Jesus was supremely confident in the way he talked and acted when it came to raising the dead. There were clear patterns and clear exceptions to the pattern. Now it is time to look at how the Apostles stepped up to the challenge.

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Raising #4: Peter and Dorcas/Tabitha

After having read about how Jesus raised the dead, let’s look at the remaining resurrections in scripture where a saint was triggering it.

Acts 9:32-43  (WEB)

³² As Peter went throughout all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. ³³ There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, because he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!” Immediately he arose. ³⁵ All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas.^[a] This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did. ³⁷ In those days, she became sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ As Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men^[b] to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹ Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out, and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand, and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ He stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Questions

• How many parallels do you spot to the raisings in the old testament and the ones from Jesus?
• Why did Peter humble himself before god and go on his knees?
• How long do you think Peter prayed and what for?

It is so amazing to see how in this passage so many things are coming together from the former ones we read. In Vers 40-41 we see Peter applying the Principles he has learned from Jesus, his role-model:

1. he gets unbelief out of the room like jesus (mark 5:40)
2. he humbles himself before god in obedience like jesus (Philippians 2:8)
3. he prays like jesus (john 11:41)
4. he raises the woman like jesus did (mark 5:41)

• What do you think did God reveal to Peter while he was praying?

After a whole load of Raisings from the dead we continue with the last one recorded in the bible. As Paul said “imitate me as I imitate Christ” we can also learn from him, not only in how to do a long bible study:

#5: Paul raising the boy who fell out of the third floor window during the sermon that was really long like this headline is

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

^{Acts 20:7-12 (NIV)
7} On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Questions:

• Did Paul know the Stories of the Old Testament?
• What is Paul doing in Vers 10 and why?
• What do you think he was thinking while going down the three floors?
• Could it be that knowing the scriptures helped him to raise the dead?

I find it so amazing to see, that Paul is acting like Elijah and “throws himself on the young man”. I am sure he was not going down the stairs thinking “what would Elijah do”, but because he was inhaling the scriptures since birth the holy spirit reminded him on that event and an old story suddenly became his own. Paul was trained to understand the language of the holy spirit. Whenever the holy spirit is reminding you of an “old” miracle it might be he wants you to live it anew. “An Invitation for a repetition”.

Extra Questions for Mark 5:

• What was Jesus doing in between Vers 25 and 35? What was he doing before this miracle story started? What is he doing after it?
• When it is the same Jesus, why could he do no such thing in his hometown?
• What are the miracle-stories before the Raisings performed by Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-16 ) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-7)?
• What could Oil stand for in a New testament context?
• Do we need an extra portion of anointing before raising a dead?
• What did Jesus say you need to move a mountain?
• When is your faith usually the biggest?

Author: Donay Wartmann

© Legal notice. Scripture references taken from the NIV used by permission. World English Bible (Public domain). We mixed the two sources to comply with NIV copyright limitations to relative amount of NIV to other text.