The Celebrity Traitors: Behaving how people expect

As The Celebrity Traitors begins, Calum Montgomery challenges us to consider what we’re known for.

It’s back on BBC One, but this time with a twist! Instead of getting to know strangers in the castle, in The Celebrity Traitors we’re seeing some of the most familiar faces in UK entertainment.

If you’re anything like me, you read through the list before the first episode on Wednesday (8 October) and worked out who’ll make a good traitor and who you want to go all the way. Will Alan Carr stay faithful? Will Clare Balding put on the cloak? It’s so easy to feel like we know celebs – how they’ll act or whether they’ll stay faithful – just because we’ve seen them on our screens before.

It’s also fun to imagine what we’d do if we were on the show. Would you use your true identity or a fake accent to fool the group? Just like with the celebs, our friends and family could probably guess how we’d play. Our reputation goes before us. Tom Daley is known for his knitting needles and gold medals. What are you known for?

You might be known as a great storyteller. Or maybe you’re a great listener. Some are known as the life of the party. Others enjoy a quiet night in. What we do defines how we’re known, and Jesus teaches that love needs to define us.

In John, as he sat with his disciples and washed their feet, Jesus also explained that one would betray him. Then, he gives his final command before his crucifixion: ‘Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples’ (13:34 and 35 English Standard Version).

By living out Jesus’ command, we are called to be known not by our job, our hobbies or even our role in church, but to be known as a disciple of Jesus.

Are you known as someone who loves as Jesus loves? Patient and kind. Someone who doesn’t envy or boast, who doesn’t demand their own way and keeps no record of wrongs. That’s the love Jesus was talking about. That’s the love the world needs right now.

Our actions should lead people to see us as disciples of Jesus. We want to be image bearers of Christ, builders of the Kingdom, salt and light that lead others to not only see Jesus in us but also encounter him in their own lives. This year, the fun of The Celebrity Traitors is seeing how the reputations of the celebs line up with reality. In our lives, the challenge is seeing if our reputation lines up with who we’re called to be.

Reflect and respond

• Do your actions help others see Jesus?
• Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Which words stand out to you? Where do you see yourself? Where do you need God’s help to grow?
• What are some simple acts you could do this week to reflect God’s love?