WAYENGANOTHANGA, engelamuzi njalo engela lasikhundla emphakathini. Lanxa kunjalo, amazwi akhe antshintshe impilo zabanengi. UJesu wake waphila yini? Amabhuku embali akhathesi lawakudala athini ngaye?

• UMichael Grant, owayengumlobi wembali kanye lesazi sezempucuko yakudala wathi: “Nxa iThestamente Elitsha silamukela ngendlela esamukela ngayo eminye imibhalo yakudala, ngeke sikuphike ukuthi uJesu wake waba khona, ngoba phela abanengi okukhulunywa ngabo emibhalweni yembali yakudala siyavuma ukuthi bake baphila.”

• URudolf Bultmann, oyisikhwicamfundo seThestamente Elitsha wathi: “Akulabufakazi obubambekayo obutshengisa ukuthi uJesu kazange aphile. Akulamuntu olengqondo ezisebenza kuhle ongathandabuza ukuthi uJesu nguye umsunguli weqembu labantu okuthiwa ngamaKhristu elaqalisela ePhalestina yakudala.”

• UWill Durant, owayeyisazi sembali lefilosofi njalo engumlobi wathi: “Ukuthi amadoda amane [aloba amaVangeli] aphila ngasikhathi sinye ayengaphongubumba indaba efananayo ephathelane lomuntu odumileyo, olobuntu lokuziphatha okuhle njalo owalandelwa ngabantu abanengi kungaba yisimanga esikhulu kakhulu ukwedlula izimanga ezibhalwe emaVangelini.”

• U-Albert Einstein, umJuda oyisazi sesayensi owazalelwa eGerman wathi: “NgingumJuda, kodwa indaba yomNazaretha ingithinta kwamancane.” Ebuzwa ukuthi ubona angani uJesu wake waphila yini wathi: “Akubuzwa! Akula muntu ongathi ebala amaVangeli angakuboni ukuthi uJesu wake waphila sibili. Nxa uwabala uhle ukubone ukuthi wayeyindoda enjani. Akula nganekwane engaba nje.”

  “Akula muntu ongathi ebala amaVangeli angakuboni ukuthi uJesu wake waphila sibili.”—U-Albert Einstein

Okunengi okuphathelane lempilo kanye lomsebenzi kaJesu wokutshumayela kutholakala emabhukwini eBhayibhili okuthiwa ngamaVangeli. Amabhuku la aphiwa amabizo abantu abawabhalayo, uMathewu, uMakho, uLukha loJohane. Kanti njalo kulamabhuku amanengi akudala akhuluma ngoJesu abhalwa ngabantu abangayisiwo amaKhristu.

• UTACITUS

  (phose ngo-56-120 C.E., okutsho ukuthi uJesu esebuyile) UTacitus ngomunye wezazi zembali yamaRoma eziqakathekiswayo. Amabhuku akhe alandisa ngembali yombuso wamaRoma kusukela ngo-14 C.E. kusiya ku-68 C.E. (UJesu wafa ngo-33 C.E.) UTacitus wabhala ukuthi umlilo owesabekayo owatshisa idolobho leRoma ngo-64 C.E. kwakukhanya angani waqaliswa nguMbusi uNero. Wabhala lokuthi ukuze uNero azigeze wesulela icala kumaKhristu. UTacitus waphinda wathi: “UKhristu onguye owasungula iqembu lamaKhristu wabulawa ngesikhathi kubusa uThibheri, egwetshwe ngumbusi uPhontiyu Philathu.”—Annals, XV, 44.

• USUETONIUS

  (phose ngo-69 kusiya ngale kuka-122 C.E.) Wayeyisazi sembali yamaRoma. Ebhukwini lakhe elithi Lives of the Caesars wabhala izinto ezenzakala ngesikhathi kubusa amakhosi aseRoma angu-11. Ingxenye yalo ephathelane loKlawudiya ilandisa ngengxabano eyaba khona emaJudeni ayehlala eRoma okungenzeka ukuthi yabangelwa zimpikiswano ezazimayelana loJesu. (ImiSebenzi 18:2) USuetonius wabhala wathi: “Njengoba amaJuda ayehlala esenza iziphithiphithi ngebizo likaKhristu, uKlawudiya wawaxotsha eRoma.” (The Deified Claudius, XXV, 4) Lanxa uSuetonius wacala uJesu ngeziphithiphithi lezo kazange akuthandabuze ukuthi wayeke waphila.

• UPLINY OMNCANE

  (phose ngo-61 kusiya ku-113 C.E.) Wayengumlobi ongumRoma njalo engumbusi eBhithiniya (khathesi kuthiwa yiTurkey). Wabhalela uMbusi weRoma uTrajan ebuza ukuthi kwakumele awenzeni amaKhristu ayesesabelweni sakhe. UPliny wamtshela ukuthi wayezamile ukwenza amaKhristu aphike ukholo lwawo ngenkani futhi wayewabulala lawo ayengavumi. Wathi: “Labo ababethandaza phambi kwezithombe belandela amazwi engangiwatsho njalo benikela ngewayini langempepha emfanekisweni wakho . . . futhi ababecina sebeqalekisa uKhristu . . . , ngangikubona kukuhle ukubakhulula.”—Pliny—Letters, Book X, XCVI.

•  UFLAVIUS JOSEPHUS

  (phose ngo-37 kusiya ku-100 C.E.) UmJuda lo owayengumphristi lomlobi wembali, wathi u-Anasi umphristi omkhulu wamaJuda owayelamandla kwezombusazwe “wabuthanisa abahluleli beSanihedrini [umthethwandaba omkhulu wamaJuda] waseletha indoda okuthiwa nguJakhobe, umfowabo kaJesu owayebizwa ngokuthi nguKhristu.”—Jewish Antiquities, XX, 200.

• ITALMUD

  Iqoqo leli lemibhalo yabafundisi abangamaJuda okukhanya angani labhalwa ngekhulu lesithathu kusiya kwelesithupha C.E., litshengisa ukuthi izitha zikaJesu lazo zazikuvuma ukuthi wake waphila. Eyinye indima ithi “ngelanga lePhasika uYeshu [uJesu] umNazaretha walengiswa.” Lokhu kuliqiniso sibili. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a, Munich Codex; khangela uJohane 19:14-16.) Eyinye njalo indima ithi: “Akumelanga kube lomuntu oba lomntwana oyinhlekisa emphakathini njengomNazaretha”—ibizo ababelinike uJesu.—Babylonian Talmud, Berakoth 17b, footnote, Munich Codex; khangela uLukha 18:37.

AmaVangeli asitshela okunengi ngempilo kanye lomsebenzi kaJesu wokutshumayela. Kanti njalo asinika lobufakazi obenza sikholwe ukuthi akutshoyo kuliqiniso ngoba ayaqamba amabizo abantu lezindawo kanye lokuthi kwenzakala nini. Ngokwesibonelo uLukha 3:1, 2, uyasinceda sithole umnyaka lapho indoda okuthiwa nguJohane uMbhaphathizi eyaqalisa umsebenzi wayo wokumemezela ukufika kukaJesu.

ULukha wabhala wathi: “Ngomnyaka wetshumi lanhlanu wokubusa kukaThibheri Khesari- ngesikhathi uPhontiyu Philathu engumbusi eJudiya, uHerodi engumbusi eGalile, umfowabo uFiliphu engumbusi wase-Ithuriya leThrakhonithi, njalo loLisaniya engumbusi wase-Abhilene- ngesikhathi leso u-Anasi loKhayifa bengabaphristi abaphezulu, kwafika ilizwi likaNkulunkulu kuJohane indodana kaZekhariya esenkangala.” Okutshiwo livesi leli yikho okwenza sithole ukuthi ‘ilizwi likaNkulunkulu’ lafika kuJohane ngo-29 C.E.

 Abezembali bathi bayazazi iziphathamandla eziyisikhombisa uLukha aziqambayo. Kodwa abanye abaphikisi bake bakuphika ukuthi uPhontiyu Philathu loLisaniya bake baba khona. Babekhuluma into abangelabufakazi layo. Phela kwacina kutholakala imibhalo yakudala elamabizo eziphathamandla lezi, kwakhanya-ke ukuthi uLukha wayeqinisile. *

Indaba yokuthi uJesu wake waphila yini iqakathekile ngoba wafundisa izinto eziqakathekileyo. Ngokwesibonelo uJesu wafundisa abantu ukuthi bangenzani ukuze bathole intokozo lokusuthiseka empilweni. * Waphinda wakhuluma ngesikhathi esizayo nxa sekubusa ‘uMbuso kaNkulunkulu’ emhlabeni. Ngaleso sikhathi kuzakuba lokuthula lokuhlaliseka ngoba nguhulumende oyedwa ozabe esebusa.—ULukha 4:43, The Holy Bible in Ndebele.

Uhulumende lo kuthiwa ‘nguMbuso kaNkulunkulu’ ngoba uzabe umela ubukhosi bukaNkulunkulu lapha emhlabeni. (ISambulo 11:15) UJesu wakwenza kwacaca lokhu emthandazweni weNkosi othi: “Baba wethu osezulwini, . . . umbuso wakho kawuze, intando yakho yenziwe emhlabeni.” (UMathewu 6:9, 10) UMbuso lo uzabenzelani abantu? Nanku ozakwenza:

• Izimpi leziphithiphithi kuzaphela.—IHubo 46:8-11.

• Ububi, ubuhwaba lobuqili kuzaphela futhi bonke abantu abangamhloniphiyo uNkulunkulu bazabhujiswa.—IHubo 37:10, 11.

• Abantu abazabuswa nguMbuso lo bazakholisa imisebenzi yezandla zabo.—U-Isaya 65:21, 22.

• Umhlaba uzantshintsha ube muhle njalo uthele izithelo.—IHubo 72:16; U-Isaya 11:9.

Abanye abantu bangathi izinto lezi ngeke zenzakale. Ubona angani kuyanceda yini ukuthembela ebantwini? Cabanga ngalokhu: Lanxa sekulentuthuko emangalisayo kwezemfundo, ezesayensi kanye lakwezempucuko izigidi zabantu azihlalisekanga njalo kazilalo ithemba ngekusasa. Nsukuzonke abantu bayakhala ngenxa yokucindezelwa ngabezombusazwe labakhokheli bezinkolo. Ezomnotho ziwa nsukuzonke njalo lobuqili sebugcwele. Konke lokhu kutshengisa ukuthi abantu bayehluleka ukubusa kuhle!—UmTshumayeli 8:9.

Indaba yokuthi uJesu wake waphila yini kumele sizikhathaze ngayo. * Phela u-2 KwabaseKhorinte 1:19, 20 uthi: “Lanxa zizinengi kangakanani izithembiso zikaNkulunkulu azenzileyo, zingu ‘Yebo’ kuKhristu.”