Wayne Weekly: “Foxes Have Their Holes”
Written by Teddy on June 23, 2015
My neighborhood is facing a menagerie transformation. Though I live in the city of Auburn, not far from the Owasco River bank, we have an invasion of wildlife creating a habitat amongst us humans.
We have always had squirrels, birds, an occasional mole or chipmunk, even a few skunks, but now we see deer, mallard ducks, groundhogs, and foxes on a fairly regular basis. I can only guess that the hard winter drove them from Owasco Lake, following the river to close by neighborhoods.
Foxes are the critters that surprise us most. These sleek cat and dog sized animals have an alarming screech and generally appear during after dusk or at dawn. I have seen a few walk down my driveway. My daughter saw six of them the other evening sitting near the street in a circle facing one another. My neighbor reports to us regularly on wildlife he spies. I have yet to let him know that we are not the zookeepers or the wildlife refuge rangers…but oh well, it can make interesting conversation.
Foxes are mentioned in the Bible in a number of places. Most mentions don’t show them in a very good light. They spoil the grapes, they hang around destitute places, and Jesus said of Herod, “that fox”.
Jesus told a certain scribe who wanted to follow Him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20).
I do wonder where the foxes in my neighborhood sleep. Even they have a place to call home. But our Lord Jesus had no real earthly home during the days of His public ministry. He slept in friends and strangers homes, in gardens, and even in a borrowed tomb, for a short time, after laying down His life for us.
If you should ever see a fox, take a moment and remember that unlike the fox, Jesus went homeless, so we could find a home in Heaven.
