Ngaba Ufanele Uyihlawule Irhafu?
“Nikani bonke oko kubafaneleyo, lowo kufuneka irhafu kuye, mnikeni irhafu; lowo kufuneka unikelo kuye, mnikeni unikelo; lowo kufuneka uloyiko kuye, mnikeni uloyiko olo; lowo kufuneka imbeko kuye, mnikeni imbeko leyo.”—Roma 13:7.
KUSENOKUBA nzima ukulandela eli cebiso lingasentla ekubeni irhafu iya inyuka ngokunyuka. Noko ke, la mazwi athethwa ngumpostile uPawulos yaye abhalwe eBhayibhileni. Ngokuqinisekileyo uyayihlonela iBhayibhile. Kodwa usenokuba uyazibuza, ‘Ngaba ngokwenene amaKristu afanele ahlawule zonke iirhafu—kuquka nezo abanye bacinga ukuba azikho ngqiqweni yaye aziyomfuneko?’
Khawucinge ngesibongozo sikaYesu esiya kubafundi bakhe. Wayesazi ukuba amaYuda akuthiy’ egazini ukuhlawula irhafu eyayifunwa ngamaRoma. Sekunjalo, uYesu wababongoza wathi: “Buyiselani izinto zikaKesare kuKesare, kodwa izinto zikaThixo kuThixo.” (Marko 12:17) Okubangel’ umdla kukuba, kamva uYesu wabulawa kanye ngulo rhulumente wayesithi abafundi bakhe bafanele bahlawule irhafu kuye.
Kwiminyaka embalwa emva koko, uPawulos wanikela eli cebiso licatshulwe ekuqaleni. Wayekhuthaza ukuba kuhlawulwe irhafu, nangona imali yerhafu eninzi kwakuxhaswa ngayo umkhosi wamaRoma nabalawuli baseRoma ababeziphethe kakubi. Kwakutheni ukuze uPawulos akhuthaze ukuhlawulwa kwerhafu eyayingathandwa ngabantu abaninzi?
Amagunya Awongamileyo
Khawuqwalasele umongo wamazwi kaPawulos. KumaRoma 13:1 wabhala wathi: “Yonke imiphefumlo mayiwathobele amagunya awongamileyo, kuba akukho gunya libekho ngaphandle kukaThixo; amagunya akhoyo abekwe nguThixo kwizikhundla zawo ezilinganiselweyo.” Xa uhlanga lakwaSirayeli lalilawulwa ngabantu aboyika uThixo, abantu babekugqala njengembopheleleko yabo ukuhlawula irhafu. Kodwa ngaba amaKristu ayesiba naloo mbono naxa abalawuli benqula izithixo? Ewe, ayekugqala njengembopheleleko yawo ukuhlawula irhafu! Amazwi kaPawulos abonisa ukuba nguThixo onike oorhulumente ‘igunya’ lokulawula.
Oorhulumente benza umsebenzi omkhulu wokugcina ucwangco. Oku kwenza ukuba amaKristu akwazi ukuqhubeka nemisebenzi yokomoya eyahlukahlukeneyo. (Mateyu 24:14; Hebhere 10:24, 25) Ngoko ngokuphathelele urhulumente olawulayo uPawulos wathi: “Ngumlungiseleli kaThixo kuwe ukuze kulungelwe wena.” (Roma 13:4) NoPawulos ngokwakhe wakha wakhuselwa ngurhulumente wamaRoma. Ngokomzekelo, xa wayehlaselwa lihlokondiba labantu, wasindiswa ngamajoni amaRoma. Kamva, xa wayefuna ukuqhubeka ekhonza njengomvangeli wasemazweni, waya kwinkundla yamaRoma.—IZenzo 22:22-29; 25:11, 12.
Ngoko uPawulos wachaza izizathu ezithathu zokuhlawula irhafu. Okokuqala, wathetha ‘ngengqumbo’ yoorhulumente xa besohlwaya abantu abophula umthetho. Okwesibini, wathi ukungahlawuli irhafu kuyasonakalisa isazela somntu owoyika uThixo. Okokugqibela, wathi irhafu incedisa ekuhlawuleni iinkonzo ezenziwa ngurhulumente ‘njengesicaka sikawonke-wonke.’—Roma 13:1-6.
Ngaba amaKristu asithobela isiluleko sikaPawulos? Asithobela, kuba umbhali wenkulungwane yesibini owayezibiza ngokuba ungumKristu uJustin Martyr (owayephila ngenkulungwane ye-110 ukusa kweye-165 C.E.) wathi amaKristu ayesoloko ekulungele ukuhlawula irhafu “ukodlula bonke abanye abantu.” Namhlanje, xa oorhulumente befuna kuhlawulwe irhafu okanye kwenziwe umsebenzi othile, amaKristu akalibazisi ukuthobela loo myalelo.—Mateyu 5:41.a
Kakade ke, amaKristu anako ukufumana isaphulelo kwirhafu. Kwezinye iimeko, anokufuna nesaphulelo esifunyanwa ngabantu ababandakanyeke kwimibutho yonqulo. Sekunjalo, ngenxa yokuthobela iLizwi likaThixo, amaKristu okwenyaniso ayakuphepha ukungahlawuli irhafu ngabom. Ayayihlawula yaye akalwisani nabasemagunyeni ngendlela esetyenziswa ngayo.
Ukuhlawuliswa kwabantu irhafu ephezulu yenye indlela ‘umntu alawula ngayo umntu ibe kukwenzakala kwakhe.’ (INtshumayeli 8:9) AmaNgqina kaYehova athuthuzelwa sisithembiso seBhayibhile sokuba kungekudala kuza kubakho okusesikweni xa kulawula urhulumente kaThixo—ongayi kuhlawulisa abantu irhafu engeyomfuneko.—INdumiso 72:12, 13; Isaya 9:7.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Isiluleko sikaYesu sokubuyisela “izinto zikaKesare kuKesare” sasingabhekiseli kuphela kwirhafu. (Mateyu 22:21) Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Gospel of Matthew, uHeinrich Meyer uthi: “Xa kuthethwa [ngezinto zikaKesare] . . . asifanelanga sicinge ngerhafu kuphela, kuba eli binzana libhekisela kuzo zonke izinto ezifanele zibuyele kuKesare njengomlawuli.”
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 11]
AmaKristu okuqala ayesoloko ekulungele ukuhlawula irhafu “ukodlula bonke abanye abantu.”—UJUSTIN MARTYR
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]
AmaKristu enyaniso ayayithobela imithetho yerhafu
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 11]
UYesu wathi: “Buyiselani izinto zikaKesare kuKesare”
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 10]
© European Monetary Institute