Im Name Na John

One room wey family people full. Everybody get wetin dem wan talk. And di only man wey no fit talk one word stretch hand take one small writing board, and e settle di whole argument.

We don come back to di hill country of Judah, for di house of Zechariah di priest and im wife Elizabeth. For most of dia long marriage, dem no get pikin. Then, while Zechariah dey serve for di temple, di angel Gabriel tell am say e go get son, and say dem must call di boy John. Zechariah no fit believe am. E ask for proof. So di angel tell am say e no go fit talk until di day wey dis tins go happen. For nine months, Zechariah don dey live inside silence. Now Elizabeth time don reach.

Elizabeth born one son. And news dey travel fast for small town. Di neighbours hear. Di cousins hear. Luke talk say dem hear say di Lord don show her big mercy, and dem rejoice with her. Picture as di house dey full. Women wey don watch Elizabeth wait year after year now come carry di baby. People wey before dey whisper about how she no get pikin now dey share her joy. Na celebration wey don take whole lifetime to come.

For di eighth day, dem gather to circumcise di boy, as di law of Moses teach, and na di same day dem go name am. Everybody think say dem know di answer. Call am Zechariah, after im papa. Na di obvious choice. But Elizabeth talk. No o; na John dem go call am. Di relatives confuse. John? Nobody for your family get dat name. So dem turn face Zechariah, dem make sign give am, dem dey ask wetin e want make dem call di child. Maybe e no fit hear again too; Luke talk say dem use sign.

Zechariah ask for writing board. Di whole room quiet as e dey write. Then e raise am up. Im name na John. Everybody surprise. And for dat very moment, Zechariah mouth open and im tongue loose. Di first tin wey e do with im new voice na to praise God. Fear catch all di neighbours, Luke talk, di kind fear wey dey come when you realise say God dey near. Di story spread for di whole hill country of Judah. And everybody wey hear am dey ask di same question. Wetin dis child go come be? Because di hand of di Lord dey with am.

Di word wey Luke use for di writing board mean small flat wood, and for di ancient world, dem dey often rub wax for top dis kind board, so dat you fit scratch letters with one sharp pen and smooth am again to use am another time. Na dem be notebook for dat time. And di name wey Zechariah write get meaning too. For Hebrew, John na Yohanan, one name wey people dey usually understand to mean di Lord don show grace. Na exactly wetin dis family just discover.

You go find dis naming day for Luke chapter one, verse fifty-seven reach sixty-six. One papa wey doubt before choose to obey, for writing, for di front of everybody, and im voice come back. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When everybody around you dey expect one tin, and God don ask for another one, wetin dey help you choose to obey?