1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him, 3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me. 6When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky. 7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat!’ 8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.’ 9But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, don’t you call unclean.’ 10This was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me. 12The Spirit told me to go with them without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying to him, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, who is called Peter, 14who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. 16I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave to them the same gift as us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
18When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
19They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only. 20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch, 23who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord. 24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
25Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
27Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius. 29As any of the disciples had plenty, each determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea; 30which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Joppa is a small port city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel that was allotted to Dan (Josh 19:46) It was known as “the gate of Jaffa” in the Egyptian El-Amarna letters correspondence of the fourteenth century BC in the El-Amarna letters and was Israel's main port until the construction of Herod's artificial port at Caesarea.
Here Solomon imported lumber from Tyre to build the temple (and his palace; see also Ezra 3:7). From Joppa, Jonah set sail for Tarshish, going west instead of east, fleeing the call of God for the Gentiles. Here is where Peter received that same message while on Simon the Tanner’s roof in Joppa: that God cares about the Gentiles and has declared Gentiles as “pure” (Acts 10). Peter had to be reminded that while “menu” had ritually pure and impure distinctions, “man” was created in the image of God and was not to be considered “unclean” (Acts 10:28,34-45; footnote: Chris Miller, "Did Peter's Vision in Acts 10 Pertain to Men or the Menu?" Bibliotheca Sacra 159 [2002]). Apparently, the traditional house of Simon the Tanner was occupied in the late 1990s by a Muslim[1] family and is not open to the public.
Earlier, Judah the Maccabean had taken the city after 200 Jews were drowned (2 Macc 12:3ff) and Peter here raised Dorcas to life (Acts 9:36). Excavations have revealed an ancient Egyptian gate (14th century), as well as domestic architecture from the Hellenistic and Roman period, housed in the underground Jaffa Museum.
[1]There may be a discrepancy since another source indicated that it has been occupied by an Armenian family named Zakaria for generations.