WAYENGESOSITYEBI engenalo negunya. Wayengenalo nekhaya elilelakhe. Sekunjalo iimfundiso zakhe zincede izigidi zabantu. Ngaba uYesu Kristu wakha waphila nyhani? Bathini ababhali-mbali bamandulo nabanamhlanje ngaye?

• UMichael Grant, umbhali-mbali nengcali kwizinto zakudala zempucuko wathi: “Ukuba iTestamente Entsha siyisebenzisa ngendlela esiyisebenzisa ngayo eminye imibhalo yamandulo ethetha ngembali, asikwazi ukungavumi ukuba uYesu wayekho, njengokuba singazithandabuzi nezinye iindwalutho ezininzi ezingabahedeni ekuthethwa ngazo embalini.”

• URudolf Bultmann, uprofesa kwizifundo zeTestamente Entsha wathi: “Ukuthandabuza ubukho bukaYesu bubuvuvu nje nento engenasihlahla. Akakho umntu ocingisisa kakuhle onokuthandabuza ukuba uYesu wayengumseki weqela lakudala elalibunjwa ngamaPalestina amandulo [angamaKristu].”

• UWill Durant, umbhali-mbali nentanda-bulumko wathi: “Into yokuba abantu nje abambalwa abaqhelekileyo [ababhali beVangeli] babenokuthi ngesizukulwana nje esinye baziyilele umntu owayenobuntu obunamandla nobunomtsalane ngolo hlobo, owayenemilinganiselo yokuziphatha ephakame ngolo hlobo nowayezimisele ukwakha umanyano lobuzalwana olunempembelelo ngolo hlobo, ibiya kuba ngowona mmangaliso ungakholelekiyo kunayo nayiphi na ebhalwe kwiincwadi zeVangeli.”

• UAlbert Einstein, owayengusosayensi ongumYuda oyinzalelwane yaseJamani wathi: “NdingumYuda, kodwa ndithabathekile ngulo mntu ubalaseleyo waseNazarete.” Xa wayebuzwa ukuba uyakholelwa ukuba uYesu wakha waphila, waphendula wathi: “Ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo! Akakho umntu onokufunda iincwadi zeVangeli aze abuphike ubukho bukaYesu. Kwigama ngalinye bubonakala kakuhle ubuntu bakhe. Ayikho intsomi enokwenziwa iphile ngolo hlobo.”

  “Akakho umntu onokufunda iincwadi zeVangeli aze abuphike ubukho bukaYesu.”—UAlbert Einstein

Eyona ngxelo ngobomi bukaYesu nomsebenzi wakhe wokushumayela ibhalwe kwiincwadi zeBhayibhile, ezibizwa ngokuba ziincwadi zeVangeli nezithiywe ngababhali bazo, uMateyu, uMarko, uLuka noYohane. Ukongezelela, zikho nezinye iincwadi zabantu abangengawo amaKristu ezithetha ngaye.

• UTACITUS

  (malunga nonyaka ka-56-120 C.E., okanye Ixesha Eliqhelekileyo) UTacitus waziwa njengoyena mbhali-mbali ubalaseleyo wamaRoma. Incwadi yakhe iAnnals ithetha ngoMlawuli waseRoma osusela kunyaka ka-14 C.E. ukuya koka-68 C.E (UYesu wafa ngonyaka ka-33 C.E.) Kuloo ncwadi wathi ngonyaka ka-64 C.E. iRoma yatshatyalaliswa ngumlilo omkhulu kwaye ityala labekwa kuMlawuli uNero. Wathi ukuze uNero “alisuse ityala kuye,” watyhola amaKristu. Emva koko wathi: “UKristu, elivela kuye igama elithi amaKristu, wabulawa nguPontiyo Pilato ngexesha lokulawula kukaTibheriyo Kesare.”—Annals, XV, 44.

• USUETONIUS

  (malunga nonyaka ka-69 ukusa emva ko-122 C.E.) Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Lives of the Caesars, lo mbhali-mbali waseRoma wabhala ngezinto ezenzeka ngexesha labalawuli abayi-11 baseRoma. Xa wayebhala ngoKlawudiyo wathetha ngesidubedube esasisenziwa ngamaYuda aseRoma ekusenokwenzeka ukuba sasibangelwa ziimpikiswano awayenazo ngoYesu. (IZenzo 18:2) Wabhala wenjenje: “AmaYuda ayesoloko esisiphazamiso kwelaseRoma ngenxa yempembelelo kaKrestus [uKristu], ngoko [uKlawudiyo] wawagxotha kweso sixeko.” (The Deified Claudius, XXV, 4) Nangona wayetyhola uYesu esithi nguye owabangela ezo ziphamazamiso, akazange athandabuze ukuba uYesu wakha waphila.

• UPLINY OMNCINANE

  (malunga nonyaka ka-61 ukusa koka-113 C.E.) Lo mbhali ungumRoma nomphathi waseBhithiniya (ngoku eyiTurkey) wabhalela uMlawuli waseRoma uTrajan emxelela indlela amele awaphathe ngayo amaKristu akwiphondo lakhe. UPliny wathi uzamile ukunyanzela amaKristu ukuba abuyeke obu buKristundini. Abo babeqhubeka bengawo, wayesithi mababulawe. Watsho esithi: “Abo . . . babendilandela ekuthandazeni koothixo, banikele isiqhumiso newayini kumfanekiso wakho . . . baze baqalekise uKristu . . . , Ndabona kufanelekile ukuba ndibakhulule.”—Pliny—Letters, Book X, XCVI.

•  UFLAVIUS JOSEPHUS

  (malunga nonyaka ka-37 ukusa koka-100 C.E.) Lo mbingeleli nombhali-mbali ungumYuda uthetha ngoAnas, umbingeleli omkhulu wakwaYuda ongazange ayeke ukusebenzisa impembelelo yeepolitiki. Uthi: “Wabiza intlanganiso yabagwebi beSanhedrin [inkundla ephakamileyo yakwaYuda] waza wamisa phambi kwabo indoda ekuthiwa nguYakobi umntakwaboYesu ekuthiwa nguKristu.”—iJewish Antiquities, XX, 200.

• ITALMUD

  Le mibhalo yoorabhi abangamaYuda, esusela kunyaka wesithathu ukusa kowesithandathu C.E., ibonisa ukuba kwaneentshaba zikaYesu zavuma ukuba wayekhe wakho. Omnye wale mibhalo uthi: “NgePasika uYeshu [uYesu] umNazarete waxhonywa.” Nembali iyayivuma loo nto. (iBabylonian Talmud, iSanhedrin 43a, iMunich Codex; funda uYohane 19:14-16.) Omnye wona uthi: “Akwaba asinakuze sibe naye unyana okanye abantu abazihlazisa esidlangalaleni njengomNazarete”—indlela awayebizwa ngayo uYesu.—iBabylonian Talmud, iBerakoth 17b, footnote, iMunich Codex; funda uLuka 18:37.

Iincwadi zeVangeli zinengxelo epheleleyo ngobomi bukaYesu nomsebenzi wakhe wokushumayela. Zisixelela nangeenkcukacha ezibalulekileyo ngabantu, iindawo namaxesha—izinto ezibalulekileyo kwimbali enokuthenjwa. Umzekelo woku ukuLuka 3:1, 2, osinceda sazi umhla ochanileyo eyawuqala ngawo umsebenzi wayo indoda eyavulela uYesu indlela, uYohane umBhaptizi.

ULuka wabhala wenjenje: “Ngonyaka weshumi elinesihlanu wolawulo lukaTibheriyo Kesare, xa uPontiyo Pilato wayeyirhuluneli yelakwaYuda, noHerode engumlawuli wesithili saseGalili, kodwa uFilipu umntakwabo engumlawuli wesithili kwilizwe laseIturaya naseTrakhoniti, noLisaniya engumlawuli wesithili saseAbhilene, ngemihla yombingeleli oyintloko uAnas nekaKayafa, kwafika ilizwi likaThixo kuYohane unyana kaZekariya esentlango.” Le ngxelo isenza sazi ukuba ‘ilizwi likaThixo lafika kuYohane’ ngonyaka ka-29 C.E.

 Aba bantu basixhenxe athetha ngabo uLuka baziwa kakuhle ngababhali-mbali. Kangangethuba elithile abagxeki babethandabuza ukuba uPontiyo Pilato noLisaniya babekhe bakho. Kuyabonakala ukuba bakhawuleza bathetha. Kuye kwafunyanwa imibhalo yakudala enamagama aba bantu, nto leyo eyangqina ukuba uLuka wayengaxoki. *

Umbuzo wokuba uYesu wakha waphila na ubalulekile kuba izinto awayezifundisa zibalulekile. Ngokomzekelo, wafundisa abantu indlela yokuphila ubomi obanelisayo nobumnandi. * Wafundisa nangexesha laxa abantu beya kuphila ngoxolo bekhuselekile yaye bemanyene phantsi ‘kobukumkani bukaThixo.’—Luka 4:43.

Ibinzana elithi “ubukumkani bukaThixo” lifanelekile kuba lo rhulumente uya kubonisa ulongamo lukaThixo emhlabeni wonke. (ISityhilelo 11:15) UYesu wakwenza kwacaca oku kumthandazo kaBawo wethu osezulwini xa wathi: “Bawo wethu osemazulwini, . . . Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenzeke ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni.” (Mateyu 6:9, 10) Ulawulo lobu Bukumkani luya kulwenzela ntoni uluntu? Nazi ezinye izinto oluya kuzenza:

• Luya kuphelisa iimfazwe.—INdumiso 46:8-11.

• Luya kuphelisa ububi, obuquka ukubawa norhwaphilizo kunye nabantu abangakwenziyo ukuthanda kukaThixo.—INdumiso 37:10, 11.

• Abantu abalawulwa lulo baya kwenza imisebenzi ebavuyisayo neya kuba luncedo kubo.—Isaya 65:21, 22.

• Umhlaba uya kuchuma uze uvelise ukutya okuninzi.—INdumiso 72:16; Isaya 11:9.

Abanye abantu basenokuthi ezo zithembiso zizinto nje esizinqwenelayo. Kodwa asinto esiyifunayo ukuthemba izinto ezenziwa ngabantu? Cinga ngoku: Nakuba imfundo, isayensi nobugcisa ziphucuka umhla nezolo, inyambalala yabantu iziva ingakhuselekanga kwaye ingaqinisekanga ngengomso. Mihla le sibona ukudodobala kwezoqoqosho, ezopolitiko nokucinezelwa kwabantu ziinkonzo. Sibona ukubawa nokugqugqisa korhwaphilizo. Inyaniso engenakuphikwa kukuba, ulawulo lomntu alusenzelanga nto intle!—INtshumayeli 8:9.

Ngoko, umbuzo wokuba uYesu wakha waphila na ufuna sicingisise kakuhle. * Eyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte 1:19, 20 ithi: “Kuba kungakhathaliseki ukuba zininzi kangakanani na izithembiso zikaThixo, ziye zaba nguEwe ngaye [uKristu].”