Have You Tasted My Jesus?

Each year, at the Divinity School of a prestigious American University, 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 eat outdoors in a grassy picnic area. And, it was the custom, every “Baptist Day,” that the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

It so happened that one year they invited a highly educated and well known. Dr. of Theology who spoke for two and one-half hours. In that length of time he quoted scholar after scholar, and cited a multitude of references from book after book, proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. Then, in conclusion, he stated, that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition that the church held with regard to this was, therefore, groundless emotional mumbo-jumbo. Why? Because! It was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense.

Having concluded his lecture he asked the audience if there were any questions. After a pause of about thirty seconds, an old dark skinned preacher with a head of short cropped wooly white hair in the back of the auditorium stood up.

After addressing the learned Doctor by title and name, he continued, . . .. "I got one question.” This, he said as all eyes in the room turned toward him. Then he reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple, which he proceeded to eat. “Docta ________, CRUNCH . . . MUNCH. My question is a simple question, CRUNCH . . . MUNCH. Now, . . . I ain’t never read them books you read, CRUNCH . . . MUNCH. I can’t recite the Scriptures in the original Greek, CRUNCH . . . MUNCH. And I don’t know nothin’ about Neighbuhr and Heidegger, CRUNCH . . . MUNCH”: as he finished the apple. “All I wanna know is: . . . This apple I just ate, . . . . . was it bitter or sweet???”

Dr. ________ paused for a moment, and then answered in an exemplary scholarly fashion. “Sir, I cannot possibly answer that question, for I have not tasted your apple.”

The white haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, and looked up at Dr. _______. And then in a calm voice said, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus.”

The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. The learned Doctor thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

Though there are multitudes that can and do testify both for and against Jesus. Never the less!! The most important question to be raised has always been: “Have you tasted my Jesus???”

God has made a testimony, in love, for man. Some accept it! Others, unfortunately, reject it. But it remains a fact that only those who have "tasted," have the qualifications and can "see that the Lord is good, . . . and blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (Psa. 34:8).