Have you ever felt numb to the reality of death? Have you had times of going through life feeling immortal until someone close to you dies? I have felt like that - I was nearly thirty before losing someone close to me, my Grandmother. She had a good life, and died knowing Jesus after a long illness.
Whether death is something familiar to us or not, it can hit us rather hard when someone close to us dies. In our passage today (Acts 9:32-43) Tabitha's friends were women who knew death – they had all lost their husbands. We see how upset they were at Tabitha dying. I expect she had helped them in their grief or loneliness or poverty, as it says she was kind to the poor. We see how much she meant to them as they cried and by the way they showed Peter the clothes she had made. God had come close to these women through Tabitha, but now He had taken her away.
I think this story is a wonderful story for two reasons. Firstly as an example of Christian community coming together to support people in need, both through Tabitha to the widows, and then through Peter and the disciples making the effort to be with them in their grief. Secondly, it is wonderful because of the miracle of God restoring Tabitha's life.
I think these two reasons are linked. As our spirit is moved to compassion we are reflecting God's compassion. Maybe it's not surprising that things happen when the human spirit and the Holy Spirit come together. Peter had seen God come close in compassion at death before, when Jesus wept at Lazarus's death, and then witnessed him restore Lazarus to life. I expect that gave Peter the boldness to command Tabitha to "get up". It is a lovely image of how God comes close in death. He is so present that people come back to life, both literally for Tabitha, but also spiritually for her widowed friends and people all over Joppa.
Although we may not see someone resurrected from death (although how fantastic that would be!) it is very comforting to know that our life giving God is so present and in control. It is exciting to see how present God is through the love of his followers.
I hope I can show some compassion and awareness of life, rather than being numb to the realities of it.
Jon Seaton
Read the Bible in a year: Psalm 74: 1-9, 2 Samuel 23:8-24:25, Acts 9:32-10:23a
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