Day 02 - Antalya & Perge

Welcome to Turkey! Coming to a new place, seeing new sights, learning new culture, etc. All these things can be exciting, but can also be difficult. Today we looked at a very small glimpse of the biblical narrative (Acts 13:13-14a; only one and a half verses), yet some very challenging and new circumstances awaited Paul and Barnabas. We saw the port where Paul and Barnabas made landfall after Cyprus, and the city of Perge. Somewhere along the way John Mark decides to leave. In Perge, a pagan city to be sure, with statues to the Greek Pantheon scattered all over the city (and today preserved in the Antalya Museum), Paul and Barnabas would have made their final preparations before continuing on to Pisidian Antioch.

Walking through the city of Perge brought so many questions to mind. What was it like for Paul and Barnabas to enter this city? Did they know anyone? Were there Jews there? How was their message about the Messiah received? How did they purchase supplies for the seven day journey that lay ahead of them? While we may not be able to answer these wonderful questions, walking in the footsteps of the Bible certainly makes the story come alive.

Jake Porter