beware of that greek gift

In The Beginning.

Joe picked up his phone and dialled Aham’s digits. 

“Happy New Year, my brother” Aham’s deep baritone reverberated over the line

“Compliments of the Season, brotherly” Joe responded in his quieter voice

They chatted for a long time, sharing goals and plans.  And as they signed off, Aham invited Joe over for a visit.

Both were online Tribemasters with large followership.  Their friendship had developed from the ashes of a viral war some years back.

Earlier in the days, Aham had a more prominent platform. His followers were more of Millennials and Gen-Z. The generations which skipped the Tacit101 Classes. And missed out on acquiring the skill of agreeing to disagree. For them, any contrary opinion meant you were a hater. And they came for you through the keyboard.

Meanwhile, Joe had a larger brand. More conservatives.  For them, it was quality over quantity.

Unfortunately, while the clash had been sparked by their followers. Yet, they both got scorched.

Fast forward now, and they were allies. Collaborating on deals. Another factor to their friendship was their uncanny resemblance.

 

The Trap

And on this day, Joe set out for Aham’s office.

“I am on my way to you” He said over the phone

“Great, see you then” Aham responded in a friendly cheer

“Tell your boss I am here” Jo strode towards Aham’s office

“He stepped out” the Receptionist said

“What do you mean stepped out? I spoke to him on my way and he was in the office”

“Yes sir, he got an emergency call and had to leave. He did leave a note for you in his office”

“Leave a note? Why did he not call me instead? Jo felt something was wrong

“And he instructed us to make you comfortable”

The hair on his skin prickled. Aham was not picking his calls nor responding to messages.

“What could be going on?” Joe mused as another call went unanswered

 

The Close Shave

Suddenly, the door burst open. Armed Security Operatives!

Before Joe could react, some descended on him. Punching, kicking and filming the scene while others trained their guns at him. His Martial Arts survival reflexes kicked in and he floored a few.  A bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit his shoulder before he heard the gun.

As the confusion calmed down, he was able to identify himself. The leader of the team was stunned

“We thought you were Aham”

“And why would you be in Aham’s office like this?”

 

The Real Deal

Suddenly, it began to unfold. Two of Aham’s followers had gotten involved with the Security Agencies. A case which saw Aham being harrassed by the authorities. That morning, he had received a tip that the Agency was swooping down on his office. And they intended to make an open show of him on Social Media.

Yet, extricating himself, he had allowed Joe walk into the ambush.

In conclusion, this is an adaptation of a true story though. Except that in the real story, Joe escaped narrowly with his life while Aham did not.

The story is recounted in the Bible of Kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Ahab got a death verdict hanging over his head. Fully aware of that, he lured Jehoshaphat to follow him to war against Syria. Well aware the enemy would be looking out for his uniform. Because in Bible days;

• Kings lead their armies to war

• the side which captures or kills the enemy king, is the winner.

Furthermore, while it seemed that Ahab was collaborating with Jehoshaphat. He was actually setting him up to die. It took God to spare his life. Sometimes an appointment with death cannot be escaped [read Adisa’s story]

That is why I remind you today, to exercise discernment. In the rush to partner, reach larger audiences and gain grounds, pause to ponder.

Contemporary Tales.

You still think Bible stories are fables? They do not relate to contemporary times?

Below are links to stories of two military leaders who died in battles. In their uniforms. Because the enemy was able to identify them.

[Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lordnelson.htm]

WW2 killing of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto by the US Forces. Click to read

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Notes:

1 Kings 20,22