Isitala kapena Chikumbutso Kodi Muyenera Kusunga Chiti?
PAMENE nthaŵi ya mbandakucha ifika pa April 7, miyandamiyanda ya anthu adzachingamira tsiku lawo lopatulika koposa la pachaka—Isitala. Panthaŵi ina dzinalo analigwiritsira ntchito kutchera nyengo ya masiku 120 a mapwando ndi kusala kudya imene inayamba ndi holide yotchedwa Septuagesima ndi kutha pa limene linatchedwa kuti Tsiku la Utatu. Lerolino dzinalo limatchula za tsiku limodzi lokumbukira kuuka kwa Yesu—Isitala Sande.
Komabe, madzulo ena kumayambiriro kwa mlungu womwewo, miyanda ina yambiri idzasonkhana kudzachita Chikumbutso cha imfa ya Kristu, chodziŵikanso kuti Chakudya Chamadzulo cha Ambuye. Chimenechi ndicho chochitika chimene Yesu mwiniyo anachiyambitsa pa usiku wake womaliza padziko lapansi. Pamenepo anauza ophunzira ake kuti: “Chitani ichi chikumbukiro changa.”—Luka 22:19.
Kodi muyenera kusunga chiti?
Chiyambi cha Isitala
Dzina lakuti Isitala, logwiritsiridwa ntchito m’maiko ambiri, silimapezeka m’Baibulo. Buku lakuti Medieval Holidays and Festivals limatiuza kuti “holideyo inapatsidwa dzina la Mulungu Wachikazi wachikunja wa Mbandakucha ndi wa Ngululu, Eostre.” Ndipo mulungu wachikazi ameneyu anali yani? “Eostre anali amene, malinga nkunena kwa nthano yake, anatsegula zitseko za Valhalla polandira Baldur, wotchedwa Mulungu Woyera, chifukwa cha chiyero chake ndiponso Mulungu Dzuŵa, chifukwa chakuti chipumi chake chinaunikira anthu,” ikutero The American Book of Days. Ikuwonjezera kuti: “Palibe chikayikiro chakuti Tchalitchi m’masiku ake oyambirira chinatengera miyambo yakale yachikunja ndi kuipatsa tanthauzo lachikristu. Pamene phwando la Eostre linali kuchitidwa kaamba ka kudzutsidwanso kwa moyo m’ngululu kunali kosavuta kulisandutsa kuuka kwa Yesu kuchokera kwa akufa, amene uthenga wake wabwino unalalikidwa.”
Kutengera kumeneku kumasonyeza mmene miyambo ya Isitala yonga ya mazira a Isitala, kalulu wa Isitala, ndi mabanzi otentha amtanda, zinayambira m’maiko ena. Ponena za mwambo wopanga mabanzi otentha amtanda, “ofiirira pamwamba olembedwa . . . mtanda,” buku lakuti Easter and Its Customs likuti: “Mtanda unali chizindikiro chachikunja chokhalako kale usanakhale ndi kufunika kwake kosatha m’zochitika za Good Friday yoyamba, ndipo nthaŵi zina buledi ndi makeke zinali kuikidwa mtanda Chikristu chisanakhale.”
Palibe malo alionse m’Malemba amene amatchula zinthu zimenezi, ndiponso palibe umboni uliwonse wakuti ophunzira oyambirira a Yesu anazikhulupirira. Kwenikweni, mtumwi Petro amatiuza ‘kulira . . . mkaka woyenera, wopanda chinyengo, kuti tikakule nawo kufikira chipulumutso.’ (1 Petro 2:2) Chotero nchifukwa ninji nanga matchalitchi a Dziko Lachikristu anatengera zizindikirozo zimene mwachionekere zinali zachikunja nazisakaniza ndi zikhulupiriro ndi zochita zawo?
Buku lakuti Curiosities of Popular Customs likuyankha kuti: “Inali njira yosasintha ya Tchalitchi choyambirira kupereka tanthauzo lachikristu pamadzoma achikunja apanthaŵiyo otero amene sakanatha kuwathetsa. Ponena za Isitala kuisanduliza kwake kunali kosavuta kwambiri. Kukondwerera kutuluka kwa dzuŵa, ndi kugalamuka kwa chilengedwe pa imfa ya nyengo yozizira, kunakhala kukondwerera kutuluka kwa Dzuŵa lachilungamo, chiukiriro cha Kristu kuchokera kumanda. Miyambo ina yachikunja imene inachitika cha ku ma 1 May inasinthidwanso kuti igwirizane ndi chikondwerero cha Isitala.” M’malo mwa kupeŵa miyambo yotchuka yachikunja ndi zamatsenga, atsogoleri achipembedzo anazilekerera ndi kuzipatsa “tanthauzo lachikristu.”
‘Koma kodi pamenepo pali choipa chilichonse?’ mungafunse motero. Ena amaganiza kuti palibe. “Pamene chipembedzo monga Chikristu chifika pa mtundu wina wa anthu, chimatengera zinthu ndi ‘kubatiza’ miyambo ina yochokera ku zipembedzo zawo zakale,” anatero Alan W. Watts, mbusa wa Episikopo, m’buku lake lakuti Easter—Its Story and Meaning. “Chimasankha ndi kutengera miyambo yopembedzera ya eni dziko imene imaonekera kukhala ndi tanthauzo lofanana ndi ziphunzitso zosatha zimene Tchalitchi chimaphunzitsa.” Kwa ambiri, kuvomereza kwenikweniko kwa tchalitchi chawo kusunga miyambo imeneyi ndi kuichitira monga yopatulika kuli chifukwa chokwanira choilandirira. Koma mafunso ofunika amanyalanyazidwa. Kodi Mulungu amamva bwanji pa miyambo imeneyi? Kodi watipatsa zitsogozo zilizonse zoti titsatire pankhaniyi?
Kudziŵa Lingaliro la Mulungu
“Tsiku la Isitala, Phwando la Chiukiriro cha Ambuye Wathu, ndilo lalikulu kuposa mapwando onse a Tchalitchi chachikristu,” anatero Christina Hole m’buku lake lakuti Easter and Its Customs. Alembi ena akuvomereza. “Palibe tsiku kapena phwando lopatulika m’chaka chachikristu limene lingafanane kufunika kwake ndi Isitala Sande,” akutero Robert J. Myers m’buku lakuti Celebrations. Komabe, zimenezo zimadzutsa mafunso ena. Ngati kukondwerera Isitala kuli kofunika kwambiri, kodi nchifukwa ninji m’Baibulo mulibe lamulo la kuchita zimenezo? Kodi pali umboni wolembedwa uliwonse wa ophunzira a Yesu oyambirira wosonyeza kuti anasunga Isitala Sande?
Sikuti Baibulo limalephera kupereka zitsogozo ponena za chimene chiyenera ndi chimene sichiyenera kuchitidwa. Mulungu anali wolunjika pa zimenezi kumtundu wakale wa Israyeli, ndipo monga momwe taonera kale, malangizo omveka bwino anaperekedwa kwa Akristu kuti apitirize kusunga Chikumbutso cha imfa ya Kristu. (1 Akorinto 11:23-26; Akolose 2:16, 17) Kope loyambirira la The Encyclopædia Britannica limatiuza kuti: “M’Chipangano Chatsopano kapena m’malembo a Abambo autumwi mulibe chizindikiro cha kusunga phwando la Isitala. Kupatulika kwa nthaŵi zapadera kunali lingaliro limene Akristu oyambirira analibe. . . . Ambuye ngakhalenso atumwi sanalamule kusunga limeneli kapena phwando lina lililonse.”
Ena amalingalira kuti mkhalidwe wachisangalalo wa mapwando amenewo ndi chimwemwe chimene amabweretsa zili chifukwa choyenera cha kuwasungira. Komabe, tingaphunzire m’chochitika china pamene Aisrayeli anatengera mchitidwe wachipembedzo wachiigupto ndi kuutcha kuti “madyerero a Yehova.” Nawonso “anakhala pansi kudya ndi kumwa, nauka kuseŵera.” Koma machitidwe awo anakwiyitsa kwambiri Yehova Mulungu, ndipo anawalanga kowopsa.—Eksodo 32:1-10, 25-28, 35.
Mawu a Mulungu ali omveka bwino. Sipangakhale kuyanjana pakati pa “kuunika” kwa zikhulupiriro zoona ndi “mdima” wa dziko la Satana; sipangakhale ‘kuvomerezana’ pakati pa Kristu ndi kulambira kwachikunja. Tikuuzidwa kuti: “Chifukwa chake, tulukani pakati pawo, ndipo patukani, ati [Yehova, NW], ndipo musakhudza kanthu kosakonzeka; ndipo ine ndidzalandira inu.”—2 Akorinto 6:14-18.
Popeza kuti kuchita Chikumbutso kokha—osati Isitala—nkumene Akristu amalamulidwa m’Baibulo, ayenera kuchisunga. Chotero kodi tingachichite motani moyenera?
[Chithunzi patsamba 5]
“Madyerero a Yehova” a Aisrayeli anakwiyitsa kwambiri Mulungu
[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 2]
Chikuto: M. Thonig/H. Armstrong Roberts