GULU lina la anthu linapita kudera lina kukaona malo. Anthuwa atafika pamalo amene panali mzinda wakale wa Betelehemu, anakumbukira zimene zinkachitika mumzindawu kale. Pa nthawiyi n’kuti njala ikuwapweteka kwambiri ndipo mmodzi wa anthuwo anaona malo ena odyera. Anthuwa anapita pamalowo ndipo anadya chakudya china chokoma chotchedwa falafel. Chakudyachi amachiphika posakaniza nsawawa, tomato, anyezi ndi masamba. Pokudya, amaphatikiza ndi mkate. Atadya zimenezi, anapezanso mphamvu zopitirizira ulendo wawo.

Anthuwa sankadziwa kuti chakudya chimene anadyachi ndi chakudya chomwe anthu akale a kuderali ankadya. Dzina lakuti Betelehemu limatanthauza kuti, “Nyumba ya Chakudya” kapena mkate ndipo anthu a kuderali akhala akuphika mikate imeneyi kuyambira kale kwambiri. (Rute 1:22; 2:14) Mpaka pano anthu a ku Betelehemu amakondabe kudya chakudyachi.

Zaka pafupifupi 4,000 zapitazo, Sara, mkazi wa Abulahamu, yemwe ankakhala pafupi ndi mzinda wa Betelehemu, anapanga “makeke ozungulira” n’kupatsa alendo amene anabwera kunyumba kwake mwadzidzidzi. (Genesis 18:6) “Ufa wosalala” umene Sara anagwiritsa ntchito uyenera kuti unali wa tirigu kapena wa balere. Sara ankayenera kupanga chakudyachi mwachangu ndipo n’kutheka kuti anagwiritsa ntchito miyala yotentha.—1 Mafumu 19:6.

Zimenezi zikusonyeza kuti anthu a m’banja la Abulahamu ankapanga okha mikate. Popeza iwo ankakhala m’matenti, Sara ndi antchito ake sankagwiritsa ntchito uvuni popanga mikate imeneyi ngati mmene anthu a mumzinda wa kwawo, wa Uri ankachitira. Ankapanga ufa wosalala pogwiritsa ntchito tirigu kapena balere amene ankapezeka m’derali. Imeneyi iyenera kuti inali ntchito yotopetsa zedi, chifukwa ufawu ankachita kusinja kapena kupera pa manja pogwiritsa ntchito mphero.

Patatha zaka 400, Chilamulo cha Mose chinanena kuti munthu asamatenge mphero ya mnzake ngati chikole chifukwa kuchita zimenezi kunali ngati “kumulanda moyo.” (Deuteronomo 24:6) Mulungu ankaona kuti mphero ndi yofunika kwambiri chifukwa munthu akakhala wopanda mphero, sankatha kupera ufa woti agwiritse ntchito pakhomo pake.—Onani bokosi lakuti, “ Mmene Anthu Akale Ankaperera Ufa Komanso Kuphika Mikate.”

Mawu akuti mkate amapezeka kambirimbiri m’Baibulo, moti olemba Baibulo nthawi zambiri anagwiritsa ntchito mawu akuti mkate ponena za chakudya. Yesu anasonyeza kuti anthu amene amatumikira Mulungu angathe kupemphera kwa iye kuti: “Mutipatse ife lero chakudya chathu chalero.” (Mateyu 6:11) Pamenepa Yesu anasonyeza kuti tizikhulupirira kuti Mulungu angathe kutipatsa chakudya chathu cha tsiku ndi tsiku.—Salimo 37:25.

Komabe palinso chinthu china chofunika kwambiri kuposa mkate kapena chakudya. Yesu anati: “Munthu sangakhale ndi moyo ndi chakudya chokha, koma ndi mawu onse otuluka pakamwa pa Yehova.” (Mateyu 4:4) Mawu akewa ankanena za nthawi imene Aisiraeli ankadalira Mulungu kuti awapatse chakudya, ndipo panalibe njira inanso imene akanapezera chakudya. Izi zinachitika patangotha mwezi umodzi kuchokera pamene iwo anatuluka mu Iguputo. Pa nthawiyi, n’kuti atalowa m’chipululu cha Sinai ndipo chakudya chawo chinali chitangotsala pang’ono kutha. Aisiraeli anada nkhawa kuti mwina afa ndi njala m’chipululu choopsacho. Choncho anayamba kudandaula kuti, ali ku Iguputo ‘ankadya mkate n’kukhuta.’—Ekisodo 16:1-3.

Mkate wa ku Iguputo umenewu uyenera kuti unali wokoma. M’nthawi ya Mose, ku Iguputo kunali akatswiri ophika mikate ndi makeke. Koma Yehova ankadziwa kuti sangasiye anthu akewo osawapatsa mkate  wa mtundu uliwonse. Anawalonjeza kuti: “Ndikuvumbitsirani mkate kuchokera kumwamba.” Mulungu anachitadi zimenezi, ndipo mkate wochokera kumwamba umenewu unkaoneka m’mamawa. Tinali “tinthu topyapyala ndi tolimba” ndipo tinkaoneka ngati mame. Aisiraeli ataona zimenezi anayamba kufunsana kuti: “N’chiyani ichi?” Koma Mose anawauza kuti: “Ndi chakudya chimene Yehova wakupatsani.” Aisiraeli ankatchula mkate umenewu kuti “mana,” * ndipo kwa zaka 40, anakhala akudya chakudya chimenechi.—Ekisodo 16:4, 13-15, 31.

Poyamba Aisiraeli ayenera kuti anasangalala kwambiri ndi chakudyachi. Chinali chokoma ngati “makeke opyapyala othira uchi.” (Ekisodo 16:18) Koma patapita nthawi, anthuwa anayamba kulakalaka zakudya zosiyanasiyana zimene ankadya ku Iguputo. Anayamba kudandaula kuti: “Maso athu sakuonanso kanthu kena, koma mana basi.” (Numeri 11:6) Ankanenanso kuti: “Chakudya chonyansachi chafika potikola.” (Numeri 21:5) Apatu iwo ankatanthauza kuti “chakudya chochokera kumwamba” chinali chitawakwana ndipo sichinkawakomeranso.—Salimo 105:40.

Apatu n’zoonekeratu kuti anthu angathe kuyamba kuona kuti chakudya chinachake sichofunikanso, chifukwa choti achidya kwa nthawi yaitali. Koma Baibulo limanena za chakudya china chapadera chomwe sitiyenera kutopa nacho. Yesu anati chakudyachi chingam’thandize munthu kudzapeza moyo wosatha. Iye anayerekezera chakudya chimenechi ndi mana amene Aisiraeli ankamunyoza.

Yesu anauza anthu kuti: “Ine ndine chakudya chopatsa moyo. Makolo anu anadya mana m’chipululu koma anamwalirabe. Ichi ndi chakudya chochokera kumwamba, choti aliyense adyeko kuti asamwalire. Ine ndine chakudya chamoyo chotsika kumwamba. Ngati wina adyako chakudya chimenechi adzakhala ndi moyo kosatha. Ndipotu chakudya chimene ndidzapereke kuti dzikoli lipeze moyo, ndicho mnofu wangawu.”—Yohane 6:48-51.

Anthu ambiri amene anamva Yesu akunena mawu  amenewa sanazindikire kuti apa iye anagwiritsa ntchito mawu akuti “chakudya” ndi akuti, “mnofu” mophiphiritsa. Komatu fanizo limene anagwiritsa ntchitoli linali loyenera. Ayuda ankadya mkate tsiku lililonse ndipo unkawathandiza kukhala ndi moyo, ngati mmene zinalilinso ndi Aisiraeli amene anadya mana m’chipululu kwa zaka 40. Ngakhale kuti mana chinali chakudya chochokera kumwamba, sanathandize Aisiraeli kukhala ndi moyo wosatha. Koma nsembe ya Yesu, inapereka mwayi kwa anthu omukhulupirira kuti adzapeze moyo wosatha. Iye ndi ‘chakudya chopatsadi moyo.’

Mukakhala ndi njala, mumayesetsa kupeza chakudya choti mudye. N’kuthekanso kuti mukapeza chakudyacho, mumathokoza Mulungu chifukwa chokupatsani chakudya cha tsikulo. (Mateyu 6:11) Ndiye ngati timaona kuti chakudya chakuthupi ndi chofunika chonchi, tisamaiwalenso kufunika kwa “chakudya chopatsa moyo,” chomwe ndi Yesu Khristu.

Mosiyana ndi zimene Aisiraeli a m’nthawi ya Mose anachita, kodi tingasonyeze bwanji kuti timayamikira chakudya chopatsa moyo chimenechi? Yesu anati: “Ngati mumandikonda, mudzasunga malamulo anga.” (Yohane 14:15) Tikamatsatira malamulo a Yesu, timakhala ndi chiyembekezo chodzakhala ndi moyo wosatha.—Deuteronomo 12:7.