The Wolf in Sheep Clothing — Appearances are Deceptive

A Wolf in Sheep Clothing is a famous fable written by Aesop, a Greek storyteller. A fable is a succinct, brief, concise, or very short story with a moral.

The phrase ‘A wolf in sheep clothing’ means that we cannot trust people who appear harmless or friendly as they may turn out to be malicious, dangerous, or untrustworthy.

Story of the Wolf in Sheep Clothing

Once upon a time, a shepherd lived in a beautiful village close to the forest. Every day he led his flock of sheep to the meadow and watched them flock over to the grassy bowl to graze and drink from the nearby creek. He brought them safely to the sheepfold at night.

Now, there was a wolf in the forest who was not able to hunt and catch prey as it had become weak with age and could not move as swiftly as it did earlier. So, it thought it could make an easy meal of the lambs. However, it found it very difficult to get close to the sheep because of the watchfulness of the shepherd and his dogs.

One night, as it was prowling, it found a sheepskin that had been flayed and thrown aside. It decided to wear the skin and get mixed up with the flock, so that the shepherd will not suspect it. It planned to kill a fat sheep and then take it away. The next day, it pulled the skin carefully over its pelt so that none of the fur showed under the white fleece. He strolled among the flock and mixed up with them.

A cute, little lamb thought that the wolf was its mother as the skin belonged to its mother. It began to follow the wolf into the woods. The wolf killed the innocent lamb and ate it up. The wolf became greedy as it thought it could get an easy meal daily by strolling with the sheep.

The wolf began to pasture with the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. For many days, the wolf was able to get a sheep whenever it pleased and enjoyed hearty meals.

But one evening, the shepherd took him for a sheep and shut him also in the pen. Just by chance, that day was the occasion of a great feast. The farmer looked to kill one sheep to eat at the celebration. So, he went to the sheep hold and started looking for the biggest and fattest sheep. He found the biggest sheep and silently lifted his ax, and with one blow to the neck, killed it on the spot. Guess what it was – the wolf!

The Moral of the Story

Three morals can be drawn from the wolf in sheep clothing story:

1. The first moral from the wolf in sheep clothing is: Do not assume or judge things based on appearance. Never be deceived by first impressions. You need to understand by paying attention to the small details and the types of vibes something or someone gives off.
2. The second moral from the wolf in sheep clothing is: Do not pretend to be what you are not, you might get caught. We all want to feel important. We are all human and want to be noticed and respected. Sometimes when we present ourselves differently, it can backfire and make us look stupid.
3. The third moral from the wolf in sheep clothing is: The evil doer often comes to harm through his deceit. If you seek to harm, be prepared for the consequences as surely anguish will come to visit you sooner or later.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:15

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