Corban (4)

Corban is a Hebrew word adopted into the Greek of the New Testament and left untranslated. It occurs only once in the Bible and it means a gift or offering consecrated to God.

This story is a series weaved around the story in Mark 7:11 in the Bible, enjoy!!!

Catch up on former episodes of Corban – Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3

He was so brainwashed that he began to neglect his duty to his family- his parents. Before he came to Sagamu, he usually visited home with money and gift items for family and friends of the family. One would think that an elevation in his status would be a good sign of plenty for the family but he simply became more engrossed in church work.

His father who wanted a change in environment planned to build a house in Oyo and told him about it. His welding work was doing okay but he wished for his son to contribute to the whole affair. Jide told him he would think about it and that he had little money with him. All the money he had had been given to the church as a pledge for a project. Isaac imagined it was a joke and insisted Jide produced the money within a few weeks.

After much pressure, Jide managed to drop a little and reminded his father that since he too was working, he could find the rest. This was a slap on the ageing man’s face and he almost disowned him that day but for the pleas of his mother and friends. He forgave him and went ahead with his house construction. So engrossed was Jide in church work that he hardly went home to check on his father’s work. He sometimes sent messages and letters to check progress whenever he felt up to it.

His mother, who summed up her child’s misbehaviour to an attack from the spiritual realm, went into fasting and prayer to conquer the evil work. She would go days without proper food despite the warnings of her husband not to bother about a child who was simply proving himself a bastard. Many times, both of them had questioned themselves on where they had gone wrong in the child’s training.

What had they done to deserve such treatment from their only child? It was worry coupled with a sudden sickness that caused the demise of Yemisi. Jide who was deeply grieved by this decided to honour his mother’s memory with a grand burial. Indeed, it was a grand burial.

Isaac who wasn’t moved by his son’s display of wealth rejected him and said he never wanted to see him. Several pleas were made on his behalf but Isaac’s mind was made up. From that day, each man went about his business as he would. Thank God that none of them was impoverished, then there would have been a need to contact the other.

Things continued smoothly for Jide and his several church missions until his business began to suffer a setback. It started when prices in machines, cotton and chemicals shot up at about the same time. Then, as though it wasn’t bad enough for business, a rival company was suddenly established a few buildings away from his.

This company, because it was new, sought customers and began to sell their products at an outrageously low price that Jide could hardly compete with. He had to reduce prices as well to keep his customers. He began to owe his staff and had to let some others go. Some left his company angrily and went in search of greener pastures, some not going farther than the next building.

He struggled with this for about eight months and when things began to look up again, he became involved in a motor accident and was hospitalised for four months. It wouldn’t have mattered much but his personal assistant and the manager used this opportunity to round up whatever little money was left and ran away.

By the time he left the hospital and discovered how terrible things had gone, he was devastated. As expected, his church offerings had gradually reduced and ground to a halt as he used up his savings to pay his bills and get medication. He returned to Sagamu to seek out Bode for help. Bode had by now, sold his company and had faced ministerial work fully, enjoying the reward of having had an influential man in his congregation for years. He couldn’t do much to help as what little he got also went into church work. He, however, advised Jide to seek spiritual help.

About two weeks later, Jide returned from the mountain after seven days of intense prayer and fasting. He thanked God for the victory he’d received on this prayer bout. The last mountain he’d visited had seemed all about contribution for one mission or the other. He sighed and thought again of the revelation of the prophet.

Could it be that he was truly the cause of his problems? Could it truly be the neglect of his parents that had made him so wretched? The prophet had said that he had been cursed. But by whom? His parents? He sighed again. The prophet hadn’t answered this question but had advised him to seek out his parents immediately and ask for their blessings.

“I have to call father and apologise to him. Will he even pick my call? When they called me then, I used to avoid their calls. Will he not now scorn my call and apology?”

“Maybe I should give him a surprise visit. At least then, he won’t turn me away, even if he’s really angry. I think I’ll see Baba Debo first, he will help me plead.”

“Hmmm,  Baba Debo. It’s been a while I heard from him too. When I saw his daughter Bimpe last year, she said he was in good health and still in his house in Ibadan.”

“Yes. I’ll visit him first and start my apology from there. I know how much father values him. I’ll go and see him tomorrow. Thank God he’s a pastor. He will know the right words to say to make father forgive me.”

Did you enjoy reading this episode? Then, watch out for episode 5.