Dorcas’ Dedication
Acts 9:36-39—In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who 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.
Because of the blessings of our society and depending on where you live, it can be difficult at times to recognize those who are truly poor and truly in need. With growing security blankets funded by our tax dollars and with so much fraud and laziness, we can become leery in expressing generosity and charity.
Long ago, in the days of the early Christian church, there were no governmental security nets for the poor. The care of the poor was almost entirely left to the generosity of others. One of the chief responsibilities the early church took upon itself after the spreading of the gospel was the care of the poor, orphans, and widows. In the town of Joppa, there was one such woman who did just that: Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42).
As you read through Acts 9 and the account of her life, death, and resurrection, you notice that there is no mention about only helping the vetted poor. She simply was always doing good and helping the poor. The talent she appears to have put to greatest use was her ability to make clothing. It also seems likely that Dorcas did this not from material wealth, but even material poverty herself. Notice that there is no mention of her husband. Only the other widows in Joppa who gathered around her lifeless body with Peter. It seems very likely that Dorcas had been a fellow widow. And, if you know about widows in ancient Israel, they were typically members of society who were under the poverty level.
Whether she was rich or poor in worldly estimations, she was spiritually rich. She very clearly knew and believed that her greatest riches were found in her Savior, Jesus. She obviously knew that the un-payable debt of sin and been paid by Jesus. She cherished the eternal true riches that awaited her in heaven. This spiritual wealth reflected itself in her acts of kindness and love which built such a reputation and appreciation in her community that when she died, Peter was called for.
Why Peter? Well, we know they heard he was nearby. We know he was a leader of the early Christian church. But doesn’t their behavior seem to suggest that they also called on him in the hopes that exactly what did happen would happen? Raising Dorcas from the dead??? It seems so.
If you find yourself struggling to have Dorcas’ Dedication, maybe it isn’t so much a problem in our society, but a problem in your own heart. Yes, God desires that we be good stewards of that which he has blessed us, but don’t turn that into an excuse to not do good or help the poor at all. Whenever you help someone, you open yourself up to being taken advantage of no matter the circumstances because you are one sinner helping another sinner. But, if you are struggling to have Dorcas’ Dedication in your life, you need to start with your own heart. Search out the greed and selfishness of your own heart, and confess it to God. And in its place, let Jesus’ love and perfect dedication to you flood your heart. Consider Jesus’ often foolish and reckless love for you that keeps doing you good and keeps helping you and keeps forgiving you even though you in your sin are often lazy in your faith and fraudulent in your commitment to Christ and your neighbor. It’s all been forgiven! Focusing first on your heart and growing in your appreciation for the true and lasting spiritual riches that are yours in Christ, Dorcas’ Dedication is also sure to follow.