Christian Fiction: Rightly Dividing

 I rushed out as I heard the scream from the back of our large compound. Children had all left for school and everywhere was quiet and I wondered what a child would be doing home alone and screaming.

I spotted mama Nkechi dragging her only son roughly by the hand with a cutlass and a long whip (Koboko).

He already had marks of bruises and wounds on his back. The blood stains looked as painful as they appeared. I hurried my steps as I noticed from afar how critical the condition was.

"Mama Nkechi, ke ki me?"

I asked after greeting her politely. She just mumbled a reply and kept dragging Nzube. I was startled as she didn't seem to be relenting. I followed after her and after a short walk that looked like a year, we got to a tree. She quickly tied Nzube to the tree.

"Mama Nkechi, please calm down. We can talk this out!"

She hesitated and turned to face me. By this time, Nzube had cried till he was too weak to cry. He just let out whistling sounds to push out his pain.

"What happened?"

"Ask him. Do not ask me stupid questions." She retorted.

"Nzube, what happened?" I bent to meet his eyes as I tried to soothingly interrogate him.

Nzube tried to take a better position as he started to narrate his ordeal to me. Apparently, after his other siblings had gone to school, he returned and snuck into his mother's kitchen to take a piece of meat from the pot of stew that kept him salivating all through. Immediately he had dipped his hand in the pot, his mum walked in with a bucket of water on her head. He had thought she had gone to her shop where she sold wares at the market already. He was stuck. Contemplating whether to return the meat to the pot or just put it in his mouth. Either way, he was going to dance to the music he just set to play on the record.

The mother, a Christian and fiery worker in church is a no nonsense person. She wasn't going to let it slide. He had set the record on play and now, it was time to dance. She quickly stripped him of his uniform and whipped him with the cow skinned whip (koboko). He was wheezing already from crying too much. He thought it was over till she went in just to come out with her Bible and read a verse out loud.

Matt.18.8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. (KJV)

Matt.18.9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (KJV)

Nzube could not believe his ears and for a second, he thought his mother was joking until she told him they had to obey the Bible by which they lived. She started dragging him out of the house when he started screaming for help seeing she was serious.

When he was done telling his story, I had tears in my eyes already. I heard of confused Christians but this was a lot for me to take in. How can one treat her child like this?

I was startled. Confused.

Mama Nkechi always looked fervent, nice, and committed from the little I could notice of her from afar.

I started to plead on Nzube's behalf till other passersby joined in my plea. She finally gave in. I went home in awe. But it wasn't far-fetched. Mama Nkechi took it to the extreme, but I know the little confusions I usually had myself in while reading my Bible are no different from this. I finally understood what it meant to rightly divide.

2 Tim.2.15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

Dear Christian,
Study!
Divide Rightly!
Do not imply meanings!
The Bible is whole!
Do not make it become a joke or a reason to fuel your issues and wrongdoings!

Selah!