Turkey: foot washing, and more

I keep remembering little vignettes from Turkey, and realizing that it has given me a fuller understanding of the Bible.

Hospitality to a stranger: we were all impressed by the family who hosted our group for one night. While it is true that the tour group compensates them for housing and feeding us, their welcome was heartwarming, and not something that can be bought. After all, how would you like to have 13 guests who don't speak your language, and might not like your food, and don't understand your culture? And I also remember the woman who saw us gaping at her rock house, with two little windows cut into the stone. She ran out and asked (in Turkish) if we wanted to come in and look at her home. I don't know about you, but I would not spontaneously invite a bunch of strangers into my apartment. It was a wonderful experience, to see how cosy a cave can be.
Footwashing: I never really grasped the footwashing story in the Bible. Because I had never really wanted anyone to wash my feet. Now that I've experienced Near Eastern dust, I get the point. You just can't imagine how dirty and dusty your feet get, and how refreshing it is to wash them off.
The shade of a fig tree: In the South-eastern region, where Abraham lived, it is really hot. Every living creature looks for shade. And it turns out that the best shade of all is that of a fig tree, because it has big leaves.
More about Ephesus: I know I already told you about Ephesus, but it keeps popping into my mind -- the fact that it was a wealthy, hedonistic, pagan city. It gives a different picture of what the gospel was competing with.
More about Antioch: I also remember a particular statue of Orontes in the Antioch museum. This statue was a beautiful marble work of art, dating back to the first century. The significance to me was that Orontes was the river god, and the statue indicated how important the god was, otherwise it would not have been honored with that beautiful, expensive statue. And again, it gives the flavor of what Christianity was competing with.
The stars: Since I felt claustrophobic in the tiny cabin in our gulet (a traditional Turkish boat), I preferred to sleep on deck. I've never seen such stars. I thought about Abraham, and God telling him that his descendents would be like the stars in the sky. I thought about psalm 8. There were so many stars that some of them overlapped with each other, making blares of light that I could see even without my glasses. There were so many stars that I actually got up at around 3 in the morning, just to sit and look, and behold. I can't imagine looking at those stars without being overwhelmed with awe at the creation of God.
Communion: ok, this one is stretching a little bit, but I'll try to explain. I've never really considered bread and wine to be core features of a meal. But we made an unscheduled stop at a local village wine festival in Cappadocia, and the only items being served were wine, grapes, and homemade village bread. And I could imagine centuries, and millenia, of villagers sharing bread and wine together.