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LERAARS WAT GETROU IS AAN JESUS, DINK VIR HULSELF

LERAARS WAT GETROU IS AAN JESUS, DINK VIR HULSELF

Oor die jare het ek baie gesprekke gehad met leraars van ‘n wye verskeidenheid genootskaplike agtergronde, en ek het ontdek dat hulle, net soos almal, in twee algemene groepe val: diegene wat getrou is aan Jesus en diegene wat getrou is aan iets anders.

Terwyl leraars menslik is en dus onderhewig is aan presies dieselfde versoekings, stryde en konflikte wat elke ander persoon ervaar, fokus ek op hulle in hierdie blog omdat hulle in ‘n plek van godsdienstige leierskap is, ‘n plek waar hulle onder-herders van die Groot Herder is en die verantwoordelikheid aanvaar om groepe Christene te lei, en omdat baie mense na hul leraars kyk vir antwoorde en voorbeelde oor wat om te doen en hoe om te lewe. As ‘n leraar dus verkeerd is of verkeerde beginsels beoefen, sal hul invloed versprei en baie ander op ‘n dwaalspoor lei.

In die Skrif sien ons dit gebeur met die godsdienstige leiers van Israel van Christus se tyd toe hulle die mense beïnvloed het om Jesus te betwyfel en te wantrou (Johannes 7:13, 45-49; 9:22).

Waaraan kan ‘n leraar getrou wees anders as Jesus? Aan leerstellings, geloofsbelydenisse, tradisies, organisasies, denominasies of kerkowerhede. Ons sien dit in die geskiedenis van die Christendom toe verskeie priesters en kerkleiers lojaliteit aan hul organisasies bevorder het eerder as om die waarheid te volg soos God dit geopenbaar het.

God het enigiemand wat die rol aanneem om namens Hom te praat, die rol om mense van Hom te leer, om die kudde vir Hom te lei, vooraf gewaarsku dat hulle lojaal aan Hom moet bly bo hul seniors of leiers in die werk. Ons vind die verhaal in 1 Konings 13, waarin ‘n jong profeet deur God opdrag gegee is om ‘n boodskap aan die koning te gee en dan terug te keer huis toe sonder om kos en drank te aanvaar. Maar die jong profeet is ontmoet deur ‘n ander profeet van die Here – nie ‘n valse profeet nie, nie iemand van ‘n ander godsdiens nie, nie ‘n Baälaanbidder nie, nie iemand wat ontrou was aan die saak nie – wat die jong profeet na sy huis genooi het vir kos en verkwikking. Toe die jong profeet verduidelik dat die Here hom beveel het om nie te stop vir enige kos of drank nie, het

“Die ou profeet geantwoord: Ek is ook ‘n profeet, soos jy. En ‘n engel het vir my gesê deur die woord van die HERE: “Bring hom saam met jou terug na jou huis, sodat hy brood kan eet en water kan drink” (Maar hy het vir hom gelieg.) (1 Konings 13:18 NIV 84).

Die senior profeet het vir die junior gelieg, en die jonger profeet, eerder as om vir homself te dink, eerder as om die bewyse vir homself te ondersoek, eerder as om te kies om die waarheid te volg hoe hy verstaan het wat God hom beveel om met sy lewe te doen, in plaas daarvan het hy hom onmiddellik aan sy senior onderwerp, sy oordeel oorgegee aan iemand met meer ervaring en tyd in die bediening, en het na sy huis gegaan vir verkwikking. Die Bybel gaan voort met die storie,

“Toe het die man van God saam met hom teruggekeer en in sy huis geëet en gedrink. Terwyl hulle aan tafel gesit het, het die woord van die HERE tot die ou profeet gekom wat hom teruggebring het. Hy het uitgeroep na die man van God wat uit Juda gekom het: ‘So sê die HERE: “Jy het die woord van die HERE uitgedaag en die bevel wat die HERE jou God jou gegee het, nie onderhou nie. Jy het teruggekom en brood geëet en water gedrink op die plek waar hy vir jou gesê het om nie te eet of te drink nie. Daarom sal jou liggaam nie in die graf van jou vaders begrawe word nie”’” (1 Konings 13:19-22).

Op pad huis toe is die jong man deur ‘n leeu doodgemaak. Tog het die donkie waarop hy gery het en die leeu saam langs die liggaam gestaan – ‘n manifestasie dat dit nie natuurlike jag van prooi was nie (1 Konings 13:24, 25).

Hoekom is hierdie storie in die Bybel? Omdat God mense waarsku, veral diegene wat sy roeping aanvaar het om sy agente, bedienaars, herders, priesters, profete, leraars, sendelinge te wees – enigiemand wat die rol aanneem om Jesus aan ander te verteenwoordig – dat ons vir onsself moet dink, ons moet die waarheid vir onsself verstaan, ons moet in die eerste plek lojaal aan God wees, en oor sake van waarheid, plig teenoor God, die evangelieboodskap en God se roeping in ons lewens. Ons moet nooit ons denke oorgee aan diegene in senior leierskap, kerklike gesag, tradisie of organisatoriese hiërargie nie. Dit is wat die apostel Paulus gedemonstreer het toe hy nie die waarheid en sy denke aan die Joodse leierskap of selfs aan Petrus wou oorgee, toe Petrus dwaling voorgestaan het nie (Galasiërs 2:11). Hy het geskryf dat elke mens ten volle oortuig moet wees in sy eie verstand (Romeine 14:5).

Ek ken soveel pragtige, goedhartige leraars wat Jesus liefhet en die waarheid leef en leer, maar ek het gesien hoe ander die rol van die jong profeet aanneem, met alle goeie bedoelinge, sonder enige opstandigheid teenoor God in hul hart, verraai hulle die waarheid in ‘n poging om lojaal te wees aan die saak, die organisasies, die tradisies, die geloofsbelydenisse, of hul seniors in die werk deur ‘n ander leier se advies, aanwysings, gevolgtrekkings of institusionele instruksies te volg, ten spyte daarvan dat hulle oortuig is dat die waarheid voortdurend ontvou en dat hulle verby beweeg het waar die huidige leierskap of organisasie funksioneer.

Soos ons die finale gebeure voor Christus se wederkoms nader, sal ons ‘n skudding onder die mense sien – en dit sal leraars en kerkleiers insluit. En net soos in Christus se dag, sal daar baie getroue mense en leiers (Nikodemus, Josef van Arimatea) wees wat van hul organisasies en hul hardkoppige leiers sal wegbreek om getrou aan Jesus te bly. Maar ongelukkig sal baie ander kies om getrou te wees aan die stelsel, die geloofsbelydenisse, die tradisies, die organisasie en weg stap van die waarheid af.

Dit is ‘n pynlike feit van die geskiedenis, ‘n pynlike ervaring wanneer dit gebeur, maar die getroue leraars sal die waarheid volg waarheen dit lei, selfs al lei dit weg van die kerke waaraan hulle hul lewens gewy het en wat hulle liefhet. Een Bybelkommentaar stel dit so:

“Soos die lig en lewe van die mens deur die kerklike owerhede in die tyd van Christus verwerp is, so is dit nog in elke daaropvolgende geslag verwerp. Keer op keer is die geskiedenis van Christus se onttrekking uit Judea herhaal. Toe die Hervormers die woord van God verkondig het, het hulle geen gedagte gehad om hulself van die gevestigde kerk af te skei nie; maar die godsdiensleiers wou die lig nie duld nie, en dié wat die lig gedra het, is gedwing om hulle na ‘n ander klas te wend wat na die waarheid verlang het. Vandag word min van die erkende volgelinge van die Hervormers deur hulle gees besiel. Min luister na die stem van God en is bereid om die waarheid aan te neem in watter vorm dit ook aangebied word. Dikwels word diegene wat in die voetspore van die Hervormers volg, gedwing om die kerke wat hulle liefhet te verlaat, sodat hulle die duidelike leer van die Woord van God kan verkondig. En dikwels word mense wat na die lig soek deur dieselfde leer verplig om die kerk van hul vadere te verlaat, sodat hulle God kan gehoorsaamheid” (Koning van die Eeue, bl. 232, beklemtoning myne).

Ek nooi elke persoon, leraar, priester, kerkleier en gemeentelid uit om jou Godgegewe individualiteit te ontwikkel en altyd vir jouself te dink, vir jouself te studeer en die waarheid en stem van God vir jouself te ken. En wanneer dit kom by sake van waarheid, plig en gewete, moet jy jouself nooit aan enigiemand anders as Jesus Christus oorgee nie, maar bied die waarheid in liefde aan en laat ander toe om te verskil en jou selfs te verwerp en te beledig (soos die gelowiges deur die hele geskiedenis ervaar het) solank jy getrou is aan ons Verlosser en sy waarheid.

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