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
center.
One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and
one-half 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, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly
white hair 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 wanna know is:
This apple I just ate------was it bittah, 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 white-haired preacher 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 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted
with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left
the platform.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in
him." Psalm 34:8
