‘Mabatshabalale Abachas’ UThixo!’
IZIHLWELE zabantu zazimgqala njengomntu ochas’ uThixo, indoda eyayifuna ukudimaza abo babenqula nokutshabalalisa oothixo babo. Ecekiswa yaye edeliwe, weziswa phambi kwezo nginginya kwintlanganiso kawonke wonke. Xa irhuluneli yenza uphando, indoda enkulu enesithozela enama-86 eminyaka ubudala yeza ngaphambili izichaza ukuba ingubani na. Igama layo lalinguPolycarp.
Irhuluneli yephondo engumRoma uStatius Quadratus yahlabela mgama ngamazwi athi: “Funga uKesare; guqula indlela ocinga ngayo uze uthi, ‘Mabatshabalale abangakholelwayo kuThixo!’” Wandula ke uPolycarp wondela kwinginginya yesihlwele sabahedeni abachas’ umthetho ababezalise ibala lemidlalo. Esalatha kubo, wancwina, wakhangela ezulwini, waza wathi: “Mabatshabalale abangakholelwayo kuThixo!” Eneneni ‘Mabatshabalale abachas’ uThixo!’
Yandula ke irhuluneli elibamba yathetha ngongxamiseko olungakumbi isithi: “Yenza isifungo ibe ndiya kukukhulula; mnyelise uKristu.” Kodwa uPolycarp waphendula wathi: “Ndineminyaka engamashumi asibhozo anesithandathu ndingumkhonzi Wakhe yaye akukho nto imbi Andenze yona. Ndingathini ukunyelisa uKumkani wam ondisindisileyo?”
Kwandula ke kwenziwa amalungiselelo okubulawa kwale ngwevu. Inyama yakhe yayiza kudliwa ngumlilo. Kwakungenxa yasiphi isizathu? Kanye kanye wayengubani uPolycarp? Ibe ziziphi iziganeko ezakhokelela ekufeni kwakhe?
Ubomi BukaPolycarp Bangaphambili
UPolycarp wazalwa malunga nowama-69 C.E. eAsia Minor, eSmirna (isixeko sale mihla samaTheki saseIzmir). Ngokwengxelo, wakhuliswa ngabazali abangamaKristu. Ekhulela ekubeni linene elibekekileyo, uPolycarp wayesaziwa ngokuba nesisa , ukuzincama, ukubaphatha ngobubele abanye, nokufundisisa ngenkuthalo iZibhalo. Ekuhambeni kwexesha waba ngumveleli kwibandla eliseSmirna.
Kuye kwabikwa ukuba kwiminyaka yobutsha bakhe, uPolycarp waxhamla amathuba okufunda ngokuthe ngqo kubapostile abathile. Kubonakala ukuba umpostile uYohane wayengomnye wabo babemfundisa. Enyanisweni, uIrenaeus ubalisa ukuba uPolycarp “wayengafundiswanga ngabapostile nje kuphela, nokuba wadlelana nabantu abaninzi ababembonile uKristu, kodwa wayemiselwe njengomveleli eAsiya ngabapostile, kwibandla eliseSmirna.” Sinokuluthelekelela nje kuphela uvuyo nolwaneliseko uPolycarp awalufumana kunxulumano olwakha ngolo hlobo. Oko kunokuba kwamnceda ukumxhobisela isabelo sakhe njengomveleli ebandleni.—IZenzo 20:28; 1 Petros 5:1-4.
Uphakamisa Iinyaniso Ezisisiseko
Ukuvelela kukaPolycarp ibandla kwaqalisa ngeminyaka eyayilucelomngeni yowexuko olwaxelwa kwangaphambili. (2 Tesalonika 2:1-3) Kuyabonakala ukuba wayekuvuma ukuzinikela ngenxa yabanye. Ngaloo ndlela, xa noIgnatius waseAntiyokwe, eSiriya, wayesendleleni eya eRoma esiya kubulawelwa ukholo lwakhe, wacela amaFilipi ukuba athumele incwadi kwibandla lakokwabo, uPolycarp waseSmirna waqiniseka ukuba iyafika. Ngelo xesha wathumelela amaFilipi eyakhe incwadi.
Kwincwadi kaPolycarp eya kwabaseFilipi, sifumanisa ukuqinisekiswa kweenyaniso ezithile zeZibhalo. Uyamahlula uThixo noKristu, uYise noNyana, ibe uthi “kungokuthanda kukaThixo ngaye uYesu Kristu” esithi sizuze usindiso. UPolycarp ulumkisa ngokuchasene nokuthanda imali aze akhumbuze abafundi bencwadi yakhe ukuba abenzi bombulo namadoda alalanayo abayi kubudla ilifa uBukumkani bukaThixo. (Thelekisa 1 Timoti 6:10; 1 Korinte 6:9, 10) Ukwaquka isiyalo kubafazi ukuba bawathande amadoda abo nakubadala ukuba “babe novelwano nenceba.” Bonke bakhuthazelwa ukuba “bakhuthale ekusukeleni oko kulungileyo.” Ekugqibeleni uPolycarp ubongoza esithi: “Ngamana uThixo okwanguYise weNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu, noYesu Kristu ngokwakhe, onguNyana kaThixo, nokwangumbingeleli wethu omkhulu ohlala ehleli, anganakha elukholweni nasenyanisweni, nakubo bonke ubulali, ukuthantamisa, umonde, ukuzeka kade umsindo, ukunyamezela, nobunyulu.”
UPolycarp wacaphula ngokukhululekileyo eZibhalweni ezingcwele. Kwincwadi yakhe eya kwabaseFilipi, wabhekisela kuMateyu, kwiZenzo, kumaRoma, kweyoku-1 yabaseKorinte, kweyesi-2 yabaseKorinte, kumaGalati, kumaEfese, kweyesi-2 yabaseTesalonika, eyoku-1 kuTimoti, eyoku-1 kaPetros, yaye ngokunokwenzeka nakwezinye iinxalenye zeZibhalo. Oku kusibonisa ukuba ubuncinane abathile kwabo babengamaKristu okwenyaniso bazabalazela ukunamathela kwimigaqo yeZibhalo ebudeni bexesha elinzima elalandela ukufa kwabapostile.
Umsebenzi Wakhe ESmirna
ISmirna, isixeko samandulo esiselunxwemeni saseAsia Minor, yayisisazulu esixakekileyo nesichumileyo kwezorhwebo. Yayikwaliziko lonqulo loMlawuli. Ngokomzekelo, abalawuli baseRoma babebalaseliswa ngendlela ebalulekileyo njengoothixo kwiingqekembe zemali nakwimibhalo ekroliweyo. Iintandabulumko zonqulo lobuhedeni zazikhuthazwa ligunya lobukumkani.
Kuyabonakala ukuba, inani labo babenxulumene nebandla laseSmirna babengamahlwempu ngokwezinto eziphathekayo. Kodwa ngaxa lithile banconywa ngenxa yokuba zizityebi ngokomoya. Hayi indlela ekumele ukuba kwakukhuthaza ngayo kumaKristu aseSmirna ukuva amazwi kaYesu awabhalwa ngumpostile uYohane! UYesu wathi ‘Kwisithunywa,’ okanye abaveleli abathanjisiweyo, baseSmirna: “Ndiyayazi imisebenzi yakho nembandezelo, nobuhlwempu (noko usisityebi), nonyeliso lwabo bathi bangamaYuda bona, bengengawo, besisikhungu sikaSathana. Musa ukoyika nabunye ubunzima oza kubuva. Yabona, uMtyholi uza kuyiphosa inxenye yenu entolongweni, ukuze nilingwe: niya kuba nembandezelo imihla elishumi; thembeka kude kube sekufeni, ndokunika isithsaba sobomi.”—ISityhilelo 2:8-10.
Nabuphi na ubutyebi bokomoya obunokuba babukho phakathi kwabo babengamaKristu okwenyaniso eSmirna ngokungathandabuzekiyo babunxulumene ngokungqalileyo nokuvelela okuhle kwabadala bebandla. Elo yayilixesha lamanzithi-nzithi angokonqulo, yaye amalungu ebandla ayekhonza phakathi kweenkolo nezithethe ezingqubanayo. Umhlaba ababenikela kuwo ubungqina wawuzaliswe luqheliselo lobudemoni, kuquka ubugqwirha nokuvumisa ngeenkwenkwezi, ibe ngaloo ndlela, imeko eyayikho yayiyileyo yokuchas’ uThixo.
Okwathi kongezelela kubutshaba babo bantu bangabahedeni yaba yintiyo ekrakra eyabonakaliswa ngamaYuda. Xa uPolycarp wathi wafel’ ukholo ngoFebruwari 23, 155 C.E., kubikwa ukuba amaYuda anenzondelelo yempambano ancedisa ngokuqokelela iinkuni zomlilo. Oku akwenza nakuba ukubulawa kwenziwa ngomhla omkhulu weSabatha!
Ngoobani Abachas’ UThixo?
UPolycarp wayeneenjongo zokushiyeka eSmirna ukuze ajamelane nengozi xa iintshaba zakhe zeza kumbamba. Kodwa ngenxa yokubongozwa ngabanye wazimela kwifama ekufutshane. Xa wathi waziwa apho akhoyo, wala ukuba aye kwenye indawo ngenjongo yokubaleka abo babemfuna kodwa wasuka wathi: “Makwenzeke ukuthanda kukaThixo.”
Akungena kwibala lemidlalo, uPolycarp wema phambi kwerhuluneli naphambi kwesihlwele esikhulu nesasilugcalagcala. Njengokuba irhuluneli yayizingisa ukumbongozela ukuba abonakalise intlonelo yonqulo kuKesare, uPolycarp ngokuphandle wathi: “NdingumKristu . . . ukuba ufuna ukwazi intsingiselo yobuKristu, khetha usuku uze undinike ithuba lokuba ndikuchazele.” Irhuluneli yaphendula ngelithi: “Zama ukuthetha nesihlwele.” Kodwa uPolycarp wathi: “Nguwe ebendicinga ukuba kuya kufaneleka ukuba ndikuxubushe naye oku, kuba siye safundiswa ukuba sinikele intlonelo efanelekileyo kubalawuli namagunya . . . lo gama oko kungasenzi silalanise.” Ngokukhawuleza emva koko uPolycarp watshiswa wade wafa kuba engazange avume ukukhanyela uYesu Kristu.
Ukuma kukaPolycarp njengomKristu kuyinto enokugqitywa nguThixo kuphela. Kuthekani namhlanje? Isihlwele esikhulu samaKristu okwenyaniso naso asiyi kumkhanyela uKristu. Kunoko, sivakalisa ukuba unguKumkani onguMesiya kaThixo ohlaliswe etroneni emazulwini. La maNgqina kaYehova akwalatha ukuba sele kukufutshane ukuba sibone inzaliseko yamazwi kaYesu abuprofeti amayela ‘nembandezelo enkulu,’ esona siganeko siyintlekele eliya kuze lisibone ihlabathi. Phofu ke, oku akuthethi ukuphela koluntu koko ukuphela kobungendawo. Kuyinto enokwenzeka ukusindela kwihlabathi elitsha lobulungisa loxolo nobumnandi.—Mateyu 24:13, 21, 34; 2 Petros 3:13.
Ngubani obenokukhetha ukulwa nxamnye nezigidimi zeendaba ezilunge ngolo hlobo? Kuphela ngabo bachas’ uThixo ngokwenene, enoba ‘banokumila kokuhlonela uThixo.’ (2 Timoti 3:5) Iimfundiso zonqulo lobuxoki ziye zamfamekisa iingqondo zabathile ibe abaninzi ‘banyamekela oomoya abalahlekisayo, neemfundiso zeedemon.’ (1 Timoti 4:1) AmaKristu anamhlanje aye eva ubuhlungu kubantu abachas’ uThixo, wambi ade afa. Kodwa abakhonzi abathembekileyo bakaYehova abasoze basilele, kuba ekugqibeleni baya kufumana isipho sikaThixo sobomi obungunaphakade. Okwangoku, aba bavakalisi bathembekileyo boBukumkani bukaThixo bahlala bengabameli abathembekileyo benyaniso yeZibhalo.