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Dorcas
Biographical Study
Name:
Dorcas
Scripture
Reference: Acts 9:36-42
36In
Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which, when translated, is Dorcas[a]),
who was always doing good and helping
the poor. 37About that time
she became sick and died, and her body
was washed and placed in an upstairs
room. 38Lydda was near Joppa;
so when the disciples heard that Peter
was in Lydda, they sent two men to him
and urged him, "Please come at once!"
39Peter
went with them, and when he arrived he
was taken upstairs to the room. All the
widows stood around him, crying and
showing him the robes and other clothing
that Dorcas had made while she was still
with them.
40Peter
sent them all out of the room; then he
got down on his knees and prayed.
Turning toward the dead woman, he said,
"Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes,
and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He
took her by the hand and helped her to
her feet. Then he called the believers
and the widows and presented her to them
alive. 42This became known
all over Joppa, and many people believed
in the Lord.
First
Impressions & Observations:
Dorcas
was a Christian woman who lived in Joppa
that had a heart for others. She spent
her time seeing to the needs of poor,
especially widows and she was very
loved.
Outline of Her Work:
I. Residence (Acts 9:36)
A. Lived in Joppa
II.
Work (Acts 9:36, 39)
A. Sewed clothes for widows.
III. They Sent for Peter, hoping
for a Miracle (38)
IV.
The Community of Believers were grieved.
(39)
A. They show Peter the works of
Dorcas
V.
Peter sends the people away and prays
(40)
VI.
Peter raises Dorcas from the dead (41)
VII.
Peter in the believers to give Dorcas
back to them.
VIII.
News of the miracle spreads across the
region.
General
Insights:
The Scripture record of Dorcas is
limited to a few verses in the ninth
chapter of Acts, but her name to this
day stands for the benevolent use of the
needle. Her example has been an
inspiration to women throughout church
history.
The Bible is silent concerning the
genealogy of Dorcas. What is known is
that her home was at Joppa and she was
associated with a little band of
Christians, most of whom were poor. She,
however, apparently was a woman of means
to serve humanity as freely as she did.
The words of Jesus had no doubt been the
moving power in her soul: “For I was
hungered and you gave me meat, I was
thirsty and you game me drink; I was a
stranger and you took me in; naked an
you clothed me; I was sick and you
visited me; I was in prison and you came
to me....in as much as you have done it
unto the least of my brothers, you have
done it for me”.
The Scriptures give us only glimpses of
her witness and work for Christ in Acts
chapter nine, yet she has influenced
many by her good works. She is evidently
a Christian, being called “a certain
disciple. It was through the ministry of
Phillip the evangelist that a Christian
church was established in Joppa at an
early date. From its very beginning, the
church in Joppa was known as a center of
fervent evangelism and a well-organized
social service provider. Possibly Dorcas
came to Christ in this church and there
caught the vision of service.
Dorcas was well know for her good works
and charitable deeds which she did. What
is significant about the account of her
life is that Dorcas not only thought up
ways of relieving the needy, but she
also carried out her plans! She knew
what she could do and she DID it. She
was a true “doer” of the Word. Among her
good works was that of making clothes
for widows and the needy of her church
and community with her own loving hands.
The clothes that Dorcas cut out and
sewed represented Christian faith in
action. She was not only willing to give
financially, but she was willing to
invest herself in the work of charity.
When Dorcas died, she left the church at
Joppa grief -stricken. The church called
for the Apostle Peter, who was in a
neighboring city, to come to them. They
obviously had heard of Peter’s
supernatural power and doubtless hoped
that he might return Dorcas to them.
When he got there he found that the
widows she had helped had laid her out
and prepared an eloquent eulogy on the
life and character of Dorcas by showing
some of the many coats and garments
which she made for them. Here no doubt
were aged widows whose hands were too
feeble to hold the needle and too poor
to pay other for their work. They showed
the warm garments Dorcas had made them
to protect them from the cold winds
which often swept in from the
Mediterranean. Also there were likely
young widows for whom Dorcas had most
likely made clothes for their children.
But Dorcas was given back to them by a
great miracle. Apparently this scene
touched Peter’s emotions. He sent them
all out and kneeled down and prayed.
When he felt his request had been
received by God, Peter spoke the word of
power and authority and raised Dorcas
from the dead, thus presenting her alive
to the believers and widows at Joppa.
Word spread about the miracle
throughout the city.
Character Qualities Identified:
Ø
Compassionate – she was
always helping the poor
Ø
Motivated – she was
always doing good works
Ø
Faithful - she persevered
in the work God had given her
Ø
Hard working – made
clothes for many people
Ø
Productive - made many
items of clothing
Ø
Available to God - she did
what God called her to do.
Ø
Respected by others -
which is seen by the way they laid her
out and displayed the clothes she made
them. Also it is seen in the way
they grieved her.
Bible Truths Illustrated in
His/Her Life
1. She helped the “least of
these”.
Matthew 25: 35-40
- 35For
I was hungry and you gave me something
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and
you invited me in, 36I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick
and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.'
37"Then
the righteous will answer him, 'Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to
drink? 38When did we see you
a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you? 39When
did we see you sick or in prison and go
to visit you?'
40"The
King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
2. She was a doer of the word.
James 1:22
– Do not merely listen to the word, but
do what it says!
3. She displayed true religion;
she displayed to others what
Christianity is all about.
James 1: 27 Religion that
God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after orphans
and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the
world.
Summary of Lessons Learned from
the Life of Dorcas:
While Dorcas was greatly loved and
respected among the people of Joppa, it
seems that she wasn’t conscious of the
magnificent work she was doing and of
its far-reaching consequences. Dorcas
did not strive to be a leader, but was
content to stay in her own home and try
to do all she could to serve the Lord in
her sphere of influence. But because of
her faithful service, she indeed became
a leader in an almost universal
philanthropic cause. Many women
throughout history have sought to
emulate the life of Dorcas by
establishing “Dorcas Societies” that
hold humanitarian ideals, engage in
various relief activities, and whose
sole purpose in existing is to do good.
We can hold Dorcas as an example to all
of us to look after the welfare of
others. After all, remember what James
1:27 tells us: “Religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is
this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.” We
can find no finer model of this pure
religion than Dorcas.
Personal Application (mine)
I will make a plan to help others and
then will work that plan. For now, I
will pick a project to complete by
Christmas. Each year my kids and I pick
a person or organization to help. I
will begin planning for that and seeing
it through. When that is done, I will
make a plan for each month to help
someone in need – either financial,
physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Be sure to make your own personal
application!
Transferable Concepts:
1.
We need to remember what true
religion is. It is not studying just
for knowledge, but for application. We
need to become “doers” of the Word. How
can you share this concept with others?
2.
We need to help the “least of
these”. It doesn’t just mean poor
people. It can also mean those who
cannot take care of themselves for a
variety of reasons; those who the world
doesn’t care about. How can you share
this concept with others?
Share this study
with a friend!
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