SIKHONA yini sabelo lofisa kusenta ebandleni kodvwa longakhoni kusenta kwanyalo? Kungenteka ufisa umsebenti lowentiwa ngulomunye Noma mhlawumbe ufisa sabelo nome lilungelo lowake walitfola esikhatsini lesendlulile. Kodvwa kukhula ngeminyaka, tinkinga temphilo, tinkinga temnotfo, noma imisebenti lonayo emndenini yenta ungasakhoni kwenta loko bewungakhona kukwenta. Noma kungenteka kwadzingeka uyekele kwenta sabelo lesekuphele sikhatsi lesidze usenta ngenca yelushintjo lolwentiwe yinhlangano. Ngetulu kwaletizatfu, kungenteka ubone ngatsi kuncane lokwenta emsebentini waJehova. Kuliciniso kutsi etimeni letinjalo ungahle utive udvumele. Nome kunjalo, yini lengakusita kutsi ungahlali udvumatekile, uva buhlungu noma utfukutsele? Yini longayenta kuze uhlale ujabulile?

KuJohane uMbhabhatisi sifundzisa sifundvo lesibalulekile mayelana nekulondvolota injabulo. Johane bekanemalungelo lamanyenti, kodvwa bekangakwati loko lebekutawenteka ekuphileni kwakhe. Bekangati kutsi sikhatsi lasicitsa ashumayela besitawuba sincane kunesikhatsi latawubhadla ngaso ejele. Nanobe kunjalo, Johane wachubeka ajabulile kuko konkhe kuphila kwakhe. Yini eyamsita? Singahlala njani sijabulile ngisho nobe singadvumateka?

Entfwasahlobo ya-29 C.E., Johane wacalisa umsebenti Jehova lebekamnikete wona wekutjela bantfu ngekufika kwaMesiya watsi: “Phendvukani, ngobe uMbuso welizulu sewusondzele.” (Mat. 3:2; Luk. 1:12-17) Bantfu labanyenti balalela. Ecinisweni ticumbi tebantfu betihamba emabanga lamadze kute tilalele umlayeto wakhe, kangangekutsi labanye kuto baphendvuka futsi babhajatiswa. Ngesibindzi, Johane waphindze wecwayisa baholi benkholo lebebatibona balungile kutsi bebatawutfola sehlulelo nangabe bangashintji. (Mat. 3:5-12) Ngasekupheleni kwa-29 C.E. Johane wenta intfo lebaluleke kakhulu ngekutsi abhabhatise Jesu. Kusukela lapho, Johane wasita bantfu kutsi balandzele Jesu longuMesiya lobeketsenjisiwe.—Joh. 1:32-37.

Nakakhuluma ngendzima lebalulekile yaJohane, Jesu watsi: “Kubo bonkhe labake baphila emhlabeni, kute ngisho namunye lowaba mkhulu  kunaJohane uMbhabhatisi.” (Mat. 11:11) Siyaciniseka kutsi Johane watijabulela tibusiso latitfola. NjengaJohane, bantfu labanyenti lamuhla bajabulele tibusiso letivela kuJehova. Cabanga ngemzalwane Terry. Yena nemkakhe Sandra sebaneminyaka lengetulu kwalengu-50 basemsebentini wasikhatsi sonkhe. Terry utsi: “Ngijabulele tibusiso letinyenti njengekuba lihlahlandlela, kusebenta eBethel, kuba lihlahlandlela lelikhetsekile, umbonisi wesigodzi newesifundza futsi nyalo ngiphindze ngaba lihlahlandlela lelikhetsekile.” Kuyasijabulisa kakhulu kutfola emalungelo lavela kuJehova, kodvwa njengobe timo tetfu tishintja kudzinga imetamo kuhlala sijabulile, njengobe sitawubona kulokwenteka kuJohane.

Lokwasita Johane uMbhabhatisi kutsi ahlale ajabulile kutsi bekabonga ngaloko Jehova bekamvumele kutsi akwente. Cabanga nganasi sibonelo. Ngemuva kwekutsi Jesu abhajatiswe, linani lalabalandzela Johane lancipha, kodvwa lalabalandzela Jesu landza. Bafundzi baJohane bebakhatsatekile futsi batsi kuye: “Lendvodza  . . . seyiyabhabhatisa futsi bonkhe bantfu baya kuyo.” (Joh. 3:26) Johane wabaphendvula watsi: “Loyo lonamakoti ngumkhwenyana. Kodvwa umngani wemkhwenyana nakema edvute eva livi lakhe, ujabula kakhulu ngaloko. Ngako-ke nami sengigcwele injabulo.” (Joh. 3:29) Johane akazange aticatsanise naJesu ngekutsi acabange kutsi umsebenti wakhe bewungakabaluleki. Kunaloko, Johane wahlala ajabulile ngobe bekayati indzima yakhe njengobe ‘bekangumngani wemkhwenyana.’

Simo sengcondvo saJohane samsita kutsi ahlale ajabulile ngisho nobe sabelo sakhe besimatima. Nasi sibonelo, kusukela atalwa, Johane bekangumNaziri, ngako bekangakavumeleki kutsi anatse liwayini. (Luk. 1:15) Nakakhuluma ngendlela Johane labephila ngayo, Jesu watsi: “Johane weta angadli futsi anganatsi.” Kodvwa Jesu nebafundzi bakhe bebaphila imphilo lejwayelekile futsi bebete imincele Johane labenayo. (Mat. 11:18, 19) Ngisho nobe Johane angazange ente timangaliso, bekati kutsi bafundzi baJesu lokufaka ekhatsi labo labake baba balandzeli bakhe bebaniketiwe emandla ekwenta timangaliso. (Mat. 10:1; Joh. 10:41) Kunekutsi avumele loko kumphatamise, Johane wachubeka asenta ngemdlandla sabelo sakhe.

Natsi sitawuhlala sijabulile nangabe sisitsatsa njengalesibalulekile sabelo setfu emsebentini waJehova. Terry lokukhulunywe ngaye ekucaleni utsi: “Ngatinaka tonkhe tabelo lebenginiketwe tona.” Nakacabanga ngesikhatsi lasicitsa emsebentini wasikhatsi sonkhe, utsi: “Angitisoli nakancane futsi ngiyajabula.”

Sitawujabula kakhulu emsebentini lesiwentela Jehova nangabe sicabanga ngaloko lokwenta sabelo nome lilungelo lelitsite lesinalo libaluleke. Kulilungelo kuba “tisebenti letikanye naNkulunkulu.” (1 Khor. 3:9) Intfo leligugu sihlale siyinakekela, ngendlela lefanako sitawuhlale sijabula nangabe sihlale sicabanga ngekutsi kuligugu kangakanani kusebenta naJehova. Ngeke sicatsanise iminikelo lesiyentako neminikelo leyentiwa ngulabanye. Ngeke siwabukele phasi emalungelo lesinawo ngenca yemalungelo labanye labanawo.—Gal. 6:4.

Kungenteka Johane bekati kutsi besisincane sikhatsi bekatasicitsa enta umsebenti waJehova, kodvwa bekangati kutsi siphetfo sawo sitawuba njani. (Joh. 3:30) Ngemuva kwetinyanga letisitfupha Jesu abhajatisiwe, Johane waboshwa yiNkhosi Herodi. Nanobe kunjalo, Johane wenta konkhe lokusemandleni akhe kute akhulume loko lobekuliciniso. (Mak. 6:17-20) Yini lokungenteka yamsita kutsi ahlale ajabulile ngisho nangetulu kwalolushintsho? Bekahlale anake tintfo letiphatselene naNkulunkulu.

Ngesikhatsi Johane asejele, watfola imibiko lemayelana nekwandza kwemsebenti wekushumayela Jesu bekawenta. (Mat. 11:2; Luk. 7:18) Loko kwamcinisekisa kutsi Jesu bekanguMesiya kodvwa kungenteka bekatibuta kutsi Jesu bekatakugcwalisa kanjani loko imiBhalo beyikubiketele ngaMesiya. Njengobe Johane bekati kutsi Mesiya bekatawuba yinkhosi, kungenteka bekatibuta kutsi besekusedvute yini kutsi Jesu abe yinkhosi. Kungenteka  futsi bekatibuta kutsi Jesu bekatamkhulula yini njengobe bekasejele. Kunyenti Johane bekafuna kukwati ngaloko Jesu bekatokwenta, ngako watfuma balandzeli bakhe lababili kutsi bayobuta Jesu: “Unguye yini Loyo Lotako, nobe kusafanele silindzele lomunye?” (Luk. 7:19) Nakabuya, kungenteka Johane bekalalelisisile njengobe bamchazela timangaliso Jesu bekatentile lebekatsite bamtjele ngato: “Timphumphutse setiyabona, tinchute setihamba kahle, labanebulephelo bayahlanjululwa, tihhulu setiyeva, labafile bayavuswa, nalabeswele beva tindzaba letimnandzi.”—Luk. 7:20-22.

Johane kwamcinisa kakhulu loko balandzeli bakhe labamtjela bakhe kona. Kwamcinisekisa kutsi Jesu bekagcwalisa tiprofetho lebetibiketelwe ngaMesiya. Nanobe Jesu angazange amkhulule Johane ejele, Johane wabona kutsi umsebenti waJesu wawubaluleke kakhulu. Ngetulu kwetinkinga labhekana nato bekanetizatfu letinyenti tekujabula.

NjengaJohane, nangabe sinaka kakhulu kukhonta Jehova, sitawukhona kucinisela ngenjabulo nangekubeketela. (Khol. 1:9-11) Singakhona kwenta kanjalo ngekutsi sifundze liBhayibheli futsi sizindle ngalo, sikhumbule kutsi kutikhandla kwenu akusilo lite eNkhosini. (1 Khor. 15:58) Sandra utsi: “Kufundza sehluko sinye seliBhayibheli ngelilanga kungisita kutsi ngisondzele edvute naJehova. Kungisita kutsi nginake Jehova kakhulu kunekutsi ngitinake mine.” Kucabanga ngemsebenti lowentiwa bazalwane nabodzadze wetfu kungasisita kutsi siyekele kuticabangela tsine kuphela. Sandra utsi: “Luhlelo lwatinyanga tonkhe Lwemsakato We JW lusisita kutsi sisondzelane nenhlangano yaJehova, futsi tabelo tetfu sitente ngenjabulo.”

Kulesikhatsi lesifishane Johane uMbhabhatisi lasishumayela, washumayela “anemoya kanye nemandla lafana newa-Elija, futsi njenga-Elija “abengumuntfu lonemiva lefana neyetfu.” (Luk. 1:17; Jak. 5:17) Kulingisa sibonelo sakhe sekunaka tintfo letiphatselene naNkulunkulu, kungasisita sihlale sijabulile emsebentini lesiwentela Jehova, ngisho nobe singahlangabetana nabuphi bumatima ekuphileni.