A port serving Jerusalem
Joppa was a coastal town on the Mediterranean Sea, making it an important link between inland Jerusalem and the nations beyond Israel. Solomon arranged for cedar and fir timber from Lebanon to be brought by sea to Joppa, then transported to Jerusalem for the temple building work (2 Chronicles 2:16).
After the exile, the returned Jewish community used the port in the same way as they rebuilt the temple. Joppa therefore appears not only in dramatic stories, but in the steady, practical work of restoring worship after hardship (Ezra 3:7).
And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.
Jonah's attempted escape
Joppa is especially remembered as the place where Jonah found a ship for Tarshish. God had told him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah headed in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid the task God had given him (Jonah 1:3).
The port could take Jonah away from his homeland, but it could not take him beyond God's reach. After Jonah's rescue, God again called him to Nineveh, and this time he went (Jonah 3:1-3). The story is honest about human resistance, yet it also shows God's patience with a reluctant servant and his concern for a foreign city.
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Tabitha's life of kindness
In the early church, Joppa was home to Tabitha, known in Greek as Dorcas. She was widely loved because her faith showed itself in practical generosity, especially towards widows (Acts 9:36). When she died, grieving believers asked Peter to come from nearby Lydda (Acts 9:37-38).
Peter prayed, and Tabitha was restored to life. Many in Joppa then came to faith in the Lord (Acts 9:40-42). Her story honours quiet service. A life shaped by care for others mattered deeply to the whole church.
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. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
Peter's vision and the nations
Peter remained in Joppa, staying with Simon the tanner (Acts 9:43). There he received a vision involving animals that Jewish law had treated as unclean. God used it to challenge Peter's boundaries and to prepare him for visitors sent by Cornelius, a Gentile Roman officer (Acts 10:9-16).
Peter later understood the point clearly: he was not to call any person common or unclean simply because of their background (Acts 10:28). When he met Cornelius, Peter declared that God does not show favouritism among nations, but welcomes those who fear him and do what is right (Acts 10:34-35). Joppa became a doorway into a wider mission, showing that the good news of Jesus was never limited to one people.
And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.