In Genesis 3, Eve opened up a can of killer worms by eating the forbidden fruit. She then offered it to her gormless husband and so Adam (aka “Idiot-man”) also ate and brought calamity upon us all. Although many artists (painters, sculptors, and modern cinematographers) have enjoyed capturing naked people in action, no other soul was there to immortalize this ghastly deed. Nonetheless, they hypothesize and paint pictures of Eve holding an apple. Thus, for no fault of its own, the apple has gotten a bad wrap. (Don’t worry apple, I am pulling for you.)
Ever since I can remember, the apple has been used to promote promiscuity, secrets, deception and to validate nude exposure. In fact, the only effort to save the apple’s reputation is the phrase “an apple-a-day keeps the doctor away.” Still, if you in fact do need to see the doctor, eating the apple will keep him away and the apple is again to be blamed. Terrible!
In contemporary use, the Apple computer company uses an emblem depicting the fall of humanity. An apple with a bite taken out of it represents their company. “Ooooo”…it is the “forbidden computer!” Is this the mark of the beast; the number of man foretold in Revelation 13:16-18? (Merely as a safety precaution, this is one more reason to continue using Windows OS.) …but let’s get back to the issue…
Unsanctified people refer to the durian as the “King of Fruits.” “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) The fruit “smells like hell and tastes like heaven” they say. How is that possible? I surely don’t know. My friend, Pastor Cameron Walcott gets honourable mention here for noting that “IT TASTES EXACTLY HOW IT SMELLS!” Still, many deeply crave the fruit; intoxicated by the lure of what is forbidden. Addicts helplessly struggle to satisfy themselves. The Bible addresses durian addicts directly. A life without durian is in fact reflected in Micah 7:1.
“Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.” (Micah 7:1)
But alas, “durian addicts” rarely acknowledge the struggles of their dependency and remain determined to satisfy their felt needs (at any price “$”).
The exaltation of the durian in Southeast Asia is unmerited. Evidence points to the durian (not the apple) to be the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3. No other fruit, not even poisonous berries or mushrooms (fungus) carry such a natural deterrent to human consumption.
THE CURSE
Jesus instructed us saying “you shall know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16) Well, “Mr. Durian,” we know who you are! We will now judge you according to your fruit. Because you are, after all… a “fruit.”
To ensure that no one would touch the durian, it would seem that God has equipped the fruit with several “WARNING LABELS.” (Because He already knew the tower of Babel would divide humanity and their language in Genesis 11, God could not simply engrave the fruit with the words “do not touch.” Instead, He chose more obvious means for intelligent man to decipher.)
WARNING #1: Durians grow in tall trees.
This makes them difficult to reach. Before the fall, the tree may have been lower to the ground. After the fall, God may have caused the tree to grow. This was apparently an attempt to place them out of reach. Like having small naughty children getting things out of the refrigerator, what is not permitted is moved out of reach to a higher shelf.
WARNING #2: Durians smell BAD.
Prior to the fall, I suspect it had a sweet, tantalizing smell like the mango. After the fall of Adam and Eve, it was cursed with a pungent smell. ….In case a naughty human would happen to possess a durian, the cursed smell should warn others that it is near.
WARNING #3: Durians possess deadly exterior spikes.
If the fruit originally had spikes, Eve would never have allowed it near her nude body. Instead, the Bible says that the fruit “looked good to eat” For this reason, I believe it’s skin was also like the mango before the fall.
WARNING #4: Durian fruit resembles meat.
That’s right. At first glance, the soft gooey (custard-like) fruit in the durian resembles raw chicken meat. It does not even look like eatable fruit! Why? Obviously because it is not supposed to be eaten! It is the “forbidden fruit.”
So the next time you see a friend snacking on durian, you can plainly “whomp” him on the side of the head and say “didn’t you see the warnings, man?! Durian is the forbidden fruit! Do not touch. Do not eat!”
TWO TREES IN THE GARDEN
To avoid being negative, we must be reminded that there were two fruit trees in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:9 tells us there was “The tree of life” and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” whose fruit we have already determined to be the durian. The durian started out good and ended bad. But what about the fruit of the other tree? Well, I feel confident that the MANGO is the fruit of “the tree of life.”
I support this claim with The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. The Great Commandment to “love”… well, I mean what’s not to love about the mango, right?! Juicy, sweet, savory mango. God has made it easy to love. And then there is it’s name. Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) This is the mandate of every living believer. It is the fruit of the evangelist and the body of Christ. Evangelism makes us grow and keeps faith sharp and healthy. Therefore, the fruit of the evangelist is the MANGO, fore it reminds every MAN to GO; “man-go.”
So there you have it. Stop blaming the apple. Do blame the durian. Start eating mango and please tell someone Jesus saves today!