For us today the mention of Joppe does not mean that much. Joppe is just a point on the map. The fact that it is north-west of Jerusalem is simply a matter of geography – if it was to the south or east it would not make a difference to us. For Luke however, there is something important about this town. Joppe is mentioned four times in these verses, and it will come up again another four times in Acts 10:1–48 and then twice again in Acts 11:1–30. Why is this town so important?
Biblically there are two possible motifs. One concerns the people of Dan. Dan was one of the lesser-known sons of Jacob, one of the twelve tribes of Israel who came up out of Egypt, and Joppa was the most important town in the territory allocated to them. Back in the day, they failed to conquer the land, deciding to settle in the far north instead. With the coming of Christ, the better Joshua, this land is now also being claimed and conquered. There are believers in Joppa. Christ has power over this part of the world. Children of God from the descendants of Dan are also being gathered into God’s church. Admittedly, there is not much to support this motif by itself in the verses we have read. Following on the heels of the gospel going to Damascus however, there is certainly a suggestion that the boundaries of the Promised Land are being claimed and conquered by Jesus.
The second motif with Joppa is more certain. Again, going back to the Old Testament, we remember that this was the city from which Jonah sought to go to Tarshish. When he was given the task of taking a message to the people of Nineveh, he tried his best to go in the opposite direction. He was not interested in Israel’s enemies submitting to God and becoming his friends. To his mind the grace of God was only meant for the descendants of Abraham. With Peter now residing in this city, there could be a deliberate parallel. The good news of God’s grace is going to be taken outside of Israel proper and the most prominent apostle will do it. There can be no doubt when he goes from Joppa to Caesarea that Peter is on God’s mission and that the Gentiles are part of the same mission of God.
36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.