If you look closely at this picture, you’ll notice a 3.5 to 4 foot water snake slithering at the water’s edge. He/She is a light orange hue. Nothing too unusual about water snakes were we live. To humans, they are virtually harmless; typically quiet residents which inhibit the waters next to our house and feed on standard prey (fish, small rodents, etc….). Personally, I’m not “terrified” of the legless reptiles, but much like a mosquito, I don’t want them sneaking up on me and testing my legs as an appetizer.
What makes this particular snake of interest is that it approached me and my six-year old from behind as I was fishing and my son was playing with a small fish I had caught. We suspect the snake was beneath a nearby log and when I placed the freshly caught (bleeding, none the less) fish in the shallow water for my son to explore, the snake saw a potential for lunch. FYI, the fish lived as I let it go due to my lack of numeric fishing success. Thereafter, we walked back to our house to scare mom with the picture and contrive some sort of snake-catching tale she might possibly believe. During our walk I pondered momentarily the surprise I felt when my son said, “Hey Dad. There’s a snake.” My initial reaction was to rescue my son as I pulled my boot knife to defend (we also have copperheads but they are rarely seen). Instead, I decided to evacuate in case there were more to follow and since my fishing was constantly interrupted by passing boaters, rock throwing, etc…. Anyhow, back to my pondering. Why was I surprised? Why didn’t I believe? Did I not know snakes resided in shallow water, close to the shore, especially around partially submerged logs? However, when the reality of the snake’s appearing settled in, all of the signs made perfect sense. Luke 12:40: “Be ye therefore ready also : for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” As Yeshua speaks in this passage He has just issued warnings regarding hypocrisy, lack of fear of G-d and worry. Then this verse is spoken. He issued verbal signs thereafter regarding division, discerning of the times and other repentance related commentaries. In essence, He has removed the “unknown”, He advised to “expect” and by now, He had said and done plenty to remove a significant portion of their “unbelief”. If the unbelief was still present, it was about to exit. I knew the signs for a snake were present; I should have expected the result of a snake to be very probably; If I had believed, I probably wouldn’t have potentially jeopardized my son and myself. I know the signs for Yeshua’s return are present; I should expect His return at any moment; I say I believe so I shouldn’t do ANYTHING to jeopardize my relationship to him.
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