Imibuzo Evela Kubafundi
UJesu wanxusa: “Zikhandleni ngamandla ukuba ningene ngomnyango owumngcingo, ngoba abaningi, ngiyanitshela, bayofuna ukungena kodwa ngeke bakwazi.” (Luka 13:24) Wayesho ukuthini, futhi kusebenza kanjani lokhu namuhla?
Singayiqonda kangcono kakhulu le ndima ethakazelisayo ngokucabangela umongo wayo. Ezinyangeni ezingaba isithupha ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe, uJesu wayeseJerusalema phakathi nomkhosi wokugubha ukunikezelwa kabusha kwethempeli. Wakhuluma ngokuba kwakhe umalusi wezimvu zikaNkulunkulu kodwa wabonisa ukuthi iningi lamaJuda lalingekho phakathi kwalezo zimvu ngoba lalenqabe ukulalela. Lapho ethi yena noYise ‘bamunye,’ amaJuda aqukula amatshe ukuze amkhande ngawo. Wabalekela ePhereya ngaphesheya kweJordani.—Johane 10:1-40.
Lapho, enye indoda yabuza: “Nkosi, ingabe labo abasindiswayo bambalwa?” (Luka 13:23) Yayibuze umbuzo ofanelekayo, njengoba amaJuda angaleso sikhathi ayethi kwakunabambalwa kuphela ababeyofanelekela insindiso. Lapho sicabangela isimo sawo sengqondo, akunzima ukucabanga ukuthi obani ayecabanga ukuthi bayoba abambalwa. Yeka ukuthi ayenephutha kanjani, njengoba okwenzeka ngemva kwalokho kwabonisa!
Iminyaka ethi ayibe mibili, uJesu wayephakathi kwawo, efundisa, enza izimangaliso futhi ewanika ithuba lokuba izindlalifa zoMbuso wasezulwini. Kwaba namuphi umphumela? Wona, futhi ikakhulukazi abaholi bawo, ayeziqhenya ngokuba inzalo ka-Abrahama nangokuthi ayephathiswe uMthetho kaNkulunkulu. (Mathewu 23:2; Johane 8:31-44) Kodwa ayengenakuqaphela futhi asabele ezwini likaMalusi Omuhle. Kwakusengathi kunomnyango ovulekile phambi kwawo, futhi ukungena kuwo kunomvuzo oyinhloko wokuba amalungu eMbusweni, kodwa enqaba. Kwakungambalwa kuphela uma kuqhathaniswa, ngokuyinhloko esigaba esiphansi, ezwa isigijimi seqiniso sikaJesu, asabela futhi anamathela kuye.—Luka 22:28-30; Johane 7:47-49.
Ngosuku lwePhentekoste lika-33 C.E., kwaba yiwo lawo ambalwa esigaba esiphansi aba sethubeni lokugcotshwa ngomoya. (IzEnzo 2:1-38) Ayengekho phakathi kwezisebenzi zokungalungi uJesu akhuluma ngazo ezazizokhala futhi ziququde amazinyo azo ngenxa yokuhluleka ukwamukela ithuba ezazilinikiwe.—Luka 13:27, 28.
Ngenxa yalokho, ekhulwini lokuqala “abaningi” kwakuyiningi lamaJuda, futhi ikakhulukazi abaholi benkolo. Laba babethi bafuna ukuvunyelwa uNkulunkulu—kodwa kuphela ngokuvumelana nezindinganiso nezindlela zabo, hhayi ezikaNkulunkulu. Ngokuphambene, ‘abambalwa,’ uma kuqhathaniswa, abasabela ngesithakazelo esiqotho ekubeni ingxenye yoMbuso baba amalungu agcotshiwe ebandla lobuKristu.
Manje cabangela izinga lokhu okusebenza ngalo nasosukwini lwethu. Abantu abangenakubalwa abaya emasontweni eLobukholwa baye bafundiswa ukuthi bazokuya ezulwini. Nokho, leli themba alisekelwe ezimfundisweni ezinembile zemiBhalo. NjengamaJuda akuqala, laba bafuna ukuvunyelwa uNkulunkulu ngokusekelwe kweyabo imibandela.
Nokho, kuye kwaba nabambalwa uma kuqhathaniswa esikhathini sethu abaye basabela ngokuzithoba esigijimini soMbuso, bazinikezela kuJehova, futhi baba sethubeni lokuvunyelwa nguye. Lokhu kuye kwaholela ekubeni babe “amadodana ombuso.” (Mathewu 13:38) La “madodana” agcotshiwe aqala ukumenywa ngePhentekoste lika-33 C.E. Sekuyisikhathi eside oFakazi BakaJehova bekholelwa ukuthi ubufakazi bokusebenzelana kukaNkulunkulu nabantu bakhe busikisela ukuthi ngokuyinhloko amalungu esigaba sasezulwini asebiziwe. Ngalokho, labo abaye bafunda iqiniso leBhayibheli eminyakeni yamuva baye baqonda ukuthi manje banikwa ithemba lokuphila phakade emhlabeni oyipharadesi. Laba baye balidlula inani elinciphayo lamaKristu agcotshiwe, anethemba lokuya ezulwini. ULuka 13:24 akasebenzi ngokuyinhloko kulabo abangakulindele ukuya ezulwini, kodwa ngokuqinisekile kuneseluleko esihlakaniphile abasitholayo.
Ngokusinxusa ukuba sizikhandle ngamandla, uJesu wayengasho ukuthi yena noma uYise babeka izikhubekiso zokusithiya endleleni yethu. Kodwa siyaqonda ngokukaLuka 13:24 ukuthi izimfuneko zikaNkulunkulu zenziwe ngendlela yokuba zikhiphe abangafaneleki. ‘Ukuzikhandla ngamandla’ kusho ukuzabalaza, ukwenza okwengeziwe. Ngakho singase sizibuze: ‘Ingabe ngenza okwengeziwe?’ ULuka 13:24 angase abekwe ngenye indlela ngokuthi, ‘Kudingeka ngizikhandle ngamandla ukuze ngingene ngomnyango owumngcingo ngoba abaningi bayofuna ukungena kodwa ngeke bakwazi. Ngakho ingabe ngizikhandla ngamandla ngempela? Ingabe nginjengomsubathi enkundleni yezemidlalo yasendulo owenza ngokusemandleni akhe ukuze azuze umklomelo? Akukho msubathi onjalo ongenza ngokunganaki, ayekethise. Ingabe nginjalo?’
Amazwi kaJesu asikisela ukuthi abanye bangase bafune ‘ukungena ngomnyango’ ngendlela evumelana nezimo zabo, ngejubane elithandwa yibo. Isimo sengqondo esinjalo singase sibathinte oFakazi ngabanye. Abanye bangase bathi, ‘Ngazi amaKristu azinikele ayenza okwengeziwe iminyaka eminingi, ezidela kokuningi; nokho, ngesikhathi sokufa kwawo, isiphelo salesi simiso esibi sezinto sasingakafiki. Ngakho mhlawumbe kungcono nginciphise ijubane, ngiphile ukuphila okuvame kakhudlwana.’
Kulula ukucabanga ngaleyo ndlela, kodwa ingabe kuhlakaniphile ngempela? Ngokwesibonelo, ingabe abaphostoli bacabanga ngaleyo ndlela? Akunjalo neze. Benza konke okusemandleni abo ukuze baqhube ukukhulekela kweqiniso—kwaze kwaba sekufeni kwabo. Ngokwesibonelo, uPawulu wayengathi: “[UKristu] nguye esimmemezelayo . . . Ngenxa yalenjongo ngisebenza kanzima ngempela, ngizikhandla ngokuvumelana nomsebenzi wakhe futhi osebenzayo nakimi ngamandla.” Kamuva wabhala: “Ngenxa yalenjongo sisebenza kanzima futhi siyazikhandla, ngoba ithemba lethu silibeke kuNkulunkulu ophilayo, onguMsindisi wazo zonke izinhlobo zabantu, ikakhulukazi wabakholekileyo.”—Kolose 1:28, 29; 1 Thimothewu 4:10.
Siyazi ukuthi uPawulu wayenza okufanele ngempela lapho ezikhandla. Yeka ukuthi ngamunye wethu uyokwaneliseka kanjani ngokukwazi ukusho njengoba kwasho uPawulu: “Ngikulwile ukulwa okuhle, ngiligijimile ibanga ngaze ngayoqeda, ngilugcinile ukholo.” (2 Thimothewu 4:7) Ngakho ngokuvumelana namazwi kaJesu alotshwe kuLuka 13:24, ngamunye wethu angazibuza, ‘Ingabe ngisebenza ngenkuthalo? Yebo, ingabe ngaso sonke isikhathi nginikeza ubufakazi obanele bokuthi ngiyawulalela umyalo kaJesu othi: “Zikhandleni ngamandla ukuba ningene ngomnyango owumngcingo”?’