Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe AmaKristu Kufanele Aye Esontweni?

“NGANGIJWAYELE ukuya esontweni, kodwa angisayi.” “Ngicabanga ukuthi uNkulunkulu ungamkhulekela noma ukuphi, hhayi nje esontweni kuphela.” “Ngiyakholelwa kuNkulunkulu naseBhayibhelini, kodwa angikholelwa ukuthi kufanele ngiye esontweni.” Wake wazizwa izinkulumo ezinjalo? Namuhla bayanda abantu abasho izinto ezinjalo, ikakhulukazi emazweni aseNtshonalanga. Abantu ababevame ukuya esontweni sebecabanga ukuthi akubalulekile. Lithini iBhayibheli ngokuya esontweni?

Igama elithi “isonto” nelithi “amasonto” avela izikhathi ezingaphezu kuka-110 kuyi-King James Version. Nezinye izinguqulo ziyawasebenzisa la magama. Igama lesiGreki elihunyushwe ngokuthi “isonto” ngokwezwi nezwi lisho “imbizo,” noma ngamanye amazwi, umbuthano wabantu. Ngokwesibonelo, izEnzo 7:38, kuyi-King James Version, zisitshela ukuthi uMose “wayesesontweni ehlane,” okungukuthi, phakathi kwesizwe esibuthene sakwa-Israyeli. Kwesinye isenzakalo imiBhalo ithi “kwavela ukushushiswa okubi kwesonto,” ibhekisela emphakathini wamaKristu eJerusalema. (IzEnzo 8:1, The Jerusalem Bible) Kwenye yezincwadi zakhe, uPawulu ubingelela “isonto elisendlini [kaFilemoni],” ibandla lendawo elalihlanganyela lapho.—Filemoni 2, Revised Standard Version.

Ngokusobala, elithi “isonto” njengoba lisetshenziswe eBhayibhelini alisho indawo yokukhulekela, kodwa lisho iqembu labakhulekeli. Ekuqaphela lokhu, uClement wase-Alexandria, uthisha wezenkolo wekhulu lesibili, wabhala: “Akuyona indawo engiyibiza ngokuthi iSonto, kodwa ibandla labakhethiwe.” Noma kunjalo, ingabe amaKristu kufanele aye endaweni noma esakhiweni esithile ukuze ukukhulekela kwawo kwamukeleke kuNkulunkulu?

Ukukhulekela Esizweni Sakwa-Israyeli

UMthetho KaMose wawufuna ukuba wonke amadoda angamaJuda aye endaweni ethile emikhosini emithathu yaminyaka yonke. Abesifazane abaningi nezingane babeya nabo. (Duteronomi 16:16; Luka 2:41-44) Ngezikhathi ezithile, abapristi namaLevi babefundisa izixuku ezibuthene, befunda eMthethweni kaNkulunkulu. ‘Babephumisela kahle, bechaza, bebaqondisa okufundwayo.’ (Nehemiya 8:8) Ngeminyaka yeSabatha, isiqondiso sikaNkulunkulu sasithi: “Butha abantu, amadoda, nabesifazane, nabantwana, nomfokazi wakho ophakathi kwamasango akho ukuba bezwe, bafunde, bamesabe uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, baqaphele ukuwenza onke amazwi alo mthetho.”—Duteronomi 31:12.

Kusethempelini eJerusalema kuphela lapho umuntu ayenganikela khona ngemihlatshelo kuNkulunkulu futhi athole isiqondiso kubapristi. (Duteronomi 12:5-7; 2 IziKronike 7:12) Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwakhiwa nezinye izindlu zokukhulekela kwa-Israyeli—amasinagoge. Lezi kwakuyizindawo zokufunda imiBhalo nokuthandaza. Noma kunjalo, ithempeli eJerusalema laliyindawo eyinhloko yokukhulekela. Lokhu kuboniswa yilokho okubikwa umlobi weBhayibheli uLuka. Ukhuluma ngowesifazane omdala u-Ana, “owayengakaze aphuthe ethempelini, enikela inkonzo engcwele ubusuku nemini ngokuzila ukudla nangokunxusa.” (Luka 2:36, 37) Ukukhulekela kweqiniso nabanye abazinikele kwakuyinto ebalulekile ekuphileni kuka-Ana. Amanye amaJuda esaba uNkulunkulu alandela inkambo efanayo.

Ukukhulekela Kweqiniso Ngemva Kokufa KukaKristu

Ngemva kokufa kukaJesu abalandeli bakhe babengasekho ngaphansi koMthetho KaMose futhi kwakungasadingeki bakhulekele ethempelini. (Galathiya 3:23-25) Noma kunjalo, baqhubeka behlangana ndawonye ukuze bathandaze futhi batadishe iZwi likaNkulunkulu. Babengenazo izakhiwo eziwubukhazikhazi, kunalokho babesebenzisa imizi yabantu nezindawo zomphakathi. (IzEnzo 2:1, 2; 12:12; 19:9; Roma 16:4, 5) Njengoba yayingenawo amasiko nemicikilisho, imihlangano yalawo maKristu ekhulu lokuqala yayingenamidanti.

Naphezu kokuziphatha okubi okwakugcwele eMbusweni WaseRoma, izimiso zeBhayibheli ezazifundiswa kuleyo mihlangano zawenza ahluka. Abanye abangakholwa ababeqala ukuya emihlanganweni babebabaza: “UNkulunkulu ngempela uphakathi kwenu.” (1 Korinte 14:24, 25) Ngempela uNkulunkulu wayephakathi kwawo. “Ngakho-ke, ngempela, amabandla [“amasonto,” RS, JB] aqhubeka eqiniswa okholweni futhi anda ngesibalo usuku nosuku.”—IzEnzo 16:5.

Ingabe umKristu ngaleso sikhathi wayengamukeleka kuNkulunkulu uma ekhulekela emathempelini amaqaba noma eyedwa? IBhayibheli linikeza isiqondiso esicacile kule ndaba: Abakhulekeli abamukelekayo kwakufanele babe yingxenye yesonto noma yebandla leqiniso okuwukuphela kwalo, “umzimba munye” wabakhulekeli beqiniso. Laba kwakungabafundi bakaJesu, ababaziwa ngokuthi amaKristu.—Efesu 4:4, 5; IzEnzo 11:26.

Kuthiwani Namuhla?

Esikhundleni sokusikhuthaza ukuba sikhulekele esontweni, iBhayibheli lisikhuthaza ukuba sikhulekele nesonto, ‘ibandla likaNkulunkulu ophilayo,’ abantu ‘abakhulekela ngomoya nangeqiniso.’ (1 Thimothewu 3:15; Johane 4:24) Imihlangano yenkolo eyamukelwa uNkulunkulu kufanele ifundise abantu ‘ngezenzo zokuziphatha ezingcwele nezenzo zokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu.’ (2 Petru 3:11) Kufanele isize labo abakhona ukuba babe amaKristu avuthiwe, akwazi “ukuhlukanisa kokubili okulungile nokungalungile.”—Heberu 5:14.

OFakazi BakaJehova balwela ukulandela isibonelo samaKristu ekhulu lokuqala. Angaphezu kuka-91 400 amabandla emhlabeni wonke ahlangana njalo ukuze atadishe iBhayibheli futhi akhuthazane, enza kanjalo emaHholo OMbuso, emizini yabantu nakwezinye izindawo. Lokhu kuvumelana namazwi omphostoli uPawulu: “Masicabangelaneni ukuze sivuselelane othandweni nasemisebenzini emihle, singakuyeki ukubuthana kwethu ndawonye.”—Heberu 10:24, 25.