At
the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called “Baptist
Day”. It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the school
because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On
this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic
area. Every “Baptist Day” the school would invite one of the greatest minds to
lecture in the theological education enter. One
year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich who spoke for 2 ½ hours proving
that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and
book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the
historical resurrection the religious tradition of the church was groundless,
emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen
Jesus, who in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then
asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds, a young man stood up in the back
of the auditorium.
Docta
Tillich, I got one question, he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached
into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. “Docta
Tillich (CRUNCH, MUNCH), My question is a simple question (CRUNCH, MUNCH). Now,
I ain’t never read them books you read (CRUNCH, MUNCH) and I can’t recite the
Scriptures in the original Greek (CRUNCH, MUNCH). I don’t know nothin’ about
Niebuhr and Heidegger (CRUNCH, MUNCH)…” He finished the apple. “All
I want to know is: This apple I just ate, was it bitter or sweet?”
Dr.
Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I
cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven’t tasted your apple. The
young man dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper
bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, “Neither have you tasted my
Jesus.” The 1000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The
auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr.
Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.
Have
you tasted Jesus? God has risen, and he’s coming back one day! ‘Taste
and see that the LORD is good’ - Psalm 34:8
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