Inkolo Kwezombangazwe—Ingabe Lokhu Kuyintando KaNkulunkulu?

“KWASUKA uJuda waseGalile ezinsukwini zokubhalwa; wahlubukisa abantu ukuba bamlandele; nalowo wabhubha, nabo bonke abamlalelayo bahlakazeka.” (IzEnzo 5:37) Lapha sinesinye isibonelo seBhayibheli sokungena kwenkolo kwezombangazwe.

Ngokushesha ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu, loJuda ‘wathola usizo lukaSadoki, umFarisi, futhi wazifaka ngokwakhe enhlanganweni yokuhlubuka.’ Nakuba uJuda ‘kwakungurabi owayenehlelo lakhe siqu, wazama ukuvusa abantu bokuzalwa ukuba bavukele umbuso, ethi babeyobe bengamagwala uma babevuma ukukhokha izintela kumaRoma.’—The Jewish War kaJosephus.

Ingabe UJesu Wayeyokwenza

Ngokushesha ngemva kokubhapathizwa kukaJesu, uDeveli wazama ukumhilela ngokwezombangazwe. uSathane wamethembisa “imibuso yonke yezwe nenkazimulo yayo.” uKristu akazange aphike ukuthi uDeveli wayenamandla phezu kohulumeni. Kunalokho, uJesu walenqaba lelithuba lezombangazwe, nakuba ayengacabanga ukuthi lapho enamandla ezombangazwe wayengabenzela okuhle abantu.—Mathewu 4:8-10.

Kamuva abantu babona ikhono likaJesu lokuveza ukudla. Ngokusobala bacabanga, ‘Ukuba uJesu ubekuhulumeni, ubengakwazi ukuxazulula zonke izinkinga zethu zezomnotho.’ Phawula okwenzeka. ‘UJesu azi ukuthi bazakuza, bambambe, bambeke inkosi, wamonyuka.’ (Johane 6:10-15) Yebo, uJesu wenqaba ukuzigaxa kwezombangazwe, naphezu kwezimfanelo zakhe.

Futhi kamuva, amanye amaJuda ayevumelana nezombangazwe azama ukuphamba uJesu ngendaba engokwezombangazwe: izintela. Ingabe izintela zamaRoma zaziphakeme kakhulu? Uma umJuda ayekhokha intela, khona-ke ingabe wayengakuvumela ukusetshenziswa kwezintela ekusekeleni izimpi zaseRoma? Singafunda okuthile ngendlela uJesu asabela ngayo: “Nikani uKesari okukaKesari noNkulunkulu “kukaNkulunkulu.” (Marku 12:13-17) Ngokuphambene, ngoNovember odlule ababhishobhi bamaRoma Katolika abangama-225 eUnited States bavotela ukwamukela incwadi yezomnotho enamakhasi ayi-115 eyayithi, ngokwengxenye: “Isimiso sentela kumelwe sihlelwe kabusha ukuze kuncishiswe umthwalo kwabampofu. . . . Labo abanemithombo emikhulu yezimali kumelwe bakhokhe isilinganiso esiphakeme sentela.”

Cabanga ngalokho esingakwenza ngezintela zethu, uJesu wahlala engathathihlangothi ngokuphathelene nezombangazwe zezintela. Abafundi bakhe, njengomphostoli uPawulu, benza okufanayo. (Roma 13:1-7) Ngisho nasendabeni enkulu engokwenhlalo njengobugqila, babengathathihlangothi. Ungacabanga ukuthi kwakungaba lula kanjani ngomKristu, eshukunyiswa umusa, ukuba agxeke ubugqila, ngisho nanjengoba nje abefundisi manje bethatha uhlangothi ekukhishweni kwezisu okungokomthetho, obandlululweni, emalungelweni abesifazane, njalonjalo. Kodwa amaKristu eqiniso ahlala engathathihlangothi!

Uprofesa waseOxford uE. P. Sanders uyabhala: “Manje kuqashelwa cishe ngokuphelele yonke indawo ukuthi abukho nobuncane ubufakazi obungasivumela ukuba sicabange ukuthi uJesu wayeneziflso zempi/ezingokwezombangazwe, futhi okufanayo kuyasebenza kubafundi bakhe.”

Ukuletha Isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu

Njengoba sibonile ngaphambiii, abaholi abaningi bamaJuda bacabanga ukuthi kwakusezithakazelweni zabo ezingcono kakhulu ukuhileleka ezindabeni zababusi bamaRoma, benza kanjalo ngisho nasekuthethweni kwecala nasekubulaweni kukaJesu uMesiya. (Mathewu 27:1, 2, 15-31) IsAmbulo sifanekisa ithonya lenkolo nokusetshenziswa kwemibuso engokwezombangazwe njengokufana Unowesifazane ohlezi phezu kwesilo.’ Ingabe lokho akukubonisi indlela uNkulunkulu abheka ngayo lokhu kuzigaxa kwabefundisi?—IsAmbulo 17:1-5.

Nansi indlela ngisho nezinye izingqapheli ezingabantu ezahlulela ngayo indaba:

UMalachi Martin, isazi saseVatican, wabona ukuthi abefundisi “abathatha uhlangothi ezindabeni zezombangazwe nezenhlalo bayehluleka emsebenzini wabo ongowokuqala ngqa: ukuba ngabameleli bakaJesu Kristu.” Wathi: “Ababhishobhi, ngokwesibonelo, abanalo igunya lokubhala ngesayensi yokuphathwa kwezomnotho wezwe noma ukutshela umongameli ukuba angazithumeli izikhali ezicitshwayo eYurophu.”

Kodwa kuyokwenzekani lapho abezombangazwe nabantu bedinwa ukugxambukela kwabefundisi? Ngonyaka odlule iphephabhuku Liberty laxoxa ngendlela uMbusi uConstantine ekhulwini lesine leminyaka Exubanisa ngayo ezombangazwe nenkolo, akha isilo “sesonto nombuso.”’ Lathi ngesimo namuhla: “Njengasosukwini lukaConstantine, isonto lisebenzisa umbuso ukuze lifeze izinjongo zalo siqu.”—Omalukeke sizenzele.

iZwi likaNkulunkulu likwenza kucace ukuthi umphumela uyoba yini. Isikhathi siyeza lapho imibuso yezombangazwe iyowuphendukela futhi iwenze ize umbuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga, oye wasebenzisa ezombangazwe isikhathi eside ukuze ufeze izinjongo zawo. IsAmbulo 19:2 sithi lokhu kuyoba ukubonakaliswa kwesahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu.

Ingabe Ungaba Ongathathi-hlangothl?

Wena ngokwakho awunakubavimbela abaholi benkolo ekugxambukeleni kwezombangazwe. Kodwa wena ngokwakho ungalwela ukuvumelana nencazelo yeBhayibheli yomkhulekeli weqiniso. UJesu wathi ngabafundi bakhe: “Abasibo abezwe, njengalokhu nami angisiye owezwe.” Kamuva watshela umbusi uPilatu: “Umbuso wami awusiwo owalelizwe. Uma umbuso wami ubungowalelizwe, izikhonzi zami zaziyakulwa ukuba nginganikezelwa kubaJuda.”—Johane 17:16; 18:36.

Ingabe esikhathini sethu kungenzeka ukuba sezweni, uphile kulembulunga njengesakhamuzi esingokomthetho sesizwe esithile, kodwa ube ulokhu ‘ungeyena owezwe,’ ube ungathathihlangothi? Umlando wanamuhla woFakazi BakaJehova uphendula ngoyebo. Baye bavumelana nesibopho seBhayibheli sokuba izakhamuzi ezihlonipha umthetho, kodwa bangathathihlangothi ngokuqondene nemisebenzi engokwezombangazwe nengokwezempi yezizwe eziningi abaphila kuzo.

Incwadi iThe Shaping of American Religion yathi: “Nakuba benqaba ukukhulekela ifulege noma ukuhlanganyela ezimpini ezingenangqondo phakathi kwezizwe ezilahliwe, kwezinye izici bayizakhamuzi ezihlonipha umthetho. Amanye amaqembu ambalwa aye ayixazulula kahle inkinga yokuba ‘semphakathini’ ngaphandle kokuba ‘yingxenye’ yawo futhi.” Lokhu kuye kwaba njalo emhlabeni wonke nakweziningi izimo zezombangazwe. Ngisho naphezu kokucindezelwa okunamandla kokulahla ukungathathi-hlangothi kwabo, oFakazi baye bathembeka eMbusweni kaNkulunkulu kuqala.

Isazimlando uBrian Dunn siyabhala: “oFakazi BakaJehova babengavumelani nobuNazi . . . Okubaluleke kakhulu ekumelaneni kwamaNazi nehlelo kwakuyisimo soFakazi ngasembusweni nokungathathi-hlangothi kwabo kwezombangazwe. . . . Lokhu kwakusho ukuthi alikho ikholwa elalingaphatha izikhali, livote, libe sesikhundleni, lihlanganyele emikhosini yomphakathi, noma lenze noma iluphi uphawu lokukhulekela.”—The Churches’ Response to the Holocaust (1986).

Ukungathathi-hlangothi okunjalo kuyaqhubeka. Siyafunda ku The Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History, umqulu 15: “UHitler wayebenyanya ngentukuthelo abalandeli bakaJehova futhi wabopha mhlawumbe abayizi-10 000 babo . . . oFakazi abangahungwa ngengqondo bamelana namakamu okuhlushwa aseJalimane kunabaningi . . . Uhulumeni waseSoviet awukaze uvumele oFakazi BakaJehova ukuba babe khona ngokomthetho, ngoba enhlanganweni ubona, ngisho nangaphezu kwezinye izinkolelo ezingokwenkolo, umqondo olulaza ngokunamandla ukwethembeka kwabalandeli bawo embusweni. . . . Abathathi-hlangothi okhethweni; bayenqaba ukusebenza emabuthweni ahlomile; bayakunciphisa ukuvela kwabo emithonjeni yezindaba ezingokomthetho ngokwesilinganiso esiphansi ngokuphelele.”

Incwadi Christian Religion in the Soviet Union (1978) iyanezela: ‘OFakazi baseSoviet bamelana nezimfuneko zokuhlanganyela emsebenzini wezempi, okhethweni, nakuyo yonke eminye imisebenzi engokwezombangazwe,’ elindeleke ezakhamuzini.

Ngakhoke kungenzeka ukulingisa ukungathathi-hlangothi kukaJesu ngokuphathelene nemisebenzi engokwezombangazwe neyezempi yohulumeni bamaRoma nabamaJuda. Ukwenzenjalo namuhla kuyoba isivikelo lapho uNkulunkulu ehlisela isahlulelo sakhe esingathandeki enkolweni egxambukela kwezombangazwe.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 29]

“Isikhathi sokukhipha ezombangazwe epulpitini nokukhipha ipulpiti kwezombangazwe. Izikhulu zenkolo zinalo lonke igunya lanoma imiphi imibono yezwe ezinayo. [Kodwa] ipulpiti lisetshenziswa kabi lapho lisetshenziselwa izindaba zezwe.”—Umsizi Kanobhala Kahulumeni waseU.S. uLanghorne Motley, June 1985.