📖 Wahusika wa Biblia II — Sehemu ya 6: Yohana Mbatizaji — Mtangulizi Aliyeona Shaka Gizani📖 Bible Characters II — Unit 6: John the Baptist — The Forerunner Who Doubted in the Dark

Kuhusu Yohana Mbatizaji, Bwana Yesu alisema kwamba miongoni mwa wale waliozaliwa na wanawake hajatokea mtu aliye mkuu kuliko yeye. Alikuwa mtangulizi wa Masihi, mhubiri aliyeyagusa makutano na kuligeuza taifa zima kuelekea toba. Na bado jitu hili la imani, akiwa amefungwa gerezani, alitikiswa na shaka. Hadithi yake ni faraja kwa kila mwamini ambaye amewahi kujiuliza maswali gizani, kwa sababu inatuonyesha kwamba Kristo hujibu shaka ya dhati si kwa karipio bali kwa ushahidi.Of John the Baptist the Lord Jesus said that among those born of women there had not risen anyone greater. He was the forerunner of the Messiah, a preacher who moved multitudes and turned a nation toward repentance. And yet this giant of faith, shut up in a dungeon, was shaken by doubt. His story is a comfort to every believer who has ever wondered in the dark, because it shows us that Christ answers honest doubt not with a rebuke but with evidence.

Somo: Yohana Mbatizaji — mtangulizi aliyeona shaka gizani.Subject: John the Baptist — the forerunner who doubted in the dark.

Kusudi kuu: Hata aliye mkuu kuliko wote waliozaliwa na wanawake anaweza kutikiswa katika gereza la kuvunjika moyo, na Kristo hujibu shaka ya dhati kwa ushahidi, si kwa karipio.Proposition: Even the greatest born of women can be shaken in the prison of discouragement, and Christ answers honest doubt with evidence, not rebuke.

Tutafuata hatua tatu katika maisha yake.We will follow three movements in his life.

I. MtanguliziI. The Forerunner

Maisha ya Yohana yalikuwa muujiza tangu mwanzo. Alizaliwa kwa Zakaria kuhani na mkewe Elisabeti katika uzee wao, muda mrefu baada ya miaka ya kuzaa kupita, na kuzaliwa kwake kulitangazwa mapema na malaika Gabrieli (Luka 1). Alikua akawa mhubiri wa toba nyikani, mtu shupavu aliyevaa singa za ngamia akipiga kelele, "Itengenezeni njia ya Bwana." Makutano walimiminika kwenda kumsikia na kubatizwa, wakiziungama dhambi zao. Ubatizo wake ulikuwa ubatizo wa toba, kugeuka hadharani kutoka dhambini ili kujiweka tayari kwa ajili ya Bwana. Hakumwogopa mtu yeyote. Viongozi wa dini wenye kiburi walipomjia, aliwaita uzao wa nyoka, akawaonya wasiutumainie ukoo wao, kwa maana "shoka limekwisha kuwekwa penye mashina ya miti." Hata hivyo, pamoja na moto wake wote, hakujivutia macho ya watu kamwe. "Yeye ajaye ana nguvu kuliko mimi," alisema, "ambaye sistahili kuilegeza gidamu ya viatu vyake; yeye atawabatiza kwa Roho Mtakatifu na kwa moto." Alijua kwamba alikuwa mpiga mbiu tu wa Mfalme aliye mkuu zaidi. Kisha siku moja binamu yake mwenyewe alimjia kwenye Mto Yordani, na Yohana akambatiza Yesu, akamwona Roho akishuka juu yake kama hua. Tangu wakati huo Yohana alielekeza kila jicho mbali na nafsi yake na kumwelekea Kristo:John's life was a miracle from the start. He was born to Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth in their old age, long past the years of childbearing, his birth announced beforehand by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1). He grew up to become the wilderness preacher of repentance, a rugged figure in camel's hair crying, "Prepare the way of the LORD." Crowds streamed out to hear him and to be baptized, confessing their sins. His was a baptism of repentance, a public turning from sin to make ready for the Lord. He feared no one. When the proud religious leaders came out to him, he called them a brood of vipers and warned them not to trust in their ancestry, for "the axe is laid to the root of the trees." Yet for all his fire he never drew attention to himself. "One mightier than I is coming," he said, "whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." He knew he was only the herald of a greater King. Then one day his own cousin came to him at the Jordan, and John baptized Jesus, and saw the Spirit descend on Him like a dove. From that moment John pointed every eye away from himself and toward Christ:

Hilo ndilo lililokuwa kusudi zima la maisha yake. Wanafunzi wake mwenyewe walipoona wivu kwa sababu makutano sasa walikuwa wakimwendea Yesu, Yohana alitoa mojawapo ya majibu bora kabisa katika Maandiko yote:That was the whole purpose of his life. When his own disciples grew jealous that the crowds were now going to Jesus, John gave one of the noblest answers in all of Scripture:

Huyu alikuwa mtu mkuu aliyeridhika kuwa mdogo ili Kristo awe mkuu zaidi. Alijua kwamba yeye alikuwa rafiki wa Bwana-arusi tu, sauti tu, yule aliyetangulia tu. Hakuna alama ya ukuu iliyo ya kweli zaidi kuliko hiyo.Here was a great man content to grow smaller so that Christ might grow greater. He knew he was only the friend of the Bridegroom, only the voice, only the one who came before. There is no truer mark of greatness than that.

II. Shaka GerezaniII. The Doubt in Prison

Lakini hadithi inageuka kuwa ya giza. Yohana alikuwa amemkemea Herode bila hofu kwa kumchukua mke wa ndugu yake, na kwa kusema kweli hiyo alitupwa gerezani. Huko, katika unyevunyevu na ukimya, akiwa ametengwa na anga wazi na mto unaotiririka na makutano, mhubiri mkuu alivunjika moyo. Na kadiri kuvunjika moyo kulivyomtanda, shaka ikaingia kimyakimya. Yeye aliyekuwa amembatiza Masihi, aliyekuwa ameisikia sauti kutoka mbinguni na kumwona hua akishuka, sasa aliwatuma wanafunzi wake kuuliza swali ambalo lazima lilimgharimu sana:But the story takes a dark turn. John had fearlessly rebuked Herod for taking his brother's wife, and for speaking that truth he was thrown into prison. There, in the damp and the silence, cut off from the open sky and the rushing river and the crowds, the great preacher grew discouraged. And as discouragement settled over him, doubt crept in. He who had baptized the Messiah, who had heard the voice from heaven and seen the descending dove, now sent his disciples to ask a question that must have cost him dearly:

Ni jambo la kushangaza kwamba Yohana, kuliko watu wote, angeweza kufikia swali kama hilo. Ni nini kilichomtikisa? Yamkini lilikuwa pengo kati ya kile alichokitarajia kwa Masihi na kile alichokuwa akikisikia sasa. Yohana alikuwa amemhubiri Kristo ambaye angekuja na moto na hukumu, ambaye pepeto lake lilikuwa mkononi mwake ili kulisafisha sana sakafu yake ya kupuria. Lakini habari zilizokuwa zikimfikia chumbani mwake gerezani zilieleza juu ya Mponyaji mpole aliyewahubiri maskini habari njema na kumwacha Herode mwovu kwenye kiti chake cha enzi — na kumwacha Yohana mwenyewe katika minyororo. Ikiwa Yesu kweli ndiye yule Ajaye, huenda Yohana alijiuliza, kwa nini mimi bado niko hapa gizani? Lakini ndivyo kuvunjika moyo kunavyoifanyia nafsi; katika gereza la giza, tunasahau kile tulichokijua waziwazi katika nuru. Angalia jinsi Bwana Yesu alivyomjibu. Hakumkaripia Yohana, hakumwaibisha, hakumnyang'anya wito wake. Alielekeza tu kwenye ushahidi:It is a stunning thing that John, of all people, could come to such a question. What had shaken him? Most likely it was the gap between what he had expected of the Messiah and what he now heard. John had preached a Christ who would come with fire and judgment, whose winnowing fan was in His hand to clear the threshing floor. But the reports drifting into his cell told of a gentle Healer who preached good news to the poor and left the wicked Herod on his throne — and left John himself in chains. If Jesus was truly the Coming One, John may have wondered, why am I still here in the dark? But discouragement does that to the soul; in the prison of the dark, we forget what we knew so clearly in the light. Notice how the Lord Jesus answered him. He did not scold John, did not shame him, did not strip him of his calling. He simply pointed to the evidence:

Kwa maneno mengine: Yohana, wewe tayari unajua. Umekwisha kuuona ushahidi; rudi kwake. Kazi za Kristo zilikuwa zikifanyika waziwazi, sawasawa na jinsi manabii walivyotabiri. Tatizo la Yohana halikuwa ukosefu wa ushahidi; alikuwa ameuona ushahidi kwa macho yake mwenyewe. Tatizo lake lilikuwa kwamba katika gereza la kuvunjika moyo alikuwa ameusahau. Na kisha, mara tu wanafunzi wa Yohana walipoondoka, Yesu aligeuka kwa makutano na kumheshimu mtu yule yule aliyekuwa ametoka kumtilia shaka: "Miongoni mwa wale waliozaliwa na wanawake hajatokea mtu aliye mkuu kuliko Yohana Mbatizaji" (Mathayo 11:11). Bwana hakumpenda Yohana hata kidogo pungufu kwa sababu ya saa yake ya giza.In other words: John, you already know. You have already seen the proof; go back to it. The works of the Christ were being done in plain sight, exactly as the prophets had foretold. John's problem was not a lack of evidence; he had seen the evidence with his own eyes. His problem was that in the prison of discouragement he had forgotten it. And then, the moment John's disciples had gone, Jesus turned to the crowd and honored the very man who had just doubted Him: "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). The Lord did not love John any less for his dark hour.

III. Dawa — Rudi kwa KristoIII. The Remedy — Go Back to Christ

Hii ni aina maalumu ya shaka: si shaka ya kama Mungu yupo, bali shaka juu ya hali ya mtu mwenyewe mbele za Mungu — swali linalonong'ona gizani, "Je, kweli mimi ni wake kabisa?" Nakumbuka siku moja mke wangu aliponiuliza jinsi nilivyokabiliana na shaka. Nilianza kueleza maswali ya zamani niliyokuwa nimeshindana nayo kuhusu kama Mungu yupo kweli, lakini alinisimamisha. "Hapana," alisema, "sijawahi kutilia shaka kwamba Mungu yupo. Nimekuwa nikitilia shaka kama kweli mimi ni Mkristo." Hiyo ndiyo shaka ya Yohana Mbatizaji, na wengi wa watoto wapendwa sana wa Mungu hupitia ndani yake. Yohana hakuwa jitu la kwanza kushushwa chini kwa namna hii. Eliya, akiwa ametoka tu kuushusha moto juu ya Mlima Karmeli, alikimbilia nyikani, akaketi chini ya mti wa mretemu, akamwomba Mungu amwache afe. Na Bwana alimjibuje nabii wake aliyevunjika moyo? Si kwa kumkaripia, bali kwa usingizi, na chakula, na sauti ya upole. Mungu huwashughulikia watakatifu waliochoka kwa upole. Anajua umbo letu; anakumbuka kwamba sisi tu mavumbi. Kuvunjika moyo si sawa na kutoamini, na Bwana havunji mwanzi uliopondeka.This is a particular kind of doubt: not the doubt of whether God exists, but the doubt of one's own standing — the question that whispers in the dark, "Am I really His at all?" I remember when my own wife asked me one day how I dealt with doubt. I began to explain the old questions I had wrestled with about whether God was even there, but she stopped me. "No," she said, "I have never doubted that God is there. I have been doubting whether I am really a Christian." That is the John the Baptist doubt, and many of God's dearest children pass through it. John was not the first giant brought low this way. Elijah, fresh from calling down fire on Mount Carmel, fled into the wilderness, sat down under a juniper tree, and asked God to let him die. And how did the Lord answer His discouraged prophet? Not with a scolding, but with sleep, and food, and a gentle voice. God deals tenderly with weary saints. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Discouragement is not the same as unbelief, and the Lord does not break the bruised reed.

Dawa si kukimbiza hisia. Hisia hupanda na kushuka; tuna siku nzuri na siku mbaya, na mtu anaweza hata kulemewa na kutokuwa na uwiano wa kemikali mwilini ambao hauhusiani kabisa na imani. Ikiwa uhakika wetu unategemea jinsi tunavyojisikia, utapeperushwa na upepo baridi unaofuata. Uhakika lazima utegemee Kristo na ahadi zake. Yohana aliandika barua yake kwa sababu hii hasa:The cure is not to chase a feeling. Feelings rise and fall; we have good days and bad days, and a person may even be weighed down by a chemical imbalance that has nothing to do with faith at all. If our assurance rests on how we feel, it will blow away with the next cold wind. Assurance must rest on Christ and on His promises. John wrote his letter for exactly this reason:

Mungu anakusudia watoto wake wajue. Na Bwana mwenyewe ametoa ahadi inayotushikilia wakati kila hisia inaposhindwa:God means for His children to know. And the Lord Himself has given the promise that holds us when every feeling fails:

Shaka inapoingia, dawa si kutazama ndani kwenye mioyo yetu inayoyumbayumba bali kutazama nyuma kwenye kile Kristo alichotuonyesha na nje kwenye kile alichokiahidi. Tunarudi msalabani, kwenye kaburi tupu, kwenye Neno lililo hakika, na tunapumzika hapo. Shaka si dhambi kila mara, wala si mwisho wa imani. Mara nyingi ni uchovu wa nafsi tu ukilia gizani, na jibu si kukata tamaa bali kumtazama tena Yule ambaye hajawahi kushindwa kamwe. Kristo yule yule aliyempelekea Yohana habari gerezani kwake hutuletea Neno lake katika magereza yetu, na Neno hilo linatosha.When doubt creeps in, the remedy is not to look inward at our wavering hearts but to look back to what Christ has shown us and outward to what He has promised. We go back to the cross, back to the empty tomb, back to the sure Word, and we rest there. Doubt is not always sin, and it is not the end of faith. Often it is simply the soul's exhaustion crying out in the dark, and the answer is not to despair but to look again at the One who has never failed. The same Christ who sent word to John in his prison sends His Word to us in ours, and that Word is enough.

Yohana hakutoka kamwe katika gereza lile. Herode, akiwa amenaswa na kiapo cha haraka alichokiapa katika karamu, aliamuru akatwe kichwa ili kumpendeza binti aliyecheza na mama yake mwenye kisasi (Marko 6). Mtu mkuu kuliko wote waliozaliwa na wanawake alikufa gerezani kwa kusema kweli. Lakini alikufa akiwa wa Bwana, na saa yake ya giza ya shaka haikumwangamiza, kwa sababu hali yake mbele za Mungu haikuwahi kutegemea hisia zake tangu mwanzo; ilimtegemea Kristo ambaye yeye mwenyewe alikuwa akiwaelekeza wengine kwake muda wote.John never came out of that prison. Herod, trapped by a rash oath made at a banquet, had him beheaded to please a dancing girl and her vengeful mother (Mark 6). The greatest man born of women died in a cell for telling the truth. But he died the Lord's, and his dark hour of doubt did not undo him, because his standing never rested on his feelings in the first place; it rested on the Christ he had pointed others to all along.

Basi jipe moyo, wewe unayemtumikia Mungu na bado wakati mwingine unajiuliza maswali usiku. Kuvunjika moyo kunaweza kulitikisa hata jitu la imani. Lakini jibu daima ni lile lile: rudi kwa Kristo. Rudi kwenye kile alichokuonyesha na kwenye kile alichokuahidi, kwa maana uhakika wako unamtegemea yeye, na "Yeye hana budi kuzidi" huku kila shaka ikififia katika nuru yake.So take heart, you who serve God and yet sometimes wonder in the night. Discouragement can shake even a giant of faith. But the answer is always the same: go back to Christ. Return to what He has shown you and to what He has promised, for your assurance rests on Him, and "He must increase" while every doubt grows small in His light.