“Uya Kuba Nam EParadisi”
NNJENGOKUBA sasijinga emthini wentuthumbo, sisifa ziintlungu, isaphuli-mthetho sacela oku kwindoda eyayisecaleni kwaso: “Yesu, uze undikhumbule xa ufika ebukumkanini bakho.” Nangona naye wayesifa kukuqaqanjelwa, uYesu waphendula esithi: “Inene ndithi kuwe namhlanje, Uya kuba nam eParadisi.” (Luka 23:42, 43, NW) Elinjani lona ukuthuthuzela ithemba elinokudluliselwa kumntu ofayo!
Noko ke, ngaba uphawulile ukuba iNew World Translation—inguqulelo ecatshulwe kwisiqendu esandulelayo—ibeka isiphumlisi emva kwegama elithi “namhlanje” xa iguqulela la mazwi kaYesu? Oku kudlulisela ingcamango yokuba kwanangomhla wokufa kwakhe, uYesu wayenako ukusithembisa eso saphuli-mthetho ngobomi eParadisi. Kwelinye icala, iThe New English Bible isibeka ngolu hlobo isiphumlisi emazwini kaYesu: “Ndikuxelela oku: namhlanje uya kuba nam eParadisi.” Ezinye iinguqulelo ezininzi ziyavumelana neThe New English Bible, zidlulisela ingcamango yokuba uYesu nesaphuli-mthetho esasisifa babesiya eParadisi kwangaloo mini. Kutheni kukho lo mahluko nje? Yaye sisiphi isiphumlisi esibekwe ngokuchanileyo?
Enyanisweni, kwakungekho ziphumlisi kwimibhalo-ngqangi yokuqala yamaGrike yeBhayibhile. Ngenxa yoko, xa kwaqaliswa ukusetyenziswa iziphumlisi, abakhupheli nabaguquleli beBhayibhile babefanele bazifakele ngokwendlela abayiqonda ngayo inyaniso yeBhayibhile. Ngoko, ngaba inguqulelo eqhelekileyo ichanile? Ngaba uYesu nomenzi wobubi baya eParadisi ngomhla abafa ngawo?
Akunjalo, ngokutsho kweBhayibhile, baya endaweni ebizwa ngesiGrike ngokuthi yiHaʹdes yaye ngesiHebhere yiSheʹol, omabini la magama abhekisela kwingcwaba eliqhelekileyo loluntu. (Luka 18:31-33; 24:46; IZenzo 2:31) Xa ithetha ngabantu abakuloo ndawo, iBhayibhile ithi: “Ke bona abafileyo abazi lutho. . . . Akukho kwenza, nakucinga nakwazi nakulumka kwelabafileyo [eSheʹol ngesiHebhere, eHaʹdes ngesiGrike], apho uya khona wena.” Apho akukho paradisi!—INtshumayeli 9:5, 10.
UYesu wavuswa eHadesi ngomhla wesithathu. Ngoko, phantse ebudeni beeveki ezintandathu wabonakala izihlandlo ezininzi kubalandeli bakhe kwimimandla engqonge ilizwe lasePalestina. Kwesinye sezo zihlandlo, uYesu wamxelela oku uMariya: “Andikanyuki ndiye kuBawo.” (Yohane 20:17) Ngoko, kwanangelo xesha wayengazange afikelele nakweyiphi na indawo eyayinokubizwa ngokuba yiparadisi.—ISityhilelo 2:7.
Kwinkulungwane yesithathu yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo—xa kwakubonakala ukuba ngokukhawuleza imfundiso yobuKristu yayixubana nentanda-bulumko yamaGrike—uOrigen wamcaphula uYesu njengothi: “Namhlanje uya kuba nam kwiParadisi kaThixo.” Kwinkulungwane yesine yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, ababhali beencwadi zecawa, baphikisana ngokufakwa kwesiphumlisi emva kwegama elithi “namhlanje.” Oku kubonisa ukuba indlela eqhelekileyo yokufunda amazwi kaYesu inembali ende. Kodwa kwakhona oku kubonisa ukuba kwanakwinkulungwane yesine yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, bambi babewafunda amazwi kaYesu ngokuvisisana nendlela aguqulelwe ngayo kwiNew World Translation.
Nanamhlanje, nangona abaguquleli abaninzi besifaka isiphumlisi kuLuka 23:43 ngokuvisisana nesithethe secawa, bambi basifaka isiphumlisi njengeNew World Translation. Ngokomzekelo, kwinguqulelo yesiJamani kaNjingalwazi uWilhelm Michaelis, amazwi kaYesu afundeka ngolu hlobo: “Inene, ndiyakuqinisekisa namhlanje: (Ngenye imini) uya kuba nam eParadisi.”
Ngoko, ayethetha ukuthini amazwi kaYesu kumenzi wobubi? Usenokuba wayevile kusithiwa uYesu unguKumkani othenjisiweyo. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo, wayesazi isibizo esithi “uKumkani wamaYuda” uPilato awathi masibhalwe size sixhonywe ngentla kwentloko kaYesu. (Luka 23:35-38) Nangona iinkokeli zonqulo ngobuntamo-lukhuni zamchasa uYesu, esi saphuli-mthetho siguqukayo savakalisa ukholo lwaso, sisithi: “Yesu, uze undikhumbule xa ufika ebumkanini bakho.” Asizange silindele ukulawula kunye noYesu, kodwa sasifuna ukungenelwa kulawulo lukaYesu. Kungoko, uYesu, kwanangolo suku lwalulolona lunzima, wamthembisa umenzi wobubi ukuba wayeya kuba naye eParadisi.
Kweyiphi iparadisi? EBhayibhileni, iParadisi yokuqala yayisisitiya esinjengomyezo sase-Eden abaphulukana naso abazali bethu bokuqala. IBhayibhile ithembisa ukuba loo Paradisi yasemhlabeni iya kubuyiselwa phantsi koBukumkani bukaThixo, uYesu anguKumkani wabo. (INdumiso 37:9-11; Mika 4:3, 4) Ngenxa yoko, uYesu uya kuba nalaa menzi wobubi nentlaninge yabanye abafayo xa ebavusa emangcwabeni ebavusela ebomini kumhlaba oyiparadisi nakwithuba lokufunda ukwenza ukuthanda kukaThixo nokuphila ngonaphakade.—Yohane 5:28, 29; ISityhilelo 20:11-13; 21:3, 4.