Quick Summary:

The ministry of Tabitha with the widows of Joppa gave them a sense of belonging. How bereft they were at her dying! But through the ministry of Peter she is given back to them.

What is this story about? It’s a miracle story, for sure, which Luke has collected and included here because of its raw power. But it’s also a story about people, like Tabitha & Peter, subverting the usual order of things through the power of the risen Christ. Because Christ lives, the story tells us, the future is radically open—so much so that death itself has been put on notice.

This is a pattern we see erupting again and again in the book of ACTS where the Spirit is constantly pushing the boundaries, forcing Jesus’ followers to wonder just how far the God who raised Jesus will push and prod them to share good news beyond any reasonable limits.