“Siza Kudla Ntoni Na?”

UKUDLA nokusela—zizinto ekwakusoloko kuthethwa ngazo xa uYesu wayeshumayela. Ummangaliso wakhe wokuqala yaba kukujika amanzi aba yiwayini waza kweminye emibini wondla izihlwele ngezonka nje neentlanzi ezimbalwa. (Mateyu 16:7-10; Yohane 2:3-11) UYesu wayenganeli nje ukutya namahlwempu kodwa wayesiya nakumatheko ezityebi. Eneneni iintshaba zakhe zada zamtyhola ngokuba lidlakudla nenxila. (Mateyu 11:18, 19) Kakade ke uYesu wayengeyiyo nanye yezo zinto. Kwangaxeshanye wayeyazi indlela abantu ababekuxabisa ngayo ukutya nokusela waza ke wasebenzisa ezo zinto ngobuchule ukuze afundise abantu izinto ezibalulekileyo ngoThixo.—Luka 22:14-20; Yohane 6:35-40.

Kukuphi ukutya neziselo ezazixhaphakile ngomhla kaYesu? Ukutya kwakusenziwa njani? Ungakanani umgudu owawufuneka ukuze bazenzele ukutya? Iimpendulo zale mibuzo ziya kukunceda uziqonde kakuhle ezinye zeziganeko namazwi akhankanywe kwiincwadi zeVangeli.

Siphe “Namhlanje Isonka Sethu Sale Mini”

Xa wayefundisa abafundi bakhe ukuthandaza, uYesu wababonisa ukuba kwakufanelekile ukucela kuThixo izinto ezifunekayo ebomini—“isonka sale mini.” (Mateyu 6:11) Isonka sasibaluleke kangangokuba ngesiHebhere nangesiGrike igama elithetha “ukutya” ngokoqobo lalithetha “ukutya isonka.” Ubukhulu becala amaYuda enkulungwane yokuqala ayesitya izinto zokwenza isonka ezifana nengqolowa, irhasi, amazimba nezinye. Abaphengululi baqikelela ukuba mntu ngamnye wayesitya malunga neekhilogram ezingama-200 zokutya okuzinkonzo ngonyaka, malunga nesiqingatha sokutya okufunwa ngumzimba.

Isonka sasithengiswa emarikeni. Kodwa ke iintsapho ezininzi zazizibhakela nakuba lowo yayingumsebenzi onzima. Incwadi ethi Bread, Wine, Walls and Scrolls ithi: “Ekubeni umgubo wesonka ukhawuleza ubole, abafazi babedla ngokwenza nje oza kulingana usuku.” Kwakuthatha ixesha elingakanani ukwenza loo mgubo? Umbhali uthi: “Umntu wayebila iyure yonke eguba ikhilogram yengqolowa ukuze afumane umgubo ongaphantsi kancinane kwekhilogram. Ekubeni umntu wayedla ngokutya ingqolowa emalunga nekhilogram enesiqingatha ngosuku, kwakufuneka loo mfazi achithe iiyure ezintathu zonke eguba ukuze ondle intsapho enabantu abahlanu okanye abathandathu.”

Ngoku khawukhe ucinge ngoMariya unina kaYesu. Ukongezelela kwimisebenzi yekhaya kwakufuneka enze isonka esiza kwanela umyeni wakhe, oonyana abahlanu kunye neentombi zakhe ezazimbini ubuncinane. (Mateyu 13:55, 56) Njengabo bonke abafazi bamaYuda, alithandabuzeki elokuba uMariya wayesebenza nzima ukuze enzele intsapho yakhe “isonka sale mini.”

“Yizani, Nifumane Isidlo Senu Sakusasa”

Ngenye intsasa emva kokuba evusiwe, uYesu wabonakala kwabanye abafundi bakhe. Abo bafundi babebulaleke ubusuku bonke beloba kodwa ke batsho phantsi. Wandula ke uYesu wathi kwabo bahlobo bakhe babediniwe: “Yizani, nifumane isidlo senu sakusasa.” Emva koko wabanika isonka nentlanzi. (Yohane 21:9-13) Nangona isesi sihlandlo kuphela ekukhankanywa kuso isidlo sakusasa kwiincwadi zevangeli, kwakuqhelekile ukuba abantu bavuke batye isonka, amandongomane, irasentyisi okanye iminquma.

Kuthekani ngesidlo sasemini? Abasebenzi babesitya ntoni? Incwadi ethi Life in Biblical Israel ithi: “Abantu babengatyi kangako emini kuba yayiba yintwana yesonka, ukutya okuzinkozo, iminquma kunye namakhiwane. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abafundi babephethe oko kutya xa babebuya eSikare baza bafumana uYesu encokola nomfazi womSamariya ngasequleni. Kwakumalunga “nelixa lesithandathu” okanye emini emaqanda yaye abafundi “babeye esixekweni ukuya kuthenga into etyiwayo.”—Yohane 4:5-8.

Ngokuhlwa, iintsapho zazihlanganisana kwesona sidlo sasiba sikhulu. Incwadi ethi Poverty and Charity in Roman Palestine, First Three Centuries C.E. ithi ngesi sidlo: “Kwakudla ngokutyiwa isonka okanye umqa werhasi, ukutya okwahlukahlukeneyo okuziinkozo, iimbotyi, maxa wambi ifane ibe yingqolowa. Koko kutya kwakugalelwa ityuwa, ioli okanye iminquma, maxa wambi incindi emnandi yobusi okanye yeziqhamo.” Ngamanye amaxesha kwakubakho ubisi, itshizi, imifuno neziqhamo. Zimalunga nama-30 iintlobo zemifuno ezazikho ngelo xesha—itswele, igaliki, iminqathe, ikhaphetshu nezinye—kunye neentlobo zeziqhamo ezingaphezu kwama-25 (1) njengamakhiwane, (2) idatilisi (3) neerharnati.

Mhlawumbi ezinye zezi zinto zazisetafileni xa uYesu wayesitya isidlo sangokuhlwa kunye noLazaro noodade wabo uMarta noMariya? Ngoku cinga ngevumba elimnandi elazalisa indlu xa uMariya wayethambisa iinyawo zikaYesu ‘ngenadusi yokwenene’—ivumba lokutya kunye neleoli yexabiso elikhulu.—Yohane 12:1-3.

“Xa Usenza Itheko”

Ngenye imini xa wayesitya isidlo “endlwini yomnye wabalawuli babaFarisi” uYesu wafundisa abantu ababelapho isifundo esibalulekileyo. Wathi kubo: “Xa usenza itheko, mema amahlwempu, izilima, iziqhwala, iimfama; yaye uya kuba noyolo, ngenxa yokuba abananto bangakubuyekeza ngayo. Kuba uya kubuyekezwa eluvukweni lwabo bangamalungisa.” (Luka 14:1-14) Ngewayelungiselele kuphi ukutya loo Mfarisi ukuba wayenze ngokwelo cebiso likaYesu?

Indoda esisityebi yayinokubeka isonka sodidi esihamba newayini, ubusi, ubisi nezinye izinongo. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba kwakubakho ibhotolo, itshizi, iminquma kunye neoli yayo. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi Food in Antiquity, “Mntu ngamnye wayesitya iikhilogram ezingama-20 zeoli yeminquma ngonyaka ize enye isetyenziselwe ukuthambisa nokukhanyisa.”

Ukuba loo mFarisi wayehlala ngaselwandle, yena neendwendwe zakhe babenokutya intlanzi esandula ukubanjiswa. Abo babehlala kude nolwandle babedla ngokutya intlanzi eqwayitiweyo. Iindwendwe zazide zixhelelwe, nto leyo eyayingafane yenzelwe amahlwempu. Okona kutya kwakuxhaphakile ngamaqanda. (Luka 11:12) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba oku kutya kwakunongwa ngezinto ezifana netyeleba, idile ikumin nemostade. (Mateyu 13:31; 23:23; Luka 11:42) Emva koko iindwendwe zazinokuthoba oko kutya ngogcado lwengqolowa oluneeamangile, ubusi nezinye izinongo.

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba kuloo matheko kwakubakho iidiliya ezisentsha, ezomisiweyo okanye iwayini. EPalestina kuye kwafunyanwa iindawo zokwenza iwayini, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba yayithandwa. EGibheyon abembi bezinto zakudala bafumana izisele zewayini ezingama-63 ezinokugcina iilitha zewayini ezili-100 000.

‘Musani Ukuxhala’

Njengoko ufunda iincwadi zeVangeli, uya kuphawula izihlandlo uYesu athetha ngazo ngokutya nokusela kwimizekeliso yakhe ukuze afundise izinto ezibalulekileyo ngoxa esesidlweni. Kucacile ukuba uYesu nabafundi bakhe babekuvuyela ukutya nokusela ngokukodwa xa behleli nabahlobo, kodwa ezi yayingezizo ezona zinto zibalulekileyo kubomi babo.

UYesu wafundisa abafundi bakhe ukukubeka kwindawo yako ukutya nokusela xa wathi: “Musani ke ukuxhala nisithi, ‘Siza kudla ntoni na?’ okanye, ‘Siza kusela ntoni na?’ okanye, ‘Siza kunxiba ntoni na?’ Kuba zonke ezi zizinto iintlanga ezizisukela ngentumekelelo. Kuba uYihlo osemazulwini uyazi ukuba ziyimfuneko kuni zonke ezi zinto.” (Mateyu 6:31, 32) Abafundi basithobela esi siluleko, yaye uThixo wabanyamekela. (2 Korinte 9:8) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ukutya kwakho kwahlukile koko kwakutyiwa ngabantu benkulungwane yokuqala. Kodwa ke nawe qiniseka ukuba uThixo uya kukunyamekela ukuba ubeka izilangazelelo zakhe kuqala.—Mateyu 6:33, 34.