God help you with your questions. And remind you he is close to you every moment. I include our family in my prayers that we all tighten our bond and gain a renewed attachment and closeness with one another.
We love you and have so many prayers and hopes for you. We also know that God knows you and has a new body and eternal life. Our selfishness wants you here at all cost, mostly cost to you. What we should want is the best for you no matter the cost to us. That is what Christ demonstrated. I Love You with the Love of the Lord, and I love you as a nephew that has benefited from your hugs and prayers.
It’s not about the answers to our prayers of why as much as it is about the promises that God offers. It is about trusting that God knows what is best and that He has a love of you that will never be unjust or selfish.
All Glory be to God!
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