Greetings, my dear pilgrims. We leave with Paul from Corinth as we travel to Ephesus, which is located in Turkey. Turkey is unique in that a small portion is located in Europe while the majority is in Asia. Ephesus, currently known as Kusadasi, is near the west coast of Asia and is the fourth largest city of the Roman Empire. Its spectacular Roman structures still possess glory two thousand years later. It was a major seaport in Paul’s time for both the Greek world and then the Roman Empire.
Our early morning arrival to Ephesus (Kusadasi)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. –John 19:25-27 (NIV)
We know that when Jesus was on the cross, He entrusted the care of Mary, His mother, to the beloved disciple, who we believe is John. Jesus, even while suffering, was concerned that His mother would be taken care of after His death; it was an important part of the culture.
As we often find, there are differing views on historical events and places. It is believed that John and Mary lived in this house, called the House of Mary, in Ephesus, at some point after Jesus’ death. It was a sacred place to pay homage and offer gratitude to two important figures of early Christianity.
The House of Mary
We now board the bus to visit the ruins of ancient Ephesus.
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. –Acts 18:19-21 (NIV)
God’s grace always gave Paul inspiration to preach and reason with the Jews and Gentiles wherever God led him. Scripture does not tell us exactly how long Paul stayed in Ephesus on his second missionary journey, but apparently it wasn’t very long. He knew he would return in the future if it was God’s will, and he did during his third missionary journey. Priscilla and Aquila remained in Ephesus spreading the gospel.
Ancient ruins of Ephesus
A passageway behind the official meeting room at the top of Ephesus
A secret code for Christian meeting places; a sign to fellow believers during times of persecution. The Greek letters for “fish” that also form an acronym for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” The wheel is made by placing all the Greek letters on top of each other.
Public restrooms back in the day!
While still in Ephesus, we will now see some sites and read Scriptures that occurred on Paul’s third missionary journey.
Built after Paul’s time, the Library of Celsus is an important place in both Greek and Roman history. Named after the city’s former Roman governor, it was considered one of the biggest libraries in ancient times, having a repository of over 12,000 scrolls. Sadly, in 262 CE, a fire destroyed the library during a Gothic invasion.
The Library of Celsus
Directly to the right of the Library of Celsus, two former slaves of Emperor Augustus, Mazeus and Mithridates, constructed this monumental gate, called the Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates, in 40 AD. Augustus had granted them freedom, so they built the gate to symbolize their loyalty and gratitude to him. This gate connected the Library of Celsus with the Commercial Agora of Ephesus and was an amazing site to see. The Latin inscription is still clearly visible.
The Gate of Mazeus and Mithridates
Personally, the two most impressive sites for me are the next two. The first is the Great Theater of Ephesus, also called the Amphitheater of Ephesus. The riot of Ephesus took place in this theater over 2000 years ago.
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. –Acts 19:23-31 (NIV)
When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. –Acts 20:1 (NIV)
With Paul preaching about Jesus and there being only one God, a disturbance broke out as the silversmiths made their living by making silver shrines of Artemis, along with the other gods and goddesses they believed in. They knew their income would suffer if people believed in the one true God. Paul wanted to address those at the riot, but by God’s grace he listened to his friends who begged him not to go. Shortly after this, Paul sent for his disciples and left Ephesus.
Photo courtesy of Clark & Kim Kays under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The Great Theater of Ephesus held approximately 24,000 people!
Despite being afraid of heights, I did climb to the top of the two out of three levels! Thankfully a kind man assisted me with an arm to help me down the rocky steps.
The other major site I was in awe of seeing was the pier that Paul and his disciples left from, which is to the right of the Great Theater of Ephesus. I was lost in thinking what Paul experienced or thought of as he set sail from this place.
The far end of the pier is where Paul sailed from Ephesus; the water has receded through the years
Being able to proclaim Scripture while on a pilgrimage is a sacred encounter for me. I had the unique opportunity to read the following Scripture at a church service held in the amphitheater on our cruise ship as we set sail from Ephesus.
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. –Acts 19:13-20 (NIV)
While leaving Ephesus, we reflected on how Artemis, the Roman Empire, and even Ephesus have all fallen away, and the only reality still here is Jesus and the Spirit. They have stood the test of time from the beginning of this earth and are still going strong. How beautiful to have walked through parts of Ephesus where this Scripture proclaims how the Word of the Lord spread widely from here.
A three day cruise to Ephesus and some Greek Isles
Be encouraged this week to…
…see who God entrusts to you.
…experience God’s will directing your life.
…reflect on God guiding your footsteps.
…help spread the Word of the Lord.
REFLECTION:
When have you experienced God’s grace guiding your footsteps?
How have you shared God’s Word with someone this week?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
