Penasquitos Stake Institute

Many thanks to Ronald Bartholomew and Jay Farnes for this parable and commentary. It is a powerful tool in understanding our true identity while in mortality, and as such is an aid to making better choices.

 

Parable of the Apple Tree

 

We live currently in a fallen and mortal condition. As such we have all kinds of conditions in our mortal existence that distinguish us from each other and which cause us to be unique. But our condition does not, or at least should not define who we really are.Perhaps one of Satan’s most cunning deceptions is in confusing our identity with condition. This is explained somewhat in a parable, called ‘The Parable of the Apple Tree’.An apple tree was growing with lots of apples on it. Some of the apples were nice and big and round, had bright red skins, with no blemishes. Others did not have skins that were as bright, and perhaps some had a few blemishes or bruises. Perhaps some even had a wormhole or two. Some were growing higher in the tree than others. And those that grew higher, looked down on those that grew lower. And those that grew lower, looked up at those that grew higher. And those that had blemishes or bruises or wormholes, looked at those that didn’t and admired them, and wished they could be as beautiful as they were.And one day, one by one, all the apples fell off the tree and died.

 

The Parable Examined:In comparison, we are like the apples. The apples are big, or small. They have blemishes, wormholes or no blemishes. Some grow in different places on the tree. That is the condition of the apple.We are short, we’re tall, we’re big, and we’re small. We have brown eyes, blue eyes. We have brown hair, black hair, blond hair, or no hair. That is our mortal condition.But what is inside of the apple? What is inside of the apple is a seed. The seed has the potential of growing into a tree, which can produce apples that can in turn grow into apple trees, on and on.We are spirit children of our Heavenly Father. That is our identity. And as such, we have the potential to become like Him.If the apple tree were growing in a place where it could be untouched by human hands, eventually all of the apples would fall to the ground and decay. As far as the tree is concerned, the purpose of the apple in that fallen state is to nourish the seed until it gets root and grows into a tree – or, in our analogy, becomes like God.Our divine destiny and purpose is not to become apples, but to become apple trees. However, in mortality we do not resemble an apple tree at all, or even the seed of an apple tree—all we or other people can see is our outer shell—the apple. Because of this, it is sometimes hard to remember that our divine potential—in fact, our only potential—is to become an apple tree. It is equally difficult to remember other people's seeds, or divine potentials, because all we can see are their apples as well.

This phenomenon leads to one of the most cunning deceptions of the adversary—an inordinate focus of time and energy on making our apple as attractive as possible, or even worse, more attractive than the apples of those around us. This is a cause of pride and envy both ways (looking down and up) and is a great distraction.Satan seduces many to spend more time improving the outward appearance of their temporary apple nature than to developing the seed with infinite potential within.When it is all said and done, our apple will do the same exact thing everyone else’s apple will do—it will die and be laid down to rest in the “dust” from whence it came. Our seed, on the other hand, which has the potential to become like our Father—can become a tree that can produce other trees, through the seeds of the fruit of apples, into the eternities.Whenever we judge ourselves or others based on what we can see—the temporary, external apple—instead of what we cannot—the seed—we become victims of the same satanic deceptions to which the two sons in ‘The Parable of the Prodigal Son’ fell. We either lose hope in the prospects of ever becoming a legitimate and worthy son or daughter of our Heavenly Father, or we are deceived into basing our perceptions of our own “goodness” on the temporary fallen condition of our brothers and sisters.