Polycarp and Concrete

Izmir is the modern site of the ancient city of Smyrna, a fact that is unfortunately not exploited by the tourist industry. Perhaps they think that the nearby Ephesus (called Efes, which is also the brand name of a popular beer) is all the biblical antiquity any country needs. Only ten percent of Ephesus has been excavated, but its ruins are magnificent, more than equal to its Greek counterparts. A and S went to the small museum in Izmir on our free afternoon (rather than shop in the market for gifts). They didn’t report seeing excavated Smyrnan artifacts.

In the immediate post-biblical times, Polycarp (70 to 155 A.D.) was the bishop of the church at Smyrna. A disciple of John, he countered heresies and wrote letters to various churches. What he is most famous for, however, is his martyrdom. According to an internet site devoted to Polycarp, during a period of intense persecution of the church, the old bishop was arrested. Trying to prevent his death, the Roman official in charge begged him just to say, “Caesar is Lord.” Instead, the bishop proclaimed, “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

M., who serves Turkish students at the university in Izmir, recounted this story to us as she mourned the spiritual conditions in the country. How many students are aware of their ancient heritage? She contrasted Turkey with a neighboring country, where she had also pioneered student work, and where after the veneer of communism had been pealed back, a rich Christian tradition was waiting to burst forth in new life. Turkey’s ancient spiritual identity is buried under millennia of debris, the topmost layer solid concrete, literally waiting to be excavated. If results of the work with pickaxes can be judged numerically, it seems so pitifully small—one believer for every worker for the last forty years, a miniscule number. The few assemblies are small and struggling with all the issues facing infant groups. Hearing the story of the first four years of M’s partner assembly reminded us of New Testament conditions—present on this very soil two thousand years ago. It also, M. told us, reminded an old Korean-American believer of the early years as the faith took root in her homeland. It will take three generations for healthy groups to emerge, she encouraged a former colleague of M’s. It seems that spiritual archaeologists must “work for the next generation,” something Bonhoeffer reminded his colleagues of from his prison cell in even bleaker conditions. Their sufferings on behalf of Turks will help break up the concrete and nourish the soil.

One member of the team of student workers in Izmir, with pain in her voice, told the L.A. team of students about a dream she had had. A. described the spiritual condition of the country as “concrete.” Thinking of the parable of the sower and soils, she likened what they were doing as sewing seed on concrete where it could never take root. In her dream, God came and lifted up the concrete and threw it down again, creating tiny fissures in it. Now tiny plants would be able to spring up. We used this metaphor as we walked the length of the Ege campus and entreated God for fruit. Wonderfully, J. was impressed that we literally saw the campus become greener as we crossed it. First there were the cracks in the attractive tile cement promenade. Then there were men weeding along the edges. Finally, there was a lush green courtyard with flowers and palm trees and benches and statues. I was reminded so vividly as we engaged in this work that we were not bringing God to this place but that he was there meeting us as he would meet the students, as he waits to meet all students in the truths they excavate in their academic disciplines. That became the theme of my entreaties.

Digging down even past Polycarp, we return to the biblical text about Smyrna. Smyrna was one of the seven churches for which John received a vision. Of the seven, Jesus only exempted one from judgment, and that was Smyrna. He knew that they were suffering and poor and how they were being slandered. He predicted further sufferings. But he encouraged them to “be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2: 10). May we all be faithful to be aware of how God is breaking the concrete and pray for those who sow the seed of the good news in Izmir. “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death” (2:11).