12 Squirrels in One Tree!?

Jude 1

Today, I ran across my neighbor who lives in the apartment next to me. It’s a beautiful sunny warm day here in Ohio. She greeted me with a warm “hello, how are you?” I responded with a cheerful, “Hi, it’s a beautiful day today.” As soon as I said that her mood changed 180 degrees. The tone in her voice harbored disgust, criticism, and unbelief as she said, “There are 12 squirrels in that one tree!” I kept walking until I got inside of my apartment. I knew better than to try to have a cordial conversation with her at that time, we’ve lived side by side for 5 years, so I know when she is conversational and not. In a sarcastic or humorous way, I reminded myself not to invite her over for a summer picnic. “These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.” Jude 1:12

The “Twelve squirrels in one tree” remark has significance. The significance made me passively think that the only thing she recalls from the Bible is that Jesus had twelve disciples. This is the significance: When walking down the sidewalk through the apartments, a person is only about 8 feet from the residents’ windows. Well, yesterday, I had my window open and playing Jimmy Swaggart music at the same time she walked by. At the exact same time that she was at my window Jimmy Swaggart was singing, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus”. She heard that and looked towards my window with a glaring eye. So, I’m sure the disgust, unbelief, and criticism in her voice when she said, “There’s 12 squirrels in that one tree” was a dig against my Jesus music. I have never heard of 12 squirrels in one tree. I used to hunt squirrel, so that would be a story for the storybooks for a hunter to run across 12 squirrels in one tree at the same time. I’m the one who should be filled with unbelief, disgust, and criticism. Reverse psychology?

People can have sneaky and devious ways of trying to pollute what we have in Jesus, “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21