“Umfazi Lowo UIzebhele”
“NOKO ke ndineendawana ngakuwe: ezi zokuba umvumela umfazi lowo uIzebhele, othi yena ungumprofetikazi, ukuba abafundise abalahlekise abakhonzi bam, ukuba benze umbulo, badle izinto ezibingelelwe izithixo.” (ISityhilelo 2:20) Watsho njalo uYesu kubadala abangamaKristu baseTiyatira. Eli bandla lalikhuthele gqitha ibe lalibonakalisa uthando, ukholo, nonyamezelo. Kodwa lalivumela impembelelo eyonakalisayo kaIzebhele. Kwakutheni? Ibe ngaba into efana naleyo inokwenzeka namhlanje?—ISityhilelo 2:19.
Kunokwenzeka ukuba, akukho mntu eTiyatira owayebizwa ngokoqobo ngokuba nguIzebhele. UYesu wasebenzisa eli gama esikhumbuza ngoKumkanikazi uIzebhele ongokwasembalini, owayengumfazi kaKumkani uAhabhi. Lo mfazi owayenesimo sokuzimela geqe wabonakalisa ngokupheleleyo abantu bakaThixo xa wathi wangenisa unqulo lokuziphatha okubi lukaBhahali kwaSirayeli, ezimisele ukulususa neengcambu zalo unqulo olunyulu.—1 Kumkani 16:31-33; 21:1-7.
UIzebhele waseTiyatira—enoba wayengumfazi omnye okanye iqela labafazi—ngokufanayo wayekhuthaza ukuziphatha okubi nokunqulwa kwezithixo phakathi kwabantu bakaThixo. Bambi ebandleni bamphulaphula, ngenxa yoko uYesu uthetha ‘ngabantwana bakhe,’ ngokunokwenzeka abalandeli bakhe. (ISityhilelo 2:22, 23) Impembelelo yakhe yaba sisisongelo sokwenza ibandla laseTiyatira libe lelonakeleyo njengoko kwakunjalo kuSirayeli womhla ka-Ahabhi.
Kutheni le nto uIzebhele waseTiyatira wayenempembelelo kangaka? Xa ethelekiswa noIzebhele wamandulo, bambi baye bacinga ukuba wayengumfazi womdala okhokelayo eTiyatira. Noko ke, iBhayibhile ayitsho. Phantse ngokuqinisekileyo ubuntu bakhe obunempembelelo enamandla nesibakala sokuba wayesithi ungumprofetikazi zamnika iwonga ebandleni.
Kuye kwathiwa uqheliselo oluphosakeleyo awaluhambisela phambili lwalunento yokwenza nemibutho kamasakhane kwezorhwebo. Ngokutsho kukaGqr. W. M. Ramsay, “Imibutho kamasakhane kwezorhwebo yaziwa eTiyatira kunakuso nasiphi na esinye isixeko kwelaseAsiya.” Xa ithetha ngayo, iThe Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible ithi: “Yonke imibutho kamasakhane enjalo yayinothixo wayo owayeyixhasa, imisitho yayo, iindibano zayo ezingokwasentlalweni ezazinokuthi ngamaxesha athile zibe ngamatheko okuzonwabisa nokuziphatha okubi. ‘UIzebhele’ usenokuba wema ngelithi . . . akukho sizathu sokuba la matheko okuzonwabisa agxekwe ekubeni wonke umntu osebenzayo, ukuze aphile, umele abe lilungu lalo mbutho kamasakhane.” IThe Expositor’s Greek Testament iyavumelana noku, ibonisa ukuba abo babelandela uIzebhele “babeqhayisa ngenxa yenkqubo yabo yokhanyo yokufuna inkululeko.”
Enyanisweni, imfundiso kaIzebhele eTiyatira yayifana ‘nemfundiso kaBhileham’ ePergamo. (ISityhilelo 2:14) Ibandla lasePergamo lalinyamezele intshutshiso eqatha, kodwa bambi apho babexelisa uBhileham wakudala ekukhuthazeni umbulo nonqulo lwezithixo. Kuye kwathiwa ePergamo, impembelelo kaBhileham yakhuthaza ukulalanisa ukuze kuphetshwe intshutshiso ekrakra, ngoxa eTiyatira uIzebhele wakhuthaza ukulalanisa ngezizathu ezingokoqoqosho. Kungakhathaliseki ukuba iyintoni na imeko, zombini ezi mfundiso zaziluwexuko olubangela ukufa.
Ngaba impembelelo kaIzebhele—okanye kaBhileham—inokubakho namhlanje? Ewe, inokubakho ngokwenene. Iinkokeli ezininzi zeNgqobhoko zixelisa uIzebhele ngokuthi zamkele kumabandla azo ukuqheliselwa kobufanasini, umbulo, ukukrexeza, ukuqhomfa, nezinto ezifana nezo ezigwetywayo nguThixo. Kwanaphakathi kwebandla lamaKristu, abambalwa baye bahambisela phambili “umoya wokuyekelela” kunqulo oluyinyaniso, bekhuthaza imbono yokuba amaKristu akafanele anamathele ngokungqongqo gqitha kwimilinganiselo yeBhayibhile yaye bade bakhuthaze ukuziphatha okubi ngokwesini.
Bonke abo banqwenela ukukholisa uYehova bafanele baziphephe iingcamango ezinjalo, kwanaxa zikhuthazwa ngabathile—amadoda okanye abafazi—ababalaseleyo okanye abanempembelelo. Le ndlela yokucinga iseyingozi nanamhlanje njengokuba yayinjalo ngenkulungwane yokuqala.—ISityhilelo 2:22, 23.