Why Dorcas Was Loved

Do you feel that way?—a The Bible tells about Dorcas, a woman whom many loved very much.

In 1988, I met Dorcas, a very humble, spiritually-minded pioneer sister.

Dorcas has proved to be a loving and self-sacrificing wife.

15, 16. (a) How was the kindness of Dorcas remembered, and what happened when she died? (b) How do kindhearted Christian women abound in good deeds today?

¹⁵ The loving-kindness of the disciple Dorcas (Tabitha) of Joppa did not go unrewarded.

She was a first-century Christian disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.

13. (a) What indicates that Dorcas was actively involved in the congregation? (b) How was Dorcas rewarded for her goodness and kindness?

¹³ A woman named Dorcas, or Tabitha, lived in Joppa, an ancient seaport northwest of Jerusalem.

Take, for example, Dorcas.

The disciples at Lydda, where Dorcas had died, heard that the apostle Peter was in a nearby city, Joppa.

In the first-century congregation at Joppa, there was a generous woman named Dorcas. (Read Acts 9:36-42.)

Dorcas “abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy” that evidently included the making of garments for needy widows.

12. What can we learn from the example of Dorcas?

¹² Among the godly women who cared about others was Dorcas.

There “all the widows presented themselves to him weeping and exhibiting many inner garments and outer garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.”

For example, consider Tabitha, a fine Christian woman of the first century.

These women may have had fleshly relatives, but Tabitha wanted to do what she could to help and encourage them. (1 John 3:18)

19. By what good deeds did Dorcas render a fine account of herself to God?

¹⁹ Dorcas was another woman who rendered a fine account of herself to Jehovah God.

The two men who met Peter “led him up into the upper chamber; and all the widows presented themselves to him weeping and exhibiting many inner garments and outer garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.”

But the bleakness vanished when we were greeted by two warm, smiling faces​—Arthur Nutter and young Dorcas Reid, constituting half of the total number of baptized witnesses of Jehovah on these remote islands.

Arthur’s wife, Josie, and Dorcas’ mother made up the balance.

An excellent example of this was Tabitha (or, Dorcas), who lived in Joppa shortly after the establishing of the Christian congregation.

In Joppa, the beloved disciple Tabitha (Dorcas) fell sick and died.

Think of what happened to generous Tabitha, or Dorcas.

Tabitha, a sister from India, says: “We avoided a lot of anxiety.

Tabitha, mentioned earlier, says: “Where I live, large receptions are common.

12. How might Jehovah use us as he did Tabitha?

¹² Jehovah motivated Tabitha to abound in “good deeds and gifts of mercy,” particularly in behalf of widows. (Acts 9:36)

What do we learn from Tabitha?

The apostle Peter was responsible for another one, that of the Christian woman Dorcas (Tabitha).