Imibuzo Evela Kubafundi

Kweyoku-1 Petru 2:9, i-“King James Version” ibiza amaKristu agcotshiwe ngokuthi “isizukulwane esikhethiwe.” Ingabe lokhu kufanele kuthonye indlela esikubheka ngayo ukusebenzisa kukaJesu elithi “isizukulwane” kuMathewu 24:34?

Igama elithi “isizukulwane” liyavela lapho kuhunyushwa zombili lezi zindima ezinguqulweni ezithile. Ngokwe-King James Version, umphostoli uPetru wabhala: “Kodwa niyisizukulwane esikhethiweyo, ubupristi bobukhosi, isizwe esingcwele, abantu abakhethekile; ukuze nibonise kabanzi izindumiso zalowo oye wanibiza ukuba niphume ebumnyameni ningene ekukhanyeni kwakhe okumangalisayo.” Futhi uJesu wabikezela: “Ngiqinisile ngithi kini, Lesi sizukulwane ngeke sidlule, zize zifezeke zonke lezi zinto.”—1 Petru 2:9; Mathewu 24:34.

Kulendima engaphambili, umphostoli uPetru wasebenzisa igama lesiGreki elithi geʹnos, kuyilapho embhalweni wamazwi kaJesu, sithola elithi ge·ne·aʹ. Lamagama amabili esiGreki angase abonakale efana, futhi anomsuka owodwa; nokho, angamagama ahlukene, futhi anezincazelo ezihlukene. Embhalweni waphansi weyoku-1 Petru 2:9, i-New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References ithi: “‘Race [uhlanga].’ ngesiGr., geʹnos; lihlukile kwelithi ge·ne·aʹ, ‘generation [isizukulwane],’ njengakuMat 24:34.” Umbhalo waphansi ohambisana nalona utholakala kuMathewu 24:34.

Njengoba leyo mibhalo yaphansi ibonisa, elithi geʹnos lihunyushwe ngokufanelekile ngegama lesiNgisi elihunyushwa ngokuthi “uhlanga,” njengoba livamile ezinguqulweni zesiNgisi. Kweyoku-1 Petru 2:9, uPetru wasebenzisa isiprofetho esitholakala ku-Isaya 61:6 kumaKristu agcotshiwe anethemba lasezulwini. Lawa athathwa ezizweni nezizwana eziningi, kodwa izizinda ezingokwemvelo azisasho lutho njengoba eba ingxenye yesizwe sika-Israyeli ongokomoya. (Roma 10:12; Galathiya 3:28, 29; 6:16; IsAmbulo 5:9, 10) UPetru wawachaza njengaba iqembu elihlukile, ngomqondo ongokomoya—“uhlanga olukhethiweyo, ubupristi bobukhosi, isizwe esingcwele, isizwe sokuba yimpahla ekhethekile.”

Kodwa embhalweni wesiGreki wamazwi kaJesu atholakala kuMathewu 24:34, sithola igama elithi ge·ne·aʹ. Kuqashelwa kabanzi ukuthi uJesu wayengabhekiseli kunoma yiluphi “uhlanga” lwabantu, kodwa wayebhekisela kubantu ababephila ngenkathi yesikhathi ethile.

Cishe eminyakeni eyikhulu edlule, uCharles T. Russell, umongameli wokuqala we-Watch Tower Society, wenza lokhu kwacaca, ebhala: “Nakuba amagama athi ‘isizukulwane’ nelithi ‘uhlanga’ kungase kuthiwe avela emsukeni noma esiqalweni esisodwa, nokho awafani; futhi ekusetshenzisweni okungokomBhalo lamagama amabili ahlukene kakhulu. . . . Ekulandiseni okuthathu okuhlukene kwalesi siprofetho, iNkosi yethu kuthiwa yasebenzisa igama lesiGreki elihluke ngokuphelele (genea) elingasho neze uhlanga, kodwa elinencazelo efana neyegama lesiNgisi elithi generation [isizukulwane]. Okunye ukusetshenziswa kwaleli gama lesiGreki (genea) kubonisa ukuthi alisetshenziswa njengelisho uhlanga, kodwa lisetshenziswa ekubhekiseleni kubantu abaphila ngesikhathi esisodwa.”—The Day of Vengeance, amakhasi 602-3.

Muva nje, i-Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew (1988), eklanyelwe abahumushi beBhayibheli, ithe: “[I-New International Version] ihumusha elithi lesi sizukulwane ngokwezwi nezwi kodwa ilandelisa ngombhalo waphansi othi, ‘Noma uhlanga.’ Futhi esinye isazi seTestamente Elisha sikholelwa ukuthi ‘uMathewu akasho isizukulwane sokuqala sangemva kukaJesu nje kuphela kodwa usho zonke izizukulwane zeNkolo YobuJuda ezimalayo.’ Nokho, akukho bufakazi bolimi obusekela noma isiphi kulezi ziphetho, futhi kumelwe zingagqizwa qakala njengoba ziyimizamo yokugwema incazelo esobala. Esimweni salo sokuqala, leli gama lalibhekisela kuphela kubantu ababephila ngesikhathi sikaJesu uqobo.”

Njengoba kuxoxwe ngakho emakhasini 10 kuya ku-15, uJesu wasilahla isizukulwane samaJuda angesikhathi sakhe, abantu abamala ababephila ngesikhathi sakhe. (Luka 9:41; 11:32; 17:25) Wazisebenzisa kaningi iziphawulo ezinjengokuthi “esibi nesiphingayo,” “esingenalukholo nesisontekile,” nokuthi “esiphingayo nesinesono” ekuchazeni leso sizukulwane. (Mathewu 12:39; 17:17; Marku 8:38) Lapho uJesu elisebenzisa okokugcina elithi “isizukulwane,” wayeseNtabeni Yeminqumo nabaphostoli abane. (Marku 13:3) Lawo madoda, ayengakagcotshwa ngomoya futhi engakabi yingxenye yebandla lobuKristu, ngokuqinisekile ayengakhi “isizukulwane” noma uhlanga lwabantu. Nokho, ayejwayelene kakhulu nokusebenzisa kukaJesu igama elithi “isizukulwane” lapho ebhekisela kubantu ababephila ngesikhathi sakhe. Ngakho ngokunengqondo ayeyokuqonda lokho uJesu ayekucabanga lapho ekhuluma ‘ngalesi sizukulwane’ okokugcina.a Umphostoli uPetru, owayekhona ngaleso sikhathi, ngemva kwalokho wanxusa amaJuda: “Sindiswani kulesisizukulwane esigwegwile.”—IzEnzo 2:40.

Sekukaningi sinyathelisa ubufakazi bokuthi izinto eziningi uJesu azibikezela kulenkulumo efanayo (njengezimpi, ukuzamazama komhlaba, nendlala) zagcwaliseka phakathi nokusho kwakhe lesi siprofetho nokubhujiswa kweJerusalema ngo-70 C.E. Eziningi, kodwa hhayi zonke. Ngokwesibonelo, abukho ubufakazi bokuthi ngemva kokuba amaRoma ehlasele iJerusalema (66-70 C.E.) “isibonakaliso seNdodana yomuntu” sabonakala, sabangela ukuba “zonke izizwana zomhlaba” zizishaye. (Mathewu 24:30) Ngakho, lokho kugcwaliseka kwaphakathi kuka-33 C.E. no-70 C.E. kumelwe ukuba kwakumane kungokokuqala, kungekhona ukugcwaliseka okugcwele noma kwezinga elikhulu uJesu ayekhomba nakukho.

Esethulweni senguqulo yakhe yencwadi kaJosephus ethi The Jewish War, uG. A. Williamson uyabhala: “UMathewu usitshela ukuthi abafundi babebuze [uJesu] umbuzo okabili—ngokubhujiswa kweThempeli nangokuza kwaKhe siqu kokugcina—futhi wabanikeza impendulo ekabili, ingxenye yokuqala yayo eyazibikezela ngokucace kakhulu izehlakalo ezaziyochazwa ngokugcwele kakhulu nguJosephus.”

Yebo, ekugcwalisekeni kokuqala, ngokusobala amazwi athi “lesi sizukulwane” ayesho okufanayo nalokho ayekusho ngezinye izikhathi—isizukulwane samaJuda angakholwa esasiphila ngesikhathi esisodwa. Leso “sizukulwane” sasingeke sidlule singabhekananga nalokho uJesu akubikezela. Njengoba uWilliamson aphawula, lokhu kwenzeka emashumini eminyaka andulela ukubhujiswa kweJerusalema, njengoba ufakazi wokuzibonela, uJosephus, achaza.

Nasekugcwalisekeni kwesibili noma okukhulu, ngokunengqondo “lesi sizukulwane” sasiyoba abantu abaphila ngesikhathi esisodwa. Njengoba isihloko esiqala ekhasini 16 sibonisa, akudingekile ukuba siphethe ngokuthi uJesu wayekhuluma ngesibalo seminyaka esimisiwe esakha “isizukulwane.”

Ngokuphambene, kungase kushiwo izinto ezimbili eziyisihluthulelo ngokuphathelene nanoma isiphi isikhathi esisikiselwa elithi “isizukulwane.” (1) Isizukulwane sabantu asinakubhekwa njengenkathi enesibalo seminyaka ethile eqondile, njengoba kunjalo ngezilinganiso zenkathi yesikhathi ezisho isibalo seminyaka ethile eqondile (ishumi leminyaka noma ikhulu leminyaka). (2) Abantu besizukulwane baphila inkathi emfushane ngokuqhathaniswa, hhayi ende kakhulu.

Ngenxa yalokho, lapho abaphostoli bezwa uJesu ebhekisela ‘kulesi sizukulwane,’ babeyocabangani? Nakuba thina, njengoba sinenzuzo yokwazi osekwenzekile, sazi ukuthi ukubhujiswa kweJerusalema ‘osizini olukhulu’ kwafika eminyakeni engu-37 kamuva, abaphostoli ababezwa uJesu babengenakukwazi lokho. Kunalokho, ukukhuluma kwakhe ‘ngesizukulwane’ kwakungeke kubanikeze umbono wenkathi ende, kodwa kwakuyobanikeza umbono wabantu abaphila phakathi nenkathi yesikhathi elinganiselwe uma kuqhathaniswa. Kungokufanayo nangathi. Khona-ke, yeka ukuthi afaneleka kanjani amazwi kaJesu alandelayo: “Ngokuphathelene nalolosuku nalelohora akekho owaziyo, nazingelosi zasemazulwini naNdodana, kodwa uBaba kuphela. . . . Ngenxa yalokhu nani futhi zibonakaliseni nikulungele, ngoba iNdodana yomuntu iza ngehora eningacabangi ukuthi iyoza ngalo.”—Mathewu 24:36, 44.

[Umbhalo waphansi]