Imbono YeBhayibhile

Ngaba IBhayibhile Iyakuthethelela Ukuphatha Iinyoka?

KWIICAWA ezincinane, amarhamente ayahlanganisana. Adlala iikatala ezidlala ngombane aze acule amaculo ecawa. Athandazela ukuphiliswa. Aphulaphula iintshumayelo eziqhelekileyo aze atsho ngentsholo ethi nkxwee okwengxolo yamasele esithi athetha “ngeelwimi ezintsha.” Kuko konke oku, abahlukanga kangako kulo naliphi na iqela leeCawa Zomoya kwiNgqobhoko. Bandula ke bakhuphe ityhefu, babase umlilo, bakhuphe neenyoka.

Ngokuqhelekileyo basebenzisa ityhefu ebulalayo eyistrychnine, egalelwe emanzini. Umlilo usenokuba ngulowo welaphu elivuthayo elithiwe nkxu eparafinini okanye ube lilangatye elivuthiswa ngamafutha ayiacetylene, yaye iinyoka zinokuba ziirattlesnake, okanye iicopperhead, ezixhaphake kakhulu kwiiAppalachian Mountains, zaseUnited States, apho la maqela angawona axhaphakileyo. Xa beziva befikelwe “ngumoya” ukuba benjenjalo, baya kusela le tyhefu baze bafake izandla zabo emlilweni. Basekwanokuphatha iinyoka, bezijingisa ezingalweni nasemagxeni abo, bezibambela ngasemizimbeni yabo, benikezelana ngazo. Bakwenzela ntoni oku?

UDewey, inkokeli yecawa encinane eseWest Virginia uthi: “Ndiphatha iinyoka kuba oko kuseBhayibhileni, njengomthetho.”a UDewey uthi uye walunywa kangangezihlandlo ezili-106, yaye uneziva zokungqina oko. Ngaba iBhayibhile iziyalela ngokwenene izinto ezinjalo?

“Uze Ungayihendahendi INkosi”

IBhayibhile ithi kweyoku-1 kaYohane 4:⁠8: “Lowo ungenaluthando akazanga amazi uThixo, ngokuba uThixo uluthando.” Ngaba uThixo oluthando ebeya kufuna abanquli bakhe bazivise ubuhlungu obungeyomfuneko? UDewey uthi: “Ukuluma kwazo kubuhlungu. Intlungu yako iyodlula phantse ngokuphindaphindwe kali-100 eyokuqaqanjelwa lizinyo . . . Uba ngathi utshiswa ngumlilo.” Nangona inkoliso yamaxhoba alunywe ziinyoka isinda, kuye kwafunyaniswa ukuba baninzi nabafayo, kuquka nokufa kukadade boDewey ngowe-1961.

Kakade ke, amaKristu ebesoloko ekulungele ukufela ukholo lwawo, kodwa ngokuqhelekileyo abulawa ngabanye ngenxa yokwala kwawo ukulalanisa kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile. Kwelinye icala, xa uSathana wathi kuYesu Kristu makabeke engozini ubomi bakhe ngokungeyomfuneko nangabom ngokutsiba ukusuka kuphahla lwetempile yaseYerusalem, “Wathi uYesu ku-​ye, Kubhaliwe kanjalo kwathiwa, Uze ungayihendahendi iNkosi uThixo wakho.” (Mateyu 4:⁠7) Ngaba asikokumhenda uThixo, okanye ukumcel’ umngeni ngobuganga, ukudlala ngeenyoka, ngomlilo okanye ngetyhefu? Ngaba ukumvavanya ngolo hlobo akubonakalisi ukuswela ukholo okukhulu ngomnquli onjalo, ilinge lokunyanzela uThixo ukuba azingqine enyanisile ngokweLizwi lakhe ngezenzo ezitsal’ amehlo?

Kukuphi Okuyalelwa ZiZibhalo?

Amalungu amaqela aphatha iinyoka ema ngelithi uqheliselo lwawo luyalelwe liLizwi likaThixo, yaye acaphula kuMarko 16:​17, 18 njengobungqina boko. NgokweKing James Version, ezi ndinyana zifundeka ngolu hlobo: “Imiqondiso ke eya kulandelana nabo bakholiweyo nantsi: egameni lam baya kukhupha iidemon; baya kuthetha ngeelwimi ezintsha; baya kuphatha iinyoka; nokuba bathe basela into ebulalayo, ayisayi kubenzakalisa; baya kubeka izandla phezu kwemilwelwe, iphile.”

Okokuqala, kufanele kuphawulwe ukuba phantse bonke abaphengululi beBhayibhile bayavuma ukuba ezi ndinyana zazingeyonxalenye yantlandlolo yeVangeli kaMarko. Umhlalutyi owaziwayo uCharles Ryrie ubonisa oku: “Ubunyaniso obuthandabuzekayo bendinyana 9-20 benza kungabi bobulumko ukwakhela imfundiso okanye ukusekela amava kuzo (ingakumbi indi. 16-18).”

Noko ke, abo baphatha iinyoka elunqulweni lwabo abadli ngakuba namdla koko abaphengululi beBhayibhile bakucingayo ngobunyaniso bukaMarko 16:​9-20. Ezi ndinyana zikwiBhayibhile eyiKing James, ekuphela kweBhayibhile inkoliso yabo abakholose ngayo, yaye kubo oko sisiphelo sombandela.

Kodwa nokuba ezi ndinyana beziyinyaniso, aziyaleli ukuphathwa kweenyoka okanye ukuselwa kwetyhefu, yaye azithethi nto ngomlilo. Ngoko azinakuqondwa njengento eyimfuneko elunqulweni. Enyanisweni, umpostile uPawulos waqubisana nenyoka kwisiqithi saseMelita kodwa oko kwenzeka nje ngengozi kuba yayikwiinkuni awayezibeka emlilweni. Nangona uPawulos walunywayo waza wakhuselwa nguThixo ukuba angenzakali, akazange ayidlulisele kwabanye inyoka ukuba bayiphathe. Kunoko, “wasivuthululela emlilweni isilo eso.” Kunokuba eve intlungu egqithiseleyo njengoko abaphathi beenyoka bezi mini besenza, ‘akazange eve buhlungu.’​—⁠IZenzo 28:​3-⁠6.

Ngaba Olu Luvavanyo Lokholo?

NgokweThe Encyclopaedia of American Religions, ukuphatha iinyoka yingcamango yakutshanje. Ithi: “Ngowe-1909, uGeorge Went Hensley, ummi oselula wasemaphandleni eGrasshopper Valley, eTennessee, weyiseka kukuba imbekiselo ekuMarko 16:​17-18 kwiinyoka nakwityhefu, enyanisweni, yayingumyalelo. Wabamba irattlesnake yaye kwiintsuku ezimbalwa kamva kwiSale Creek ekufuphi, kanye xa inkonzo ishushu, wakhupha inyoka ukuze abo babekho bayiphathe njengovavanyo lokholo lwabo.” Kodwa akukho bungqina, obungokweZibhalo okanye obungokwembali, bokuba amaKristu okuqala ayefuna nakuphi na ‘ukuvavanywa kokholo lwawo’ okunjalo.

Ukongezelela, qwalasela oku: UPawulos wasetyenziswa nguThixo ukuba avuse abafileyo; sekunjalo waba nenyameko esengqiqweni mayela nempilo yakhe nangempilo yamaqabane akhe. (1 Timoti 5:​23; 2 Timoti 4:​13) UPawulos akazange azame ukuvelisa amathuba okuvusa abantu.

Ngaloo ndlela, kunokuba avise imizimba yawo intlungu okanye ibe neziva ngenxa yokulunywa ziinyoka, amaKristu abongozwa ukuba ‘ayinikele imizimba yawo njengedini eliphilileyo, elingcwele, elikholekileyo kuThixo: inkonzo yabo ke leyo yasengqondweni.’ (Roma 12:⁠1) Kunokuyalela ukuba amaKristu avavanye ukholo lwawo ngezenzo ezingekho ngqiqweni, isiluleko esisengqiqweni sompostile sesi: “Zilingeni, ukuba niselukholweni olu na; zicikideni ngokwenu.” (2 Korinte 13:⁠5) Zivavanye iinkolelo zakho ngeLizwi likaThixo. Ukuzilinga ngokunyanisekileyo, uthelekisa iinkolelo zakho neZibhalo, kuya kukunceda ugqibe enoba ukholo lwakho luya kuphumelela olona vavanyo lukhulu lwenkoloseko kaThixo.

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