The Apple of Sodom
By: Zach Collins
The 60th Kentucky Apple Festival is upon us. For those of you who do not know what I am referencing, it is an annual festival that takes place in my hometown, Paintsville, KY. It was created to showcase the best apples grown by local farmers, but because of a successful farmer’s market, it grew into a local festival that occupies our small town once a year. Due to lack of production, not many apple products are sold anymore, but those that still line the streets of downtown Paintsville each year are savory and tasty, bringing to your remembrance great memories of the past and a taste of what once was.
The Bible often uses common items, in nature and everyday life, to teach biblical stories. In the parabolic ministry of Jesus, he used families, mustard seeds, vineyards, farming, and fishing, among others. The Apostle Paul was also quite fond of illustrations, using everyday occurrences such as the Olympics, exercise, boxing, and racing to illustrate his inspired revelations. However, sometimes, we run across items in nature that beg to be used as cautionary tales of the consequences that come into our lives by a simple decision.
It is called the Calotropis Procera, otherwise known as, the “Apple of Sodom.” Its tree appears spiny and flowery. It springs forth as a healthy tree amid dry land. Once bloomed, a beautiful fruit begins to appear on its branches. While the fruit is referenced as an “apple”, it falls into the tomato family. And, the appearance of the fruit is peculiar, resembling a large and overgrown cherry tomato, with hints of green, red, and yellow. But the appearance of this fruit is deceptive. By impulse, many have tried the fruit from its branches, only to have a bitter and nauseating taste in their mouths. A simple dietary choice has led to great consequences. The appearance of the fruit does not match the taste. If one knew the consequence of biting into this “apple”, they would have never succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree.
If we knew the result of sin in our lives, we would never sin. Though, in theory, we try to understand the biblical teachings regarding Hell, it is difficult to understand, in reality, the lake of fire, unquenched thirst, weeping and gnashing of teeth, and outer darkness (c.f., Revelation 20:10; Luke 16:24; Matthew 13:42; Matthew 8:12). Despite the horrible consequences, the fruit of the tree still appears good, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable (c.f., Genesis 3:6). One of the greatest ploys of Satan is to deceive us into making decisions that, ultimately, will result in eternal consequences. Nothing in this world is worth a lifetime of gratification for an eternity of condemnation. If we could speak to Lazarus and others in torment, they would echo this truth. Let us not be deceived into believing that a bad tree can bear good fruit (c.f., Matthew 7:18).
If we were to be deceived into eating the “Apple of Sodom”, we could wash our mouths of the bitterness and create a clean palate. If we have been deceived into eating the “apple” of sin, let us appeal to God in baptism to wash the sins from our life and create a clean heart within us (c.f., Psalm 51:7-10).
