I once had a friend—charming fellow, always first to raise a toast and last to leave the room. The kind who knew just what to say, when to say it, and whom to say it in front of. Everyone liked him. So when someone leaned over one day and said, “Watch out—he’s not as loyal as he looks,” I smiled politely and dismissed it. After all, hadn’t we stood side by side through good times and not-so-good ones? But when the chips were down and loyalty mattered most, he switched sides with the grace of a seasoned politician.
And suddenly, that quiet warning I’d brushed aside echoed a little too loudly.
We’re not that different from the disciples, are we? Picture the Last Supper—candles flickering, wine being poured, a somber air settling over the table. And then Jesus, not one for vague hints, says, “One of you will betray me.” Panic. Confusion. “Who is it, Lord?” they ask. He doesn’t play coy. “The one I give this piece of bread to,” He says—and hands it straight to Judas.
Now at this point, you'd expect them to leap up, tie the man to a chair, or at least confiscate his purse. But no. Judas walks out, and they assume he’s off on an errand. Maybe to buy dessert. Maybe to feed the poor. But certainly not to sell out the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver.
And Peter. Tough, burly Peter—stood helpless later that night, watching his Master flogged and humiliated. I imagine him frozen, fists clenched, his heart pounding with regret. Not because the cock crowed, but because it hit him: he hadn’t seen it. The signs were all there. Jesus had all but drawn a diagram.
And still, he’d missed it.
“How could I not have seen?” he must have whispered into the dust.
That’s the tragedy, isn’t it? We often don’t see what’s plainly in front of us—especially when it wears a smile and speaks fluent decency. National leaders, International ones, sometimes even spiritual figures—they parade in righteousness while plundering truth, justice, and occasionally the treasury.
And we? We nod, clap, forward their quotes, and defend their blunders.
“He means well,” we say. “It’s a smear campaign,” we insist. Until the country is betrayed, the people become poorer, and it’s too late.
Jesus gave the disciples a heads-up. A live demonstration, even. Yet the wolf walked out the door with their collective silence as his blessing. We are in no less danger today—not of ignorance, but of selective blindness.
So pray for discernment. That rare, priceless gift of seeing past the surface. Of hearing what’s really being said behind the applause. Of recognising the wolf before he bares his teeth.
Are you watching? Or are you, like Peter, going to realise too late?
The Author conducts an online, eight session Writers and Speakers Course. If you’d like to join, do send a thumbs-up to WhatsApp number 9892572883 or send a message to bobsbanter@gmail.com
