Signs For Our Faith: Tabitha (Dorcus) of Joppa


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Tabitha, or Dorcas as she was known in Greek, was one of those raised from the dead in Scripture, in this instance by Peter in the time of the early church after Jesus’ own death and Resurrection. Not much is known about Tabitha outside this passage from Acts today.

There are two things we can take away from her life, though. One is that this event brought many to come and believe in Jesus. What happened to Tabitha was a physical and literal sign of the Resurrection that our Lord Jesus Christ paved the way to for us. It was a true sign of what Jesus actually has to offer us.

The other thing to take away is the work that Tabitha was doing. We hear that she was a disciple, “devoted to good works and acts of charity.” By those surrounding her in this passage, it is likely she was working with widows, though whether she was a widow herself was unknown. 

In her day and age, widows and children were often the most vulnerable in society. Because of societal structures, they could not take care of themselves. They were often over looked and disregarded, which is why Scripture, in calling us to look out for our fellow human being, pays particular attention to calling us to look after this group of people.

Tabitha points the way for us, through her deeds and through the miracle that happened to her that points the way to the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are both important things for us to remember. They are important for us to look to as examples of our Faith.