Incwadi YeBhayibhile 57—Filemon

Umbhali: NguPawulos

Indawo Eyabhalelwa Kuyo: ERoma

Ukugqitywa Kokubhalwa Kwayo: Malunga nowama-60–61 C.E.

1. Ziziphi ezinye zeembalasane zencwadi eya kuFilemon?

LE NCWADI ebhalwe ngobuchule nangothando kaPawulos ibangel’ umdla omkhulu kumaKristu namhlanje. Asikuphela nje kokuba ibe yeyona ncwadi imfutshane elondoloziweyo eyabhalwa ngesandla salo “mpostile weentlanga” kodwa kwiBhayibhile iphela yeyesiBini neyesiThathu kaYohane enombandela omncinane kunayo. Kwakhona, ikuphela kwencwadi “yangasese” kaPawulos ngenxa yokuba yayingabhalelwanga ibandla ngokusemthethweni okanye umveleli onembopheleleko kodwa yayibhalelwe umntu okhethekileyo yaye yayithetha kuphela ngengxaki ekhethekileyo uPawulos awayefuna ukuyixubusha nalo mzalwana ungumKristu, ekucaca ukuba yayinguFilemon owayemi kakuhle, owayehlala kwisixeko iFrigi eKolose embindini weAsiya Mayina.—Roma 11:13.

2. Yabhalwa phantsi kwaziphi iimeko incwadi eya kuFilemon, yaye ngayiphi injongo?

² Injongo yale ncwadi ityhilwe ngokucacileyo: Ebudeni bokuvalelwa kwakhe okokuqala eRoma (ngowama-59-61 C.E.), uPawulos wayenenkululeko engakumbi yokushumayela ngoBukumkani bukaThixo. Phakathi kwabo bayiphulaphulayo intshumayelo yakhe yayinguOnesimo, ikhoboka elalibaleke endlwini kaFilemon, umhlobo kaPawulos. Umphumo woku waba kukuba, uOnesimo waba ngumKristu, yaye uPawulos wagqiba kwelokuba, ngemvume kaOnesimo, ambuyisele kuFilemon. Kwakhona, kwakungeli xesha, awathi uPawulos wabhala iincwadi ebhalela ibandla lase-Efese nelaseKolose. Kwezi ncwadi zombini, wanikela isiluleko esihle kumakhoboka angamaKristu nakwiinkosi zawo ngendlela yokuziphatha ngokufanelekileyo kolu lwalamano. (Efe. 6: 5-9; Kol. 3: 22–4:1) Noko ke, ngaphezu kwako konke oku, uPawulos wabhala incwadi eya kuFilemon awathi kuyo wambongoza ngenxa kaOnesimo. Le yincwadi eyabhalwa ngesandla sakhe—into engaqhelekanga kuPawulos. (Filem. 19) Ukuyibhala ngesandla sakhe le ncwadi kongeza lukhulu kwisibongozo sakhe.

3. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba yabhalwa nini incwadi eya kuFilemon, yaye yathunyelwa njani?

³ Kusenokwenzeka ukuba le ncwadi yabhalwa malunga nowama-60 ukuya kowama-61 C.E., njengoko kubonakala ukuba uPawulos wayeshumayele ithuba elide ngokwaneleyo eRoma ukuze kubekho abaguqukayo. Kwakhona, ngenxa yokuba evakalisa ithemba lokukhululwa, kwindinyana 22, sinokugqiba kwelokuba le ncwadi yabhalwa kwithuba elithile emva kokuba ekhululwe. Kubonakala ukuba ezi ncwadi zintathu, enye isiya kuFilemon naleyo yebandla lase-Efese nelaseKolose, zahanjiswa nguTikiko no-Onesimo.—Efe. 6: 21, 22; Kol. 4: 7-9.

4. Bubuphi ubungqina obungombhali nesibakala sokuba incwadi eya kuFilemon iyinyaniso?

⁴ Isibakala sokuba uPawulos wayibhala ngokwakhe le ncwadi iya kuFilemon sibonakala ukususela kwindinyana yokuqala, apho akhankanywa ngegama. Wavunywa njengowakwenzayo oko nguOrigen noTertullian.a Ubunyaniso bale ncwadi kwakhona buxhaswa kukudweliswa kwayo, kwiMuratorian Fragment yenkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, nezinye iincwadi zikaPawulos.

OKUQULETHWE YEKAFILEMON

5. (a) Yiyiphi imibuliso namazwi okuncoma le ncwadi eqala ngawo? (b) UPawulos umxelela ntoni uFilemon ngekhoboka lakhe elinguOnesimo?

⁵ UOnesimo ubuyiselwa kwinkosi yakhe “engasenjengekhoboka” (Indi. 1-25). UPawulos uthumela imibuliso efudumeleyo kuFilemon, kuApiya “udade wethu,” (NW) kuArkipo “umphumi-mkhosi nathi,” nakwibandla elisendlwini kaFilemon. Uyamncoma uFilemon (ogama lakhe lithetha “Ukuba Nothando”) ngenxa yothando nokholo analo ngeNkosi uYesu nangabangcwele. Iingxelo ezingothando lukaFilemon ziye zabangela uvuyo nentuthuzelo enkulu kuPawulos. UPawulos, indoda eseyaluphele nebanjwa, ngoku uthetha ngokukhululeka okukhulu ‘ngomntwana’ wakhe uOnesimo, awaba “ngubawo” kuye ngoxa esezintanjeni. UOnesimo (ogama lakhe lithetha “Ozuziweyo”) ngaphambili wayengeloncedo kuFilemon, kodwa ngoku uluncedo kuFilemon nakuPawulos.—Indi. 2, 10.

6. UPawulos uncomela ukuba uOnesimo aphathwe njani, yaye ngayiphi ingqiqo yobuchule?

⁶ Lo mpostile wayengathanda ukumgcina uOnesimo ukuze amlungiselele ngoxa esentolongweni, kodwa wayengathandi ukwenjenjalo ngaphandle kwemvume kaFilemon. Ngoku umbuyisela kuye, “engasenjengekhoboka, esuke wangaphezu kwekhoboka, engumzalwana oyintanda.” UPawulos ucela ukuba uOnesimo amkelwe ngobubele nangendlela yena Pawulos awayeya kwamkelwa ngayo. Ukuba uOnesimo wayemonile uFilemon, elo tyala malibekwe phezu kukaPawulos, kuba uPawulos umxelela oku uFilemon: “Kum unetyala elingaphezulu, elinguwe ngokwakho.” (Indi. 16, 19) UPawulos unethemba lokuba kungekudala usenokukhululwa yaye usenokutyelela uFilemon, yaye uqukumbela ngemibuliso.

ISIZATHU SOKUBA IBE YINGENELO

7. Ngokuphathelele uOnesimo, uPawulos wabambelela njani kubizo lwakhe olubalulekileyo njengompostile?

⁷ Njengoko kuboniswe yile ncwadi, uPawulos wayengashumayeli “ivangeli yentlalo,” ezama ukuphelisa le nkqubo yezinto ikhoyo nemithetho yayo, enjengobukhoboka. Akazange athi ngokuzithandela akhulule kwanamakhoboka angamaKristu, kodwa, kunoko, wamndulula uOnesimo owayelikhoboka elalibalekile ukuba athabathe uhambo olwaluya kuba ziikhilomitha ezingaphezu kwezili-1 400 ukusuka eRoma ukuya eKolose, ebuyela kwinkosi yakhe uFilemon. Ngaloo ndlela uPawulos wabambelela ngokuqinileyo kubizo lwakhe olubalulekileyo lokuba ngumpostile, ethobela ngokungqongqo uthumo oluvela kuThixo ‘lokuvakalisa uBukumkani bukaThixo nokufundisa iindawo ezingeNkosi uYesu Kristu.’—IZe. 28:31; Filem. 8, 9.

8. Kukuphi ukusetyenziswa kwemigaqo yobuKristu okuboniswe yincwadi eya kuFilemon?

⁸ Incwadi eya kuFilemon ityhila okuthile kuba ibonisa uthando nobunye obabukho phakathi kwamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. Kuyo sifunda ukuba amaKristu okuqala ayebizana ngokuthi “mzalwana” nokuthi “dade.” (Filem. 2, 20) Ukongezelela, ityhilela amaKristu anamhlanje indlela yokusebenzisa imigaqo yobuKristu phakathi kwabazalwana abangamaKristu. Kwicala likaPawulos, sifumana imbonakaliso yothando lobuzalwana, ukubonakalisa intlonelo ngolwalamano olungokwasemthethweni nangempahla yomnye umntu, ubuchule obusebenzisekayo, nokuthobeka okuncomekayo. Kunokuba azame ukumnyanzela uFilemon ukuba amxolele uOnesimo ngenxa yegunya awayenalo njengomveleli okhokelayo kwibandla lamaKristu, ngokuzithoba uPawulos wamcenga ngenxa yothando lobuKristu nobuhlobo bakhe bobuqu. Abaveleli namhlanje banokungenelwa kobu buchule uPawulos awabusebenzisayo kuFilemon.

9. Ngokuvumelana nesicelo sikaPawulos, nguwuphi umzekelo ongumdla kumaKristu namhlanje oye wamiselwa nguFilemon?

⁹ Ngokucacileyo uPawulos wayelindele ukuba uFilemon asamkele isicelo sakhe, yaye ngokwenza njalo uFilemon wayeya kuba ukusebenzisa kakuhle oko uYesu wakuthethayo kuMateyu 6:14 noko uPawulos wakuthethayo kwabase-Efese 4:32. Ngokukwanjalo amaKristu namhlanje anokulindelwa ukuba abe nobubele aze abaxolele abazalwana abawonayo. Ukuba uFilemon wayenokuxolela ikhoboka elalilelakhe nelo wayevumelekile ngokomthetho ukuliphatha kakubi ngendlela afuna ngayo, amaKristu namhlanje afanele akwazi ukuxolela abazalwana abawonayo—into ekulula gqitha ukuyenza.

10. Ukusebenza komoya kaYehova kubonakala njani kwincwadi eya kuFilemon?

¹⁰ Ukusebenza komoya kaYehova kubonakala ngokucacileyo kule ncwadi eya kuFilemon. Kubonakaliswe kwindlela yobuchule uPawulos awayisebenzisayo ukusingatha ingxaki eyayinzima. Oku kubonakaliswe luvelwano uPawulos analo ngabanye, uthando olunzulu nokukholosa ngomKristu onguwabo. Oku kubonakala kwisibakala sokuba incwadi eya kuFilemon, njengezinye iZibhalo, ifundisa imigaqo yobuKristu, ikhuthaza umanyano lobuKristu, ize ibalaselise uthando nokholo olukho phakathi ‘kwabangcwele,’ abanethemba loBukumkani bukaThixo nabathi ngehambo yabo babonakalise ububele obunothando bukaYehova.—Indi. 5.

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