UHERODOTUS, isazi-mlando esingumGreki esaphila eminyakeni engu-2 500 edlule, walandisa ngabantu baseGibhithe bosuku lwakhe. Wabhala: “Emadilini abantu abacebile, kwakuthi uma sekudliwe kube nendoda eyehla yenyuka nesidumbu esibaziwe esisebhokisini, elipendwe laqoshwa kwaba sengathi elangempela, esingaphansana noma ngaphezudlwana kwengalo ubude. Lokhu kwakubonisa bonke abakhona ukuthi ‘Abadle futhi bajabule kodwa babuke lesi sithombe ngoba bazofa bafane naso.’”

Lesi simo sengqondo ngokufa nokuphila sasivamile kubantu baseGibhithe. Namuhla ajwayelekile amazwi athi “Yidla, uphuze ujabule.” Uma ukuphila kuphela lapho umuntu efa, kujabulele manje. Kungani kufanele uzixake ngokwenza okulungile? Uma kuphela ngomuntu lapho efa, ukuphilela olwanamuhla kubonakala kunengqondo kakhulu. Umphostoli uPawulu wakhuluma ngale ndaba. Wachaza isimo sengqondo sabantu abangakholelwa ovukweni, wathi: “Uma abafileyo bengeke bavuswe, ‘masidle siphuze, ngoba kusasa sizokufa.’”—1 Korinte 15:32.

Yiqiniso, naye ngokwakhe uPawulu wayengakholelwa ukuthi uma usufile awusoze wakhunjulwa. Wayeqiniseka ngokuthi abafile babengaphinde baphile, benethemba lokungaphinde bafe. Lokho kuqiniseka kwakusekelwe esenzakalweni esibaluleke kakhulu, esiyiqiniso futhi esingenakungatshazwa—ukuvuka * kukaJesu Kristu. Empeleni, lolo vuko lwaba isenzakalo esivelele kakhulu esaqinisa ukholo lwabafundi bokuqala.

Nokho, ukuvuswa kukaJesu kusizuzisa kanjani? Sazi kanjani nokuthi wavuka ngempela? Ake  sibone indlela uPawulu achaza ngayo le ndaba lapho ebhalela amaKristu aseKorinte.

Amanye amaKristu eKorinte lasendulo ayedidekile ngale ndaba, futhi amanye engakholelwa nhlobo ovukweni. Encwadini yakhe yokuqala ayibhalela amaKristu alapho, umphostoli uPawulu wabala izinto ezazingeke zenzeke ukube uJesu akavuswanga. Wabhala: “Uma ngempela lungekho uvuko lwabafileyo, noKristu akavuswanga. Kodwa uma uKristu engavuswanga, ukushumayela kwethu ngokuqinisekile kuyize, nokholo lwethu luyize. Ngaphezu kwalokho, sitholakala singofakazi bakaNkulunkulu bamanga . . . Ukholo lwenu alunamsebenzi; nisesezonweni zenu . . . Nalabo abalala bemunye noKristu babhubha.”—1 Korinte 15:13-18.

“Wabonakala kubazalwane abangaphezu kwamakhulu amahlanu ngesikhathi esisodwa . . . Ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kuJakobe, kwase kuba kubo bonke abaphostoli; kodwa ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonakala nakimi.”—1 Korinte 15:6-8

UPawulu waqala ngala mazwi angenakuphikiswa: Uma abafileyo bengeke bavuswe, uKristu, owafa naye ngabe akavuswanga. Ake sithi uKristu akavuswanga, bekuyokwenzekani? Ukushunyayelwa kwezindaba ezinhle bekuyoba ize, amanga aluhlaza cwe. Ukuvuswa kukaKristu isici esibalulekile okholweni lwamaKristu, kuhlobene kakhulu nezimfundiso ezibaluleke kakhulu eziseBhayibhelini eziphathelene nobukhosi bukaNkulunkulu, igama lakhe, uMbuso wakhe nensindiso yethu. Uma uJesu engavuswanga, isigijimi esasimenyezelwa uPawulu nabanye abaphostoli sasiyoba yize.

Kunokunye okwakungeke kwenzeke. Uma uKristu engavuswanga kwabafileyo, izimfundiso zamaKristu zaziyoba yize, into esekelwe emangeni. UPawulu nabanye babeyobe bakhuluma amanga hhayi ngovuko lukaJesu kuphela kodwa nangalowo abathi wamvusa, uJehova uNkulunkulu. Okunye, iqiniso lokuthi uKristu “wafela izono zethu” laliyoba inganekwane—ngoba uma uMsindisi ngokwakhe engazange asindiswe ekufeni, wayengabasindisa kanjani abanye. (1 Korinte 15:3) Lokho kwakuyosho ukuthi amaKristu afa, amanye efel’ ukholo, afa enethemba elingekho lokuthi ayovuswa.

UPawulu wafinyelela lesi siphetho: “Uma siye sathembela kuKristu kulokhu kuphila kuphela, singabokudatshukelwa kakhulu kunabantu bonke.” (1 Korinte 15:19) UPawulu, njengamanye amaKristu, walahlekelwa izinto, washushiswa, wakhuthazelela ubunzima futhi wabhekana nokufa ngoba ekholelwa ovukweni nakuzo zonke izinto ezaziyoba khona ngalo. Yeka indlela ebesiyobe sisebenzela ngayo ize ukube uvuko belungekho!

UPawulu akazange acabange ukuthi amaKristu ayekholelwa ezintweni ezisekelwe emangeni. Wayazi ukuthi uJesu wayevusiwe kwabafileyo futhi wafingqa lobo bufakazi kwabaseKorinte, ngokuthi, “uKristu wafela izono zethu; nokuthi wangcwatshwa, yebo, ukuthi ngokwemiBhalo uvusiwe ngosuku lwesithathu; nokuthi wabonakala kuKhefase, kwase kuba kwabayishumi nambili.” * UPawulu wabe esenezela: “Ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kubazalwane abangaphezu kwamakhulu amahlanu ngesikhathi esisodwa, abaningi kubo abasekhona namanje, kodwa abanye sebelele. Ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kuJakobe, kwase kuba kubo bonke abaphostoli; kodwa ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonakala nakimi.”—1 Korinte 15:3-8.

UPawulu waqala ngokukhuluma ngamazwi aqinisekisa ukuthi uKristu wafela izono zethu, wangcwatshwa futhi wavuswa. Yini eyamenza waqiniseka kangaka? Esinye isizathu ubufakazi balabo  abazibonela ngawabo. UJesu ovusiwe wabonakala kubantu abathile (kuhlanganise naye ngokwakhe uPawulu), eqenjini elincane ngisho nasesixukwini sabangu-500, abaningi kubo abake bangabaza uma bezwa izindaba zokuthi uJesu uvusiwe! (Luka 24:1-11) Ofakazi abaningi bokuzibonela babesaphila nangosuku lukaPawulu futhi noma ubani wayengababuza uma efuna ukwazi ukuthi bambona ngempela yini uJesu ovusiwe. (1 Korinte 15:6) Kungaba lula ukuphikisa ubufakazi bomuntu oyedwa noma ababili kodwa hhayi obabangu-500 nangaphezulu.

Phawula nokuthi uPawulu washo kabili ukuthi ukufa, ukungcwatshwa nokuvuswa kukaJesu, ‘kusemiBhalweni.’ Lezo zenzakalo zaqinisekisa ukuthi iziprofetho ezisemiBhalweni yesiHebheru eziphathelene noMesiya zagcwaliseka, kanjalo zafakazela ukuthi uJesu ngempela wayenguMesiya othenjisiwe.

Naphezu kobufakazi bofakazi bokuzibonela nobemiBhalo, babekhona futhi namanje basekhona abangabaza ukuthi uJesu wavuswa. Abanye bathi umzimba wakhe webiwa abafundi bakhe base bethi bambona evusiwe. Nokho, abafundi bakhe babengenawo amandla noma indlela yokuvala onogada bamaRoma ababemi emnyango wethuna. Abanye bathi ukubonakala kukaJesu ovusiwe kwakusezingqondweni zalabo abambona. Lokhu kuphikisana neqiniso lokuthi uJesu wabonakala kubantu abaningi ngezikhathi ezihlukene. Okunye, kunengqondo yini ukukholelwa ukuthi umuntu osengqondweni angapheka izinhlanzi futhi aziphakele abantu, njengoba kwenza uJesu ovusiwe eGalile? (Johane 21:9-14) Umuntu osengqondweni angasho yini ukuthi abanye abamthinte?—Luka 24:36-39.

Noma kunjalo, abanye bathi ukuvuswa kukaJesu kwakuyicebo lokukhohlisa elenziwa abafundi bakhe. Kodwa babezozuzani ngokwenza lokho?  Ukunikeza ubufakazi bokuthi uJesu uvukile kwabenza bahlekwa, bahlushwa futhi babulawa. Babengakufakelani-ke ukuphila kwabo engozini ngento engamanga? Ngaphezu kwalokho, baqala banikeza ubufakazi eJerusalema, phambi kwabo kanye abaphikisi babo, ababezimisele ukuthola isizathu sokubalahla ngecala.

Uvuko kwakuyiyona nto eyanikeza abafundi isibindi sokufakaza ngeNkosi yabo naphezu kokushushiswa ngonya olukhulu. Ukuba yiqiniso kovuko kwaba isisekelo sokholo lwamaKristu. AmaKristu okuqala awazange afake ukuphila kwawo engozini ukuze nje afakazele ukubulawa komfundisi ohlakaniphile. Abeka ukuphila kwawo engozini ngokumemezela ngovuko lukaJesu ngoba lwalufakazela ukuthi unguKristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, enamandla, umuntu ophilayo owayewasekela futhi ewaqondisa. Uvuko lwakhe lwalusho ukuthi nawo ayovuswa kwabafileyo. Ngempela, uma uJesu engavuswanga babungeke bube khona ubuKristu. Ukube uJesu akavuswanga, sasingeke sizwe nakuzwa ngaye.

Nokho, ukuvuswa kukaKristu kusizuzisa kanjani namuhla?