I-Ista Okanye ISikhumbuzo—Yiyiphi Ofanele Uyibhiyozele?
XA KUSITHI qheke ukusa ngoAprili 7, izigidi ziya kuvuyela olona suku lwazo lungcwele enyakeni—i-Ista. Ngaxa lithile eli gama lalisetyenziswa kwixesha lemibhiyozo nelokuzila elalithabatha iintsuku ezili-120 elaliqala ngeholide ekuthiwa yiSeptuagesima lize liphele ngelo kuthiwa luSuku lukaBathathu Emnye. Namhlanje eli gama lisetyenziswa kusuku olunye lokukhumbula ukuvuswa kukaYesu—iCawa yeIsta.
Noko ke, kwingokuhlwa engaphambilana kwakuloo veki, ezinye izigidi ziya kuhlanganisana ukuze zibhiyozele iSikhumbuzo sokufa kukaKristu, esikwaziwa ngokuba siSidlo Sangokuhlwa seNkosi. Sisikhumbuzo esasungulwa nguYesu kubusuku bakhe bokugqibela emhlabeni. Emva koko waxelela abafundi bakhe oku: “Hlalani nisenza oku nindikhumbula.”—Luka 22:19.
Yiyiphi ofanele uyibhiyozele?
Imvelaphi YeIsta
Igama elithi Ista, elisetyenziswa kumazwe amaninzi, alikho eBhayibhileni. Incwadi ethi Medieval Holidays and Festivals ithi “le holide yathiywa ngoThixokazi Wokusa neNtwasahlobo wabahedeni, uEostre.” Yaye wayengubani lo thixokazi? IThe American Book of Days iyaphendula: “Ngokutsho kwebali elithile, uEostre ngulowo wavula iingcango zeValhalla ukuze amkele uBaldur, owayebizwa ngokuba nguThixo Omhlophe, ngenxa yobunyulu bakhe yaye ekwabizwa ngokuba nguThixo weLanga, ngenxa yebunzi lakhe elalikhanyisela uluntu.” Yongezelela isithi: “Alithandabuzeki elokuba kwimihla yangaphambili iCawa yamkela izithethe zabahedeni yaza yazenza ezobuKristu. Njengoko umsitho kaEostre yayingumbhiyozo wokuhlaziywa kobomi entwasahlobo kwaba lula ukuwenza umbhiyozo wokuvuswa ekufeni kukaYesu, ekwakushunyayelwa ivangeli yakhe.”
Oku kwamkela izithethe zabahedeni kubonisa indlela ezaqalisa ngayo kwamanye amazwe izithethe zeIsta, ezinjengamaqanda eIsta, umvundla weIsta namaqebengwana anomnqamlezo. Ngokuphathelele isithethe sokwenza amaqebengwana anomnqamlezo, “ngaphezulu aneendawo ezibengezelayo ezinombala omdaka eziphawulwe . . . ngomnqamlezo,” incwadi ethi Easter and Its Customs ithi: “Umnqamlezo wawuluphawu lwabahedeni kwakudala ngaphambi kokuba ubaluleke gqitha kwiziganeko zoLwesihlanu Olungileyo wokuqala, yaye maxa wambi isonka neekeyiki zaziphawulwa ngawo kumaxesha angaphambi kobuKristu.”
IZibhalo azithethi nokuthetha ngezi zinto, bungekho nobungqina bokuba abafundi bakaYesu bokuqala babezikholelwa. Eneneni, umpostile uPetros uthi ‘masakhe ulangazelelo lobisi olungangxengwanga lwelizwi, ukuze ngalo sikhulele elusindisweni.’ (1 Petros 2:2) Ngoko kwakutheni ukuze iicawa zeNgqobhoko zamkele iimpawu ezizicaceleyo ukuba zezobuhedeni kwiinkolelo nakuqheliselo lwazo?
Incwadi ethi Curiosities of Popular Customs iyaphendula: “Kwakuyinkqubo engenakuguquka kwiCawa yangaphambili ukuguqula imibhiyozo yobuhedeni ibe yeyobuKristu ngokupheleleyo. Kwimeko yeIsta kwakulula gqitha ukwenza loo nguqu. Ukuvuyela ukuphuma kwelanga lokoqobo, nokuhlaziyeka kwendalo ekufeni obekubangelwe bubusika, kwaba kukuvuyela ukuphuma kweLanga lobulungisa, ekuvusweni kukaKristu engcwabeni. Eminye imibhiyozo yabahedeni eyayisenziwa malunga nomhla woku-1 kuMeyi yatshintshwa ukuze ingqamane nombhiyozo weIsta.” Kunokuba ziziphephe izithethe ezidumileyo zobuhedeni namasiko obugqi, iinkokeli zonqulo zazikhuthaza zaza “zaziguqula zaba zezobuKristu.”
Usenokubuza: ‘Kodwa ngaba kukho ubungozi kuloo nto?’ Bambi bathi abukho. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Easter—Its Story and Meaning, uAlan W. Watts, umfundisi ongumEpiscopal, wathi: “Xa unqulo olunjengobuKristu lufikelela kwabanye abantu, lwamkela luze ‘lubhaptize’ ezinye zezithethe zabo bantu ezivela kunqulo lwamandulo. Luyazikhetha luze luzifake kumasiko abantu abaqhelekileyo abonakala enemigaqo efanayo naleyo ifundiswa yiCawa.” Kwabaninzi, isibakala sokuba icawa yabo iwamkela yaye iwaphatha ngokungcwele la masiko sesona sizathu sibenza bawamkele. Kodwa imibuzo ebalulekileyo ibethwa ngoyaba. Uvakalelwa njani uThixo ngezi zithethe? Ngaba usinikile ukhokelo esimele silulandele kulo mbandela?
Ukufumana Imbono KaThixo
Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Easter and Its Customs, uChristina Hole wathi: “UMhla weIsta, uMsitho Wokuvuswa KweNkosi Yethu, ngowona ubalaseleyo kuyo yonke imibhiyozo yeCawa yamaKristu.” Nabanye ababhali bayakuvuma oku. Kwincwadi ethi Celebrations, uRobert J. Myers uthi: “Awukho umhla ongcwele okanye umbhiyozo kunyaka wamaKristu obaluleke ngaphezu kweCawa yeIsta.” Noko ke, oku kuphakamisa imibuzo ethile. Ukuba ukubhiyozela i-Ista kubaluleke kangako, kutheni kungekho myalelo ungqalileyo eBhayibhileni othi makwenziwe? Ngaba ikho ingxelo ethi abafundi bokuqala bakaYesu bayibhiyozela iCawa yeIsta?
Oku akuthethi kuthi iBhayibhile iyasilela ukunikela ukhokelo ngoko kufanele okanye kungafanele kubhiyozelwe. UThixo wakwenza kwacaca gca oku kuhlanga lwakwaSirayeli wamandulo, yaye njengoko sekuphawulwe ngaphambili, kwanikelwa imiyalelo ecacileyo yokuba amaKristu aqhubeke esenza iSikhumbuzo sokufa kukaKristu. (1 Korinte 11:23-26; Kolose 2:16, 17) Inkupho yangaphambili yeThe Encyclopædia Britannica isixelela oku: “Ayikho into ebonisa ukuba yayibhoyozelwa i-Ista kwiTestamente Entsha, okanye kwiincwadi zaBaseki becawa abangabapostile. Ubungcwele bamaxesha akhethekileyo yingcamango eyayingekho kwiingqondo zamaKristu okuqala. . . . INkosi okanye abapostile abazange bayalele ukuba kugcinwe oku okanye nawuphi na omnye umbhiyozo.”
Bambi bavakalelwa kukuba uvuyo nolonwabo oluziswa yiloo mibhiyozo luyenza ikufanelekele ukubhiyozelwa. Noko ke, sinokufunda kwisihlandlo apho amaSirayeli amkela uqheliselo lonqulo lwaseYiputa aza alubiza ngokuba “ngumthendeleko kuYehova.” Nawo ‘ahlala phantsi, adla asela’ aza ‘esuka ema, adlala.’ Kodwa izenzo zawo zamcaphukisa gqitha uYehova uThixo, ibe wawohlwaya kanobom.—Eksodus 32:1-10, 25-28, 35.
ILizwi likaThixo licacile. Akunakubakho ukwabelana phakathi ‘kokukhanya’ kweenkolelo zokwenyaniso “nobumnyama” behlabathi likaSathana; akunakubakho “mvisiswano” phakathi koKristu nonqulo lobuhedeni. Sixelelwa oku: “‘Ngoko ke phumani phakathi kwabo, nize nizahlule,’ utsho uYehova, ‘kwaye niyeke ukuchukumisa into engahlambulukanga’; ‘yaye ndiza kunamkela.’”—2 Korinte 6:14-18.
Ekubeni ingumbhiyozo weSikhumbuzo kuphela—kungekhona oweIsta—oyalelwa yiBhayibhile kumaKristu, sifanele sibhiyozelwe. Ngoko sinokusibhiyozela njani ngokufanelekileyo?
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 5]
“Umthendeleko kuYehova” wamaSirayeli wamcaphukisa gqitha uThixo
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 2]
Cover: M. Thonig/H. Armstrong Roberts