OKUTSHIWO NGABANYE

AmaRoma abulala uJesu ngokumlengisa esiphambanweni esasenziwe ngezigodo ezimbili.

OKUTSHIWO LIBHAYIBHILI

UJesu wabulawa ‘ngokulengiswa emthini.’ (ImiSebenzi 5:30) Abalobi beBhayibhili basebenzisa amabala amabili atshengisa ukuthi uJesu wabethelwa esigodweni esisodwa hatshi ezimbili. Ibhuku elithi Crucifixion in Antiquity lithi ibala lesiGiriki elithi stau·rosʹ “lugodo nje. Kalufanani ‘lesiphambano.’” KumiSebenzi 5:30 kwasetshenziswa elithi xyʹlon, lona elitsho “ugodo amaRoma ayelusebenzisa ukuze abethele abantu kulo.” *

IBhayibhili liphinda litshengise ukuthi indlela uJesu abulawa ngayo yayisetshenziswa ngama-Israyeli. Umthetho wawusithi: “Nxa umuntu olecala elikhulu ebulawa kuthi isidumbu silengiswe esihlahleni, . . . umuntu ophanyekiweyo esihlahleni uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu.” (UDutheronomi 21:22, 23) Umphostoli uPhawuli laye wakhuluma ngalokhu ngesikhathi esithi uJesu waba “yisiqalekiso ngenxa yethu, ngoba kulotshiwe ukuthi: ‘Uqalekisiwe umuntu wonke olengiswa esihlahleni [xyʹlon].’” (KwabaseGalathiya 3:13) Ngokutsho lokhu uPhawuli wayetshengisa ukuthi uJesu wafela esigodweni esisodwa.

“Bambulala ngokumlengisa emthini.”—ImiSebenzi 10:39.

OKUTSHIWO LIBHAYIBHILI

IBhayibhili alitsho ukuthi amaKhristu akudala ayesebenzisa isiphambano. AmaRoma angalesosikhathi yiwo ayesebenzisa isiphambano njengophawu lwabonkulunkulu bawo. Ngemva kweminyaka engaba ngu-300 uJesu efile, uMbusi waseRoma uConstantine waqalisa ukusebenzisa isiphambano njengophawu lwamasotsha akhe njalo sacina sesisetshenziswa ngamasonto ayezithi ngawesiKhristu.

Kambe abafundi bakaJesu babengasebenzisa yini isiphambano ekukhonzeni uNkulunkulu weqiniso sona sasisetshenziswa ngabahedeni ekukhonzeni onkulunkulu babo? Babekwazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayengafuni bakhonze besebenzisa “umfanekiso olesimo bani” lokuthi kwakumele ‘babalekele ukukhonza izithombe.’ (UDutheronomi 4:15-19; 1 KwabaseKhorinte 10:14) Asenelisi ukumbona uNkulunkulu ngenxa yokuthi “ungumoya.” Yikho amaKhristu akudala kawazange asebenzise izithombe lemifanekiso ukuze asondele kuNkulunkulu. Ayemkhonza “ngomoya langeqiniso,” okutsho ukuthi ayekhokhelwa ngumoya ongcwele kaNkulunkulu njalo esenza lokho iBhayibhili elikutshoyo.—UJohane 4:24.

‘Abakhonzi beqiniso bazamkhonza uBaba ngomoya langeqiniso.’—UJohane 4:23.

OKUTSHIWO NGABANYE

“Kwakuqondile sibili njalo kulengqondo ukuthi okwasetshenziswayo ukuze sisindiswe kuhlonitshwe njalo kukhonzwe. . . . Othanda imifanekiso yabangcwele uthanda lomuntu wakhona.”—I-New Catholic Encyclopedia.

OKUTSHIWO LIBHAYIBHILI

AmaKhristu ayamqakathekisa uJesu ngoba ukufa kwakhe kwenza athethelelwe izono, abe lobuhlobo obuseduze loNkulunkulu njalo athole ukuphila okungapheliyo. (UJohane 3:16; KumaHebheru 10:19-22) Kawatshengisi ukuthi ayabonga ngalokho uJesu awenzela khona ngokusebenzisa umfanekiso walapho afela khona kumbe ngokutsho ngomlomo kuphela ukuthi ayakholwa. Ayakwazi ukuthi “ukukholwa nje kuphela, uma kungelamisebenzi kufile.” (UJakhobe 2:17) Yikho kumele atshengise ukuthi alokholo kuJesu. Akwenza njani lokhu?

IBhayibhili lithi: “Uthando lukaKhristu luyasifuqa, ngoba siyakholwa ukuba oyedwa wafela bonke . . . Abaphilayo bangaziphileli bona ngokwabo, kodwa lowo owabafelayo wavuswa njalo.” (2 KwabaseKhorinte 5:14, 15) AmaKhristu atshengisa ukuthi ayabonga ngalokho uJesu awenzela khona ngokulingisela isibonelo sakhe. Le yiyo indlela eqondileyo yokutshengisa ukuthi siyamhlonipha uJesu kulokusebenzisa umfanekiso loba isithombe ekukhonzeni.

“Intando kaBaba iyikuthi bonke abakhangela eNdodaneni bakholwe kuyo bazakuba lokuphila okungapheliyo.”—UJohane 6:40.