Return to Joppa

On the way back from Jerusalem on Christmas weekend, we made a really fun pit stop: Jafa (Joppa)!

I first went here on my tour in 2017. In fact, it was our first stop, which was pretty cool. But we had a packed day of places to go, so we didn't spend a lot of time there. Being there 4 years later, at Christmas, at sunset, was so fun.

Jafa is the oldest port city in the world. This harbor, where we watched the sunset from, is the same harbor where Solomon brought in cedars from Lebanon for the Temple.

Jafa is just south of Tel Aviv. Seeing this city sparkle in pink and gold in the sunset was beautiful to behold.

Jafa is also where Jonah was fleeing to when he got swallowed by the big fish. Last time, I was told that's where he was spit up, but that isn't true. I looked it up and the Bible says he was spit up in Ninevah. So I looked up Ninevah on googlemaps, and it is more than 750 miles away—surrounded by land! The only way the fish could get there was to swim around the land and then up the river. WOW!

Jafa is also where Peter stayed in Acts, specifically at Simon the Tanner's house (pictured below). He was staying here when God raised Tabitha from the dead through Peter in Acts 9 and when Peter saw the vision of the sheet with clean and unclean animals.

Wow! Last time,  my guide pointed in the direction of the house, so I knew exactly where it was. But we didn't actually go there. So this time we found it, though it was closed. But I realized the direction it faced meant that since Peter had been on the roof, he had been looking out over the same harbor while he'd been praying! SO COOL!

Studying here in Israel is allowing me to see places that make the Bible fill out in color and dimension, and I love it!