NOTE ON SUNDAY: THE ‘BIG-FISH’

My mum usually tells one story albeit fondly. And despite the fact that I have heard it overtime, it never stops to gear me up towards working for God rather unnoticeably.    

Basically, a real-life situation in the 80s at the Church of her youth, one Christ Apostolic Church branch in Osun state.

A prophecy had come forth at that time that;

“A big fish is leaving”, this being a spiritual connotation that a very strong faithful amongst them was about to meet the lord.

This stirred worry in the minds of the church members and ordinarily in this case, all eyes would be on either the clergies or those with visible spiritual gifts like the prophets, pastors, the evangelists, Sunday school teachers and maybe those who are holders of key positions in the church.

And as fate would have it, the prophecy persisted and at every spiritual gathering that;

“A big fish is leaving them soon”.

About the same time, the church’s patron (known as baba-ijo in local parlance) who has a long-standing record of good deeds to the ministry simultaneously suffered an ill health. He was about the biggest financial pillar of the church so no surprises he was revered. Which was why they had thought that he undoubtedly must have been the big fish being prophesied about.

Series of fasting and prayer to God for mercy that the ‘baba-ijo’ be spared ensued. Prayer sessions were held for him, rotational vigils amongst the prayer-warriors were not spared either.  

“A big-fish is still going”

The prophecy continued for the length of months the illness of the patron persisted.  

Just when they were about to lose hope of the spiritual fight, dear patron began to get better and their smiles returned. But in the peak of his wellness however, they got a shock of their lives in one of the mid-week service that;

            “The big-fish has gone to the meet the lord”.

Mum said the confusion of this day was better witnessed than explained. Here was baba-ijo seated right across the large altar giving praises for the restoration of his health, and unarguably assuming he was the big fish being talked about. The news update from God this particular day undoubtedly blinked the eyes of the entire church’s congregation in confusion.

Then the mantle of the prayer was changed and in furtherance to God they questioned;

“Lord, who is the big fish you talked about?”

But there was muteness to their response until the next Sunday, sheer experience did a better explanation.

It was a thanksgiving Sunday for baba-ijo’s wellness and as expected, every member was well dressed.

But as the members assembled, it became rather noticeable to the ushers that the church hasn’t been swept let alone cleaned. This has never happened in the last few decades because, they unconsciously got used to having the house of God all tidied. Nobody actually beats a particular elderly woman to it.

But then, only the ushers knew about this particular mama who comes earlier than anyone else to do the sweeping, and the proper cleaning of the benches. She was surprisingly absent on this day too.

Without having to ponder over this development too much, the ushering department hurriedly did what could be done just in the nick of time for that day’s service at least.

This brisk cleaning by the ushers didn’t stop members that wore white clothes from beginning to notice dark spots on their shining apparels. Some more corners of the long benches still had dusts tucked in, no doubt the face of the church on that day was obviously not the very neat self that it used to be.

Then the response to their query about who the big fish was came through usual prophecy during that day’s service:

“This old woman was the big fish being referred to”

Unknown to other members of the church, mama had been battling a serious ill health for a while that the prophecy was coming forth about the warning of the exit of a big fish. She was ill same time the church’s patron was, but because she was poor and inactive in every other popular church activity but the cleaning and sweeping of the premises, she was not known.

And despite her health challenges, she still sneaks in to perform the duties she had done for the church of God for decades, sweeping and cleaning. Other members only got used to a neatly and tidied up church environment, totally oblivious of who does it. Only the church’s security and ushers who comes earlier than the rest knew mama.

No surprises Jesus said in Mark 12: 41-44

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

 Bearing in mind that, it is not by what we do for God or by the ‘heaviness or weight’ of it as ‘measured’ by human, but the mindset with which we have carried it out.

Many of us would work for God and still stand at the roof-top to announce it, or with the hidden agenda of waiting on church leaders for church titles and recognitions. To this crop of people, they have received their reward already, heaven is not aware. The bible says in Mathew 6:1;

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven”

The Lord decides who the big fish is and not any prophet, no matter how presumably anointed that he is.

And to you, can you be classified as a big fish?

 Picture: Community Church Movement, USA