Day 06 - Sardis, Pergamum

We began our day with a devotional by Molly, who compared our lives to ancient tels. We all have layers of history in our lives that at times need to be examined. We concluded by saying the Schema (Dt 6:4-5), both in Hebrew and in English.

We first stopped outside the city of Sardis, hiking through an olive grove until we reached a vineyard. We read John 14, which talks about the vine and the branches. Wally informed us that the phrase “cuts off” in John 15:2 is the Greek word AIRO. This word is used another 100 times in the New Testament, and each time it is translated as “raises up.” The branches of a grape vine tend to grow towards the ground, where they become moldy and do not receive the sunshine they need to thrive. The farmer lifts and props up the branches so they will grow and bear fruit. We cannot lift ourselves up; that is God’s job. Our task is to surrender to the Gardener.

Sardis, the capital of Lydia, is an ancient city dating back to 1400 BCE. At that time, Moses was still alive! Brent listed some of the residents of Sardis, one of whom was Aesop, the man who wrote fables. One of Aesop’s fables was of King Midas, who asked for and received the golden touch. All was fine and dandy until he hugged his daughter and she turned to gold! Midas returned to Dionysius, the god who granted the wish, and was instructed to bring his daughter and wash her in the river.  Midas did so, and as he washed the gold into the river, his daughter was restored.

The truth is, the Pactolus River which ran through Sardis actually was filled with gold! Water and gold flowed from snow-capped Mt. Tmolos through Sardis’ central market place, making the real-life King Croesus a very rich man. King Croesus surrounded his city with massive walls, which he believed were impenetrable. However, he was conquered by King Cyrus of Persia, who was in turn conquered by Alexander the Great. This city was conquered because its people became complacent, believing all would be well. How often do we become complacent?

After lunch, we toured the lower city of Pergamum. One of the patron gods of the city was Asklepius, god of healing. Medical treatment was given to those who offered incense to Asklepius. However, death was NOT allowed in the Asklepion. Women were not allowed to give birth here because the death rate for mothers and infants was 50%.

We read the letters addressed to each of these cities in the book of Revelation. Knowing the events and practices of these cities gave us a much better understanding of the messages Jesus spoke to Sardis and Pergamum.