Bible Society of South Africa

Hope through the cross – 15 January 2020

Neville Turley

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

MAREKA 8

34A bitsa letshwele le barutuwa ba hae, a re ho bona: “Haeba motho a rata ho ntatela, a itele, a jare sefapano sa hae, mme a ntatele. 35Mang le mang ya ratang ho pholosa bophelo ba hae, bo tla mo lahlehela, empa mang le mang ya lahlehelwang ke bophelo ba hae ka baka la ka, le ka baka la molaetsa o molemo, o tla bo pholosa.

MAREKA 8:34-35SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

DIKETSO 6

Kgetho ya ba supileng

1Matsatsing ao, ha barutuwa ba ntse ba ngatafala, Bajuda ba buang Segerike ba ile ba ipelaetsa ka ba tswaletsweng Judea, ka hore bahlolohadi ba habo bona ba sekisetswa kabong ya dithuso tsa letsatsi le letsatsi.

DIKETSO 7

Puo ya Setefane

1Yaba Moprista e Moholo o re: “Na ke tsona?”

2Setefane a re: “Banna ba heso, le lona bo-ntate, mamelang! Modimo ya tlotlehang o ile a iponahatsa ho ntata rona Aborahama ha a sa le Mesopotamia, a eso ahe Kgarane; 3a re ho yena: ‘Tloha naheng ya heno le ho bang ka wena, o ye naheng eo ke tla o supisa eona.’

4“Jwale a tloha naheng ya Bakalatiya a tla aha Kgarane. Hoba ntatae a shwe, Modimo a mo fallisetsa naheng ena eo le ahileng ho yona kajeno. 5Teng ha a a ka a mo fa sebaka seo e leng sa hae, leha e le ho lekanang bohato ba leoto, empa a mo tshepisa hore o tla mo nea yona, e be leruo la hae le la ditloholo tsa hae kamora lefu la hae, le hoja a na se na ngwana. 6Modimo a bua tjena, a re: ‘Ditloholo tsa hao e tla ba bajaki naheng ya baditjhaba, mme di tla etswa makgoba, di sotlwe ka dilemo tse makgolo a mane. 7Empa setjhaba se tla di etsa makgoba ke tla se ahlola,’ ha rialo Modimo, ‘mme kamorao ho tsena di tla tloha, di tlo ntshebeletsa sebakeng sena.’ 8Yaba Modimo o etsa selekane le yena, pontsho ya sona e le lebollo. Yare hoba Aborahama a tswale Isaka, a mmolotsa ka tsatsi la borobedi. Isaka a bolotsa Jakobo, mme Jakobo a bolotsa baholoholo ba leshome le metso e mmedi.

9“Baholoholo ba honohela Josefa, ba mo rekisa Egepeta, empa Modimo o ne a ena le yena, 10a mo namolela matshwenyehong wohle a hae. Modimo a mo nea leseho le bohlale pela Faro, kgosi ya Egepeta, mme Faro a mo kgetha ho ba mmusisi wa Egepeta le wa ntlo ya hae yohle.

11“Jwale tlala ya wela Egepeta yohle le Kanana, matshwenyeho a eba maholo, mme bo-ntata rona ba hloka dijo. 12Eitse ha Jakobo a utlwa hore dijo di teng Egepeta, a roma bo-ntata rona kgetlo la pele. 13Ka kgetlo la bobedi Josefa a itsebisa bana babo, mme Faro a tseba leloko la Josefa. 14Yaba Josefa o romela ho bitsa ntatae Jakobo le bang ka yena bohle, e le batho ba mashome a supileng a metso e mehlano. 15Jakobo a theohela Egepeta, moo yena le bo-ntata rona ba hlokahaletseng teng. 16Ditopo tsa bona tsa tliswa Shekeme, mme tsa epelwa lebitleng leo Aborahama a neng a le reke Shekeme ka silefera, ho bara ba Hemore.

17“Yare ha nako ya tshepiso eo Modimo a e etseditseng Aborahama e atamela, setjhaba sa ata, sa ngatafala Egepeta, 18ho fihlela ha ho busa kgosi e nngwe e neng e sa ka ya tseba Josefa. 19Eo ya sebetsa leloko la rona ka mano, ya sotla bo-ntata rona, ya ba lahlisa masea a bona, hore a tle a se ke a phela.

20“Ke ka nako ena Moshe a ileng a tswalwa, mme a kgahleha ho Modimo. A hodisetswa habo ka kgwedi tse tharo. 21Ha a se a lahlilwe, moradi wa Faro a mo thola, a ikgodisetsa yena jwaloka hoja e le mora wa hae. 22Moshe a rutwa bohlale bohle ba Baegepeta, mme a ba matla dipolelong le mesebetsing ya hae.

23“Ha a ena le dilemo tse mashome a mane, pelong ya hae ha eba le takatso ya ho tjhakela bana babo, bana ba Iseraele. 24Yare ha a bona e mong a etswa hampe, a mo thusetsa; a pheteletsa ya tlatlapuwang ka ho bolaya Moegepeta. 25Jwale a hopola hore bana babo ba tla utlwisisa hore Modimo o tla ba pholosa ka letsoho la hae, empa ha ba a ka ba utlwisisa. 26Ka letsatsi le hlahlamang, a fumana ba bang ba lwana, a leka ho ba boelanya hore ba etse kgotso, a re: ‘Banna, le bana ba motho; le etsetsanang hampe?’

27“Empa ya neng a etsa wa habo hampe a sutumeletsa Moshe thoko, a re: ‘Ke mang ya o entseng mmusi le moahlodi hodima rona? 28O so rata ho mpolaya jwalokaha o bolaile Moegepeta maobane?’ 29Moshe ha a utlwa polelo ena, a baleha ya eba mojaki naheng ya Midiane, moo a ileng a tswalla bara ba babedi teng.

30“Ha ho fetile dilemo tse mashome a mane, lengeloi la iponahatsa ho yena lehwatateng la thaba ya Sinai, le le hara malakabe a sehlahla se meutlwa, se tukang. 31Moshe ha a bona pono eo a e makalla. Ha a atamela ho shebisisa, lentswe la Morena la utlwahala, la re: 32‘Ke nna Modimo wa bo-ntatao, Modimo wa Aborahama, le wa Isaka, le wa Jakobo.’ Yaba Moshe o a thothomela, o hloka le sebete sa ho shebisisa.

33“Morena a re ho yena: ‘Rola meqathatso ya hao, hobane sebaka seo o emeng ho sona se a halalela. 34Ruri ke bone tshotleho ya setjhaba sa ka se Egepeta, ke utlwile ho dumaela ha sona, mme ke theohetse lefatsheng ke hona ho tla se lopolla; jwale tloo, ke tla o roma Egepeta.’

35“Moshe enwa, eo ba neng ba mo latole, ba re: ‘Ke mang ya o entseng mmusi le moahlodi?’ ke yena eo Modimo a mo romileng ka thuso ya lengeloi, le iponahaditseng sehlahleng, ho ba mmusi le molopolli. 36Ke yena ya ba ntshitseng Egepeta, a etsa dimakatso le mehlolo naheng eo, le Lewatleng le Lefubedu, le lehwatateng, ka dilemo tse mashome a mane. 37Ke yena Moshe enwa ya itseng ho bana ba Iseraele: ‘Hara bana babo lona, Modimo o tla le hlahisetsa Moporofeta ya kang nna.’ 38Ke yena ya ileng a ba teng phuthehong e lehwatateng, a ena le lengeloi le neng le bua le yena Thabeng ya Sinai, a ntse a ena le bo-ntata rona; ke yena ya amohetseng dipolelo tse phedisang ho le nea tsona.

39“Empa bo-ntata rona ba ile ba hana ho mo mamela, ba mo sutumeletsa thoko, dipelo tsa bona tsa kgutlela Egepeta, 40ba re ho Arone: ‘Re etsetse medimo e tla re etella pele, hobane Moshe enwa, ya re ntshitseng naheng ya Egepeta, ha re tsebe se mo hlahetseng.’ 41Matsatsing ao ba bopa namane, ba tlisetsa setshwantsho seo sehlabelo, ba thabela mesebetsi ya matsoho a bona. 42Yaba Modimo o a ba furalla, o neelana ka bona ho sebeletsa lebotho la lehodimo, jwalokaha ho ngotswe bukeng ya baporofeta, ho thwe:

“ ‘Na lona ba ntlo ya Iseraele,

le nnyeheletse ka tse hlabilweng

le ka dinyehelo

ka dilemo tse mashome a mane

lehwatateng?

43Le ile la jara tente ya Moloke,

le naledi ya modimo

o bitswang Refane,

e leng ditshwantsho

tseo le di etseditseng

ho di kgumamela.

Kahoo ke tla le fallisetsa

ka nqane ho Babilona.’

44“Bo-ntata rona ba ne ba ena le Tente e pakang boteng ba Modimo lehwatateng, kamoo ho laetseng ya neng a bua le Moshe kateng, hore a e etse jwaloka setshwantsho seo a ileng a se bona. 45Bo-ntata rona ba e amohela. Tlasa tsamaiso ya Joshua, ba tla le yona naheng ya baditjhaba, bao Modimo a ileng a ba leleka pela bo-ntata rona, ho fihlela mehleng ya Davida. 46Davida a ratwa ke Modimo, mme a kopa ho fumanela Modimo wa Jakobo ntlo. 47Empa ke Solomone ya ileng a mo hahela ntlo eo.

48“Feela Ya Hodimodimo ha a dule matlung a hahilweng ka matsoho, jwalokaha moporofeta a re:

49“ ‘Lehodimo ke terone ya ka,

lefatshe ke bonamelo

ba maoto a ka;

lona le tla nkgahela ntlo e jwang,

ho rialo Morena,

kapa sebaka ke sefe

seo nka phomolang ho sona?

50Na tsee tsohle ha di a etswa

ke letsoho la ka na?’

51“Lona ba manganga, ba pelo di thata, le tsebe tse sa mameleng jwaloka tsa bahedene, kamehla le lona le hlola le hanyetsa Moya o Halalelang, jwaloka bo-ntata lona! 52Ke ofe wa baporofeta ya sa kang a hloriswa ke bo-ntata lona? Ba bolaile ba neng ba bolele pele ho tla ha Ya Lokileng, eo le lona le bileng baeki le babolai ba hae; 53lona ba amohetseng Molao oo le o neeleditsweng ke mangeloi, empa la se ke la o boloka.”

Setefane o tlepetswa ka majwe

54Yare ha ba utlwa tsena, dipelo tsa bona tsa hlabeha, mme ba mo tsikitlanyetsa meno. 55Empa kaha a ne a tletse Moya o Halalelang, a tadima lehodimong, a bona kganya ya Modimo, le Jesu a eme ka letsohong le letona la Modimo, 56mme a re: “Bonang! Ke bona mahodimo a butswe, le Mora Motho a eme ka letsohong le letona la Modimo.”

57Jwale ba howa ka mantswe a phahameng, ba ithiba ditsebe, ba mo rutlolohela hong. 58Ba mo kgarameletsa kantle ho motse, ba mo tlepetsa ka majwe. Dipaki tsa bea diaparo tsa tsona maotong a mohlankana ya bitswang Saule.

59Ba tlepetsa Setefane ka majwe, a ntse a rapela, a re: “Morena Jesu, amohela moya wa ka!” 60Yaba o a kgumama, o howa ka lentswe le phahameng, o re: “Morena, o se ke wa ba balla sebe sena.” Hoba a rialo, a ithoballa.

DIKETSO 8

1Saule o ne a dumellana le polao ya Setefane.

Saule o hlorisa kereke

Ka tsatsi lona leo tlhoriso e kgolo ya hlahela kereke e Jerusalema, mme bohle, haese baapostola feela, ba qhalanela dinaheng tsa Judea le Samaria.

DIKETSO 6:1SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

“Then Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him. “If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.  For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for me and for the gospel, you will save it.” Mark 8:34-35 (GNT)

In the passage incorporating our verse for the day, the Lord was talking about his impending suffering and death. We could well have been in that crowd, for his message is binding on every one of us.

The first mention in the Gospel of Mark of the “cross” is here. If you were in that crowd, living under the rule of Rome, it would have sent a chill up your spine.

The word “cross” does not have the same stark impact on our ears today. But the meaning of what our Lord is saying is precisely the same. If you want to follow Jesus you must be prepared to place him first and foremost in your life. There is no other way. Nothing and no-one, must outrank the importance of your relationship with your Saviour. You must be prepared to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him.

Thank God for the witness first given to us by Stephen (Acts 6-8:1). In every generation there have been martyrs who have endured suffering to the point of death and by so doing, brought glory to God’s name.

The persecution of Christians continues to this day. One needs only to follow the media reports to perceive how shockingly believers are treated and often ruthlessly slaughtered, because of their Christian faith.

Not all of us are called by God to make the supreme sacrifice, but all of us are called by God to lead a Christ-centred lifestyle. That means being resolute in carrying out God’s will for our life. The Holy Spirit enables us to do just that.

Prayer: We give thanks, O God, for the witness of all those who live and die for the faith. And above all else, we thank you Father for the Lord Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. We vest our hope in the one Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
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