Acts
9:36-43, John 10:22-30
Disciple. It’s a
word we often bat around in church. The standard definition of “disciple” is
someone who adheres to the teachings of another. It’s a follower. And when
applied to Jesus, a disciple is someone who follows him in order to live like
him. Probably most often when we are talking about disciples we are referring
to the twelve men closest to Jesus and use the term like a title, The
Disciples, with a capital T and a capital D. But along with those twelve there
were others named in the Bible as disciples of Jesus. And of those others, how
many do you think were women? The answer, one. Which doesn’t mean that there
was only one female disciple of Christ. Just that only one was noted in
Scripture, which to my mind means we should pay particular attention to her
story as recorded in the book of Acts.
Tabitha is her
name or in Greek, Dorcas. She lived in a town called Joppa and she followed
Jesus by devoting herself “to good works and acts of charity.” It seems that
she was involved in some kind of compassionate assistance program among the
poor. But after some time, Tabitha became gravely ill and died. Those among her
grieved mightily as they washed her body and laid it out for burial.
But even in their
grief there is hope. The believers send for Peter and he comes. They bring him
to Tabitha’s body telling him all about her acts of service as they weep. Then
Peter, after sending the mourners out of the room, kneels down and prays. Then
he speaks, “Tabitha, get up.” And
miraculously she does. She comes back to life. And as news spreads many believe
in the Lord.
Both Tabitha and
Peter model for us what being a disciple can look like in this world. By
generously giving of her time, skill, and resources, Tabitha allowed God’s love
and care to flow through her to those most vulnerable and in need. She lived
like Jesus. And though we never hear of her again, my guess is that in her
second chapter of life on this earth Tabitha continued to let the richness of
God’s grace flow even more fully through her to all the world.
And then there’s
Peter, at this point in his story he’s filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly
preaching the gospel, and praying for the sick. But praying for the dead? That
was something he had never done before. Surely there was a moment when he paused
and wondered what to do in the face of something so difficult and overwhelming?
Perhaps you’ve wondered that as well when faced with something that feels
completely out of your control? I invite you to take a moment and think about
the biggest problem you have, the most stressful situation in your life right
now. What do you do in the face of something that seems so difficult? Are you
like Peter lifting that biggest challenge to God in prayer? Now I realize that
it can be especially hard for us because many of us have been praying a long
time for people or situations that have not been resolved in any positive way.
That perhaps, as of yet, we have not seen our loved one rise up healed and
restored. Even so, disciples of Jesus, like Peter, are called to face any
situation, especially the ones that seem too big for us, with prayer. I find it
particularly interesting that we are told that Peter didn’t just pray for
Tabitha, but that he “knelt down and prayed.” That his body took on the
physical form of humility, of surrender, of acknowledgement that this situation
was too big for Peter to handle as so many things in our lives are too big for
us to handle as well. But in that act of kneeling and praying Peter draws close
to God, to the One for whom nothing is too big or too hard. By drawing close,
Peter gains strength, comfort, peace, and courage from our God who deeply loves
and cares about each one of us and all that is going on in our lives. Which
means that even if our prayers are not immediately answered in ways that we can
see, as disciples we are still called to kneel down and pray, to draw close to
God, over and over and over again trusting, believing that God is somehow at
work. Because this story is not just about two faithful disciples. Like every
story in the Bible, the real subject of the story is God. God, who is present
and at work in the world about us. There may be weeping and loss, but that is
not the last word. Sadness and desperation may be real, but that does not hold
the day. Despite the harsh realities of life, the crazy circumstances of the
world, the unknown anxieties that haunt us, God is present. God is at work. And
God brings life.
“I give them
eternal life, and they will never perish,” promises Jesus in our reading from
John’s gospel today. He is speaking to the religious authorities who have
approached him demanding that he settle the mystery once and for all. “If you
are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” To which Jesus responds, “I have.” But the plain answer he gives to the
religious authorities, and to us, is not packaged in some persuasive oral
argument, but rather it is embodied in a genuine relationship. Because faith is
not about an intellectual assent nor is it about getting all of our questions
answered. At its heart, faith is about knowing Jesus, experiencing his love,
trusting his presence in our lives. It is then within the context of that
relationship that the answer, although beyond words, does indeed become plain.
We are known and
we are loved by Jesus who is the Messiah. The One who in this passage calls us
his sheep. Sheep that know his voice, and by God’s grace, seek to listen and
follow him. Listen and follow so that we might live more like him. For in him
is life.
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