Were you to
pay a visit to Tabitha’s house you would have little trouble locating her.
Other than the normal activities of daily living, such as eating, sleeping, and
household chores, you would probably find her doing one of two things. Either
she was dwelling upon spiritual matters, for she is called a disciple, or her
hands and fingers were moving at industry-like speed cutting fabric and sewing
the pieces together to make the tunics and other garments that so impressed
those who mourned her death. Tabitha was, indeed, full of good works and acts of charity. (Acts 9:36) And so, there
she would be in her usual place of study and prayer or her usual place of
industry. There you would find her were you to visit.
But how would
you have known her if you were not a friend or family member? The answer seems
obvious: you would have heard about her by word of mouth. Perhaps you had
received one of the tunics she had made; perhaps an acquaintance of yours had
been given one of the garments her busy hands had fashioned; perhaps you simply
overheard others proclaiming her goodness as you walked through the streets of
Joppa. There are any number of ways Tabitha could have become known to you, but
one means would not be on that list. You may have heard about her by word of
mouth, but not by word of her own mouth.
Tabitha was
much too busy doing good works and being charitable. She had no time to be out
in public bragging about her work and vaunting herself. You would not observe
her strolling along with a companion or two, then suddenly halting her
conversation to proclaim, “Look, there goes one of my tunics now. I spent a lot
of time on that one and I hope it will be well taken care of.” You would not
see Tabitha turning to her companions with an air or expectancy that they
respond with praise for her workmanship. Where you would find her is at home in
her workshop busily preparing the next garment.
Peter could
already have heard about Tabitha. It is difficult to determine from the account
in Acts 9 how well acquainted he was with her and her good works. However,
whether or not he knew her before he was asked to come to Joppa is not all that
important. He certainly knew her reputation once he arrived at her house. Upon
his arrival what did he find? The Bible says nothing about him passing a
showcase of trophies or a wall covered with certificates. What he found was a
group of widows in mourning who obviously loved Tabitha deeply. They were the
ones who proclaimed Tabitha’s goodness and charity.
There is a
lesson for us in Tabitha’s example as we reflect upon the following scriptures:
Matthew
6:1-4 “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when
thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I
say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and
thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
Jeremiah 9:23
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the
wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let
not the rich man boast in his riches,” [applying the principle contained in
this verse, we understand that one ought not to boast in his good deeds.]
Matthew
5:15-17 “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand,
and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven.”
Let our deeds
of goodness be extolled through the mouths of others, not through our own. We
can be just like Tabitha even though we can only visit her through the
scriptures.
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