The lectionary in the Easter season asks us to read from Acts as the first or second reading, so we are looking at the reading from Acts 9 for Easter 4 in Year C.
The raising of Tabitha comes at an important point in the narrative of Acts, as the focus begins to shift from Peter to Paul, and from proclamation to Jews to the Gentile mission. It tells us important things about discipleship and ministry according to Luke, with connections and continuity both with the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of God’s prophets in the Old Testament.
James and Ian discuss the passage, the connections we find, and its place in Acts. For full exposition, see the previous article here.
Thanks for the discussion alongside the written blog. Brings out the parallels with Jesus’ ministry well.
“How are we going to preach this?”
Just before that question, Ian notes that Jesus did not go round raising the dead frequently, but rarely – and that too is reflected in Acts. It happens, but not often.
So, in describing being a disciple as doing what Jesus did/does – with that observation of the rarity of seeing the dead raised, hangs true. The most frequent aspect of being a disciple, alongside worship and prayer, is being compassionate, doing works of charity. It’s the working out of love in practice in a myriad of ways, not least amongst each other which results in folk seeing we are disciples of Jesus.
Thanks, Ian. I think this is a lovely format for exploring scripture passages, and a very helpful kickstart for sermon prep. I’ll definitely be back for more!
Glad you are enjoying it! Do pass on…