Sifanele Sithandaze Njani KuThixo?
XA UMFUNDI othile wacela ukufundiswa ukuthandaza, uYesu akazange ale ukumfundisa. Ngokutsho kukaLuka 11:2-4, waphendula: “Xa nithandaza, yithini: Bawo, malingcwaliswe igama lakho. Ubukumkani bakho mabufike. Siphe namhlanje isonka sethu semihla ngemihla. Yaye usixolele izono zethu, kuba nathi simxolela wonke umntu osonayo. Yaye ungasingenisi ekuhendweni.” (IDouay Version yamaKatolika) Ngokuqhelekileyo oku kubizwa ngokuba nguMthandazo weNkosi. Uqulethe inkcazelo eninzi gqitha.
Zisuka nje, amazwi okuqala asixelela ukuba sifanele siyibhekise kubani imithandazo yethu—kuBawo wethu. Phawula ukuba uYesu akazange athi makuthandazwe komnye umntu, umfanekiso, “ingcwele,” okanye kuye siqu. Ngapha koko, uThixo wayevakalise oku: “Andiluniki omnye uzuko lwam, nendumiso yam andiyiniki imifanekiso eqingqiweyo.” (Isaya 42:8) Ngoko ke imithandazo ebhekiswa kuyo nayiphi na into okanye umntu ongenguye uBawo wethu wasezulwini akayiphulaphuli, kungakhathaliseki ukuba unyaniseke kangakanani na loo mnquli. EBhayibhileni, nguYehova uThixo kuphela obizwa ngokuba ‘nguMphulaphuli wemithandazo.’—INdumiso 65:2.
Bambi basenokuthi “iingcwele” zidlala indima yokuba ngabalamleli kuThixo. Kodwa uYesu wayalela oku: “Ndim indlela nenyaniso nobomi. Akukho bani uzayo kuBawo ngaphandle kokuza ngam. Kanjalo, nakuphi na oko nikucelayo egameni lam, ndiza kukwenza oku, ukuze uBawo azukiswe ngokunxibelelene noNyana.” (Yohane 14:6, 13) Ngaloo ndlela uYesu wayiphelisa ingcamango yokuba nabani na obizwa ngokuba yingcwele wayenokuba ngumlamleli. Kwakhona phawula oko kwathethwa ngumpostile uPawulos ngokuphathelele uKristu: “Akazange asifele nje kuphela—wavuka kwabafileyo, yaye umi kwisandla sokunene sikaThixo yaye uyasithethelela.” “Uphila ngonaphakade ukuze abalamlele bonke abo beza kuThixo ngaye.”—Roma 8:34; Hebhere 7:25, IJerusalem Bible yamaKatolika.
Igama Elimele Lingcwaliswe
Amazwi alandelayo omthandazo kaYesu ayesithi: “Malingcwaliswe igama lakho.” Ubani unokulingcwalisa, oko kukuthi, alenze ngcwele, okanye alahlule njani igama likaThixo ngaphandle kokuba alazi yaye alisebenzise? ‘KwiTestamente Endala,’ uThixo ubizwa ngegama lakhe elithi Yehova izihlandlo ezingaphezu kwama-6 000.
Umbhalo osemazantsi we-Eksodus 6:3 kwiDouay Version yamaKatolika uthi ngokuphathelele igama likaThixo: “Bambi abantu banamhlanje baye balitshintsha igama likaYehova . . . , ngenxa yokuba eyona ndlela yokulibiza igama [likaThixo], elikumbhalo wesiHebhere, ngoku ayaziwa ngenxa yokungasetyenziswa kwalo kangangexesha elide.” Ngoko ke iNew Jerusalem Bible yamaKatolika isebenzisa igama elithi Yahweh. Nangona abanye abaphengululi bekhetha loo ndlela yokulibiza, “uYehova” yindlela esemthethweni nekukudala isetyenziswa yokubiza igama likaThixo ngesiXhosa. Ezinye iilwimi zineendlela zazo zokubiza igama likaThixo. Eyona nto ibalulekileyo kukuba silibize eli gama ukuze silingcwalise. Ngaba icawa yakho ikufundisile ukuba usebenzise igama elithi Yehova xa uthandaza?
Izinto Ezifanele Zithandazelwe
Emva koko uYesu wafundisa abafundi bakhe ukuba bathandaze bathi: “Ubukumkani bakho mabufike.” IVangeli kaMateyu yongezelela ngala mazwi: “Ukuthanda kwakho kwenziwe emhlabeni njengoko kusenziwa ezulwini.” (Mateyu 6:10, Dy) UBukumkani bukaThixo ngurhulumente olawulwa nguYesu Kristu. (Isaya 9:6, 7) Ngokutsho kweziprofeto zeBhayibhile, kungekudala uya kushenxisa bonke oorhulumente babantu aze azise uxolo emhlabeni wonke. (INdumiso 72:1-7; Daniyeli 2:44; ISityhilelo 21:3-5) Ngoko amaKristu okwenyaniso ahlala esenza uBukumkani bube ngowona mxholo wemithandazo yawo. Ngaba icawa yakho ikufundisile ukuba wenjenjalo?
Okubangela umdla kukuba uYesu wakwabonisa ukuba imithandazo yethu isenokuquka imicimbi yobuqu esixhalabisayo. Wathi: “Siphe namhlanje isonka sethu semihla ngemihla. Yaye usixolele izono zethu, kuba nathi simxolela wonke umntu osonayo. Yaye ungasingenisi ekuhendweni.” (Luka 11:3, 4, Dy) Amazwi kaYesu abonisa ukuba sinokukufuna ukuthanda kukaThixo kwimicimbi yemihla ngemihla, nokuba sinokusondela kuYehova nangayiphi na into esenokusixhalabisa okanye iphazamise uxolo lwethu lwengqondo. Ukucela ngokuthe rhoqo ngolo hlobo kuThixo kuyasinceda siqonde ukuba sixhomekeke kuye. Ngaloo ndlela siyiqonda ngakumbi impembelelo anayo kubomi bethu. Ukucela uThixo imihla ngemihla ukuba asixolele ngenxa yeziphoso zethu kuyingenelo ngendlela efanayo. Ngokwenjenjalo sibuqonda ngakumbi ubuthathaka bethu—yaye sizinyamezela ngakumbi iintsilelo zabanye. Isibongozo sikaYesu sokuba sithandazele ukuhlangulwa ekuhendweni naso sifanelekile, ngokukodwa ngenxa yokuhla kwemilinganiselo yokuziphatha kweli hlabathi. Ngokuvisisana naloo mthandazo, sihlala siziphepha ngenyameko iimeko ezinokusikhokelela kwisenzo esiphosakeleyo.
Ngoko ke, alithandabuzeki elokuba uMthandazo weNkosi usixelela okuninzi ngendlela yokuthandaza emkholisayo uThixo. Kodwa ngaba injongo kaYesu yayikukuba siwufunde lo mthandazo size siwucengceleze ngokuthe rhoqo?
Isiluleko Esongezelelekileyo Ngomthandazo
UYesu wanikela imiyalelo engakumbi ngomthandazo. KuMateyu 6:5, 6, sifunda oku: “Xa nithandaza, nimele ningabi njengabahanahanisi; ngenxa yokuba bathanda ukuthandaza bemi kwizindlu zesikhungu nakwiimbombo zeendlela eziphangaleleyo ukuze babonakale ebantwini. . . . Noko ke, wena, xa uthandaza, ngena egumbini lakho langasese uze, wakuba uluvalile ucango lwakho, uthandaze kuYihlo osemfihlekweni; ngoko uYihlo okhangela emfihlekweni uya kukubuyekeza.” La mazwi asifundisa ukuba asifanele sithandaze ngendlela yokucel’ injezu, ukuze sibonwe ngumntu othile. Ngaba intliziyo yakho uyayiphalaza kuYehova ngasese, njengoko iBhayibhile ibongoza?—INdumiso 62:8.
UYesu wanikela esi silumkiso: “Xa nithandaza ningaphololozi njengokuba abahedeni besenza, kuba bacinga ukuba ngokuwenza maninzi amazwi abo baya kuviwa.” (Mateyu 6:7, JB) Kuyacaca ukuba uYesu akazange akukhuthaze ukucengcelezwa kwemithandazo—engazange akukhuthaze nokuba ifundwe encwadini ethile. Kwakhona amazwi akhe ayakuchasa ukusetyenziswa kwerosari.
Incwadi equlethe amazwi namaculo omthendeleko wamaKatolika iyavuma ukuba: “Owona mthandazo wethu ulungileyo usenokuba ziingcamango zethu ezizizelayo xa sisondela kuye simbulela okanye siswele into ethile, ngamaxesha osizi, okanye xa simnqula imihla ngemihla.” Imithandazo kaYesu yayisuka kuye, wayengayicengcelezi. Ngokomzekelo, funda umthandazo kaYesu obhalwe kuYohane isahluko 17. Uyelele kumthandazo ongumzekelo, ubalaselisa umnqweno kaYesu wokubona igama likaYehova lingcwalisiwe. Umthandazo kaYesu wawuzenzekele yaye usuka kumazantsi entliziyweni yakhe.
Imithandazo Ayiphulaphulayo UThixo
Ukuba ufundiswe ukuba ucengceleze imithandazo, uthandaze ‘kwiingcwele’ okanye kwimifanekiso, okanye usebenzise izinto zonqulo ezinjengerosari, ingcamango yokuthandaza ngendlela eyachazwa nguYesu isenokubonakala iphazamisa ekuqaleni. Noko ke, isikhokelo sikukuba wazi uThixo—igama lakhe, iinjongo zakhe, ubuntu bakhe. Unokukwenza oku ngokuyifundisisa ngenyameko iBhayibhile. (Yohane 17:3) AmaNgqina kaYehova akulungele ukukunceda kulo mba. Ewe, ancede izigidi ehlabathini jikelele ukuze ‘zive, zibone ukuba ulungile uYehova’! (INdumiso 34:8) Okukhona umazi uThixo, kokukhona uya kushukunyiselwa ekubeni umdumise ngomthandazo. Yaye okukhona usondela kuYehova ngomthandazo obonakalisa intlonelo, kokukhona uya kuba nolwalamano olusondeleyo naye.
Ngoko bonke abanquli bokwenyaniso bakaThixo bayabongozwa ukuba ‘bathandaze ngokungapheziyo.’ (1 Tesalonika 5:17) Qiniseka ukuba imithandazo yakho ngokwenene ivisisana neBhayibhile, kuquka nemiyalelo kaYesu Kristu. Ngale ndlela unokuqiniseka ukuba imithandazo yakho iyamkholisa uThixo.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]
Okukhona sifunda ngoYehova, kokukhona sishukunyiselwa ukuba sithandaze kuye ngokusuka entliziyweni