Bavuzwa Ngokuhamba Ngokungenakusoleka
UYEHOVA uyabasikelela yaye uyabavuza abakhonzi bakhe abathembekileyo. Kusenokufuneka balinde ixesha elithile ukuze babone indlela eziphunyezwa ngayo iinjongo zikaThixo, kodwa hayi indlela ekuvuyisa ngayo xa befumana intsikelelo yakhe!
Oku kwaboniswa kakuhle kwiminyaka engamawaka amabini eyadlulayo kwimeko yombingeleli ongumYuda uZekariya nomkakhe, uElizabhete, bobabini ababengabentsapho ka-Aron. UThixo wayethembise amaSirayeli ngokuwasikelela ngabantwana ukuba ayemkhonza ngokuthembeka. Wathi abantwana bangumvuzo. (Levitikus 26:9; INdumiso 127:3) Noko ke, uZekariya noElizabhete babengenamntwana yaye babekhulile ngeminyaka.—Luka 1:1-7.
IZibhalo zithi uZekariya noElizabhete “babengamalungisa ke bobabini emehlweni kaThixo, behamba ngayo yonke imithetho nemimiselo yeNkosi, bengenakusoleka.” (Luka 1:6) Babemthanda gqitha uThixo kangangokuba kwakungengomthwalo kubo ukusukela ikhondo lobulungisa nokuthobela imiyalelo yakhe.—1 Yohane 5:3.
Iintsikelelo Ezingalindelekanga
Makhe sibuyele ekupheleni kwentwasahlobo okanye ebutsheni behlobo lonyaka wesi-3 B.C.E. UHerode Omkhulu ulawula njengokumkani kwelakwaYuda. Ngenye imini, umbingeleli uZekariya ungena kwiNgcwele yetempile eYerusalem. Ngoxa abantu behlanganisene ngaphandle kwendawo engcwele bethandaza, utshisa isiqhumiso kwisibingelelo segolide. Mhlawumbi ekubeni oku kwakugqalwa njengeyona nto ibaluleke kakhulu kwiinkonzo zemihla ngemihla, kwakusenziwa emva kokuba kunikelwe idini. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba umbingeleli wayelifumana kube kanye kuphela eli lungelo ebomini bakhe.
UZekariya akakukholelwa oko akubonayo. Kaloku, isithunywa sikaYehova simi ngasekunene kwesibingelelo sesiqhumiso! Lo mbingeleli walupheleyo uyakhathazeka yaye uyatyhwatyhwa kukoyika. Kodwa isithunywa sithi: “Musa ukoyika, Zekariya, ngokokuba isikhungo sakho siviwe; wothi ke umfazi wakho uElizabhete akuzalele unyana, umthiye igama elinguYohane.” Ewe, uYehova uyivile imithandazo yokunyaniseka kaElizabhete noZekariya.—Luka 1:8-13.
Isithunywa songezelela sithi: “Uya kuba nokuvuya nokugcoba, bathi nabaninzi bakuvuyele ukuzalwa kwakhe. Kuba uya kuba mkhulu emehlweni eNkosi, angakhe asele wayini nasiselo sinxilisayo; uya kuzaliswa nguMoya oyiNgcwele kwasekuzalweni kwakhe.” UYohane uya kuba nguMahlulwa ubomi bakhe bonke ezaliswe ngumoya oyingcwele kaThixo. Isithunywa sihlabela mgama sisithi: “Nento eninzi ke yoonyana bakaSirayeli uya kuyibuyisela eNkosini uThixo wabo. Yena uya kuhamba phambi kobuso bayo, enomoya enamandla kaEliya, ukuba azibuyisele iintliziyo zooyise kubantwana, nabangevayo kuko ukuqonda kwamalungisa, alungisele iNkosi abantu abalungisiweyo.”—Luka 1:14-17.
UZekariya uyabuza: “Ndiya kukwazi ngani na oko? Kuba mna ndimdala, waye nomfazi wam selekhulile.” Isithunywa siphendula sithi: “Mna ndinguGabriyeli, oma phambi koThixo. Ndithunyiwe ukuba ndithethe kuwe, ndikushumayeze ezi ndaba zilungileyo. Uyabona, uya kuba sisidenge, ungabi nako ukuthetha, kude kube yimini eziya kuthi zenzeke ngayo ezi zinto, ngenxa enokuba ungakholwanga ngamazwi am; aya kuzalisekiswa wona ngexesha lawo.” Xa uZekariya ephuma kwindawo engcwele, akakwazi kuthetha, ibe abantu bayaqonda ukuba ubone okuthile okungaphaya kwamandla omntu. Wenza imiqondiso kuphela, esebenzisa izimbo zomzimba ukuze adlulisele iingcinga zakhe. Emva kokuba eyigqibile inkonzo yakhe, uyagoduka.—Luka 1:18-23.
Unobangela Wovuyo
Njengoko kuthenjisiwe, kungekudala uElizabhete unesizathu sokuvuya. Uyakhulelwa, nto leyo ephelisa isigculelo sokuba ludlolo. Isalamane sakhe uMariya naso siyavuya, kuba kwaesi sithunywa, uGabriyeli, simxelela oku: “Uyabona, uya kuthabatha esizalweni, uzale unyana, umthiye igama elinguYesu. Yena uya kuba mkhulu, abizwe ngokuba nguNyana wOsenyangweni; iNkosi uThixo iya kumnika itrone kaDavide, uyise.” UMariya ukulungele ukuphumeza indima ‘yomkhonzazana weNkosi.’—Luka 1:24-38.
UMariya ngokukhawuleza uya kwikhaya likaZekariya noElizabhete kwisixeko esikwilizwe elineentaba lakwaYuda. Akubulisa uMariya, usana olusesibelekweni sikaElizabhete luyaxhuma. Eqhutywa ngumoya oyingcwele kaThixo, uElizabhete udanduluka ngelizwi elikhulu athi: “Unentsikelelo wena phakathi kwabafazi; sinentsikelelo nesiqhamo sesizalo sakho. Kuhle ngani na kum, ukuthi unina weNkosi yam eze kum? Kuba uyabona, kuthe lakubakho izwi lombuliso wakho ezindlebeni zam, lwasuka lwaxhuma usana ngokugcoba esizalweni sam. Unoyolo lowo wakholwayo koko; ngokuba kuya kubakho inzaliseko yezo zinto zithethiweyo kuye yiNkosi.” UMariya uvuya kakhulu. Uhlala noElizabhete kangangeenyanga ezintathu.—Luka 1:39-56.
Ukuzalwa KukaYohane
Ekuhambeni kwexesha uElizabhete noZekariya abalupheleyo bazala unyana. Ngosuku lwesibhozo, olu sana luyaluswa. Izalamane zifuna ukuba le nkwenkwe ibizwe ngokuba nguZekariya, kodwa uElizabhete uthi: “Hayi; uya kubizwa ngokuba nguYohane.” Ngaba umyeni wakhe ongekakwazi kuthetha uyavuma? Kwicwecwe ubhala athi: “Igama lakhe nguYohane.” Ngequbuliso, ulwimi lukaZekariya luyakhululeka, yaye uqalisa ukuthetha, edumisa uYehova.—Luka 1:57-66.
Ezaliswe ngumoya oyingcwele, lo mbingeleli uvuyayo uyaprofeta. Uthetha ngokungathi uMhlanguli othenjisiweyo—‘uphondo losindiso endlwini kaDavide’—sele evelisiwe ngokuvisisana nomnqophiso ka-Abraham ongeMbewu yokusikelela zonke iintlanga. (Genesis 22:15-18) Njengalowo wandulela uMesiya, unyana kaZekariya ozelwe ngokungummangaliso uya ‘kuhamba phambi kobuso beNkosi ukuze abanike abantu ukwaziwa kosindiso.’ Njengoko iminyaka yayihamba, uYohane waqhubeka ekhula yaye esomelela emoyeni.—Luka 1:67-80.
Bavuzwa Ngokutyebileyo
UZekariya noElizabhete bamisela umzekelo omhle ngokuba nokholo nomonde. Baqhubeka bekhonza uYehova ngokuthembeka nangona kwakufuneka balindele kuThixo, yaye basikelelwa ngokubalaseleyo kuphela xa babesele bekhulile ngeminyaka.
Ukanti, ezinjani zona iintsikelelo ezananditshwa nguElizabhete noZekariya! Beqhutywa ngumoya kaThixo, bobabini baprofeta. Baba nelungelo lokuba ngabazali nelokufundisa lowo wandulela uMesiya, uYohane umBhaptizi. Ngaphezu koko, uThixo wabagqala bengamalungisa. Ngokufanayo, abo namhlanje basukela ikhondo lokuhlonela uThixo banokuba nokuma okulungileyo noThixo yaye baya kufumana imivuzo emininzi eyintsikelelo ngokuhamba ngokungenakusoleka emiyalelweni kaYehova.