Wamukela Isiqondiso Saphezulu
AKE sithi umntwana ophelele wayebekwe ngaphansi kokunakekela kwakho futhi ulindeleke ukuba umkhulise ngokufanele. Yeka inselele! Umuntu ongaphelele angakwenza kanjani lokhu? Kuphela ngokwamukela isiqondiso saphezulu futhi asisebenzise ekuphileni kwansuku zonke.
Yilokho kanye okwenziwa uJosefa, uyise wokutholwa kaJesu. Ngokungafani nezincwadi zamasiko eziningiliziwe eziphathelene noJosefa ezingeyona ingxenye yemiBhalo, iBhayibheli alikhulumi kakhulu ngokuphathelene nendima yakhe engavelele ekuphileni kukaJesu kobuntwana. Siyazi ukuthi uJosefa nomkakhe, uMariya, bakhulisa uJesu, amanye amadodana amane, namadodakazi futhi.—Marku 6:3.
UJosefa wayengowohlu lozalo lweNkosi yakwa-Israyeli uDavide ngohlu lukaSolomoni. Wayeyindodana kaJakobe futhi engumkhwenyana ka-Eli. (Mathewu 1:16; Luka 3:23) Njengombazi emzini waseNazaretha eGalile, uJosefa wayelinganiselwe ngokwezimali. (Mathewu 13:55; Luka 2:4, 24; qhathanisa noLevitikusi 12:8.) Kodwa wayecebile ngokomoya. (IzAga 10:22) Ngokuqinisekile lokhu kwakungenxa yokuthi wayemukela isiqondiso saphezulu.
Ngaphandle kokungabaza, uJosefa wayengumJuda omnene nothobekile owayenokholo kuNkulunkulu futhi efisa ukwenza okwakulungile. Izenzakalo ezimbalwa zokuphila kwakhe ezilotshwe emiBhalweni zibonisa futhi ukuthi ngaso sonke isikhathi wayelalela imiyalo kaJehova. Lokhu kwakunjalo kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yayiqukethwe eMthethweni noma yamukelwa uJosefa ngokuqondile ngezingelosi.
Umuntu Olungileyo Onezinkinga
Umuntu owesaba uNkulunkulu kumelwe enzeni lapho ebhekene nenkinga enkulu? Phela, kufanele ‘aphonse umthwalo wakhe kuJehova’ futhi alandele isiqondiso saphezulu! (IHubo 55:22) Yilokho uJosefa akwenza. Lapho ethembisene umshado noMariya, “bengakahlangani wafunyanwa ekhulelwe ngomoya ongcwele.” Ngenxa yokuthi uJosefa ‘wayengumuntu olungileyo, engathandi ukumthela ihlazo, wafuna ukumlahla ngasese.’ Ngemva kokuba uJosefa esecabangisisile ngalendaba, ingelosi kaJehova yabonakala kuye ephusheni futhi yathi: “Josefa, ndodana kaDavide, ungesabi ukumthatha uMariya umkakho, ngokuba lokho akukhulelweyo kungoMoya oNgcwele. Uzakuzala indodana, uyiqambe igama lokuthi uJesu, ngokuba nguye oyakusindisa abantu bakhe ezonweni zabo.” Lapho ephaphama, uJosefa “wenza njengalokho imyalile ingelosi yeNkosi, wamthatha umkakhe; akaze aya kuye, waze wazibula ngendodana; wayiqamba igama lokuthi uJesu.” (Mathewu 1:18-25) UJosefa wamukela isiqondiso saphezulu.
U-Awugustu Kesari wakhipha isimemezelo sokuba abantu babhalise emizini yakubo siqu. Ngokulalela, uJosefa noMariya baya eBetlehema eJudiya. Lapho uMariya wafike wabeletha uJesu futhi kwadingeka ukuba amlalise emkhombeni ngoba yayingekho enye indawo yokungenisa eyayitholakala. Ngalobobusuku abelusi ababezwe isimemezelo sengelosi ngalokhu kuzalwa okukhethekile beza bazobona usana. Ezinsukwini ezingaba ngu-40 kamuva, uJosefa noMariya benza ngokuvumelana noMthetho ngokwethula uJesu ethempelini eJerusalema kanye nomnikelo. Bobabili bamangala lapho bezwa amazwi ayisiprofetho kaSimeyoni osekhulile aphathelene nezinto ezinkulu uJesu ayezozenza.—Luka 2:1-33; qhathanisa noLevitikusi 12:2-4, 6-8.
Nakuba uLuka 2:39 ebonakala ebonisa ukuthi uJosefa noMariya baya eNazaretha ngokushesha nje ngemva kokwethula uJesu ethempelini, lombhalo uyingxenye yokulandisa okufingqiwe. Kubonakala sengathi ngemva kwesikhathi esijana impela ethuliwe ethempelini, izazi zezinkanyezi zaseMpumalanga (ama-Magus) zavakashela uMariya noJesu endlini eBetlehema. Ukungenela kwaphezulu kwavimbela lokhu kuvakasha ukuba kungabangeli ukufa kuJesu. Esehambile ama-Magus, ingelosi kaJehova yabonakala kuJosefa ephusheni futhi yathi kuye: “UHerode uzakumfuna umntwana ukuba ambhubhise.” Njengenhlalayenza, uJosefa walalela isiqondiso saphezulu wathatha umkhaya wakhe baya eGibithe.—Mathewu 2:1-14.
Lapho uHerode efa, ingelosi yabonakala kuJosefa eGibithe ephusheni, ithi: “Vuka uthabathe umntwana nonina, uye ezweni lakwaIsrayeli.” Lapho uJosefa ezwa ukuthi u-Arkelawu indodana kaHerode yayibusa esikhundleni sikayise, wesaba ukubuyela eJudiya. Elalela isixwayiso saphezulu asinikezwa ephusheni, waya ezweni laseGalile futhi wahlala emzini waseNazaretha.—Mathewu 2:15-23.
Umuntu Ongokomoya
UJosefa waqikelela ukuthi umkhaya wakhe wenza ngokuvumelana nomthetho waphezulu nokuthi wondlekile ngokomoya. Unyaka ngamunye wayethatha wonke umkhaya aye nawo emkhosini wokugubha iPhasika eJerusalema. Ngesinye salezozikhathi, uJosefa noMariya babebuyela eNazaretha futhi base behambe ibanga losuku ukusuka eJerusalema lapho bethola ukuthi uJesu owayeneminyaka engu-12 wayengekho. Bebuyela eJerusalema, bamfunisisa futhi ekugcineni bamthola ethempelini, elalele futhi ebuza abafundisi ababelapho.—Luka 2:41-50.
Kubonakala sengathi uJosefa wayemvumela umkakhe ukuba athathe isinyathelo kuqala ezintweni ezithile. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho bephindela eJerusalema futhi bethola uJesu ethempelini, nguMariya owakhuluma nendodana yakhe esencane ngalendaba. (Luka 2:48, 49) Lapho ekhula ‘njengendodana yombazi,’ uJesu wathola imfundo engokomoya. UJosefa wamfundisa nokubaza, ngoba uJesu wabizwa ngokuthi “umbazi, indodana kaMariya.” (Mathewu 13:55; Marku 6:3) Abazali abesaba uNkulunkulu namuhla kufanele bawasebenzise ngokugcwele amathuba afanayo okufundisa abantwana babo, ikakhulukazi babanikeze ukuqeqeshwa okungokomoya.—Efesu 6:4; 2 Thimothewu 1:5; 3:14-16.
Amathemba kaJosefa
ImiBhalo ayisho lutho ngokufa kukaJosefa. Kodwa kungokuphawulekayo ukuthi uMarku 6:3 ubiza uJesu ngokuthi “indodana kaMariya,” hhayi kaJosefa. Lokhu kubonisa ukuthi uJosefa wayesefile ngalesosikhathi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuba uJosefa waphila kwaze kwaba ngo-33 C.E., kwakungenakwenzeka ukuba uJesu obethelwe aphathise umphostoli uJohane ukuba anakekele uMariya.—Johane 19:26, 27.
Khona-ke uJosefa uyoba phakathi kwabafileyo abayozwa izwi leNdodana yomuntu futhi baphume ngovuko. (Johane 5:28, 29) Lapho efunda ngelungiselelo likaJehova lokuphila okuphakade, ngokungangabazeki uJosefa ngenjabulo uyolisebenzisa futhi uyoba isikhonzi esilalelayo seNkosi enkulu yasezulwini, uJesu Kristu, njengoba nje ayelalela isiqondiso saphezulu eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-1 900 edlule.
[Isithombe ekhasini 31]
UJosefa wanikeza uJesu imfundo engokomoya wamfundisa nokubaza