Amagugu Avela EVangelini LikaMathewu
UJEHOVA UNKULUNKULU waphefumlela owayekade engumthelisi uMathewu ukuba abhale ukulandisa okuvusa amadlingozi ngokuzalwa, ukuphila, ukufa, nokuvuswa kukaJesu Kristu. Iziqinisekiso ezisemibhalweni yesandla eminingana ngemuva kwekhulu leshumi leminyaka zithi leloVangeli labhalwa cishe ngonyaka wesishiyagalombili ngemva kokwenyukela kukaJesu ezulwini (c. 41 C.E.). Lokhu akushayisani nobufakazi obungaphakathi, njengoba lokho kulandisa kuphetha ngokuthuma kukaJesu kokwenza abafundi ngo-33 C.E. futhi akusho lutho ngokubhujiswa kweJerusalema ezandleni zamaRoma ngo-70 C.E.
Kweyakhe ethi Historia Ecclesiastica (Umlando Wesonto), isazi-mlando sekhulu leminyaka lesine uEusebius sicaphuna uPapias noIrenaeus wekhulu lesibili leminyaka no-Origen welesithathu, bonke abathi leliVangeli labhalwa uMathewu futhi bathi walibhala ngesiHeberu. Ingabe ngempela lesi kwakuyisiAramu? Akunjalo ngokwemibhalo uGeorge Howard, uprofesa wenkolo eYunivesithi yaseGeorgia, akhuluma ngayo. Wabhala: “Lokhu kucabanga ngokuyinhloko kwakungenxa yenkolelo yokuthi isiHeberu ezinsukwini zikaJesu sasingasasetshenziswa ePalestina kodwa sasithathelwe indawo isiAramu. Ukutholakala okwalandela kwemiQulu yasoLwandle Olufile, eminingi yayo eyizindaba ezibhalwe ngesiHeberu, kanye nokweminye imibhalo yesiHeberu evela ePalestina kusukela enkathini evamile kaJesu, manje ibonisa ukuthi isiHeberu sasikhona ekhulwini leminyaka lokuqala.” Ngokusobala, uMathewu wabhala iVangeli lakhe ukuze azuzise amaKristu angamaHeberu kodwa kungenzeka futhi ukuthi walihumushela esiGrekini esasivamile.
Sikunxusa ukuba ufunde iVangeli likaMathewu. Njengoba sibheka amagugu ambalwa eliwaqukethe, phawula umongo ocacisa lokhu kulandisa.
Ukuzalwa Nenkonzo Yokuqala
IVangeli likaMathewu liqala ngohlu lozalo nokuzalwa kukaJesu. Lapho uMariya etholakala ekhulelwe, athembisene naye, uJosefa, “wayefuna ukumlahla ngasese.” (1:19) Kodwa wayengakwenza kanjani lokho, njengoba babesathembisene nje kuphela? Nokho, kumaJuda owesifazane othenjisiwe wayenezibopho ezifana nezabesifazane abashadile. Uma ayeba nobuhlobo bobulili nothile, wayengakhandwa ngamatshe njengokungathi uyisiphingi. (Duteronomi 22:23-29) Ngakho-ke, ngenxa yohlobo olubophayo lwesithembiso, uJosefa wahlela ukwehlukana noMariya, nakuba kungekho mkhosi owawubahlanganise efindweni lomshado.
Izahluko zokuqala zeVangeli likaMathewu ziqukethe iNtshumayelo kaJesu yaseNtabeni. Kuyo, uKristu waxwayisa ngokuthi umuntu wayeyolandisa ‘eNkantolo ePhakeme’ ngokusho kumfowabo ‘igama elingenakushiwo lokwedelela.’ (5:22, NW) Inkulumo enjalo yayifana nokubiza komuntu umfowabo ngokuthi uyisiwula esingenangqondo.
Kodwa yayiyini “iNkantolo Ephakeme”? YayiyiSanhedrin yaseJerusalema enamalungu angama-71. Kwakudingeka siphi isizinda ukuze umuntu afanelekele ukuba ilungu layo? ICyclopedia kaMcClintock noStrong ithi: “Owayefuna ukuba ilungu kwakudingeka abe ongasoleki ngokokuziphatha nangokomzimba. Kwakudingeka abe seminyakeni ephakathi kwama-40 nama-50, abe mude, abukeke, abe ocebile, ofundile . . . Kwakudingeka azi izilimi eziningana . . . Abantu abadala kakhulu, amaproselithe, abathenwa, namaNethini babengafaneleki ngenxa yemikhuba yabo engavamile; futhi babengenakumiswa abantu abangenabantwana, ngoba babengenakuba nozwela ngezindaba zemikhaya . . . ; nalabo ababengenakukufakazela ukuthi babeyinzalo engokomthetho yompristi, umLevi, noma umIsrayeli. . . . Umuntu owayefuna ukuba ilungu leSanhedrim Enkulu kwakudingeka, okokuqala, ukuba abe obewumahluleli edolobheni lakubo; abe osuswe lapho wadluliselwa kuyiSanhedrim Encane . . . , nalapho futhi abe othuthukele kuyiSanhedrim Encane yesibili . . . ngaphambi kokuba amukelwe njengelungu labangamashumi ayisikhombisa nanye.”
Ngakho uJesu wayesho ukuthi “noma ubani osho kumfowabo igama elingenakushiwo lokwedelela” unecala elilingana nalelo lomuntu oboshiwe wagwetshwa intambo yiNkantolo Enkulu yamaJuda. Yeka ukuthi kuyisixwayiso esinjani sokuba singabi abakhuluma kabi nabafowethu! Masibophe ulimi lwethu ngamatomu ukuze singalokothi sifanelekele ukulahlwa eNkantolo Ephakeme Kunazo Zonke, ngaphambi kukaJehova, “uMahluleli womhlaba wonke.”—Genesise 18:25; Jakobe 3:2-12.
UJesu UMfundisi Ophumelelayo
LeliVangeli liveza futhi uJesu njengomfundisi okwazi ukuphendula imibuzo ngekhono. Ngokwesibonelo, ephendula omunye umbuzo, wachaza isizathu sokungazili kwabafundi bakhe. (9:14-17) Sasingekho isizathu sokuba bazile lapho esaphila. Kodwa njengoba abikezela, bazila futhi balila lapho efa ngoba babengazi ukuthi kungani ukufa kwakhe kwavunyelwa. Nokho, ngemva kokwamukela umoya ongcwele ngePentekoste bakhanyiselwa futhi ababange besazila ngenxa yomunyu.
Esaphethe indaba efanayo, uJesu wanezela ngokuthi akekho obekelela isiziba sendwangu engakashukeki engutsheni endala ngoba amandla ayo enza lokho kudabuka kube kubi ngokwengeziwe. Wathi futhi iwayini elisha alithelwa ezimvabeni ezindala. Imvaba, noma ingqalathi, kwakuyisikhumba sesilwane esishukiwe mhlawumbe esasinembobo yomlenze eyayithungiwe. Ukubilisa iwayini elisha kwenza icarbon dioxide enamandla anele okuqhumisa izimvaba ezindala, ezomile. Ngokufanayo, iqiniso elalifundiswa uJesu lalinamandla kakhulu ebuJudeni obudala, obungaguquguquki. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wayengazami ukuthungela iziziba noma ukuqhubekisela phambili noma iziphi izimiso zenkolo ezaziwohlokile nemikhuba yazo yokuzila neminye imicimbi. Kunalokho, uNkulunkulu wasebenzisa uJesu ukuba amise isimiso esisha sokukhulekela. Khona-ke, ngokuqinisekile akumelwe senze lutho ekusekeleni izinhlangano ezixube izinkolo noma siqhubekisele phambili inkolo yamanga.
Lalela Iseluleko Esivela ENdodaneni KaNkulunkulu
Ngokokulandisa kukaMathewu ngokuguquka kukaJesu eba esinye isimo, uNkulunkulu wabiza uJesu ngokuthi iNdodana yaKhe ayamukelayo futhi wathi kumelwe simlalele. (17:5) Ngakho kumelwe silalele sonke iseluleko sikaKristu, njengesixwayiso sakhe sokuthi noma ubani okhubekisa umuntu onokholo kuye kwakuyoba ngcono ngaye ukuba alahlelwe olwandle egaxwe itshe lokusila entanyeni. (18:6) Leli kwakuwuhlobo luni lwetshe? Kwakungelona elincane, ngoba uJesu wayesho itshe lokusila elingenhla elinobubanzi obungamamitha ayi-1,2 kuya kwayi-1,5. Ukuliphendula etsheni elikhulu eliphansi kwakudinga amandla esilwane. Akekho ongasinda olwandle enesisindo esinjalo entanyeni yakhe. Khona-ke, eqinisweni uJesu wayeseluleka ukuba sigweme icala lokukhubekisa noma imuphi umlandeli wakhe. Enenjongo efanayo, umphostoli uPawulu wabhala: “Kuhle ukungayidli inyama nokulingaliphuzi iwayini noma okunye umzalwane wakho aqhuzuka ngakho.”—Roma 14:21.
INdodana kaNkulunkulu yanikeza iseluleko esingaqondile ngqó lapho imemezela umaye kubabhali nabaFarisi nalapho ithi bafana namaliba acakiweyo. (23:27, 28) Kwakuyisiko ukucaka amathuna ukuze abantu bangawathinti ngephutha futhi bangcole. Ngokubhekisela kulomkhuba, uJesu wayebonisa ukuthi ababhali nabaFarisi babebonakala belungile ngaphandle kodwa ‘babegcwele ukuzenzisa nobubi.’ Ukulalela leseluleko esisikiselwe kuyosibangela ukuba sigweme ukukhohlisa futhi senze ‘ngokukholwa okungazenzisiyo.’—1 Thimothewu 1:5; IzAga 3:32; 2 Thimothewu 1:5.
Oyisibonelo Sethu Uwumgcini Wobuqotho
Ngemva kokubhala isiprofetho sikaJesu ‘ngesibonakaliso sokuba khona kwakhe,’ uMathewu ulandisa ngokukhashelwa, ukuboshwa, ukuhlushwa, ukufa, nokuvuswa kukaKristu. Esesigxotsheni, uJesu walenqaba iwayini elixutshwe nenyongo, okungokuthile okudakisayo. (27:34) Abesifazane ngokuvamile babenikeza izigebengu iwayini elinjalo ukuze zibulale ubuhlungu bokubethelwa. UMarku 15:23 uthi leliwayini ‘lalixutshwe nemure,’ eyayiyolenza linambitheke. Ngokusobala, kokubili inyongo nemure kwakusewayinini elenqatshwa uKristu. Njengoba ayefinyelela emvuthwandaba wenkambo yakhe yasemhlabeni, wayengafuni ukuba adungwe ingqondo noma adakwe. UJesu wayefisa ukuyilawula ngokugcwele imizwa yakhe ukuze athembeke kuze kube sekufeni. NjengoyiSibonelo sethu kwangathi singakukhathalela ngaso sonke isikhathi ukugcina ubuqotho bethu kuJehova uNkulunkulu.—IHubo 26:1, 11.