Wayengaluphalanga Kangangokuba Angakwazi Ukukhonza UYehova
ABANTU abaninzi abalupheleyo banoluvo lokuba iminyaka yabo eseleyo ibafumbathele ithemba elincinane lolonwabo. Omnye umdlali weqonga odumileyo owaluphalayo wathi: “Ubomi bam ndidlale ngabo, yaye sendishiywe lixesha kakhulu ukuba ndingabuguqula . . . Xa ndizihambela ndedwa, ndiye ndicinge ngobomi bam, yaye andonwabi ngenxa yendlela endibuphila ngayo . . . Naphi na apho ndikhoyo andonwabi yaye andikwazi ukuzinza.”
Umfazi owalupheleyo owayephila phantse kwiminyaka engama-2 000 eyadlulayo wayengenayo ingxaki enjalo. Wayengumhlolokazi oneminyaka engama-84 ubudala, kodwa wayekhuthele, onwabile ibe wayekholiswa kakhulu nguye uThixo. Igama lakhe yayinguAna yaye wayenesizathu esikhethekileyo sokuvuya. Sasiyintoni?
“Obengemki Etempileni”
Umbhali weVangeli uLuka usixelela ngalo Ana. Uthi, “Kwaye kukho noAna umprofetikazi, intombi kaFanuweli, wesizwe sika-Ashere” kwaSirayeli. Njengomprofetikazi, wayenesipho somoya oyingcwele kaThixo, okanye amandla asebenzayo, ngendlela ekhethekileyo. Yaye ngesinye isihlandlo esibalaseleyo uAna wafumana ithuba elizukileyo lokuprofeta.
ULuka uyabalisa: “Yena waye eselekhulile kakhulu; waye ke ebehleli nendoda iminyaka esixhenxe, ethabathela ebuntombini bakhe. Waye yena engumhlolokazi ominyaka ngathi imashumi asibhozo anamine.” (Luka 2:36, 37) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba, uAna waba ngumhlolokazi esemncinane kakhulu. Abafazi bamaKristu abangabahlolokazi nokuba bangakanani ngeminyaka bayayazi indlela ekubuhlungu ngayo ukulahlekelwa ngumyeni othandekayo ekufeni. Noko ke, njengabafazi abaninzi aboyika uThixo bomhla wethu uAna akazange avumele la mava abuhlungu ukuba amyekise ukukhonza uThixo.
ULuka usixelela ukuba uAna ‘ebengemki etempileni’ eYerusalem. (Luka 2:37) Wayezixabisa ngokunzulu iintsikelelo ezazifumaneka ngokukhonza endlwini kaThixo. Izenzo zakhe zazibonisa ukuba yena, njengokumkani ongumdumisi wakwaSirayeli uDavide, wayecela into enye kuYehova. Yayiyintoni leyo? UDavide wacula: “Ndicele nto-nye kuYehova, ndifuna yona: Ukuba ndihlale endlwini kaYehova yonke imihla yobomi bam, ndibone ubuhle bukaYehova, ndiphicothe etempileni yakhe.” (INdumiso 27:4) Nakule nkalo, uAna ufana nabafazi abangamaKristu banamhlanje abavuyiswa kukubakho rhoqo kwindawo kaYehova yonqulo.
UAna wayenikela inkonzo engcwele kuYehova imini nobusuku. Wakwenza oku “ngokuzila ukudla nangokukhunga,” nto leyo eyayibonisa ukuzila nolangazelelo olunyanisekileyo. (Luka 2:37) Ukulawulwa kangangeenkulungwane kwamaYuda ngamagunya eeNtlanga, kunye neemeko zonqulo eziwohlokayo ezafikelela nasetempileni nakubabingeleli bayo, kusenokwenzeka ukuba zezinye zezizathu ezazibangela ukuba uAna azile ukutya aze akhunge kuYehova uThixo. Kodwa kwakhona wayenesizathu sokonwaba, ngokukodwa ngenxa yento ethile engaqhelekanga eyenzeka ngosuku olubaluleke ngokwenene ngonyaka wesi-2 B.C.E.
Intsikelelo Engalindelekanga
Ngolu suku lubaluleke kakhulu, umntwana uYesu waziswa etempileni eYerusalem ngunina, uMariya noyise owamkhulisayo, uYosefu. USimon owalupheleyo wambona umntwana waza ngeso sihlandlo wathetha amazwi abuprofeti. (Luka 2:25-35) Njengesiqhelo uAna wayesetempileni. ULuka uthi: “Yena wayemele kufuphi ngelo lixa.” (Luka 2:38) Hayi indlela amele ukuba wachulumanca ngayo uAna njengoko amehlo akhe anorhatyazo ayebona uMesiya wexesha elizayo!
Kwiintsuku ezingama-40 ngaphambilana, isithunywa sikaThixo sasothuse abalusi kufuphi naseBhetelehem ngala mazwi: “Yabonani, ndinishumayeza iindaba ezilungileyo zovuyo olukhulu, oluya kuba kubo bonke abantu; ngokuba nizalelwe namhlanje emzini kaDavide uMsindisi, onguKristu iNkosi.” Inyambalala yomkhosi wasezulwini yamdumisa uYehova yaza yongezelela isithi: “Uzuko kuThixo enyangweni, uxolo emhlabeni, inkolelo ebantwini.” (Luka 2:8-14) Ngokukwanjalo, ngoku uAna washukunyiselwa ukuba anikele ubungqina ngalowo wayeza kuba nguMesiya!
Xa wayebona usana olunguYesu, uAna “wathelela ekuyidumiseni iNkosi; wayethetha ngayo kubo bonke abo babelinde ukukhululwa ngentlawulelo, eYerusalem.” (Luka 2:38) NjengoSimon owalupheleyo, naye wajizekwa ngelungelo lokubona usana olunguYesu etempileni, ngokungathandabuzekiyo wayesoloko enolangazelelo, ethandaza yaye elindele uMkhululi othenjisiweyo. Iindaba ezilungileyo zokuba uYesu wayenguloo mkhululi zazilunge kakhulu ukuba angazigcina kuye.
Nangona kusenokwenzeka ukuba uAna wayengakulindelanga ukuba wayeya kube esaphila ekukhuleni kukaYesu, wenza ntoni? Ngovuyo wanikel’ ubungqina kwabanye ngokukhululwa okwakuza kwenzeka ngalo Mesiya uzayo.
Umzekelo Omhle Ka-Ana
Bangaphi abantu bonqulo beli hlabathi abanokunikela ubungqina okanye abanokuba besanqula imini nobusuku kubudala beminyaka engama-84? Kunokwenzeka ukuba, bebeya kube sebecele umhlala-phantsi kwiminyaka eliqela ngaphambilana. UAna noSimon babahlukile. Bamisela umzekelo omhle kubo bonke abakhonzi abalupheleyo bakaYehova. Ngokwenene, babeyithanda indlu kaYehova yonqulo yaye bemdumisa ngentliziyo yabo iphela.
UAna ungumzekelo obalaseleyo womhlolokazi owoyika uThixo. Eneneni, inkcazelo kaLuka ngalo mfazi uthobekileyo walupheleyo iyafana neemfaneleko zomhlolokazi ofanelekileyo ochazwe kweyoku-1 kuTimoti 5:3-16. Apho umpostile uPawulos uthi umhlolokazi onjalo “uhlala ehleli ekukhungeni nasemithandazweni ubusuku nemini,” “umfazi wandoda-nye,” yaye ‘usukelana nemisebenzi yonke elungileyo.’ UAna wayengumfazi onjalo.
Namhlanje, sinabahlolokazi abalupheleyo abathembekileyo abanikela inkonzo engcwele kuThixo imini nobusuku kumabandla angamawaka amaNgqina kaYehova asehlabathini lonke. Hayi indlela esikuxabisa ngayo ukuba naba “Ana” banamhlanje phakathi kwethu!
Kwanakwiminyaka yobudala, amadoda nabafazi banokuzahlulela kuThixo baze bafuzisele oku ngokubhaptizwa emanzini. Abalupheleyo abaze babe badala kangangokuba bangakwazi ukukhonza uYehova nokunikela ubungqina ngoBukumkani obungoMesiya ngoku obumiselwe emazulwini nesele kusemnyango ukuba buzise iintsikelelo ezityebileyo kuluntu oluthobelayo. Abantu abalupheleyo ngoku abanikela inkonzo engcwele kuThixo banokungqina ukuba uYehova uyabasikelela, njengokuba uAna wasikelelwa ngokukhethekileyo kwiinkulungwane ezadlulayo. Wayengaluphalanga kangangokuba angakwazi ukukhonza uYehova nokudumisa igama lakhe elingcwele—kunjalo nangabo.