36 ¶ 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.
37 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.
38 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.
39 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.
40 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.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called
the saints and widows, presented her alive. (Acts 9:36-41)
I always used to
wonder why the widows were so emotional about the clothes Tabitha had made for
them.
Recently I
realized that in their widowhood, they had to scramble hard to provide for
themselves and any children. If their husbands had been alive, these women
would have been at home, weaving fabric for clothing and caring for their families.
But since they had been thrust into the breadwinner role, there was no one to
do the weaving, and they couldn’t take time from working to weave, and any
ready-made clothing at this time would have been far out of the widows’ price
range. So Tabitha’s service in providing clothing was truly significant.
The great service
Tabitha did for the widows was pretty much indispensable to them, and that’s
why the Lord permitted Peter to raise Tabitha from the dead.
The scripture
makes me think about the little charitable acts we might do that can help the
less fortunate keep their heads afloat. Maybe watching the kids for a single mother.
Maybe taking food to a sick person who is all alone.
