[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during August 2020]
Last weekend, Lee reminded us of the account of Peter’s vision in advance of meeting with the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter, the fisherman, was staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa, a busy port city. Shakespeare’s Juliet claimed that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Certainly, Joppa sounded sweeter when it became known as Jaffa but I suspect that the change of name did little to improve the smell of a cosmopolitan port. Add to that the effect of a fisherman living with a tanner and it is no wonder that Peter went up on the rooftop, to get some fresh air whilst praying.
This is not the first mention of Joppa in the Bible. Jonah went there to begin his ‘escape’ from God. Solomon used it to import cedar wood from Lebanon to be used in building the Temple in Jerusalem. So why was Peter in Joppa? The answer is found in Acts chapter 9:
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha; she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became ill and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’
Peter responded and Tabitha was restored to life, and many others found their spiritual life renewed too.
In Acts 10 we read of the message that an angel brought to Cornelius “He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” Peter went to meet Cornelius; once there he found a great number of people gathered to hear his message. The record shows that all those who heard were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Do you notice anything in common in the two accounts? We know that Peter had already become an eloquent preacher (Acts 2) but in both Joppa and Caesarea the opportunity to share the Gospel arose from the activities of those who placed importance on helping the poor. We should not forget that a habit of generosity may have eternal consequences.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
