UFilemon No-Onesimo—Bamanyene Kubuzalwana BamaKristu

ENYE yeencwadi zikampostile uPawulos eziphefumlelwe nguThixo isingatha umbandela onobuzaza owawuphakathi kwamadoda amabini. Enye yayinguFilemon, yaye enye inguOnesimo. Ayengoobani la madoda? Yintoni eyenza uPawulos abe nomdla kwimeko yawo?

UFilemon, eyabhalelwa yena le ncwadi, wayehlala eKolose eAsia Minor. Ngokungafaniyo namanye amaKristu amaninzi awayekuloo mmandla, uFilemon wayeqhelene noPawulos, ekubeni wazamkela iindaba ezilungileyo ngenxa yomsebenzi wokushumayela walo mpostile. (Kolose 1:1; 2:1) UPawulos wayemazi ‘njengoyintanda nomsebenzi olidlelane.’ UFilemon wayengumzekelo wokholo nothando. Wayenomoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe yaye ewahlaziya amanye amaKristu. Kuyabonakala ukuba uFilemon wayeyindoda enezinto zayo, ekubeni ikhaya lakhe lalilikhulu kangangokuba bakwazi ukuqhuba kulo iintlanganiso zebandla lalapho. Kucingelwa ukuba uAfiya noArkipo, abanye ababini abakhankanywayo kwincwadi kaPawulos, yayingumfazi wakhe nonyana wakhe. Kwakhona uFilemon wayenesicaka esinye ubuncinane, uOnesimo.—Filemon 1, 2, 5, 7, 19b, 22.

Imbacu ERoma

IZibhalo azisixeleli isizathu sokuba uOnesimo abe kumgama oziikhilomitha ezingaphezu kwe-1400 kude nekhaya enoPawulos eRoma, apho yabhalwa khona incwadi eyayisiya kuFilemon malunga nowama-61 C.E. Kodwa uPawulos wamxelela oku uFilemon: “Ukuba [uOnesimo] ukwenze nabuphi na ububi okanye ukutyala nantoni na, kubalele kum oko.” (Filemon 18) La mazwi abonisa ngokucacileyo ukuba kwakukho ingxaki phakathi ko-Onesimo nenkosi yakhe, uFilemon. Incwadi kaPawulos yabhalwa ngenjongo yokuwaxolelanisa la madoda mabini.

Kucingelwa ukuba uOnesimo waba yimbacu emva kokumgqebh’ elingophiyo uFilemon ukuze afumane imali yokusabela eRoma. Wayenenjongo yokufika anyamalale phakathi kwezihlwele zalapho.a KumaGrike nakumaRoma, amakhoboka aqhweshileyo ayeyingxaki enkulu kungekuphela nje kubaniniwo kodwa kwanakwabasemagunyeni. Kuthiwa iRoma “yayidume kakubi ngokuba yindawo yokubhacela” yamakhoboka aqhweshileyo.

UPawulos wadibana njani no-Onesimo? IBhayibhile ayisixeleli. Noko ke, xa wayesele ebuyiqhela inkululeko, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uOnesimo waqonda ukuba wayezifake kwimeko enzima gqitha. Kwisixeko saseRoma, kwakukho amapolisa akhethekileyo awayezingela amakhoboka abhacileyo, isono sawo esasisesinye sezona zinzulu kwimithetho eyaziwayo yamandulo. Ngokutsho kukaGerhard Friedrich, “amakhoboka aqhweshileyo aza abanjwa ayephawulwa ngomtshiso. Ngokufuthi ayengcungcuthekiswa . . . , ephoswa emarhamncweni kwiisekisi, okanye ebethelelwa kumthi wentuthumbo ukuze kulunyukiswe amanye amakhoboka ngokuya kwenzeka kuwo xa enokwenza okufanayo.” UFriedrich uthi, kusenokwenzeka ukuba emva kokuba uOnesimo ephelelwe yimali awayeyibile yaye etsala nzima ukuze afumane indawo yokuzifihla okanye umsebenzi, wacela ukuba uPawulos, awayeve kuthethwa ngaye kwikhaya likaFilemon, amkhusele yaye alamle.

Abanye bakholelwa kwelokuba uOnesimo wabalekela komnye wabahlobo benkosi yakhe ngabom, enethemba lokuba ngenxa yakhe, wayenokuphinda abe nolwalamano oluhle nenkosi yakhe eyayinesizathu sokuba lugcwabevu ngumsindo ngenxa yezizathu ezithile. Imbali ibonisa ukuba leyo “yayiyindlela eqhelekileyo neyayisenziwa ngamakhoboka asengxakini.” Umphengululi uBrian Rapske uthi ukuba kunjalo, ngoko imali eyebiwa nguOnesimo “mhlawumbi yayiyeyokuhlawulela uhambo lokuya kufika kumlamli onguPawulos kunokuba ibe yeyo kuqhwesha.”

UPawulos Uyanceda

Enoba sasiyintoni na isizathu sokusaba kwakhe, kuyabonakala ukuba uOnesimo wacela uncedo kuPawulos lokumxolelanisa nenkosi yakhe eyayibhavuma ngumsindo. Loo nto yaba yingxaki kuPawulos. Lo mfo wayelikhoboka elingakholwayo elalibhace ngenxa yokwaphula umthetho. Ngaba lo mpostile wayefanele amncede ngokucenga umhlobo wakhe ongumKristu ukuba angasebenzisi ilungelo lakhe elingokomthetho lokudlulisela isohlwayo esiqatha? Wayeza kwenza ntoni uPawulos?

Ngexesha uPawulos wayebhalela uFilemon, kuyabonakala ukuba eli khoboka liqhweshileyo lalisele linethuba lihleli nalo mpostile. Yayilixesha elide kangangokuba uPawulos wakwazi ukuthi uOnesimo wayebe ‘ngumzalwana oyintanda.’ (Kolose 4:9) “Ndiyakubongoza ngokuphathelele umntwana wam, endiye ndaba nguyise kuye ngoxa ndikwimixokelelwane yam yentolongo,” watsho uPawulos ethetha ngolwalamano lokomoya awayenalo no-Onesimo. Kuzo zonke izinto, uFilemon umele ukuba wayengayilindelanga noko ke le. Lo mpostile wayesithi ikhoboka ‘elalingenamsebenzi’ ngaphambili lalibuya selingumzalwana ongumKristu. Ngoku uOnesimo wayeza kuba “nengeniso,” okanye abe ‘ngonomsebenzi,’ ngaloo ndlela elandela igama lakhe.—Filemon 1, 10-12.

UOnesimo wayebe luncedo gqitha kulo mpostile uvalelwe entolongweni. Enyanisweni, uPawulos ngewayemgcine apho, kodwa ngaphezu kokuba oko kwakuya kungquzulana nomthetho, kwakuya kuphazamisana namalungelo kaFilemon. (Filemon 13, 14) Kwenye incwadi, eyabhalwa malunga nexesha elinye isiya kwibandla elalihlanganisana kwikhaya likaFilemon, uPawulos wathetha ngo-Onesimo embiza ngokuthi “umzalwana wam othembekileyo noyintanda, ophuma phakathi kwenu.” Oku kubonisa ukuba uOnesimo wayesele ezingqine engonokuthenjwa.—Kolose 4:7-9.b

UPawulos wamkhuthaza uFilemon ukuba amamkele ngobubele uOnesimo kodwa akazange asebenzise igunya lakhe njengompostile ukuze amyalele ukuba enjenjalo okanye alikhulule ikhoboka lakhe. Ngenxa yobuhlobo nokuthandana kwabo, uPawulos wayeqinisekile ukuba uFilemon wayeza “kwenza nangakumbi” kunezinto awayezicelile. (Filemon 21) Okusenokuba kwakuthethwa libinzana elithi “nangakumbi” akwaziwa kuba yayinguFilemon kuphela owayenokugqiba ngoko wayemele akwenze ngo-Onesimo. Bambi batolika amazwi kaPawulos besithi wayecela ukuba elo khoboka liqhweshileyo ‘libuyiswe ukuze liqhubeke limnceda uPawulos ekubeni lalisele liqalisile ukwenjenjalo.’

Ngaba uFilemon wasamkela isicelo sikaPawulos ngo-Onesimo? Alithandabuzeki elokuba wenjenjalo, nangona oko kusenokuba kwabacaphukisa abanye abantu baseKolose ababenamakhoboka abasenokuba babefuna uOnesimo afumane isohlwayo ukuze amakhoboka abo oyike ukulandela umzekelo wakhe.

UOnesimo—Indoda Eguqukileyo

Enoba yayinjani na imeko, uOnesimo wabuyela eKolose enobuntu obutsha. Indlela awayecinga ngayo iguqulwe ngamandla eendaba ezilungileyo, ngokuqinisekileyo waba lilungu elithembekileyo lebandla lamaKristu kweso sixeko. Into yokuba uOnesimo ekugqibeleni wakhululwa nguFilemon ayichazwanga kwiZibhalo. Noko ke, ngokwembono yokomoya, lowo wayesakuba likhoboka eliqhweshileyo wayebe yindoda ekhululekileyo. (Thelekisa eyoku-1 kwabaseKorinte 7:22.) Bakho abaguquka ngendlela efanayo namhlanje. Xa abantu besebenzisa imigaqo yeBhayibhile ebomini babo, iimeko nobuntu babo buyaguquka. Abo ngaphambili bebegqalwa njengoongantweni kwibutho labantu bayancedwa babe ngabahlali abangumzekelo.c

Onjani wona umahluko owenziwa kukuguqukela kunqulo lokwenyaniso! Ngoxa uOnesimo wangaphambili esenokuba ‘wayengongenamsebenzi’ kuFilemon, alithandabuzeki elokuba uOnesimo omtsha walandela igama lakhe elithetha umntu “onengeniso.” Yaye ngokuqinisekileyo yayiyintsikelelo into yokuba uFilemon no-Onesimo bamanyane kubuzalwana bamaKristu.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 30]

Amakhoboka Phantsi Komthetho WamaRoma

Phantsi komthetho wamaRoma owawusebenza ngenkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, ubomi bekhoboka babuxhomekeke ngokupheleleyo kwiingcinga, kwiminqweno nakubume bengqondo yenkosi yalo. Ngokutsho komhlalutyi uGerhard Friedrich, “ngokusisiseko nangokusemthethweni, ikhoboka lalingengomntu, kodwa laliyinto eyayinokusetyenziswa ngokukhululekileyo ngumniniyo. . . . Lalibekwa kumgangatho ofanayo nowezilwanyana zasekhaya nezixhobo zokusebenza yaye lalingenalo nelinye ilungelo emthethweni.” Ikhoboka lalingenakumangala ngako nakuphi na okungekho sikweni okwakunokwenzeka kulo. Ngokuyintloko, lalifanele lenze ngokwemiyalelo yenkosi yalo nje kuphela. Sasingasikelwa mida isohlwayo esasinokudluliselwa yinkosi xa inomsindo. Kwanento encinane eyicaphukisayo, inkosi yayinokuyenza umbandela wokufa nokuphila.*

Ngoxa izityebi zisenokuba zazisiba namakhulu amakhoboka, kwanamakhaya aphantsi ngentelekiso ayesenokuba namabini okanye amathathu. Umphengululi uJohn Barclay uthi: “Imisebenzi eyayisenziwa ngamakhoboka asebenza emakhayeni yayisahlukahlukana. Kukho amakhoboka awayengabacoci, abapheki, awayehambisa ukutya, engabathunywa, egcina abantwana yaye esiba ngabalindi abenza yonke imisebenzi, singasathethi ke ngathile aqeqeshelwe imisebenzi eyahlukahlukeneyo owawunokuwafumana kwimizi emikhulu nefumileyo. . . . Eneneni, uhlobo lobomi obuphilwa likhoboka lasekhaya lwaluxhomekeke kakhulu kubuntu benkosi yalo yaye babusiba nemiphumo emihle okanye emibi: ukuphathwa yinkosi ekhohlakeleyo kwakunokuphumela kuthotho lwezinto ezingendawo, kodwa inkosi enobubele nenesisa yayinokubenza ubomi buphileke yaye bunik’ ithemba. Ikho imizekelo edumileyo yempatho yenkohlakalo ebhalwe kwiincwadi zamandulo, kodwa zikho neencwadi ezibonisa uthando olwaluphakathi kwezinye iinkosi namakhoboka azo.”

*Ngokuphathelele ubukhoboka babantu bakaThixo kumaxesha amandulo, bona i-Insight on the Scriptures, epapashwe yiWatchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., uMqulu 2, iphepha 977-9.