ABOUT THAT APPLE

Blog: Max Dawson
May 4, 2017
Everybody knows it was an apple that Adam and Eve ate in the garden, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, we don’t know any more about it than it was the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” ().
More than 30 years ago when I was doing a daily radio broadcast, a caller asked me where the verse was that called that fruit an “apple.” I told him there was no verse that identified the fruit as an apple. He replied, “Oh yes, it is in there. I have read it, but I just can’t find it now.” No matter how much I explained to the man that no verse ever said that, he was sure that it was in the Bible somewhere. I told him to call me back when he found the verse. He said he would.
He never called back.
Do you ever wonder about how many things folks believe are in the Bible, but are not actually found there?
As an example, have you ever looked for the three wise men who came to the manger where Jesus was born? While Christmas plays and TV specials all picture that scene, there is no evidence that those men were ever at the manger. According to , the wise men found Jesus in a house, not in a stable or manger. And, by that time, Jesus may have been as much as two years old (). And the part about “three” wise men…? Actually, we do not know how many there were. All that the Bible ever says as to how many came to see Jesus is “some wise men” (). “Some” would indicate more than one. That’s all we know about it. It could have been three. It could have been two or ten.
I think there is a lesson here about just repeating things we have heard someone say. Whatever happened to learning for ourselves? Why do we just accept things without checking them out for ourselves?
Whenever you hear someone say “Everybody knows…” maybe you should be a little suspicious. Yes, everybody knows “it was an apple that Adam and Eve ate in the garden.” And, yes, everybody knows “it was three wise men at the manger scene.”
Isn’t it strange that “everybody knows” things that don’t match the Bible record?
THE FINAL WORD
I suppose there just might be some folks who make it to heaven who never really understood about that apple thing or the wise men. I mean, those are not the weightiest matters in the Bible. But what about some other things that carry a bit more weight. What about this sentence?
“Everybody knows baptism doesn’t wash away sins.”
Statements like this may not be so familiar to your ears, but they are commonly repeated in Protestant churches all the time. They are accepted without much questioning. But, consider these words from .
“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
If today’s email should happen to fall into the hands of one of my Protestant friends, would you please take the time to look that up for yourself? It just might be to your benefit to do so.
And, if my old radio friend is still alive and still looking for that “apple,” please let me know how your search is going.
Blessings to you, my wise friends,
–Max