9:36 The site of Joppa (modern Yafo, a suburb of Tel Aviv) was on the Mediterranean coast 10 miles west and a little north of Lydda. It was the ancient seaport for Jerusalem (cf. 2 Chron. 2:16; Jon. 1:3). Tabitha (lit. "Gazelle") was a Jewish Christian, and she was a "disciple"(Gr. mathetria).418Her name Tabitha is Aramaic, but Dorcas is Greek. She had a marvelous reputation for helping people in her community because she had a servant's heart.
9:37-38 When she died, the believers sent to Peter asking him to come. Apparently they expected him to raise her back to life as Jesus had done since they did not bury her but washed and laid her body in an upper room.
9:39 Luke told this story with much interesting detail. Peter accompanied the two men who came for him to Lydda (cf. 10:7, 23). The widows were evidently wearing the clothing Tabitha had made for them.419She had made clothes for the poor widows. This was her ministry.
"She had the gift of sewing. Do you mean to tell me that sewing is a gift of the Holy Spirit? Yes, it was for this woman. May I suggest seeking a gift that is practical?420
9:40-41 Peter's procedure here was almost identical to Jesus' when He raised Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:41; Luke 8:51-56). Peter's praying here shows that he was relying on Jesus for his power just as his saying, "Jesus Christ heals you,"manifested that attitude when he healed Aeneas (v. 34). There is only one letter difference in what Peter said (Tabitha qumi) and what Jesus had said (Talitha qumi, lit. "Little girl, get up"). This miracle is another evidence of Jesus' working powerfully through His witnesses in word and deed (1:1-2; cf. John 14:12).421Jesus had given the Twelve the power to raise the dead (Matt. 10:8).
9:42 Many people became believers because of the news of this miracle, too. The phrase "believed in the Lord"(v. 42) is similar to "turned to the Lord"(v. 35; cf. 11:21; 15:19). It is another way of saying "became Christians"and emphasizes that the Person they believed in was the Lord Jesus. Notice that turning is believing and that Luke mentioned no other conditions for salvation.
9:43 This verse provides a geographical and ideological transition to the account of Peter's visit to Cornelius (10:1-11:18). Evidently Peter remained in Joppa to confirm these new converts and to help the church in that town. His willingness to stay with a tanner shows that Peter was more broad-minded in his fellowship than many other Jews. Many Jews thought tanners practiced an unclean trade since they worked with the skins of dead animals, and they would have nothing to do with them. However, Peter was about to receive a challenge to his convictions similar to the one that Saul had received on the Damascus road.
Note how God used the invitation of the people of Joppa to bring Peter there. Likewise God often uses what appear initially to be incidental occurrences to open up great ministries. Luke illustrated this divine method repeatedly in Acts.
"It was important to demonstrate that Peter was in the full stream of his usefulness, and the agent of miracles curiously like those performed by his Master (Mt. ix. 23-26; Mk. v. 38-43; Jn. v. 6-9), when the call came to him to baptize a Gentile."422
