It was carved out of marble! 9/26/08

IT WAS CARVED OUT OF MARBLE
As our tour guide led us past the shop selling its wares of pagan idols which were mostly of the goddess Diana, I was surprised to see that Ephesus was totally corrupt. The path we were on was dirt. Somewhat disappointed and yet exhilarated we began a most rewarding adventure reliving a time that up until then was only on the pages penned by Paul in God’s Word. At one time this was a plush and fertile valley. It was a sea port of renown with much activity of buying, selling and trading of wares. Now the port had been filled in with silt, sand and dirt which brought trees and bushes and pushed the sea out so far it was no longer a port of renown nor could it any longer support activity of any kind.
As we passed the only living thing in this city, I was reminded of the pleasures that God gives us in the most unexpected times and places. In the middle of a patch of unkept green grass, laid out on hard ground filled with rock and stone, was a small daisy like flower. It’s stem was short but the flower was bright and full of color. In the middle was deep red with a ring of yellow gold around it. The flower petals were painted with the same deep red that colored the inner circle. This beautiful flower was poking his little head up as though to say; "look here, I am beautiful, even here in the rubble". This flower was perfect and yet was placed in an imperfect and even more unlikely place. We had just entered into the area that began our visit to the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus, a bustling town full of color and splendor in its day was now a barren town very much like a jig saw puzzle that had not been fully put together. However, its marbled streets rumored of days gone by, filled us with great expectations of the journey we were about to take. As we walked, stopped and looked it was as though we had moved from the pages right into the middle of splendor.
When something is excavated it never quite fits into place. Hugh marble pillars were placed but obviously not where they were originally. Even so, it was beautiful and caused us to speculate on its beauty, that once was. We could almost feel and smell many generations before, going about their daily activities even to the point of hearing the rustle of clothing as they passed by us intent on their day. Our guide would fill us in on the times of the scriptures....pointed out where they thought Mary’s house was. Pointed out the mosaic tiles outlining the marble paved roads which gave direction to a house of ill repute. We were fascinated with the Library with only the front portion completed, which was enough for us to get an idea of how grand it must of been. We sat in the theater were Paul spoke. Climbed to the top just to see if we really could hear as well from up there as we could in the front row. It was carved out of marble. Just sitting there gave us an idea how it might have been so many years ago when Paul pleaded with the people to change their ways.
At one point in time Ephesus was a great metropolis but today it was corrupt and no matter how much they excavated and tried to piece it all back together it will never be what it was. In Revelations 2 verses 1-7 we find that God removed their lamp stand because they did not repent. You see, they had left their first love. Yes, there were some things that God did like but that was not enough. "He who has an ear, let him hear"! "To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life"! Sometimes, I wonder about my life. Am I whole or part of a jig saw puzzle?. Are there some things that God likes about me or am I still wanting? When I stood at the end of the journey and look back, Ephesus took my breath away. They call it the; "Oh my God" hill, because the view is wonderful. Ephesus, a once upon a time, could be you..... Unless you "overcome" you will not enter the "Paradise of God"! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 1/18/08