Ekufuneni ukuqonda uxanduva lokuziphatha komntu kufuneka siqale ngokuvuma ukuba iimbono zethu ziphantse zatyekela ekuzifuneni kwethu.. Sinoxabiso lwendalo kunye nolonwabo kunye nolonwabo lomntu kunye naloo misebenzi esiyifumanisa inzima ngakumbi; kwaye uzixabise okanye uzithobe ngokufanelekileyo.

Kodwa siphila kwindawo entsonkothileyo kakhulu, Ihlabathi elinxibeleleneyo elixhomekeke ekusebenzeni kwalo ngokufanelekileyo ekukwazini kwethu ukuqonda ukubaluleka kweengcinga neemvakalelo zabanye. Its complexity is such that no mere mortal is able to categorically say when we should be serving others or having them serve us. Ke, if you deny the existence of God you may well say there’s no point reading this article any further; because who else is going to hold you to account for your actions? But if that is your position then, before you stop reading, consider this: no supreme justice is going to hold anyone else to account either. Whatever individual or group holds the reins of power in any given situation will win; whether religious or irreligious, whether kind or cruel.¹

But if God is the one who will hold us all to account, then what we really need to know is not what we or anyone else thinks about what ought to happen: but what God himself thinks.

We’re Not as Smart as God

We don’t know who wrote the book of Job: but it is believed to be very ancient. Yet the depth of its understanding of both human and divine nature is very profound. Ngokufutshane, the plot goes like this…

Job is the wisest, kindest and most God-fearing man of his generation. Because of this God takes great delight in him and blesses him greatly. But this leads to an argument between God and Satan; where Satan insists that Job’s devotion to God is only on account of the blessings he receives. So God ultimately gives Satan permission to do anything he likes to Job, short of taking his life. Job loses all his wealth and all his children, till he is left all alone, covered in painful boils with only a bitter, umfazi okhalazayo ngenxa yenkampani. Kodwa akupheli apho. Abahlobo beza kumthuthuzela; yaye, ebona imeko yakhe eyoyikekayo, baye beyiseka kukuba umele ukuba wenze into embi ukuze afanelwe yile nto baza bazama ukumeyisela ukuba avume.. Umsebenzi, okwangoku, uhlala egxininisa ukuba umsulwa: kodwa phakathi kokuqhankqalaza kwakhe ingxoxo yakhe ngokuthe ngcembe iyatshintsha, “Andiqondi: kodwa ndiyamthemba uThixo,” - ukuya, “Kutheni uThixo engenakuzichaza ubuncinane?”

Ekugqibeleni, UThixo uqukumbela ngentetho athi kuyo uYobhi acacise ezimbalwa (kakuhle, kunokuba kakhulu, eneneni) yeemfihlelo zendalo; eneneni esithi, “Ingaba ucinga Ungubani, ukuze ndikwazi ukuqonda ukuba kutheni ndenza le nto?” UYobhi uyayifumana ingongoma, ucela uxolo kwaye athandazele abahlobo bakhe abangamncediyo. Ngelo xesha, uvavanyo lugqithile kwaye uYobhi ugqibe ekubeni esikelelwe ngakumbi kunokuba wayenjalo ngaphambili.

Kodwa - fumana oku - uThixo zange uchazela uYobhi isizathu sokuba kwenzeke oku. Ukuqonda kwethu kunye nokuqiqa kwethu akwanelanga ukukuqonda onke amacebo kunye neenjongo zikaThixo. Ngelixa umbhali esinika ufifi lwenjongo kaThixo ephakamileyo ngalo mcimbi, usishiya sinoluvo lokuba, nangona uThixo ekugqibeleni enobulungisa kwaye ufuna ukusisikelela, kukho amaxesha apho singayi kuqonda ukuba kutheni esenza izinto ezithile. Ngamaxesha anje eyona nto ilungileyo esinokuyenza kukuqhubeka nje simthemba.

Njengoko amazulu ePhakame

Kwenye indawo, umprofeti uIsaya uva uThixo ethetha ngolu hlobo:

“Kuba iingcinga zam asizizo iingcinga zenu, kwaneendlela zenu asizizo iindlela zam,” utsho uYehova. “Kuba njengokuba izulu liwuphakamele umhlaba, ngokunjalo iindlela zam ziziphakamele iindlela zenu, neengcinga zam ngaphezu kweengcinga zenu.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Ekubeni ndithabathekile yinzululwazi ubomi bam bonke, enye yezona zinto zinomdla endizibonileyo kukuba, kokukhona uluntu lufumanisa ngakumbi, ngakumbi sifumana asazi. Ngaxa lithile inzululwazi yayichazwa ‘njengokufuna inyaniso:’ kule mihla ichazwa ngokuthozama ngakumbi ‘njengokufuna amathandabuzo amancinci.’ Ngomhla kaIsaya umntu wayecinga ukuba ihlabathi lethu likuphela kwehlabathi. Emva koko safumanisa ukuba sesinye sezijikelezi-langa ezininzi ezijikeleza ilanga. Emva koko safumanisa ukuba ilanga lethu lisinye nje sezigidi kumnyele omkhulu. Kungekudala ngaphambi kokuba ndizalwe, kwakucingelwa ukuba kukuphela kweminyele yethu; emva koko yaba sisinye nje sezigidi (yi, hayi - yenza loo nto 2 million millions); then that the entire universe was actually expanding and now scientists are wondering if there might even be an infinite number of universes! Umntu, with a mere 1.2 litres of cognitive space, has good reason to be proud of his intellectual accomplishments: but if he has any real wisdom at all, he has even more reason to humbly acknowledge his inferiority compared to any intellect capable of conceiving all of this!

Perils of Philosophy

The really big problem with human philosophy is that it is man-centred, seeing the greatest possible good as that which yields the most desirable outcome, from a human viewpoint. So when we insist on evaluating concepts such as right, engalunganga, justice and ultimate happiness through the lens of self-centred human interests, we are liable to end up with a distorted perspective and faulty conclusions.

Taking the Text in Context

So what we need to do is just look up the statements of the Bible on this issue and that’ll give us all the answers, plain and simple – right? Er, Hayi. All of scripture has been inspired by God: but it has been recorded by men, using human language and concepts, which are limited to our human experience of things and may also be influenced by our human responses and emotions. Ngapha koko, word meanings and concepts often change over time. So we have to ask who said or did what, nini; and what exactly did they understand to be the significance of those words and events? Did they understand them correctly, and have we understood the message God is communicating to us, through them, correctly?

Kuthini okuthe vetshe, sijongene neengqiqo (njengephakade!) ezingaphaya kwamava ethu; kunye neengcinga ezifihlakeleyo zokuziphatha nenjongo ezingaphaya kwamandla ethu ukuba siziqonde (njengakwimeko kaYobhi). Ke, ngamanye amaxesha, iinyaniso uThixo afuna ukusifundisa zona ziya kusishiya sididekile.

Inyaniso kukuba kunokwenzeka ukufumana ‘imibhalo yobungqina’ ezibonakala zixhasa phantse zonke iimbono ezivela, 'wonke umntu uya ezulwini ekugqibeleni,’ ukuya, ‘inkoliso yabantu iya kuthuthunjiswa esihogweni ngonaphakade.’ Ke ngoko, bubudenge ukuthatha sonke isicatshulwa ngalo mbandela kwaye sibange ukuba sithetha kanye le nto siyicingayo kuqala. Ingxelo nganye kufuneka iqondwe kuqala ngokwemeko yayo, kwaye ke ngokunxulumene nabo bonke abanye. Kwaye ngamanye amaxesha kubaluleke kakhulu ukuqaphela into engathethwa sisibhalo njengoko sikwenzayo, hleze sicinge ngaphezu koko bekucetyiwe. Kungenjalo, uya kugqiba uziphikisa, besithi ezinye izibhalo azithethi oko zikutshoyo okanye ukuphosa nje iBhayibhile yakho ngefestile uze ubeke into ocinga ukuba ‘isengqiqweni ngakumbi.!’

NguYesu, uMgangatho weGolide weNyaniso

Ekugqibeleni, nguThixo kuphela owayenokwazi inyaniso epheleleyo yoko kuya kwenzeka xa imini yoMgwebo ifika. Zonke iinzame zabantu zokuchaza zingcoliswe kukungazi kwethu. Ngoko ekuphela kwendlela esinokuyifunda ngayo inyaniso engagungqiyo kukutyhilelwa ngokuthe ngqo nguThixo. Ngokwemfundiso yobuKristu, UYesu liLizwi likaThixo elingunaphakade, yiza kuthi ukwimo yomntu, wabulawa wabuya kwabafileyo. Oku kumenza umgangatho wegolide wenyaniso. Kuyo nayiphi na ingxabano ecacileyo yokutolika phakathi kwezibhalo ezahlukeneyo okanye iimbono zabantu, amazwi kaYesu afanele ukuza kuqala. Maxa wambi sisenokungayiqondi ncam into asixelela yona; kodwa oko kulungile. Ayimangalisi into yokuba ubomi obuntsonkothileyo busishiye siphixane maxa wambi. Umceli mngeni wethu kukufunda ukumthemba naxa singaqondi- bona Jn 3:3-13 yaye Jn 6:60-68.

“Kuba othe waneentloni ngam nangamazwi am, kwesi sizukulwana sikrexezayo, sonayo, naye uNyana woMntu uya kuba neentloni ngaye, xa athe weza esebuqaqawulini boYise, enezithunywa ezingcwele.” (Mar 8:38)

UYesu kwinguqulelo

Ulwimi oluqhelekileyo lwasePalestine kuYesu’ imini yesiAramiki: kanti iTestamente eNtsha ibhalwe ngesiGrike. Abaphengululi bazo zombini ezi lwimi maxa wambi bayathanda ukuphawula ukuba ‘iziAram’ kuYesu’ la mazwi abalaselisa isibakala sokuba ngokuqhelekileyo wayethetha ngesiAramiki; kwaye la mazwi aguqulelwe kamva kwisiGrike. Kwiimeko ezininzi, ayibalulekanga le; njengoko abaguquleli baye bakuthabatha ngenyameko enkulu ukuguqulela uYesu’ amagama ngokuchanekileyo kangangoko kunokwenzeka: kodwa iingxaki zinokuvela kwinto yokuba asingawo onke amagama kolunye ulwimi afane afane kolunye. Ngamanye amaxesha igama lesiAramiki lisenokuba nentsingiselo ebanzi engafumanekiyo kwisiGrike (inqaku, ‘Isonka Sethu Semihla Ngemihla,’ ixubusha omnye umzekelo onjalo). Ngamanye amaxesha isenokuba ligama lesiGrike elinokuba nentsingiselo ebanzi kancinane okanye emxinwa kunesiAramiki. Oku kuthetha ukuba kufuneka sikulumkele ukutolika okuxhomekeke kakhulu kwiintsingiselo ezingacacanga zegama lesiGrike.. Kufuneka sibuze ukuba oko kuthembela kuyathetheleleka na ngokomxholo kunye nentsingiselo ngokubanzi kaYesu’ amagama.

Kukwakho nengxaki ethile kuloo magama esiGrike athetha ngobomi, ukufa kunye nobunaphakade ngokwemvelo zinemibala yentanda-bulumko yamaGrike. Kodwa uYesu ulungisa le mibandela ngokwembono yamaYuda ubukhulu becala (nangona kunganyanzelekanga ukuba uvumelane neembono zakwaRabhi). Ngoko xa utolika amabinzana anjalo kubaluleke ngakumbi ukuhlolisisa indlela awayeqondwa nasetyenziswa ngayo kwimibhalo yeTestamente Entsha, endaweni yokubala iintsingiselo ezithatyathwe kuncwadi lwakudala okanye lwala maxesha lwesiGrike.

Funda uqhubeke …

Imibhalo esemazantsi

1. Mhlawumbi kuya kufaneleka ukufunda ‘Uthando Lufuna Intshatsheli‘ endaweni yoko.