Changed: Tabitha

Tabitha was her Jewish name, but she was also known as Dorcas, a Greek name that carried the same meaning as the Hebrew indicated. She was a dear, and a deer. She was known for her good deeds, and she is the only woman in the entire Christian testament who is actually named as a disciple. Her seemingly untimely death rocked her Christian community to its core. Her ministry, her presence, her generosity and reach were so important and extensive, it was decided to summon the apostle Peter. Tabitha’s deliverance, by being raised back to life, generated widespread belief in the Lord, a harbinger of an even deeper, more powerful, and more shocking divine outpouring of God to come. God changed Tabitha and Peter both, in a story that has puzzled many for centuries.

Joanne Hagemeyer