Raising Dorcus

Matt 13:31!

Another parable put he forth unto them saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:!

Matt 13:32!

Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.!

Our Mustard Seed Lesson Plans for Sunday School are written with the goal that each parent or teacher will teach the story, healing or event from the Bible from a more inspired viewpoint. Knowing the literal content of any story, understanding the historical context, the geographical location, and the people that surround it, etc., is the first step of comprehending it. However, the most important objective is to find the spiritual symbols in each event, and lift it up to its spiritual interpretation. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (II Tim. 3:16). !

�1

Mustard Seed Lesson Plans

Mustard Seed Packet!Peter raising Dorcus from the dead

Raising Dorcus

Mary Baker Eddy writes, “The spiritual sense of the Scriptures understood enables one to utilize the power of divine Love in casting out God’s opposites, called evils, and in healing the sick” (My ? 5:27).!

Welcome. Little bit about us.!My name is Kathy Merrill, and I work for Biblos Foundation, a ! foundation set up to enhance the deeper study of the Bible through the lens of Christian Science. We are excited to expand the focus and mission of Biblos to young families, to those who have children and those who don’t. Our prayer is that we can fan the flame of interest in the Scriptures, so the desire to study the Bible will catch on fire and grow within each one of you.!

Each week I plan to share ideas on how to study the Bible more deeply, and how to use what you are learning to share these ideas with your children.!

If you downloaded this PDF, you probably got it from my blog, diggingdeepernow.org, a blog dedicated to helping teach the Bible to young Christian Science families who want to share their love for the Bible with their children. If you received this free copy through a friend or family member, please visit us at diggingdeepernnow.org and sign up for free blog posts emailed directly to you inbox. I regularly update the blog with insights, historical facts about the Bible (Bible 101), and inspirational articles to share.%

**********************************************************************************************%

Not all Mustard Seed Packets contain exactly the same information since some chapters do not apply to certain topics. But the following is an outline of this packet:!

!• Bible Verses

• Study Questions

• Research

• Palestine Map

• Disciple Peter

• Art Gallery

�2

Raising Dorcus

!!

Acts 9:36-42

36¶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

37And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.

38And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

40But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.

42And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

�3

Bible Verses

Raising Dorcus

1. Why was Dorcas known by two names?!!__________________________________________________________________________!!__________________________________________________________________________!!!

2. Why did her neighbors love Dorcas so much? !!__________________________________________________________________________!!__________________________________________________________________________!!!

3. What healing of Jesus was Peter probably thinking about when he raised Dorcas? Had he witnessed Jesus raise the dead?!!

__________________________________________________________________________!!__________________________________________________________________________!!!

4. What did this healing do to encourage the Christians during this time?!!__________________________________________________________________________!!__________________________________________________________________________!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

�4

Study Questions

Raising Dorcus

Acts 9:36-41 !36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.!!!

“Joppa (modern Jaffa) was the ancient seaport for Jerusalem. Situated on the coast thirty-five miles northwest of the capital city and ten miles beyond Lydda, it possesses the only natural harbor on the Mediterranean between Egypt and Ptolemais (the OT city of Acco). Through Joppa Solomon brought cedar beams from Lebanon to build the temple (II Chron. 2:16); from it Jonah sailed for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). Its rival in NT times was Caesarea, thirty miles to the north, which Herod the Great, because the people of Joppa hated him, built into a magnificent new port city and provincial capital” (EBC 9.382). !!“Tabitha—Dorcas. The latter word being the Greek equivalent of the former, which is Aramaic, and meaning gazelle, which in the East was a favorite type of beauty. It was customary at this time for the Jews to have two names, one Hebrew and the other Greek or Latin; and this would especially be the case in a seaport like Joppa, which was both a Gentile and a Jewish town. She may have been known by both names” (Vincent 1.496). !

“Tabitha was distinguished for good works. And almsdeeds. Acts of kindness to the poor” (Barnes 443).!

!37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died:!38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.!!“Lydda was six miles from Joppa” (Barnes 443).!!“Why they sent is not affirmed. It is probable that they desired his presence to comfort and sustain them in their affliction. It is certainly possible that they expected he would restore her to life; but as this is not mentioned—as the apostles had as yet raised up no one from the dead—as even Stephen had not been restored to life—we have no authority for assuming, or supposing, that they had formed any such expectation” (Barnes 443).!!

“Having heard of Aeneas’s healing, they seem to have thought it merely a slight extension of divine power to raise the dead” (EBC 9.382).!!!!

�5

Research

Raising Dorcus

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.!!

“Possibly there as nurses and as professional mourners—a part they certainly played at a later date—but more probably simply as Dorcas’ beneficiaries” (IB 9.130).!!“and all the widows. Whom Dorcas had benefited by her kindness. They had lost a benefactress; and it was natural that they should recall her kindness, and express their gratitude by enumerating the proofs of her beneficence. Each one would therefore naturally dwell on the kindness which had been shown to herself ” (Barnes 443). !!40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.!!“Peter had been instrumental in a number of physical healings and even pronounced the death sentence on Ananias and Sapphira. Yet raising

people from the dead was hardly a common feature of his ministry. Nevertheless, knowing himself to be an apostle of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit—and probably remembering his Lord’s raising of Jairus’s daughter, Peter responded to the urgent call. As he had seen Jesus do in the case of Jairus’s daughter, he ordered the mourners out of the room and prayed. Then he spoke these words: ‘Tabitha, get up’ (which in its Aramaic form Tabitha kumi would have differed in only one letter from Jesus’ command Talitha kumi (Little girl, get up). When she opened her eyes and sat up, he took her by the hand, helped her to her feet, and presented her alive to the Christians who stood by. It was an exceptional exhibit of God’s mercy and the Spirit’s power, and ‘many people believed in the Lord’ ” (EBC 9.382).!!

In the same manner as Jesus:!!Mark 5:41, 42!

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.!42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.!!!41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.!!

“And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up—precisely as His Lord had done to his own mother-in-law (Mark 1:30)” (Jamieson 3.64).!

“Though ‘saints’ is the all-inclusive word for ‘Christians,’ we need hardly suppose that the widows were not Christians” (IB 9.130).!!

�6

Research

Raising Dorcus

“This miracle was not merely a work of benevolence in restoring to life one who contributed largely to the comfort of the poor, but it was used as a means of extending and establishing, as it was designed doubtless to do, the kingdom of the Saviour” (Barnes 443).!!“The raising of Dorcas is notable because it is the first of such miracles by an apostle, and because it resulted in winning many believers. Luke probably found this narrative in the early traditions of the Palestinian church and reported it, believing such an event was both possible and probable—a confidence accepted and wondered at today” (IDB 1.865).!!

Sources:!

Barnes, Albert. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1962.!!The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John – Acts. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein et al. Vol. 9. Grand !

Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.!!The Interpreter’s Bible. Ed. George Arthur Buttrick et al. 12 vols. New York: Abingdon, 1953.!

The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. George Arthur Buttrick et al. Nashville: Abingdon, ! 1989.!

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New %Testaments. Vol. 3. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1871.!

Vincent, Marvin R. Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament: The Synoptic Gospels, Acts of % the Apostles, Peter, James and Jude. Vol. 1. McLean: MacDonald Publishing, 1888.%

!Abbreviation key:

EBC = The Expositor’s Bible Commentary%IB = The Interpreter’s Bible%IDB = The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible%!!!!!!!!!!

�7

Research

Raising Dorcus

�8

Palestine Map

MEDITERRANEANSEA

PALESTINE INTHE TIME OF JESUS

DeadSea

Sea of Galilee

Samaria

Antipatris

Masada

GALILEE

PHOEN

ICIATyre

Sarepta (Zarephath)

Sidon

DECAPOLISSAMARIA

GAULANITIS

TRACHONITIS

ARABIA

Damascus

Caesarea Philippi

Bethsaida

Gergesa

ChorazinCapernaumMagdala

TiberiasCana

Nazareth

Nain Gadara

Bethabara (?)

Pella

SycharShechem MT.GERIZIM

MT.H

ERM

ON

Scythopolis

Aenon

Arimathaea

Philadelphia (Rabbath-ammon)

BATANAEA

AURANITIS

PERAEA

Machaerus

Jord

an R

iver

Joppa

Caesarea

MT.CARM

EL

Ptolemais(Accho)

Lydda

Hebron

JUDAEA

BethelEphraim

Jericho

Jerusalem

EmmausBethany

BethlehemGaza

QumranAzotus(Ashdad)

IDUMAEA

Beer-sheba

GazaMILEAGESTO JERUSALEM

Bethany 2Bethlehem 5Caesarea Philippi 105Cana 65Capernaum 79Emmaus 6Jericho 17Nain 58Nazareth 63Sychar 30

Raising Dorcus

Simon Peter!

Peter’s original name was Simon, but Jesus renames him Peter (the Greek word is petros, or “rock”). Cephas is the Hebrew name for “rock” and that name is sometimes used. Throughout the Scriptures, he is also referred to with both names, Simon Peter.!

Historical background%

Peter was a fisherman, originally from the city of Bethsaida, who eventually moved to Capernaum and set up a business with Zebedee and his two sons, John and James. Peter’s brother Andrew was also a part of this fishing partnership and scholars think that perhaps the two families lived together (Mark 1:29). Peter could converse in Greek as well as Aramaic, which allowed him to expand beyond Palestine into the Roman World later in his ministry.!

The Synoptic Gospels place Peter’s call to discipleship by Jesus near the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11); however, John places Peter’s first contact with Jesus in Judaea near where John the Baptist is preaching ( John 1:35- 42). Andrew, who hears John the Baptist refer to Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” follows Jesus and becomes convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. He tells his brother, Peter, about it and brings him to Jesus ( John 1:41). Jesus foretells that he will become a “fisher of men,” and Peter immediately leaves his boat and nets and starts to follow the Master full time. He lives with him, learns from him and helps him in small and great ways.!

Peter is always the first one of the twelve mentioned in any list of the disciples. There are many events in the New Testament with Peter at the forefront of the other disciples. Some examples of these: Peter attempts to walk on the water (Matt. 14:28); Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness (Matt. 18:21); and Peter asks about future rewards for sacrificing everything (Matt. 19:27; Mark 10:28; Luke 18:28).!

At Caesarea Philippi, Peter recognizes Jesus as the Christ, but fails to see in prophecy that the Messi- ah is to suffer (Matt. 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Peter, along with James and John, is one of the inner circle. Therefore he

�9

Disciple Peter

Raising Dorcus

witnesses events in which other disciples are not involved. He is present at the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:9), the rais- ing of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28), and the Gethsemane experience (Matt. 26:36, 37; Mark 14:32, 33).!

Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times before the crucifixion. Peter runs away and does not witness the crucifixion, but he does witness the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-8, Luke 24:34). Jesus also restores Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection ( John 21:15-17).!

After the Crucifixion!

For 15 years after the crucifixion, Peter was the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 1-12). Some events that happened during these years of Peter’s life:!

! •! goes with John to the temple and heals the lame man (Acts 3:2) !

! •! is imprisoned with John (Acts 12:5) !

! •! goes to Samaria to preach (Acts 8:14) !

! •! proposes the selection of the twelfth disciple, after Judas commits suicide (Acts 1:23-26) !

! •! speaks with boldness while under arrest (Acts 4:13) !

! •! denounces hypocrisy in the church (Acts 5:1-11) !

! •! speaks out in the Sanhedrin about “obey[ing] God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) !

! •! begins ministry outside Jerusalem (Acts 9:32) !

! •! preaches in Lydda and Joppa (Acts 9:32-43) !

! •! preaches to Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-11) • gives up the leadership of the church in Jerusalem to James, the brother of Jesus (Gal. 2:9) • travels to Asia Minor and Corinth (1 Cor. 1:12)

�10

Disciple Peter

Raising Dorcus

• Paul visits with Peter for two weeks, after he is converted (Acts 9:26- 30; Gal. 1:18-20) !

Preaching in Rome? What proof is there that Peter was in Rome preaching until the end of his life? The proof comes not only from Scripture, but from early Christian writers as well. I Clement places Peter’s martyrdom in Rome.Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, 175 CE, says that Peter and Paul founded both the Roman and the Corinthian churches. Eusebius, an early Christian historian, writes: “Both [Peter and Paul] planted also in our Corinth, and likewise taught us; and likewise they taught together also in Italy, and were martyred on the same occasion” (Eusebius 2.25). Irenaeus says that “Peter and Paul...preach[ed] at Rome, and la[id] the foundations of the church” (Her. 3.1.1). Tertullian refers to three martyrdoms at Rome: Peter, Paul and John (Presc. Her. 36). !

Origen reports that Peter “at the last came to Rome and was crucified head downwards” (Eusebius 3.1). According to tradition Peter’s crucifixion happened in Nero’s Rome in 64 CE or 67 CE.!

New Testament Books written by Peter?!

The gospel of Mark is possibly the reminiscences of Peter through the eyes of Mark, Peter’s friend and traveling companion. Eusebius, an early Christian historian, writes:!

“A great light of religion shone on the minds of the hearers of Peter, so that they were not satisfied with a single hearing or with the unwritten teaching of the divine proclamation, but with every kind of exhortation besought Mark, whose Gospel is extant, seeing that he was Peter’s follower, to leave them a written statement of the teaching given them verbally, nor did they cease until they had persuaded him, and so became the cause of the Scripture called the Gospel according to Mark. And they say that the Apostle, knowing by the revelation of the spirit to him what had been

�11

Disciple Peter

Raising Dorcus

done, was pleased at their zeal, and ratified the scripture for study in the churches” (Eusebius 2.14).!

“ ....we are now obliged to append to the words already quoted from him a tradition about the Mark who wrote the Gospel, which he expounds as follows. ‘And the Presbyter used to say this, Mark became Peter’s interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said or done by the Lord.!

For he had not heard the Lord, nor had he followed him, but later on, as I said, followed Peter, who used to give teaching as necessity demanded but not making, as it were, an arrangement of the Lord’s oracles, so that Mark did nothing wrong in thus writing down single points as he remembered them. For to one thing he gave attention, to leave out nothing of what he had heard and to make no false statements in them.’ This is related by Papias about Mark...” (Eusebius 3.34).!

The book of 1 Peter is also attributed to Peter. It was written to the Christians at Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Scholars “feel this is one of the finest and clearest examples of New Testament teaching” (IDB 8:758).!

The author of this book declares that he was “an eyewitness of the Lord’s sufferings” (1 Pet. 1:8), and for centuries, early church tradition has considered Peter the author. However, scholars today are not certain if this book was truly written by Peter the disciple, or Silvanus, Peter’s secretary.!

!!!!!! !!! !! !!!!!!

�12

Disciple Peter

Raising Dorcus

!

!!!!!!!!

�13

Art Gallery

Art Gallery

Raising Dorcus

�14