WHEN YOU HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH (Offerus)

In the country which is called Canaan there lived a man whose name was Offerus. He was a fearsome fellow, a man of gigantic stature and very strong. The king of his country would have liked him to be one of his servants, as he was able to do the work of many laborers and in war battled mightily. Offerus, however, had decided only to serve the mightiest among all kings.

So he travelled through many countries until he found the king whom people said to be the mightiest. When this king saw this imposing fellow standing before his throne, he was glad to take him into his service, as kings always highly value strong servants.

Offerus served the king loyally. One evening, the king invited his courtiers to celebrate with him. After they had all eaten and drunk as much as they pleased, a minstrel told a story to the accompaniment of his lute. Offerus had been proud to have been invited too but sitting at the back of the hall he could not quite catch the words of the story. He saw, though, that now and then during the story the king made the sign of the cross. Coming near to listen, he found that the king did this every time the devil was mentioned. His mighty king could not be afraid of the devil, could he?

After the festivities had ended, he approached the king asking him why he had made the sign of the cross. The king did not answer him. Offerus said that he really wanted to know this and that he could not continue to serve the king unless his question was answered. So the king had to confess that the devil made him afraid and that he wanted to protect himself with the sign of the cross.

`Do I understand that the devil is mightier than you, my king?’, Offerus asked. The king had to admit that this was true.

`Then I will not be able to serve you anymore’, Offerus said. `I want to serve the mightiest of all masters.’

So Offerus left the king and went to look for the devil.

Soon he was travelling through a barren and lonely land, the road twisting amidst sand dunes. Suddenly he found himself opposite a group of knights, fierce and frightening. The most daunting of them came to him and asked what he wanted.

`I am looking for the devil’, Offerus said.

`Then you have come to the right place because that’s who I am. What do you want?’

`I want to serve the mightiest of masters’, Offerus said, `and I understand you to be the mightiest.’

`Sure, sure’, a smirk appeared on his face, `come then and follow me.’

Offerus followed the devil, but only a short time later, as they travelled upon a wide and straight road, the devil saw a cross at the side of the road. He flinched and leaving the road he scrambled over rocks, going across country till he met the road again further on.

`Tell me’, Offerus said, `why did you leave the road? Did something bother you?’

`Me, something bothering me, no way’, the devil almost shouted, but as they walked on he looked sharply left and right to see whether they again would meet a cross.

`You were afraid of that cross’, Offerus said. `Tell me why.’ The devil had to admit that he could not suffer the cross because it is the sign of Christ.

`Then Christ is mightier than you’, Offerus concluded, `and as I want to serve the mightiest of masters, I resign my post. I will go to look for Christ.’ At the word `Christ’ the devil made a wry face; he looked around panicky and took himself off.

Offerus went on and eventually found a hermit living in solitude. The hermit, people had told him, would be able to help him. The hermit saw him coming, opened his door and invited him in. Offerus had to crouch low to enter the hut and sat down on some straw and leaned against the wall. The hermit asked Offerus how he could help him, and Offerus told his story.

`Wanting to find Christ you will have to fast regularly’, the hermit answered.

`To fast?’, alarmed, Offerus continued: `I do not know how to fast.’

`And you have to pray quite a bit, too’, the hermit added. `Never heard about praying’, Offerus answered, `I only want to serve Christ, I want to do something for him.’

The hermit had to ponder this, but after a while he made a sign that Offerus should follow him. He went out and pointed to a valley in the distance where one could see a river. `Down there’, he said, `you see the river. All the time, people want to cross, but there is no bridge; the water flows rapidly across the ford and many have perished. You are big and strong, and you will be able to help people across. You may be sure, the time will come that Christ will be among the travelers. There you will be able to meet him.’

Offerus thought this a good idea and settled near the river. The water flowed strongly, but he was not afraid. He built a simple hut next to the ford, cut himself a strong staff and was ready to begin his task.

Many years passed. He helped many travelers to cross the river and he lost no one. People were grateful to him and gave him enough to live on. When he became impatient and disappointed that he still had not met Christ, the hermit consoled him and told him to persevere.

One night Offerus was resting inside his hut after a full day and amidst the rising wind he thought he heard the voice of a child calling: `Please come out and take me across!’ He went out but found no one. No sooner had he stepped back inside his hut when he heard the same voice calling him; again he could find no one. Listening intently, he heard the voice the third time and this time when he went out, he found a child standing at the ford asking to be taken across.

Offerus took the child upon his shoulders, took his staff and waded in. As he started to cross, the waters rose and rose and the child became heavier and heavier, and when he had reached the middle of the river he became afraid he would drown, bowed down as he was with the weight. It took all his efforts to reach the other side. Putting the child down, he said: `You brought me great peril. I almost did not make it. The whole world upon my shoulders could not have been heavier than you.’

The child answered: `That is not surprising, Offerus. You have not only carried the weight of the whole world upon your shoulders this night, but also the One that created all the world. Know that I am Christ whom you seek, the king you serve. Because you have carried me you will have a new name. Your name has been Offerus, which means `one who carries’. From now on your name will be Christopherus, which means `one who carries Christ’. So that you know I am speaking the truth, I ask you to plant your staff next to your hut. Tomorrow morning it will bear flowers and dates.’

Then the child vanished before his eyes.

Christopher went back across the river. He planted his staff and the next morning found flowers and dates. Then he knew and was satisfied that he had become a servant of the mightiest of masters.

SOURCE:`When you have waited long enough’ has been retold in the `Denver Letters to a Diaspora’ [39], after the legend of Christopher from `Heiligenlegenden’ by Siegwart Knijpenga (Zeist 1993). His collection of stories has been published by Floris Books as `Stories of the Saints’, Edinburgh 1997.

The legend of Christopher is one of the most enduring Christian legends, even if scholars doubt that an `Offerus’ ever did exist. For centuries his feast has been celebrated July 25.

Arie Boogert and Anna Marchant, 1995/