Acts 9:40

Acts 9:40. But Peter put them all forth, following the example of Christ (Mark 5:40), to avoid anything like a crowd of curious spectators in the hushed and solemn death-chamber, at the moment when the soul should return to the body. Elisha, when he raised to life the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4:33), did the same thing.

Kneeled down, and prayed. So Elijah, when he raised the dead son of the widow of Zarephath, ‘cried unto the Lord,' and Elisha, in the case of the Shunammite's son, ‘prayed unto the Lord.' Jesus, without any preceding prayer, restored to life the son of the widow of Nain and the little daughter of Jairus. In the case of the raising of Lazarus, His action was still more remarkable; then He thanked the Father beforehand for His power over life and death, so confident was Jesus that, though He had laid aside His robe of glory, He still possessed the keys of death and the grave.

Less than ten years had passed since the Resurrection of Jesus (the scene just related, which happened at Joppa, took place A.D. 40, 41), and already one of the great changes Christianity was to work in the world, had been effected in the rapidly-growing company of believers. A ‘new life' had been pointed out to and quietly adopted by the women of the new society. From the first days which succeeded that glad Pentecost morning when the Holy Spirit fell on the twelve, we have noticed (see the short Excursus B. at the end of chap. 5) the holy influence which the ‘sisters in Christ' quietly exercised in the Jerusalem Church. Now at Joppa, the relation of the circumstances which led to the great miracle of Peter, casually tells us that another advance in the position of women as fellow-workers for Jesus, had silently been brought about.

At Joppa, a devoted disciple named Dorcas had apparently organized a band of helpers, widows, perhaps desolate, friendless, homeless ones, who assisted her in her works of charity and self-denying love. What was taking place at Joppa in the year ‘40,' no doubt was taking place in Jerusalem, and in many another centre where the religion of Jesus had gathered together a congregation of believers. In this little band of faithful women gathered together in Joppa by Dorcas, we see the germ of that more elaborately-constituted body of female workers at Ephesus alluded to twenty-five years later by St. Paul (1 Timothy 5:9). It is, indeed, a specially interesting episode this visit of Peter to Joppa, for it is the first and earliest mention of the noble work left by the Redeemer to be done by Christian women. It is the first recital of those splendid services of theirs in the holy cause of charity, the record of which will be found to fill so many of the brightest pages of the book of God when it is opened and read before the great white throne.