Izimangaliso ZikaJesu—Umlando Noma Inganekwane?

“Ngenkathi yomlindo wesine wobusuku weza kubo, ehamba phezu kolwandle.”—Mathewu 14:25.

EZIGIDINI eziningi zabantu ezizungeze umhlaba, inkolelo yokuthi uJesu Kristu wenza izimangaliso cishe ibaluleke njengokukholelwa kuNkulunkulu ngokwakhe. Abalobi bamaVangeli—uMathewu, uMarku, uLuka, noJohane—bachaza izimangaliso zikaJesu ezingaba ngu-35. Nokho, ukulandisa kwabo kusikisela ukuthi wenza izenzo ezengeziwe zamandla angaphezu kwawemvelo.—Mathewu 9:35; Luka 9:11.

Lezizimangaliso zazingenzelwa ukujabulisa abantu. Zazibalulekile ekufakazeleni ukuzibiza kukaJesu ngeNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uMesiya okwase kuyisikhathi eside elindelwe. (Johane 14:11) UMose wayenzé izibonakaliso eziyisimangaliso lapho ezibonakalisa esizweni sakwa-Israyeli esasigqilaziwe. (Eksodusi 4:1-9) Kunengqondo ukuthi uMesiya, okwakuprofethwe ukuthi wayezoba mkhulu kunoMose, kwakuyolindeleka ukuba naye aveze isibonakaliso saphezulu. (Duteronomi 18:15) Ngaleyondlela iBhayibheli libiza uJesu ngokuthi “umuntu uNkulunkulu ambonisa obala [kumaJuda] ngemisebenzi yamandla nezimangaliso uNkulunkulu azenza ngaye.”—IzEnzo 2:22.

Ezikhathini ezidlule, abantu ngokuvamile babekwamukela ngaphandle kokungabaza ukuchaza kweBhayibheli uJesu njengomenzi wezimangaliso. Kodwa emashumini amuva eminyaka izindaba zamaVangeli ziye zaphikiswa kakhulu abagxeki. Encwadini yakhe ethi Deceptions and Myths of the Bible, uLloyd Graham ubhekisela ekulandiseni kweBhayibheli okuphathelene nokuhamba kukaJesu phezu kwamanzi bese eqhubeka ethi: “Kudingeka ube umuntu onganaki ngempela ukuze uthathe lokhu njengoba kunjalo, nokho, izigidi zikuthatha njengoba kunjalo. Khona-ke akumelwe sizibuze ukuthi yini eyonakele ngezwe lethu. Ubungalindela bungcono buni ezweni elinokunganaki okunjalo?”

Ingabe Akunakwenzeka?

Nokho, konke ukugxeka okunjalo akunangqondo. I-World Book Encyclopedia ichaza isimangaliso ngokuthi “isenzakalo esingenakuchazwa ngemithetho eyaziwayo yemvelo.” Ngokwaleyoncazelo, i-TV enombala, i-cellular phone, noma i-computer ephathekayo kwakuyobhekwa njengezimangaliso eminyakeni eyikhulu nje edlule! Ingabe kunengqondo ukuqinisa amakhanda futhi sithi okuthile akunakwenzeka ngenxa nje yokuthi asinakukuchaza ngokuvumelana nolwazi lwesayensi yamanje?

Nali elinye iphuzu okufanele licatshangelwe: Olimini lwesiGreki sakuqala “iTestamente Elisha” elalilotshwe ngalo, igama elisetshenziselwe ukuchaza “isimangaliso” lalithi dyʹna·mis—igama ngokuyisisekelo elisho “amandla.” Lihunyushwa futhi nangokuthi ‘imisebenzi yamandla.’ (Luka 6:19; 1 Korinte 12:10; Mathewu 25:15) IBhayibheli lithi izimangaliso zikaJesu zaziwukubonakaliswa ‘kwamandla amakhulu kaNkulunkulu.’ (Luka 9:43) Ingabe bekungenakwenzeka ngoNkulunkulu ongumninimandla onke—Lowo ‘onamandla amaningi’?—Isaya 40:26.

Ubufakazi Bokwethembeka

Ukuhlolisiswa kwamaVangeli amane kunikeza obunye ubufakazi bokuwakholelwa. Phakathi kokunye, lezizindaba zihluke ngokuphawulekayo ezinsumansumaneni nezinganekwane. Ngokwesibonelo, cabanga ngezindaba ezingamanga ezasakazeka ngoJesu emakhulwini eminyaka ngemva kokufa kwakhe. “IVangeli LikaThomas” elingathembekile liyalandisa: “Lapho lomfana uJesu eneminyaka emihlanu ubudala . . . , wahamba kuwo wonke umuzana, futhi omunye umfana egijima wamshayisa ehlombe. UJesu wacasuka wathi kuye: ‘Awuyikuqhubeka nokugijima kwakho,’ lomntwana wabe esewa ngokushesha wafa.” Kulula ukubona lokho lendaba eyikho ngempela—indatshana eqanjiwe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lomntwana ohluthukayo, onochuku ochazwe lapha akafani neze noJesu waseBhayibheli.—Qhathanisa noLuka 2:51, 52.

Manje cabangela ukulandisa okuthembekile kwamaVangeli. Akweqisi futhi akunawo amazwi abonisa ukuthi kuqanjiwe. UJesu wayenza izimangaliso ukuze asabele esidingweni sangempela, hhayi ukwanelisa nje imizwelo yokuthatheka. (Mathewu 10:46-52) UJesu akazange asebenzise amandla akhe ukuze azizuzise. (Mathewu 4:2-4) Futhi akazange awasebenzise ukuze abukise. Eqinisweni, lapho iNkosi uHerode eyayinelukuluku ifuna ukuba uJesu ayenzele “isibonakaliso” esimangalisayo, uJesu “akamphendulanga.”—Luka 23:8, 9.

Izimangaliso zikaJesu zihluke ngokuphelele emsebenzini wabalumbi abangochwepheshe, abenzi bemilingo, nabathandazeli. Imisebenzi yakhe yamandla ngaso sonke isikhathi yayikhazimulisa uNkulunkulu. (Johane 9:3; 11:1-4) Izimangaliso zakhe zazingenayo imikhuba evusa imizwelo, amazwi emilingo, nokubukisa, ubuqili, nokulumba. Lapho uJesu ehlangana nesinxibi esiyimpumputhe okuthiwa uBartimewu simemeza, “Rabuni, mangiphinde ngibone,” uJesu wamane wathi kuso: ‘“Hamba, ukholo lwakho lukwenze waphila.” Futhi ngokushesha saphinde sabona.’—Marku 10:46-52.

Ukulandisa kwamaVangeli kubonisa ukuthi uJesu wenza imisebenzi yakhe yamandla ngaphandle kokusekelwa okuthile, isiteji esihlelwe ngokukhethekile, noma imibani ephambayo. Zazenziwa obala, ngokuvamile phambi kofakazi abaningana. (Marku 5:24-29; Luka 7:11-15) Ngokungafani nabathandazeli bosuku lwanamuhla, imizamo yakhe yokuphulukisa ayizange yehluleke ngenxa nje yokuthi abathile abagulayo babentula ukholo. UMathewu 8:16 uthi: “Welapha bonke ababengaphathekile kahle.”

Encwadini yaso ethi “Many Infallible Proofs:” The Evidences of Christianity, iSazi u-Arthur Pierson sithi ngezimangaliso zikaKristu: “Inani lazo, isimo sokuphulukisa okusheshayo nokuphelele akwenza, neqiniso lokuthi akazange ahluleke nakanye ngisho nasemzamweni wokuvusa abafile, libangela ukungqubuzana okungapheli phakathi kwalezizimangaliso nezimangaliso zamanga zenkathi yokuphila kwalomlobi nanoma iyiphi enye inkathi.”

Ubufakazi Bezwe

UPierson uveza esinye isici esisekela ukulandisa kwamaVangeli lapho ethi: “Asikho isiqinisekiso sezimangaliso zemibhalo esiphawuleka ngaphezu kokuthi nezitha azizange ziziphikise.” Abaholi abangamaJuda babenesisusa esinamandla kakhulu sokufuna ukuhlazisa uJesu, kodwa izimangaliso zakhe zazaziwa kahle kangangokuthi abaphikisi babengenasibindi sokuziphika. Ukuphela kwento ababengayenza kwakuwukuba bathi lezizenzo zingamandla amademoni. (Mathewu 12:22-24) Emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngemva kokufa kukaJesu, abalobi beTalmud YamaJuda baqhubeka bedumisa uJesu ngamandla ezimangaliso. Ngokwencwadi ethi Jewish Expressions on Jesus, bamlahla ‘njengowayenza izenzo zemilingo.’ Ingabe inkulumo enjalo yayiyoshiwo uma bekungenzeka ngisho nangezinga elincane ukuba izimangaliso zikaJesu zilahlwe njengenganekwane?

Esinye isiqinisekiso sivela kusazi-mlando sesonto sekhulu lesine u-Eusebius. Encwadini yaso ethi The History of the Church From Christ to Constantine, sicaphuna uQuadratus othile owathumelela umbusi incwadi evikela ubuKristu. UQuadratus wabhala: “Imisebenzi yoMsindisi wethu ibilokhu ikhona ukuze ibonwe, ngoba yayiyiqiniso—abantu ababephulukisiwe nalabo ababevuswe ekufeni, ababengazange babonwe ngesikhathi bephulukiswa noma bevuswa kuphela, kodwa ababekhona njalo ukuze babonwe, hhayi nje ngesikhathi lapho uMsindisi ayekanye nathi, kodwa esikhathini eside ngemva kokuhamba kwaKhe; eqinisweni abanye babo baye baphila kwaze kwaba sesikhathini sami.” Isazi uWilliam Barclay saphawula: “UQuadratus uthi kuze kube sosukwini lwakhe abantu ababebone izimangaliso babengaba ubufakazi. Uma lokho kwakungelona iqiniso kwakungaba lula kakhulu ngohulumeni wamaRoma ukuba uchaze lokho njengokungamanga.”

Ukukholelwa ezimangalisweni zikaJesu kunengqondo, futhi kuvumelana ngokugcwele nobufakazi. Nakuba kunjalo, izimangaliso zikaJesu aziwona umlando ofile. EyamaHeberu 13:8 iyasikhumbuza: “UJesu Kristu uyefana izolo nanamuhla, kuze kube phakade.” Yebo, uyaphila namuhla emazulwini, ukwazi ukusebenzisa amandla ayisimangaliso ngendlela enkulu kakhulu kunangesikhathi esesemhlabeni njengomuntu. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukulandissa kwamaVangeli ngezimangaliso zakhe (1) kufundisa amaKristu izifundo ezingokoqobo namuhla, (2) kwembula izici ezithakazelisayo zobuntu bukaJesu, futhi (3) kukhombe esikhathini esizayo esiseduze lapho izenzakalo ezivusa amadlingozi ngisho nangokwengeziwe ziyokwenzeka khona!

Isihloko esilandelayo sizogxila ezindabeni zeBhayibheli ezintathu ezaziwa kakhulu ukuze kucaciswe lamaphuzu.