Ukuzila Ukudla​—Ingabe Kukusondeza KuNkulunkulu?

‘Ukuzila ukudla kuyinto ekusiza ukuba uzindle ngokomoya futhi kukukhumbuza ukuthi izinto ezibonakalayo azizona izinto ezibaluleke kakhulu ekuphileni.’—OWESIFAZANE ONGUMKATOLIKA.

‘Ukuzila ukudla kukusiza ukuba uxhumane noNkulunkulu ngokomoya.’—URABI ONGUMJUDA.

‘Enkolweni yami, ukuzila ukudla kuyisibopho, isisekelo sokubonisa ukuzinikela nokumbonga kwami uNkulunkulu. Ngizila ukudla ngoba ngiyamthanda uNkulunkulu.’—UMLANDELI WENKOLO YAMABAHA’I.

UKUZILA ukudla kuwumkhuba ovamile ezinkolweni eziningi zomhlaba, kuhlanganise ubuBuddha, ubuHindu, ubuSulumane, ubuJainism nobuJuda. Abantu abaningi bakholelwa ukuthi ukuzila ukudla isikhathi esithile kusondeza umuntu kuNkulunkulu.

Wena ucabangani? Ingabe kufanele uzile ukudla? IZwi likaNkulunkulu iBhayibheli lithini ngale ndaba?

Ukuzila Ukudla Ezikhathini ZeBhayibheli

Ezikhathini zeBhayibheli, abantu babezila ukudla ngenxa yezizathu ezihlukahlukene ezihambisana nentando kaNkulunkulu. Abanye babezila ukudla ukuze babonise ukudabuka okukhulu noma ukuphenduka ezonweni (1 Samuweli 7:4-6), ukuze bacele umusa kaNkulunkulu noma isiqondiso sakhe (AbaHluleli 20:26-28; Luka 2:36, 37), noma ukuze bagxile kakhulu lapho bezindla.—Mathewu 4:1, 2.

Kodwa, iBhayibheli libuye likhulume ngokuzila ukudla uNkulunkulu ayengakwamukeli. INkosi uSawule yazila ukudla ngaphambi kokuba ibonane nomuntu owayesebenzelana nemimoya. (Levitikusi 20:6; 1 Samuweli 28:20) Abantu ababi, njengoJezebeli kuhlanganise nabashisekeli benkolo abahlela ukubulala umphostoli uPawulu, babezila ukudla. (1 AmaKhosi 21:7-12; IzEnzo 23:12-14) AbaFarisi babaziwa ngokuzila ukudla njalo. (Marku 2:18) Kodwa, uJesu wabalahla, futhi babengamthokozisi uNkulunkulu. (Mathewu 6:16; Luka 18:12) Ngokufanayo, uJehova akazange akwamukele ukuzila ukudla kwama-Israyeli athile ngenxa yokuziphatha kwawo okubi nezisusa zawo ezimbi.—Jeremiya 14:12.

Lezi zibonelo zibonisa ukuthi akukhona ukuzila ukudla ngokwakho okuthokozisa uNkulunkulu. Nokho, izinceku eziningi zikaNkulunkulu eziqotho ezazizila ukudla zamukeleka kuNkulunkulu. Ngakho-ke, ingabe amaKristu kufanele azile ukudla?

Ingabe Ukuzila Ukudla Kuyisibopho KumaKristu?

UMthetho KaMose wawuyala amaJuda ukuba ‘ahluphe imiphefumulo yawo,’ okuwukuthi azile ukudla kanye ngonyaka ngoSuku Lokuhlawulela. (Levitikusi 16:29-31; IHubo 35:13) Lokhu yikho kuphela ukuzila ukudla uJehova ake wayala abantu bakhe ukuba bakwenze.a AmaJuda ayephila ngaphansi koMthetho KaMose ayewulalela lowo myalo. Kodwa amaKristu akudingekile ukuba agcine uMthetho KaMose.—Roma 10:4; Kolose 2:14.

Nakuba uJesu ayekuzila ukudla njengoba kwakusho uMthetho, wayengaziwa ngalo mkhuba. Watshela abafundi bakhe indlela okwakufanele baziphathe ngayo lapho bezila ukudla, kodwa akazange abayale ukuba benze kanjalo. (Mathewu 6:16-18; 9:14) Pho, kungani uJesu athi abafundi bakhe babeyozila ukudla ngemva kokufa kwakhe? (Mathewu 9:15) Lokhu kwakungewona umyalo. Amazwi kaJesu ayemane ebonisa ukuthi lapho efa, abafundi bakhe babeyoba nosizi kakhulu futhi babe nenhliziyo emnyama.

Imibiko emibili eseBhayibhelini yamaKristu okuqala azila ukudla ibonisa ukuthi uma umuntu ekhetha ukuzila ukudla ngesisusa esihle, lokhu kuyamukeleka kuNkulunkulu. (IzEnzo 13:2, 3; 14:23)b Ngakho, amaKristu awekho ngaphansi kwesibopho sokuzila ukudla. Kodwa umuntu okhetha ukwenza kanjalo kufanele aqaphele izingozi ezithile.

Qaphela Izingozi

Ingozi yokuqala okufanele siyigweme mayelana nokuzila ukudla ukuzenza abalungile. IBhayibheli lisixwayisa ukuba singabi “nokuthobeka-mbumbulu.” (Kolose 2:20-23) Umfanekiso kaJesu womFarisi ozikhukhumezayo owazizwa ephakeme kunabanye ngenxa yokuzila ukudla njalo, usishiya singangabazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyasilahla isimo esinjalo sengqondo.—Luka 18:9-14.

Bekuyoba iphutha nokusakaza ukuthi uzile ukudla noma ukukuzila ngoba omunye umuntu ekutshela ukuba wenze kanjalo. NgokukaMathewu 6:16-18, uJesu wayala ukuthi ukuzila ukudla kufanele kube indaba yangasese, ephakathi kwakho noNkulunkulu, nokuthi akufanele ukumemezele kwabanye.

Umuntu akufanele alokothe acabange ukuthi ukuzila ukudla kuthethelela ukona ngandlela-thile. Ukuze kwamukeleke kuNkulunkulu, ukuzila ukudla kumelwe kuhambisane nokulalela imithetho yakhe. (Isaya 58:3-7) Ukuphenduka okuqotho, hhayi ukuzila ukudla ngokwakho, okuholela ekuthethelelweni kwezono. (Joweli 2:12, 13) IBhayibheli ligcizelela ukuthi sithola intethelelo ngomusa kaJehova ongafanelwe obonakaliswa ngomhlatshelo kaKristu. Asinakuyithola intethelelo nganoma imiphi imisebenzi, kuhlanganise nokuzila ukudla.—Roma 3:24, 27, 28; Galathiya 2:16; Efesu 2:8, 9.

U-Isaya 58:3 uveza elinye iphutha elivamile. Ama-Israyeli ayesikisela ukuthi uJehova uwakweleta okuthile ngenxa yokuzila kwawo, njengokungathi ngokuzila ukudla, ayenzela uNkulunkulu umusa. Abuza: “Kungasizathu sini sazila ukudla kodwa wena wangabona, sahlupha umphefumulo wethu kodwa wena ungaqapheli?” Nanamuhla abaningi bacabanga ukuthi ngenxa yokuthi bazila ukudla, bangalindela ukuba uNkulunkulu abenzele okuthile okuhle. Kwangathi singelokothe silingise isimo sengqondo esinjalo sokungahloniphi futhi esingqubuzana nemiBhalo!

Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi bangakwazi ukuthola umusa ngokuhlukumeza umzimba ngokuzila ukudla, ngokuzibhaxabula, noma ngokuthile okunjalo. IZwi likaNkulunkulu liyawulahla lo mbono, libonisa ukuthi “ukuphatha kabi umzimba” ‘akusizi ngalutho ekulweni’ nezifiso ezimbi.—Kolose 2:20-23.

Umbono Olinganiselayo

Ukuzila ukudla akusona isibopho; kodwa futhi akuyona into engalungile. Kungase kuzuzise ngaphansi kwezinye izimo uma izingozi ezishiwo ngenhla zigwenywa. Kodwa, ukuzila ukudla akuyona into ebalulekile ekukhulekeleni okwamukelekayo. UJehova ‘unguNkulunkulu ojabulayo,’ futhi ufuna ukuba izinceku zakhe zijabule. (1 Thimothewu 1:11) IZwi lakhe lithi: “Akukho lutho olungcono ngabo kunokuba . . . wonke umuntu adle futhi empeleni aphuze abone okuhle ngawo wonke umsebenzi wakhe onzima. Kuyisipho sikaNkulunkulu.”—UmShumayeli 3:12, 13.

Ukukhulekela kwethu kufanele kuhambisane nenjabulo, kodwa iBhayibheli alikuhlobanisi ukuzila ukudla nenjabulo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uma ukuzila ukudla kungasenza sigule noma kusiphuce amandla okuwenza ngenjabulo umsebenzi uMenzi wethu asinike wona njengamaKristu eqiniso—umsebenzi wokumemezela izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso—khona-ke bekuyobe kungazuzisi.

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi sikhetha ukuzila ukudla noma cha, kufanele sigweme ukwahlulela abanye. AmaKristu eqiniso akufanele aphikisane ngale ndaba, “ngoba umbuso kaNkulunkulu awusho ukudla nokuphuza, kodwa usho ukulunga nokuthula nenjabulo okuhambisana nomoya ongcwele.”—Roma 14:17.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 28]

AbaFarisi babebonisa ukuthobeka- mbumbulu lapho bezila ukudla

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 29]

“Umbuso kaNkulunkulu awusho ukudla nokuphuza, kodwa usho ukulunga nokuthula nenjabulo”

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 29]

Kuthiwani NgeLenti?

Kuthiwa ukuzila ukudla izinsuku ezingu-40 ngesikhathi seLenti kuwukukhumbula ukuzila kukaKristu ukudla izinsuku ezingu-40. Kodwa uJesu akazange ayale abafundi bakhe ukuba bakhumbule ukuzila kwakhe ukudla, futhi abukho ubufakazi bokuthi bakwenza lokho. Umbiko wokuqala onokwethenjelwa wokuzila ukudla izinsuku ezingu-40 ngaphambi kwe-Easter kucatshangwa ukuthi utholakala ezincwadini zika-Athanasius, ezabhalwa ngo-330 C.E.

Njengoba uJesu azila ukudla ngemva kokubhapathizwa kodwa hhayi ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe, iqiniso lokuthi izinkolo ezithile zigcina iLenti emasontweni andulela i-Easter libonakala liyinqaba. Nokho, ukuzila ukudla izinsuku ezingu-40 ekuqaleni konyaka kwakuvamile phakathi kwabaseBhabhiloni lasendulo, abaseGibhithe nakumaGreki. Leli siko “lobuKristu” cishe lathathwa kubo.