Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe IBhayibheli Liyakuvumela Ukuphathwa Kwezinyoka?

EMASONTWENI amancane, amakholwa ayahlangana. Adlala iziginci zikagesi futhi acule umculo wevangeli. Enza imithandazo yokuphulukisa. Alalela izintshumayelo ezilula futhi ahhume ngentshiseko ngalokho akubiza ngokuthi “izilimi ezintsha.” Kukho konke lokhu, awehlukile kakhulu kunoma yiliphi inani lamaqembu amaPentekoste noma abantu abanamandla angavamile okwenza izimangaliso kweLobukholwa. Khona-ke akhipha ubuthi, umlilo, nezinyoka.

Ubuthi buvame ukuba istrychnine (ubuthi obushwaqayo), encibilikiswe emanzini. Umlilo ungase ube owendwangu evuthayo ecwiliswe kuphalafini noma isibani segesi iacetylene, futhi izinyoka kungaba amarattlesnake noma amacopperhead (uhlobo lwenyoka ehlala emgodini), okungenzima ukuzithola eziNtabeni zaseAppalachia eUnited States, lapho lamaqembu esonto evame kakhulu khona. Lapho bezwa sengathi “umoya” ubatshela ukuba benze kanjalo, bazophuza ubuthi futhi babeke izandla zabo emlilweni. Bangase futhi babambe izinyoka, bazigaxe ezingalweni zabo nasemahlombe, bazibeke emizimbeni yabo, bazidlulise zisuka komunye ziye komunye. Kungani?

“Ngiphatha izinyoka ngoba kuseBhayibheli-​ni, njengomyalo,” kusho uDewey, umholi weso-​nto elincane laseNtshonalanga Virginia.a UDew-ey uthi izinyoka ziye zamluma izikhathi ezingu-160, futhi unezibazi zokufakazela lokho. Ingabe ngempela iBhayibheli liyakuyala ukuba kwenziwe izinto ezinjalo?

“Ungayilingi INkosi”

“Ongathandiyo akamazi uNkulunkulu, ngokuba uNkulunkulu uluthando,” kusho iBhayibheli ku-⁠1 Johane 4:⁠8. Ingabe uNkulunkulu wothando ubengafuna ukuba abakhulekeli bakhe bazizwise ubuhlungu obungadingekile? UDewey uthi: “Ukulunywa kubuhlungu, kuwubuhlungu obucishe buphindwe kayi-100 kunobuhlungu bezinyo . . . Uzizwa sengathi uyasha.” Nakuba izisulu ziningi zokulunywa izinyoka zisinda, emafayilini kubhalwe ngokufa kwabantu abaningi, kuhlanganise nokufa kukadadewabo kaDewey owafa ngo-1961.

Njengoba kungase kulindelwe, amaKristu aye ahlala ekulungele ukufela ukholo lwawo, kodwa ukufa kwawo ngokuvamile kuye kwabangelwa abanye ngenxa yokungavumi kwawo ukulahla izimiso zeBhayibheli. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, lapho uSathane eyenga uJesu Kristu ukuba afake ukuphila kwakhe engozini ngokungadingekile nangamabomu ngokuba eqe uthango oluphakeme lwethempeli, “UJesu wathi kuye: Kulotshiwe futhi ukuthi: Ungayilingi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho.” (Mathewu 4:⁠7) Ingabe akukhona ukulinga uNkulunkulu, noma ukumbekela inselele ngokugabadela, ukudlala ngezinyoka, umlilo, noma ubuthi? Ingabe ukuvivinya okunjalo akubonisi ukuntula ukholo okukhulu ngasohlangothini lomkhulekeli, umzamo wokuphoqelela uNkulunkulu ukuba azibonakalise egcina iZwi lakhe ngezenzo ezimangalisayo?

ImiBhalo Iyala Ukuthini?

Amalungu amaqembu aphatha izinyoka athi izenzo zawo ziyalwa yiZwi likaNkulunkulu, futhi acaphuna uMarku 16:​17, 18 njengobufakazi. NgokweBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile, lamavesi afundeka kanje: “Lezizibonakaliso ziyakubalandela abakholwayo; ngegama lami bayakukhipha amademoni; bashumayele ngezilimi ezintsha; baphathe izinyoka; uma bephuza okubulalayo, akusoze kwaba nangozi; bayakubeka izandla phezu kwabagulayo, basinde.”

Okokuqala, kufanele kuphawulwe ukuthi cishe zonke izazi zeBhayibheli ziyavuma ukuthi lamavesi ekuqaleni ayengeyona ingxenye yeVangeli likaMarku. “Ukungabazeka kokuba yiqiniso kwamavesi 9-20 kukwenza kube okungahlakaniphile ukwakha imfundiso noma ukusekela okuhlangenwe nakho kuwo (ikakhulukazi amavesi 16-18),” kuphawula umkhulumeli odumile uCharles Ryrie.

Nokho, labo abaphatha izinyoka ekukhulekeleni kwabo ngokuvamile abahlatshwa umxhwele yilokho okucatshangwa yizazi zeBhayibheli ngokuba yiqiniso kukaMarku 16:​9-20. Lamavesi aseBhayibhelini iKing James (lesiZulu elivamile), okuyilona kuphela iBhayibheli elithenjwa eziningi zazo, futhi kuzo indaba iphelela lapho.

Kodwa ngisho noma lamavesi abeyiqiniso, awayali ukuba kuphathwe izinyoka noma kuphuzwe ubuthi, futhi awasho lutho ngomlilo. Ngakho-ke awanakufundwa njengayimfuneko yokukhulekela. Eqinisweni, umphostoli uPawulu wahlangana nenyoka esiqhingini saseMalta (eMelitha) kodwa kuphela ngengozi ngoba yayisenyandeni yezinkuni ayezifaka emlilweni. Nakuba uPawulu alunywa futhi wavikelwa ngokwaphezulu ekulimaleni, akazange adlulisele lenyoka kwabanye ukuze bayibambe. Kunalokho, “wasinikinela isilwane emlilweni.” Kunokuba ezwe ubuhlungu obutshutshumbayo njengoba kwenzeka kubaphathi bezinyoka banamuhla, ‘akazange alimale.’​—⁠IzEnzo 28:​3-⁠6.

Ingabe Kuwukuvivinya Ukholo?

Ngokwe-Encyclopaedia of American Religions, ukuphatha izinyoka kuyisenzakalo samuva nje ngokuqhathaniswa. Ithi: “Ngo-1909, uGeorge Went Hensley, osemusha owayehlala emaphandleni asesiGodini saseGrasshopper, eTennessee, waqiniseka ngokuthi ukubhekisela ezinyokeni nasebuthini, okukuMarku 16:​17, 18, eqinisweni, kwakuwumyalo. Wabamba irattlesnake futhi ezinsukwini ezimbalwa kamuva eSale Creek eseduze, phakathi nenkonzo yokukhulekela, wakhipha inyoka ukuze abakhulekeli bayiphathe njengokuvivinywa kokholo lwabo.” Kodwa abukho ubufakazi, obungokomBhalo noma obungokomlando, bokuthi amaKristu akuqala kwadingeka ‘avivinywe ukholo lwawo’ kanjalo.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, cabangela lokhu: UPawulu wasetshenziswa uNkulunkulu ukuba avuse abafileyo; nokho walalela izixwayiso ezifanelekile ngokuqondene nempilo yakhe neyayekanye nabo. (1 Thimothewu 5:​23; 2 Thimothewu 4:​13) UPawulu akazange azame ukwenza amathuba okuvusa abantu.

Kanjalo, kunokuba abe nemizimba ekhahlazwe yizinhlungu noma enezibazi zokulunywa izinyoka, amaKristu anxuswa ukuba ‘anikele imizimba yawo ibe-ngumnikelo ophilileyo, ongcwele, owamukelekayo kuNkulunkulu, okungukukhonza kwawo kokuqonda.’ (Roma 12:⁠1) Kunokuba ayale amaKristu ukuba avivinye ukholo lwawo ngezenzo zokuba budedengu, iseluleko esinengqondo salomphostoli sithi: “Zihloleni nina, nibone ukuba nisekukholweni yini, nizivivinye nina.” (2 Korinte 13:⁠5) Hlola izinkolelo zakho ngokuvumelana neZwi likaNkulunkulu. Ukuzihlola ngobuqotho, uqhathanisa izinkolelo zakho nemiBhalo, kuzokusiza ukuba ubone ukuthi ukholo lwakho luyophumelela yini ekuvivinyweni okubaluleke kakhulu kokuvunyelwa uNkulunkulu.

[Umbhalo waphansi]