“Abantu Bathi Ngingubani?”

SEYIPHINDE yafika inkathi kaKhisimusi. Emhlabeni wonke abantu bakhetha ukugubha usuku lokuzalwa. Ukuzalwa kukabani? KweNdodana kaNkulunkulu noma-ke okomJuda othile ozinikele nowayehlose ukuguqula inkolo eyayinamandla endaweni yakubo ekhulwini lokuqala? Ingabe kwakuwukuzalwa kweqhawe labampofu, umvukeli owayewusongo eMbusweni WamaRoma kangangokuthi waze wabulawa, noma mhlawumbe isihlakaniphi esasigcizelela ukuba uzazi wena futhi ube yiziko lokuhlakanipha? Kuyafaneleka ukuba uzibuze, ‘Wayengubani ngempela uJesu Kristu?’

UJesu kwayena wayenesithakazelo empendulweni yabantu kulowo mbuzo. Wake wabuza abafundi bakhe: “Abantu bathi ngingubani?” (Marku 8:27) Wayebuzelani? Abaningi base beyekile ukumlandela. Ngokusobala abanye babedidekile futhi bedumele ngemva kokuba ephebeze imizamo yabo yokumbeka inkosi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lapho izitha zakhe zimphonsela inselele, uJesu akanikezanga sibonakaliso esivela ezulwini sokufakazela ukuthi ungubani. Abafundi bakhe baphendula bathi ungubani-ke? Baveza eminye yemibono abantu ababenayo: ‘Abanye bathi unguJohane uMbhapathizi, abanye bathi ungu-Eliya, kanti abanye bathi unguJeremiya noma ungomunye wabaprofethi.’ (Mathewu 16:13, 14) Abazange bawaphathe amagama okwedelela nagxeka uJesu ayegcwele ePalestina ngaleso sikhathi—umhlambalazi,  imbulu, umprofethi wamanga ngisho nohlanya.

Imibono Eminingi NgoJesu

Ukube uJesu ubengabuza lowo mbuzo namuhla, mhlawumbe ubengawubeka nakanje: “Izazi zithi ngingubani?” Nalapha, cishe izimpendulo beziyokhomba kule mpendulo: Kunemibono eminingi ehlukahlukene. NgokukaDavid Tracy wase-University of Chicago, abantu abahlukahlukene baye baba nemibono nezincazelo eziningi ezihlukahlukene mayelana noJesu nalokho akusho nakwenza. Phakathi nekhulu leminyaka elidlule, izazi ziye zasebenzisa izindlela eziningi eziyinkimbinkimbi zesayensi yokuhlalisana kwabantu neyemvelaphi yabantu kanye nolwazi lwezokuloba ukuze zivele nezimpendulo embuzweni othi uJesu wayengubani ngempela. Zigcina zithi wayengubani-ke uJesu?

Ezinye izazi ziyaqhubeka zithi uJesu wasemlandweni wayengumprofethi ongumJuda obikezela ukuphela kwezwe, owayegqugquzela ukuphenduka. Nokho, azimbizi ngeNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uMesiya noMhlengi. Eziningi ziyakungabaza ukulandisa kweBhayibheli okuthi wayevela ezulwini nokovuko lwakhe. Kwezinye, uJesu wayengumuntu nje owathi ngokuphila kwakhe okuyisibonelo nezimfundiso zakhe wathonya izinkolo eziningana ezagcina zihlangene kweyobuKristu. Njengoba kuphawulwe kuyi-Theology Today, ezinye futhi zibheka uJesu ‘njengesihlakaniphi esizulazulayo esingathembi muntu, noma njengomuntukazana oyinqaba; umhleli womphakathi, imbongi eyi-hippie eyayigxeka uhlelo olumisiwe, noma iqili lasemgwaqweni elimpunyumpunyu elihamba likhuluma ukuthanda kwalo emizaneni eneziyaluyalu, empofu nenodlame lomphakathi yasePalestina engaphucuzekile”

Kukhona nemibono exaka nakakhulu. Emculweni we-rap, ebucikweni basezindaweni zasemadolobheni ngisho nasemdansweni kuvela umfanekiso kaJesu onsundu. * Abanye bathi kungenzeka ukuthi uJesu empeleni wayengumuntu wesifazane. Ehlobo lango-1993, izivakashi zase-Orange County Fair eCalifornia zabona isithombe ‘sikaChristie,’ “uKristu” ongowesifazane ohamba-ze osesiphambanweni. Ngesikhathi esithi asifane, eNew York kwakubukiswa ‘ngoChrista’—“uJesu” wesifazane obethelwe esiphambanweni. Zombili lezi zithombe zabangela izimpikiswano ezinkulu. Futhi ngasekuqaleni kuka-1999, abathengi babengathola umqulu “ophathelene nothando loMfana onguJesu nenja yakhe, u-Angel.” Ubuhlobo babo buchazwa ngokuthi “buyashukumisa ngokomoya futhi bubonisa indlela umfana nenja abazimisele ngayo ukunikela ngokuphila kwabo ngenxa yomunye nomunye.”

Kubalulekile Yini Ngempela?

Kungani kufanele ube nesithakazelo ekutheni uJesu wayengubani futhi ungubani? Phakathi kokunye, ngenxa yokuthi, uma sicaphuna uNapoleon, “uJesu Kristu uye wathonya futhi walawula izikhonzi zaKhe ngaphandle kokuba khona kwaKhe ngokomzimba.” Ngezimfundiso zakhe ezinamandla nendlela aphila ngayo, uJesu uye wakuthonya kakhulu ukuphila kwezinkulungwane zezigidi zabantu iminyaka ecishe ibe yizinkulungwane ezimbili. Omunye umlobi washo eqinisile: “Wonke amabutho ake amasha, nayo yonke imikhumbi yempi eyake yakhiwa, nawo wonke amaphalamende ake ahlangana, wonke amakhosi ake abusa, ngisho sekukonke akukuthintanga ngokunamandla kangaka ukuphila komuntu phezu kwalo mhlaba.”

Ngaphezu kwalokho, kudingeka wazi ukuthi uJesu wayengubani futhi ungubani ngoba uzolithinta ngokuqondile ikusasa lakho. Wena unethuba lokuba yisikhonzi sikahulumeni wasezulwini omisiwe—uMbuso kaNkulunkulu ophethwe nguJesu. Ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukaJesu, iplanethi yethu egcwele izinkathazo izobuyiselwa esimweni esihle sokuba nendalo enhle eningi nehlukahlukene kubuyiselwe nesimiso sokuhlobana kwemvelo esilinganisweni saso. Iziprofetho zeBhayibheli ziyasiqinisekisa ukuthi uMbuso kaJesu uyokondla abalambile, unakekele abampofu, uphulukise abagulayo futhi ubuyisele abafileyo ekuphileni.

Ngokuqinisekile uyafuna ukwazi ukuthi unjani umuntu ophethe uhulumeni onjalo esiwudinga kakhulu. Isihloko esilandelayo sizokusiza ukuba uqonde uJesu wangempela.

[Umbhalo waphansi]