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The Calling of the Twelve by Jesus in Matthew 4:18-22: A 

Reflection of the Concept of OMO AWO in Yoruba 

Traditional Religion 

 

By 

Oghenekevwe Kate Jibromah, Ajishola Omojeje, Elijah Rotimi 

Ashafa & Jonah Olusola Adeniran 

 

 

 

Abstract 

Continuity is a fundamental essence of every religion. The leadership of every 

religious group in the world realizes the importance of transmitting the ethics, 

values and norms of their belief system from one generation to another. Such 

intergenerational transmissions rest upon the continuous zeal and devotion of the 

adherents of each religion. One of the important aspects of the Yoruba Traditional 

Religion is the practice of initiation into the secrets of Ifa divination after a period 

of apprenticeship during which all apprentices are known as Omo Awo. 

Essentially disciples or followers, the Omo Awo constitute a common 

phenomenon that runs through religious practices of the people. Omo Awo are 

trained under the Adahunse, Babalawo or the Onisegun. They are trained to 

understand the secret and practice of Ifa divination which would enable them to 

serve as custodians of Yoruba traditional religious thought and practices after 

their initiation. They continue as trusted custodians of affairs pertaining to the 

gods and attend to the people’s spiritual needs after the demise of their masters. 

Against this background, this paper examines the calling of the twelve disciples 

of Jesus in Matthew 4:18-22 in juxtaposition with the requirements and 

stipulations entailed in the process of selecting the Omo Awo in Traditional 

Yoruba Religion. The paper employed comparative, historical and contextual 

methods of investigation. Research materials were drawn from primary and 

secondary sources, published and unpublished data, as well as from oral 

interviews conducted with identified resource persons vastly knowledgeable in 

the art of traditional medicine. In the light of its findings, the paper concluded 

that there is an urgent need to advocate for more Omo Awo in the practice of 

Yoruba Traditional Religion.  

Keywords: Omo Awo, disciples, religion, tradition, Yoruba 

 



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Introduction      

Different religions across the world have sustained their beliefs and 

practices and ensured continuity by transmitting their ethics, values and 

norms from one generation to another. Hence, discipleship or 

apprenticeship, designed to train and install devoted adherents who will 

carry the religious system into the future, is an integral programme of 

every religious order as it is the surest way of guaranteeing 

intergenerational survival. The paper, using historical and analytical 

methods of investigation, undertakes a study of the apprenticeship 

practices of Yoruba Traditional Religion’s Omo Awo in relation to Jesus’ 

call of His first disciples as chronicled in Matthew 4:18-22. 

It has been noted that by examining various religious beliefs, customs, 

rituals, and approaches, we gain a better and deeper understanding of 

different religious groups and communities, thereby enhancing our 

appreciation of similarities and differences between diverse religious 

persuasions and practices.  In addition, being acquainted with the ways of 

different religious traditions grants a useful insight into how each group 

has been able to create and sustain a unique worldview by which their 

adherents give their lives meaning and transcendental value.    

This is a comparative exposition that examines discipleship recruitment 

and practices as they relate to two different religious traditions: Yoruba 

Traditional Religion’s concept of Omo Awo and the Call of Jesus’ 

disciples as recorded in Matthew 4:18-22. This is not a theological 

comparison but rather an academic study of the apprenticeship approaches 

employed by the two belief systems. As emphasized by The Encyclopedia 

of Religion (2005): 

Unlike theology, the academic study of religion seeks to provide 

accounts of the world's religions from perspectives that have no 

confessional (religious) ground or agenda. As an empirical pursuit, it 

is concerned with understanding and explaining what people actually 

think and do without establishing or enforcing norms for that 

thought and behavior" (p. 8761) 

Lambe (2021), underscoring the importance of such relative investigation, 

states that “The academic study of religion is an ideal way to explore 

religious ideas from a variety of perspectives… Researching religion 

means having the chance to learn how others understand existence and our 

purpose.”  

Theoretical Framework 

The conceptual framework adopted for this study is the comparative 



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method, as proposed by Oliver Freiberger (2018). In his “Elements of a 

Comparative Methodology in the Study of Religion”, Freiberger 

emphasized the need for a “a methodological frame of comparison that 

addresses both the general configuration of a comparative study—its goal, 

mode, scale, and scope—and the comparative process, distinguishing 

operations of selection, description, juxtaposition, redescription, as well as 

rectification and theory formation” (Freiberger 2018).  

Freiberger identified two broad goals in the study of religion, namely 

description and classification. He distinguishes these two goals and their 

corresponding modes as follows: 

A comparative study whose primary goal is description aims at a 

better understanding of a particular historical-empirical item by 

means of comparison. Comparing that item with other items can 

serve a heuristic purpose by identifying aspects and facets that 

would otherwise be missed or neglected. It can produce insights by 

de-familiarizing the familiar… This goal corresponds to the 

illuminative mode of comparison... Second, a study whose primary 

goal is classification uses comparison to form, apply, critically 

evaluate, and refine metalinguistic terminology in order to classify 

religious phenomena. This goal corresponds to the taxonomic mode 

of comparison. While it seems useful to separate these two general 

goals analytically, they can certainly complement each other, even 

within a single study (Freiberger 2018). 

In the context of Freiberger’s framework, this paper is essentially 

descriptive and illuminative, and the main comparative operation adopted 

for the study is juxtaposition. Because the Omo Awo phenomenon, while 

fairly well-known in traditional Yoruba communities, is not a well-known 

practice among non-Yoruba speaking audience, this study will allocate 

greater scope to explaining aspects of the Omo Awo custom than to 

description of Christian discipleship principles and practices.  

System of Discipleship in Christianity 

A disciple in Christianity is a follower of Christ, that is, someone who 

believes and practices the tenets taught by Christ in the gospels and carried 

on, after His earthly life, by His initial disciples. Discipleship in 

Christianity continued after Christ’s death and resurrection through the 

activities of those who had interacted with him physically, as recorded in 

the Acts of the Apostles (who were chiefly Jesus’ first twelve disciples and 

the distinguished convert, Paul) and the epistles (collection of letters 

written to early Christian groups and communities by some Apostles and 

pioneer Christian leaders). 



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Training was a key element Jesus used in developing His followers, and 

the main instrument he deployed in doing so was teaching. He taught them 

His principles on different occasions; in Matthew 5:1-2, it is on record that 

Jesus’ “disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught 

them”. William (1911) enumerated the number of times Jesus was called 

the Teacher in the Gospels (that is, the record of His ministry as narrated 

by four of His disciples). According to Williams: 

In the Synoptic Gospels the title Teacher is applied to Jesus thirty-

nine times, twelve each in Mark and Matthew, fifteen in Luke. In the 

Fourth Gospel it is used six times to designate Jesus. That is, forty-

five times in the four Gospels Jesus is called the Teacher. 

In studying the above passages more closely we observe that they 

can be divided into three classes: First, those in which Jesus is called 

the Teacher by Himself: Mt. 10:24, 25;  Lk. 6:40; Jno. 13:14 – six in 

all; Secondly, those in which He is called the Teacher by those 

friendly to him, including the Twelve and His other followers and 

sympathizers. There are twenty-three instances where those friendly 

to Him call Him the teacher, ten of which are cases in which the 

Twelve call Him the teacher. (p. 63)  

Teaching the word of God as revealed To Him was a crucial tool Jesus 

used to train His disciples; His disciples spread and continue to spread His 

doctrine through teaching the principles and practices of Jesus and those of 

His earliest disciples as recorded in the Bible. So, teaching and mentorship 

are crucial tools of discipleship in Christianity. 

System of Discipleship in Yoruba Traditional Religion 

According to Olupona (2022), “At the core of Yorùbá religious thought 

and practice is the idea and practice of secrecy called awo.” The practice 

being referred to here, as indicated by Olupona, is “Ifa divination practice” 

whose “custodians…and masters of the sacred exoteric tradition” are the 

Babalawo. The Babalawo is someone who has been initiated into Ifa after 

completing a minimum of five years apprenticeship under the tutelage of 

Olúwo. During these years of training, Ifa apprentices are called Ọmọ-

Àwo.  

As a matter of fact, there will never be Ọmọ-Àwo without Awo and 

Babaláwo and vis-à-vis just like there will never be student without school 

and the teacher. Therefore to get a clearer picture of who the Ọmọ-Àwo is, 

it is necessary to understand the term Awo.  

Awo is an institutionalized process that trains its students in the school of 

life, the philosophy, ethics, morals, science and technology of life, through 



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the instrumentality of IFÁ principles and divination system. The institution 

requires high moral value, maturity, discipline in words and character. 

Babaláwo is a product of the institution called Awo. The word, Babaláwo, 

is etymologically derived from bàbà (master) in Awo – institution of 

acquiring Yorùbá body of knowledge, which Ifá (the Yoruba deity of 

wisdom) represent in totality.  Hence, Babaláwo means master in the 

working knowledge of Ifa, acquired in the institution called Awo. There 

can never be a Babaláwo without the institution called Awo. However, it is 

important to know that the term Babaláwo has nothing to do with being a 

father, but being a master in the act and knowledge that is accessible in the 

institution of Awo. There are many young boys, who are not yet married, 

but are experts in the art of divination and traditional healing therapy; 

some have also become pharmacopoeial – highly knowledgeable about 

therapeutical plants and healing system. This succinctly explains the 

Yorùbá metaphorical aphorism that, “Baba ni baba yóò máa je  ̣́  lo ̣́ jo ̣́  ko ̣́ jo ̣́ .” 

which means, “A professional will always be professional, come rain or 

shine.” 

Awo is the institution which trains and imbues its students, the Ọmọ Awo, 

with the basic and deeper bodies of knowledge in the skills of writing 

(marking of Odù on Ìye  ̣̀ re òsùn) and in reading, reciting, divining, 

philosophy, ethics, music, herbal medicine, and other Yorùbá-oriented 

science. After such students are certified as competent in learning and 

character by their teacher, whom the system gives the appellation of 

‘Oluawo’, they are certificated with the title of ‘Babaláwo’ (an expert in 

the art of divination and traditional healing system). During the learning 

process, the institution expects an Ọmọ awo to be submissive and accept 

the knowledge passed to him or her by his master, the Oluawo, without 

arguing. Hence, the saying, "májiyàn la fi awodá", that is, knowledge is 

better acquired where there is absence of rancour. In the same vein, a 

trained and competent Babaláwo is also expected to know when to talk 

and when not to talk. He or she must learn not to divulge the secret of his 

or her client, and possibly his colleagues. That is the basis of the statement, 

“Wíwoniẹnuawo ń wo”, which means that a Babaláwo should be able to 

keep a sealed lip on issues which concern his clients and colleagues. 

In addition, a trained Babaláwo should not be self-centered but should help 

his colleagues when the need arises. Refusing to act at such times, to 

protect the glory of the institution, will not only bring ridicule to his 

colleagues but will also bring the institution to disrepute in the public 

domain. Hence, our ancestors said, “awoní ń gbé  awoní ìgbo ̣̀ wọ́  , bí awokò 

bá gbé awoní ìgbo ̣̀ wo ̣̀ , awo ate  ̣́ , awo a sì fàya. That is, united we stand but 

in division we fall.  



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In summary, Awo is about an institution through which diverse fields of 

Yoruba body of knowledge are learnt by the Ọmọ awo; the product of such 

an institution is referred to as Baba Aláwo which, in Western parlance, 

could be interpreted as the father of the initiates. A babaláwo is also 

another name for a person who is an Ifá priest. He is the one who has the 

knowledge of divination and can identify the 16 sets of Ifa which is known 

as Odù as well as the signatures of their sub sets which is always arranged 

in chapters and verses. 

Stages and Processes of Ifá Learning  

The stages of the Ifá Learning system could be divided into three, with 

each stage having a number of processes. The three stages are: 

 The Early Stage 

 The Middle Stage 

 The Final Stage 

The Early Stage of Ifá Learning  

The early stage of Ifa learning is sub-divided into six processes to reflect 

the level or degree of knowledge acquired by the Ọmọ awo in the course of 

his or her training. Below are the six processes of this stage. 

1. Babaláwowíwá (Finding the Priest): This is the first process during 

which the would-be ọmọ awo would need to find a priest suitable enough 

to take him through the rigorous exercise of learning the Ifá and its literary 

corpus. It usually takes a person about ten years to know and master the art 

of divination and be well versed in the traditional method of therapeutic 

healing, so it requires a lot of prayers and searching for a babalawo who is 

that serious as to take a man who himself must be ready to be tolerant and 

to persevere through the entire process of learning the traditional method 

of healing. 

2. Baba Ìko ̣́fá Yíyàn (Choosing a mentor among the priests): There are 

usually many priests that have graduated from a particular babaláwo (chief 

priest); therefore, an Omọ Awo will have to choose one of them who will 

be guiding and mentoring him/her. 

3. Iná Ìdáwo ̣́ tẹpo ̣́ n (First Induction Ceremony): After the Omọ Awo has 

found a priest who will serve as his/her mentor, the parents of the Omọ 

Awo will come around to do the induction ceremony for him/her. Here, 

they will undergo some sacrifice that has to do with placing the hand of the 

new Omọ Awo on Ifá divination tray. This is called dídá ọwo ̣́  tẹpo ̣́ n.  



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4. Àkóṣe Ẹ̣́̀ ránfá (Spiritual aids for Ifá memorization): This is somehow 

spiritual in the sense that the awo will inscribe the sixteen Ifá corpus, ojú 

odù me  ̣́ rìndínlógún in the opon (Ifá divination tray) and spread atare 

(alligator pepper) with e  ̣̀ ṣe  ̣́ bì (pieces of kolanut) across the corpus. Then 

the Omọ Awo will have to prostrate and eat the alligator pepper and pieces 

of kolanut with his/her mouth after which he will gulp it down his throat 

with a specific local dry gin prepared for such purpose. 

5. Ọpo ̣́ n Títe ̣̣́̀ (Inscribing odù-Ifá on Ifá divination tray): Here, the Omọ 

Awo will start learning the sign and names of the ojú odù me  ̣́ rìndínlógún, 

the sixteen Ifá literary corpus. This usually starts from Èjì Ogbè till 

OfunMeji. 

6. Ṣíṣí Ọ̣́̀pe ̣̣́̀ le ̣̣́̀ (Divine chain practice): The Ọmọ Awo also will have to be 

very familiar with how to interpret the o ̣̀ pe  ̣̀ le  ̣̀  (divine chain) because the 

Opele communicates with the initiates through signs and symbols. Though 

the divine chain could be made of o ̣̀ pe  ̣̀ le  ̣̀  seed or brass, the system is the 

same for those who are well versed in its interpretation. 

Middle Stage of Ifá Learning 

The following processes make up the middle stage of Ifá learning: 

1. Ọ̀ ̣́pe ̣̣́̀ le ̣̣́̀  Sísán & Ìgbọwo ̣́  (Divine chain and interpretation of Odù): During 

this stage, the Omo Awo is expected to know the logic in divine chain 

process and proper interpretation of the kind of corpus or odù that appears 

during the divination system. 

2. Dídá ọwo ̣́  àtiètìte ̣̣́̀  ale ̣̣́̀ (How to use divine palm kernel fruit and its 

interpretation of signs inscribed on the ground): Through deeper learning 

and rigorous practice, the Omo Awo must pay more attention to make 

adequate and correct interpretation of the signs and symbols which are the 

usual ways through which the Opele communes with the initiates. 

3. Ifá RíránàtiIfá Kíkì (Memorization of Ifá literary corpus): The Omo 

Awo is expected to memorize and recite all the sixteen corpus of Ifá off 

hand. Such an Omo Awo must also be able to link the corpus to its sub sets 

which have unending verses. A typical example is the difference between 

Oyeku and Oyekulogbe. 

4. Ọ̣́̀kararaẹbọ (Prescription of sacrifice for atonement): Every odù has its 

prescribed sacrifice or ẹbọ. Thus, an Omọ Awo is expected to know the 

appropriate sacrifice for the appropriate odù that appears. 

5. Àko ̣́ ṣe-Ifá (Spiritual aids prescribed to any problem). 



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6. Ojùgbo ̣̣́̀nà Imọle ̣̣́̀ (How to prepare Ifá sacrifice such as how to kill Ifá 

goat). 

7. Ifá Ṣíṣe ̣́  (How to find divine palm kernel fruit and transform it to use for 

divination process). 

8. Ifá Bíbọ (How to make sacrifice for Ifá): This implies making Ifá 

sacrifice during the annual Ifá festival. 

Final Stage of Ifá Learning 

The final stage involves the following ten processes: 

1. Ìwe ̣̣́̀  Èrìgì àlo ̣̣́̀ àtiIfá Fífo ̣̣́̀ (How to wash Ifá divination palm kernel fruit). 

2. Ìkápo ̣́ njá àtiÌyípo ̣́ npo (That is, the Ọmọ Awo should be able to 

memorize and recite at least two verses in each of the 256 corpus of Ifá). 

3. Orin Ifá Kíkọ (Ifá songs): Every Ifá corpus has its song. An Ọmọ Awo 

is expected to know at least two songs in each of 256 corpus of Ifá and he 

should be able to create his own. 

4. Ìye ̣̣́̀re ̣̣́̀  Ifá Ṣíṣun (Every Ìye  ̣̀ re  ̣̀ -Ifá has song but not all Ifá songs have the 

Ìye  ̣̀ re  ̣̀ ). 

5. Ìlù àtiagogo Ifá (The drums and gongs of Ifa). 

6. Ìwẹ Látọpaàti Èṣù Gígún (Establishment of the Esu shrine). 

7. KóókoIfá tabiẹbu Ifá (This refers to Ifa Powder). 

8. Ìtẹfá tàbí Igbódù Wíwo ̣̣́̀ (The Ifa Initiation proper). 

9. Àkọṣe ̣̣́̀ jayé tabiẹṣe ̣̣́̀ńtáyé (Divination or probing into the future of the 

Omo Awo). 

10. Lékú awotabi Ìsosùnawo (Preparation of the Osun powder for the 

Omo Awo). 

Juxtaposing the Concept of Omo Awo with the Call of the First Four 

of the Twelve Disciples by Jesus Christ 

Jesus’ call of the first four of His twelve disciples is recorded as follows in 

Matthew 4:18-22 (RSV): 

Matt 4:18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, 

Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into 

the sea; for they were fishermen.  

Matt 4:19 And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you 



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fishers of men.’  

Matt 4:20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  

Matt 4:21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James 

son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father 

Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  

Matt 4:22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and 

followed him.   

In Jesus’ calling of the first four disciples, there is a process of 

discernment. He most likely saw other people but chose to call Peter and 

Andrew, James and John, all of whom ended up playing great roles in His 

ministry. Jesus discerned and called those who were worthy of being a part 

of the new consciousness – that is, “the kingdom of heaven”. Those were 

retained and given spiritual sustenance (Rev. Ed, 2010). This also is 

reflected in Ifa corpus. Ifa decides who trains as an Omo Awo, for it is not 

just anybody that is destined to be an Omo Awo; there are those who are 

called for such purpose. 

The call of the disciples is rooted in the call of Jesus, and this call is to 

change their lives forever and redirect them to a higher cause of serving 

others (Heusel, 2017). Jesus called them to follow him; he invited them to 

leave their ordinary life of catching fish and follow him to experience a 

new life of faith and a life of godly mission (Triton World Center). The 

aim or purpose of Jesus’ call is to teach the disciples to be like him. The 

same model is reflected in the call of the Omo Awo – he or she is called 

and trained by the Oluawo who teaches the Omo Awo to understand and 

practise divination like him. 

In the context of the book of Matthew, a disciple is one who has an 

experience of Jesus through a continuous encounter with him and who is in 

a position to convincingly tell others about Jesus. The Matthew account, 

therefore, attributes to the disciples a function that prefigures and alters 

their responsibility as co-workers in Jesus’ mission of preaching and 

asserting the kingdom of God which He represents. 

Awo and Babalawo, which signify the institution and the product of its 

learning process rooted in Isese Yoruba dynamics of wisdom, can be said 

to be equivalent to the pattern of Jesus’ call of His twelve disciples. Just as 

Jesus’ disciple must devote his entire life to follow the Lord whom he 

accepts as his master, train as His student, and study His word, so the Omo 

Awo, who is apprenticed to the Oluawo, must follow the precepts and 

examples of the Oluawo during the period of apprenticeship or 

mentorship. Eventually, the Omo Awo will be able to do everything the 



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master does and at the end becomes the master of the custom and tradition 

of the people. 

The traditional priest is an important social figure. As a result of his 

training, the priest becomes the repository of the customs, knowledge, 

taboos, theology and even history of the society. This extensive knowledge 

qualifies him to act as political head, judge and ritual expert. He is very 

prominent at the installation of kings and chiefs. Traditional priests are 

men and women of integrity and of respectable disposition. As Mbiti puts 

it, “They are trustworthy, devout, and obedient to the traditions of their 

office and to God or the divinities that they serve: friendly, kind, 

‘educated’ in matters of their profession and religions”.  

Conclusion 

This study has shown that in spite of differences between different 

religious persuasions and practices, they share certain conceptual and 

operational similarities. This study, to a significant extent, has shown that 

there is a reflection of the concept of OMO AWO in Yoruba Traditional 

Religion in the calling of the first four of the twelve disciples by Jesus, as 

narrated in Matthew 4:18-22. In both cases, mentorship and tutorial 

processes are involved, as the disciple or spiritual apprentice is called to be 

and do like his master, and to continue his work even after he has passed 

on. 

Recommendation 

To prolong the practice of Ifa divination system, which is a cultural, 

spiritual and intellectual heritage of the Yoruba as well as a UNESCO 

intangible cultural heritage of humanity, more youthful apprentices should 

be trained to carry on the work of the mostly aged persons currently 

sustaining the tradition by serving as Babalawo. 

 

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Author Information: Dr Oghenekevwe Kate Jibromah 

is a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies, 

Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, 

Nigeria. Email: jibromahok@aceondo.edu.ng. 
 

 

 

 

Dr Ajishola Omojeje is a lecturer in the Department of 

History, Adeyemi Federal University of Education, 

Ondo, Nigeria. Email: omojejeav@aceondo.edu.ng. 
 

 

 

 

Dr Elijah Rotimi Ashafa is a lecturer in the Department 

of Religious Studies, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-

Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. Email: ashafrotimi@gmail 

.com. 
 

 

 

 

Dr Jonah Olusola Adeniran is a lecturer in the 

Department of Religious Studies, Olabisi Onabanjo 

University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. Email: 

soladeniran21@gmail.com. 
 

 

 

 

 
 

APA 

 

Jibromah, O. K., Omojeje, A., Ashafa, E. R., & Adeniran, J. O. 

(2024). The Calling of the Twelve by Jesus in Matthew 4:18-22: A 

Reflection of the Concept of OMO AWO in Yoruba Traditional 

Religion. Global Online Journal of Academic Research (GOJAR), 

3(3), 26-37. https://klamidas.com/gojar-v3n3-2024-02/. 

 

MLA 

 

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