No Bananas on the boat!

Well you can forget about black cats crossing your path or broken mirrors, because too many fishermen around the world, there is nothing unluckier than a banana on board a boat.

Recently I went on a big fishing boat. When I got onto the boat, I pulled out some bananas for breakfast only to hear one of the mates on the boat say “no bananas on the boat.” He told me it was a fishing superstition. I asked him about the superstition and he shared a story similar to the following:

Having been cultivated in the Indus Valley as far back as 2000 B.C. , the banana's nickname is "the fruit of the wise" Somewhat ironic when you consider that it is technically classified as an herb (although clearly a member of the "hand-fruit" genus) and is a favorite food of monkeys, whose major leisure activities include hurling bodily waste products and offending sexually uptight visitors at the zoo. The origin of this superstition is uncertain, but many believe that it began in olden times, when bananas were transported by rickety, overcrowded, top-heavy boats plying the tropics (now known as cruise ships). These boats would frequently sink, leaving behind a residue of floating yellow commas, thus leading witnesses to deduce that hauling bananas was unlucky. A more scientific explanation is that since bananas give off ethylene gas when they ripen, it causes other perishable foodstuffs to spoil more quickly. This expended-gas theory could be why it's also considered unlucky to have a politician on board. Yet another theory suggests that crates of bananas would also contain unwanted pests, such as spiders, snakes, flies, mice and Beanie Babies. http://www.nobananasfishing.com/bananaslegend.html

Step back onto the boat with me for the rest of the encounter. I was told that I could eat the bananas on the dock but not on the boat. I began to walk up the dock, and another mate looked at me and said, “Oh no, bananas on the boat!” I asked him if he was superstitious and he said yes. I asked him where he gets his beliefs from, and if he was religious. He wasn’t sure where he got his beliefs from, and he replied that he was indeed religious. I used this as a springboard to share the Gospel with him. The first question I asked was where do think you will go when you die. He didn’t know. I asked him if he wanted to find out. After sharing the Gospel with him to wonderful things took place. He realized he was going to Hell (and he was only 16 years old), and three others heard the Gospel including the owner of the boat!

What a Great Springboard for the Gospel. So next time you go fishing bring a banana (not to offend) but to use as a springboard for the Gospel. Throw it overboard, eat it on the dock, but make sure that you use it as a springboard for the Gospel. In addition, you can bring up the superstition even if you don’t go fishing. It is still a great springboard for the Gospel. We need to create opportunities to share the Gospel.

Paul used the tomb to the unknown god in Acts 17, as a springboard for the Gospel. What springboards do you use (if any) as springboards for the Gospel? Now go and be faithful to the call of the Gospel from our great King!

Until the nets are filled...

Phil Sessa <><