Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe AmaKristu Kufanele Amelane Nempi?

“Amasonto kufanele aphinde amelane nempi njengoba ayenza kanjalo emakhulwini okuqala obuKristu.”—UHubert Butler, umbhali wase-Ireland.

NGEMVA kokuvakashela eYugoslavia ngemva kweMpi Yezwe II, uHubert Butler waloba ngesibindi amazwi angenhla endabeni ayiloba ngo-1947 kodwa eze yanyatheliswa ngonyaka odlule! Yamshaqisa indlela “iSonto LobuKristu elalihileleke ngayo emacaleni amabi phakathi nempi futhi laphambuka kakhulu emfundisweni kaKristu.”

UButler wayengesabi ukukhulumela izinhlangano noma amaqembu ayengathandwa. Lapho ekwenza lokho, ngokuvamile kwakuba nguye yedwa okhulumayo. Wayekhuluma ngokungesabi lapho eqhathanisa ukuziphatha kwamasonto nokuma kwesibindi koFakazi BakaJehova, i-Irish Times eyabachaza ngokuthi “ngokuqinisekile bayihlelo lenkolo elimsulwa kunawo wonke futhi elingenakubekwa icala lokuhlanganyela kwezombangazwe.” Endabeni yakhe ethi “Umbiko NgeYugoslavia,” uButler wabhala ukuthi oFakazi, “[ababezenqaba] zonke izaba impi eyayithethelwa ngazo abaholi bezombangazwe nabenkolo,” baquliswa amacala iziphathimandla zaseYugoslavia ngenxa yokwenqaba kwabo ukujoyina inhlangano yempi.

Nokho, ingabe kunembile ngokomBhalo ukuchaza oFakazi BakaJehova njengabantu abamelene nempi? Ukuze sicacise lendaba, kungase kuxhomeke ekutheni kushiwo ukuthini ngokuthi “umuntu omelene nempi.” UButler wasebenzisa lamagama ukuze atuse oFakazi ngokuba nesibindi ekwenqabeni ukuphatha izikhali zempi nakuba bahlupheka kakhulu ngalokho. Nokho, ngokudabukisayo, abantu abaningi abathathwe umoya wempi babheka umuntu omelene nempi “njengegwala noma imbuka, [elizimisele] ukubalekela umthwalo walo wemfanelo ezweni lakubo.” Ingabe lowo mbono unembile?

Ukumelana Nempi Noma Ubudlova

I-Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary ithi umuntu omelene nempi ngumuntu “omelene ngokuqinile futhi ngentshiseko nengxabano nomelene [ikakhulukazi] nempi.” Ichaza “ukumelana nempi” “njengokumelana nempi noma ubudlova njengendlela yokuxazulula izingxabano; [ikakhulukazi]: ukunqaba ukuphatha izikhali ngenxa yezizathu zokuziphatha noma ezingokwenkolo.” Lezi zincazelo zazingasebenza kanjani emakholweni ebandla lamaKristu okuqala?

‘Ayenqaba ukuphatha izikhali ngenxa yezizathu zokuziphatha nezingokwenkolo’ futhi ayegwema zonke ‘izingxabano nempi.’ Ngani? Ngoba ayazi ukuthi uJesu wayethe abalandeli bakhe ‘babengeyona ingxenye yezwe’ nokuthi “bonke labo abaphatha inkemba bayobhubha ngenkemba.” (Johane 15:19; Mathewu 26:52) Kwethi The Early Church and the World, isazi-mlando esithile sisitshela ukuthi “okungenani kuze kube sekubuseni kukaMarcus Aurelius [161-180 C.E.], akukho mKristu owayeba isosha ngemva kokubhapathizwa kwakhe.” Kwethi The New World’s Foundations in the Old, esinye isazi-mlando sithi: “AmaKristu okuqala ayecabanga ukuthi akulungile ukulwa, futhi ayengenakukhonza ebuthweni lempi ngisho nalapho kwakudingeka amasosha eMbusweni.”

Ukuthunywa kwamaKristu kwakuwukushumayela izindaba ezinhle. (Mathewu 24:14; 28:19, 20) Ayeqaphela ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayengawathumanga ukuba alwe nezitha zawo, ukuba abe njengabakhiphi bezahlulelo zikaNkulunkulu. (Mathewu 5:9; Roma 12:17-21) UButler uthi labo abathi bangamaKristu bagxambukela ezimpini zezizwe lapho ‘bephambuka emfundisweni kaKristu.’ Khona-ke abefundisi babusisa amabutho futhi bathandazele ukunqoba, ngokuvamile kuzo zombili izinhlangothi zempi. (Qhathanisa noJohane 17:16; 18:36.) Ngokwesibonelo, emakhulwini eminyaka adlule, amaProthestani namaKatolika alwa izimpi eziningi ezachitha igazi, okwaphumela “ekwesabeni [okwehlela] iNtshonalanga Yurophu, zombili izinhlangothi zithi zingamathuluzi olaka lukaNkulunkulu,” kubhala uKenneth Clark encwadini yakhe ethi Civilisation. I-Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature kaMcClintock noStrong ithi izaba ezasetshenziswa ekuthetheleleni leyompi, “ngokusobala zabangelwa isifiso sokubuyisana neziphathimandla, futhi ziphambene kakhulu nemfundiso yamaKristu asendulo namaVangeli.”—Jakobe 4:4.

Ingabe Amelene Ngokuphelele Nempi?

Nokho, ingabe ‘imfundiso yamaKristu asendulo namaVangeli’ empeleni kwakumelene nempi? Ingabe amaKristu okuqala ayengachazwa ngempela ngokuthi abantu abamelene nempi, njengoba sekuchaziwe ngaphambili? Cha! Kungani kungenjalo? Phakathi kokunye, ayeliqaphela ilungelo likaNkulunkulu lokulwa izimpi. (Eksodusi 14:13, 14; 15:1-4; Joshuwa 10:14; Isaya 30:30-32) Ngaphezu kwalokho, awazange aliphikise ilungelo likaNkulunkulu lokugunyaza ama-Israyeli asendulo ukuba amlwele lapho leso sizwe sasiwukuphela kwethuluzi lakhe emhlabeni.—IHubo 144:1; IzEnzo 7:45; Heberu 11:32-34.

UNkulunkulu akanalo nje kuphela ilungelo lokususa abantu ababi emhlabeni kodwa futhi unesibopho sobulungisa. Abantu abaningi abenza okubi abasoze basabela ekubanxuseni ngesineke kukaNkulunkulu ukuba balungise izindlela zabo. (Isaya 45:22; Mathewu 7:13, 14) Ukubekezelela kukaNkulunkulu ububi kunemingcele. (Isaya 61:2; IzEnzo 17:30) Ngakho-ke, amaKristu ayaqaphela ukuthi ekugcineni uNkulunkulu uyobacoboshisa abantu ababi emhlabeni. (2 Petru 3:9, 10) Njengoba iBhayibheli libikezela, lokhu kuyoba “ekwambulweni kweNkosi uJesu ivela ezulwini ikanye nezingelosi zayo ezinamandla emlilweni ovutha amalangabi, njengoba iletha impindiselo phezu kwalabo abangamazi uNkulunkulu nakulabo abangazilaleli izindaba ezinhle ezimayelana neNkosi yethu uJesu.”—2 Thesalonika 1:6-9.

Incwadi yokugcina yeBhayibheli ichaza lempi ngokuthi ‘impi yosuku olukhulu lukaNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke,’ noma i-Armagedoni. (IsAmbulo 16:14, 16) Ithi uJesu Kristu uyohola kulokhu, “alwe impi ngokulunga.” (IsAmbulo 19:11, 14, 15) UJesu Kristu ubizwa ngokufanelekile ngokuthi “iNkosi yokuthula.” (Isaya 9:6) Kodwa akayena umuntu omelene nempi. Kakade useye walwa impi ezulwini ukuze asuse zonke izitha zikaNkulunkulu ezivukelayo. (IsAmbulo 12:7-9) Ngokushesha uzolwa enye impi ukuze ‘achithe labo abachitha umhlaba.’ Nokho, abalandeli bakhe emhlabeni ngeke babe nengxenye kulokho kukhishwa kwesahlulelo saphezulu.—IsAmbulo 11:17, 18.

AmaKristu eqiniso athanda ukuthula. Awathathi hlangothi ngokuphelele ezimpini, kwezombangazwe nasezingxabanweni zobuhlanga zezwe. Kodwa eqinisweni, awamelene nempi. Ngani? Ngoba ayayemukela impi kaNkulunkulu ekugcineni eyokwenza kwenziwe intando yakhe emhlabeni—impi eyoxazulula impikiswano enkulu yobukhosi bendawo yonke futhi izisuse unomphela zonke izitha zokuthula.—Jeremiya 25:31-33; Daniyeli 2:44; Mathewu 6:9, 10.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 22]

Christ Mocked/The Doré Bible Illustrations/Dover Publications, Inc.