In a great arch of deep blue and sea green, Israel sits as the keystone of the Mediterranean. The Great Sea has always served as a doorway into God’s heart. And the key was the ancient port city of Joppa—present day Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.
It was through Joppa that the cedars of Lebanon passed, which Solomon used to build his great temple to the worship of Yahweh (2 Chronicles 2:16). It was from Joppa that the reluctant and rebellious prophet Jonah snuck away aboard a ship bound for Tarshish rather than obey God’s command to preach judgment and grace to the Ninevites. It was in Joppa that Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcus) from the dead (Acts 9:36–43). Peter also had the vision, while napping on the roof of Simon the Tanner, to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. Obeying the Lord he traveled from Joppa to Caesarea where he told the centurion Cornelius about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Tradition marks the Church of St. Peter, sitting on top of the hill overlooking the Mediterranean, as the site of Peter’s vision. But down the hill, through the narrow stone streets, sits a small house identified as Simon the Tanner’s house. Regardless of the exact location of Peter’s vision, we can rest assured that Peter walked those narrow streets and cooled himself from the heat as the breezes of the Mediterranean blew across his brow while resting on top of Simon’s house. We can also be assured that ancient Joppa served as the key to open the doorway of the Mediterranean through which the good news of God’s grace traveled the world.
