‘Ukubongoza Abanye Ngenxa Yothando’

MALUNGA nonyaka wama-60 ukusa kowama-61 C.E., lishiya ngasemva iRoma, ikhoboka elalibalekile laqalisa uhambo oluziikhilomitha ezili-1 400 libuyela kowalo kwelaseKolose, isixeko esikumzantsi-ntshona weAsia Minor. Laliphathiswe isigidimi esibhalwe ngesandla nesiya kwinkosi yalo, sigidimi eso esasibhalwe ngumpostile uPawulos ngokwakhe. Namhlanje, loo ncwadi iyinxalenye yeBhayibhile yaye iye yabizwa ngegama lomntu eyayibhalelwe yena, uFilemon.

Incwadi eya kuFilemon ibhalwe ngobona bugcisa bengqiqo eyeyisayo neyobuchule. Noko ke, okubaluleke ngakumbi kukuba iqulethe izifundo eziliqela ezisebenzisekayo kumaKristu anamhlanje, esinye sazo esikukubaluleka kokubongoza abanye ngenxa yothando lobuKristu. Makhe sihlolisise ngenyameko le ncwadi imfutshane kodwa enamandla.

Umntu Owayebalekile Uyabuya

UFilemon wayengumKristu, elilungu elithandwa kakhulu lebandla laseKolose. (Filemon 4, 5) Kaloku, ibandla lalapho lalisebenzisa ikhaya lakhe njengendawo yokuqhubela iintlanganiso! (Indinyana 2) Ngaphezu koko, uFilemon wayeqhelene ngokobuqu nompostile uPawulos; kusenokuba lo umpostile waba negalelo ekubeni abe ngumKristu. Liyinyaniso elokuba uPawulos ubonisa ukuba akazange ashumayele ngokobuqu eKolose. (Kolose 2:1) Noko ke, wachitha iminyaka emibini e-Efese, eshumayela kakhulu ngokokude “bonke abemiyo kwelaseAsiya [kuquka nelaseKolose] balive ilizwi leNkosi.” (IZenzo 19:10) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uFilemon wayephakathi kwabo basabela kakuhle koko bakuvayo.

Enoba kuyintoni na, uFilemon wayesetyenzelwa ngamakhoboka, njengabo bonke abantu ababemi kakuhle ngelo xesha. Mandulo, ubukhoboka babungasoloko buyinto elihlazo. Phakathi kwamaYuda, ukuzithengisa okanye ukuthengisa ngamalungu entsapho njengamakhoboka kwakuyindlela eyamkelekileyo yokuhlawula amatyala. (Levitikus 25:39, 40) IThe International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ithi ngexesha lokulawula kweRoma: “Abantu abaninzi babezithengisa ebukhobokeni ngenxa yezizathu ezahlukahlukeneyo, ubukhulu becala ukuze bangcamle ubomi obabulula nobabunqabiseke ngakumbi kunokuhlala ungumntu olihlwempu nokhululekileyo, ukuze bafumane imisebenzi ekhethekileyo, nokuze baphucule imeko yabo entlalweni. . . . Abantu abaninzi abangengomaRoma bazithengisa kubemi baseRoma benolindelo olufanelekileyo, olwalumiselwe kakuhle ngumthetho waseRoma, lokuba nabo babe ngabemi baseRoma besakukhululeka.”

Noko ke, kwavela ingxaki xa elinye lamakhoboka kaFilemon, indoda egama linguOnesimo, lamshiyayo laza labalekela eRoma, mhlawumbi lisiba nemali kuFilemon ukuze lihlawulele iindleko zokuqhwesha. (Indinyana 18) ERoma, uOnesimo wadibana nompostile uPawulos, owayelibanjwa apho.

Ikhoboka ‘ebelifudula lingeloncedo’ nelaliqhweshe ebukhobokeni ngoku laba ngumKristu. Lazinikela ukuba lisetyenziswe nguPawulos yaye lamnceda kanobom lo mpostile wayevalelwe entolongweni. Akumangalisi ke ukuba uOnesimo wazifumanela indawo ‘kwizibilini’ zikaPawulos waza waba “ngumzalwana oyintanda” kaPawulos!—Indinyana 11, 12, 16.

Umpostile uPawulos wayengayichasanga into yokuba uOnesimo ahlale naye, kodwa uFilemon wayenamalungelo asemthethweni njengenkosi kaOnesimo. Ngenxa yoko uOnesimo wayenyanzelekile ukuba abuyele kumsebenzi wenkosi yakhe ngokomthetho. Ngoko, uFilemon wayeza kumamkela njani? Ngaba ngokucaphuka wayeza kufuna ukusebenzisa ilungelo lakhe lokumisela isohlwayo esiqatha? Ngaba wayeza kukuthandabuza ukunyaniseka kwamazwi kaOnesimo okuba ngoku wayedlelana naye kubuKristu?

Ukuzinzisa Imibandela Ngothando

UPawulos washukunyiselwa ukuba abhalele uFilemon ngokuphathelele uOnesimo. Wayibhala ngesakhe isandla le ncwadi, engasebenzisi unobhala njengoko wayeqhele ukwenjenjalo. (Indinyana 19) Ziphe nje imizuzu embalwa uze uyifunde yonke le ncwadi imfutshane eyabhalelwa uFilemon. Uya kuphawula ukuba emva kokuzazisa nokunqwenelela uFilemon nabo bendlu yakhe ‘ubabalo noxolo,’ uPawulos wamncoma uFilemon ‘ngothando nokholo analo kwiNkosi uYesu nakubo bonke abangcwele.’—Indinyana 1-7.

UPawulos wayenokulisebenzisa ngokulula igunya lakhe njengompostile aze ‘ayalele uFilemon ukuba enze okufanelekileyo,’ kodwa kunoko uPawulos ‘wambongoza ngenxa yothando.’ Waqinisekisa isibakala sokuba uOnesimo ngokwenene wayengumzalwana ongumKristu, owayengqineke eluncedo kuPawulos. Umpostile wavuma: “Bendinga mna ndingasendihlala naye [uOnesimo] apha, ukuze athi endaweni yakho andilungiselele, ndisezintanjeni ngenxa yeendaba ezilungileyo; kodwa,” uqhubeka esitsho uPawulos, “andithandanga kwenza nto, ungatshongo wena, ukuze ukulunga kwakho kungangi kokokunyanzelwa, kube kokokuvuma.”—Indinyana 8-14.

Ngaloo ndlela umpostile wabongoza uFilemon ukuba amkelele kuye njengomzalwana lowo wayesakuba likhoboka lakhe. UPawulos wabhala: “Mamkele njengam.” Oku akuthethi ukuba uOnesimo ngokuzenzekelayo wayeza kukhululeka ebukhobokeni. UPawulos wayengazabalazeli ukuguqula imithetho yentlalo yomhla wakhe. (Thelekisa eyabase-Efese 6:9; Kolose 4:1; 1 Timoti 6:2.) Sekunjalo, ngokungathandabuzekiyo ulwalamano lwekhoboka nenkosi yalo lwaluya kulawulwa lumanyano lobuKristu ngoku olwalukho phakathi kukaOnesimo noFilemon. UFilemon wayeya kumgqala uOnesimo ‘njengongaphezu kwekhoboka, njengomzalwana oyintanda.’—Indinyana 15-17.

Noko ke, kuthekani ngamatyala awayesenokuba uwenzile uOnesimo, mhlawumbi ngenxa yobusela? Kwakhona, uPawulos wasebenzisa ubuhlobo awayenabo noFilemon, esithi: “Ukuba wakona, nokuba unetyala kuwe, oko kubalele kum.” UPawulos wabonakalisa intembelo yokuba uFilemon wayeza kubonakalisa umoya wokuxolela, esenza nangaphezu koko kwakucelwe nguPawulos. Ekubeni uPawulos wayenethemba lokuba wayeya kukhululwa kungekudala, wade wenza namalungiselelo okuya kuxhamla ukubuk’ iindwendwe kukaFilemon kwixesha elizayo. Emva kokudlulisa imibuliso engakumbi nokunqwenelela uFilemon “ubabalo lweNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu,” uPawulos wayiqukumbela incwadi yakhe.—Indinyana 18-25.

Okunokufundwa NgamaKristu Namhlanje

Zininzi izinto eziluncedo ezinokufundwa ngamaKristu namhlanje kwincwadi kaFilemon. Phakathi kwezinye izinto, isikhumbuza ukuba sifanele sibe ngabaxolelayo, naxa ikholwa elikunye nathi lisone ngokunzulu. UYesu Kristu wathi: “Kuba xa nithi nibaxolele abantu iziphoso zabo, uYihlo osemazulwini wonixolela nani.”—Mateyu 6:14.

Abo bakwizikhundla zegunya kwibandla lamaKristu namhlanje banokungenelwa ngokukhethekileyo kwincwadi kaFilemon. Kuyaphawuleka ukuba uPawulos wakuphepha ukusebenzisa igunya lobupostile aze ayalele uFilemon ukuba enze okufanelekileyo. Ngaphezu koko, uPawulos akazange anyanzelise ukuba uOnesimo ayekwe ahlale naye eRoma esebenzela uPawulos. UPawulos wawahlonela amalungelo abanye okuba nezinto. Kwakhona waqonda ukuba ngoxa wayenokuthotyelwa ngokusebenzisa igunya, bekungaba kuhle ngoFilemon ukuba enze ngokusuka kwintliziyo yakhe. Wambongoza ngenxa yothando ukuze afumane impendulo esuk’ entliziyweni.

Ngoko ke abadala abangamaKristu namhlanje bafanele bangaze ‘bazigagamele izahlulo zikaThixo’ ngokusebenzisa kakubi igunya labo okanye ngokuwuphatha ngqwabalala nangolunya umhlambi. (1 Petros 5:1-3) UYesu wathi: “Niyazi ukuba abaphathi beentlanga bayazigagamela, nabo bazizikhulu benza ngegunya kuzo. Ze kungabi njalo ke phakathi kwenu nina.” (Mateyu 20:25, 26) Ngokuqhelekileyo abaveleli bafumanisa ukuba umhlambi usabela kakuhle gqitha xa ubongozwa ngothando kunaxa uyalelwa. Abo badandathekileyo bayabaxabisa abaveleli abaya kuzipha ixesha lokuphulaphula ngobubele iingxaki zabo baze babanike isiluleko esibonakalisa ukuqonda.

Kwakhona incwadi kaPawulos ikhumbuza abadala ngokubaluleka kokuncoma nobuchule. Uqala ngokuvuma ukuba ‘izibilini zabangcwele zaphunyuzwa’ ngoFilemon. (Indinyana 7) Ngokungathandabuzekiyo oku kunconywa kunyanisekileyo kwamenza uFilemon wanesimo sengqondo esihle sokuphulaphula. Ngokufanayo namhlanje, ngokufuthi isiluleko okanye icebiso linokuphelekwa kukuncoma okunyanisekileyo nangobuhlobo. Yaye isiluleko esinjalo sifanele sinikelwe, kungekhona ngokuhlabayo okanye ngentswela-buchule, kodwa ngobubele ‘sivakaliswe ngetyuwa’ ukuze sivakale kakuhle kophulaphuleyo.—Kolose 4:6.

Ngokubhekele phaya umpostile uPawulos wabonakalisa intembelo yokuba uFilemon wayeya kwenza into efanelekileyo, esithi: “Ndikubhalele ndeyisekile kukundilulamela kwakho, ndisazi ukuba uya kwenza nangaphezulu koko ndikuthethayo.” (Indinyana 21) Badala, ngaba nibonakalisa intembelo enjalo kumaKristu akunye nani? Ngaba oku akuwancedi ukuba alangazelele ukwenza okufanelekileyo?

Okubangel’ umdla kukuba ngokufuthi abazali bafumanisa ukuba nokubonakalisa intembelo kubantwana babo kunomphumo omhle. Ngokuphawula ukuba banomdla wokuthobela—umnqweno wokwenza okungakumbi kunokuhlangabezana nje nezinto eziyimfuneko—abazali banokubanika abantwana babo umlinganiselo othile wozuko. Abazali bafanele, xa kunokwenzeka, banikele imiyalelo okanye izicelo zabo ngemvakalo-zwi yobubele neyothando. Kufanele kubonakaliswe uvelwano, kunikelwe izizathu. Abazali bafanele babancome ngokufudumeleyo abantwana babo xa kufanelekile ukwenjenjalo yaye bakuphephe ukubagxeka ngokugqithiseleyo, ngokukodwa phambi kwabanye abantu.

Kwakulo mba, amadoda anokubonakalisa iimpawu zokuba nengqiqo nobubele, ekulungele ukubancoma abafazi bawo. Oku kwenza abafazi bakuvuyele ukuthobela yaye kuzisa ukuhlaziyeka novuyo!—IMizekeliso 31:28; Efese 5:28.

Eyona ndlela kanye uFilemon awasabela ngayo kwincwadi kaPawulos ayichazwanga. Noko ke, asinakucingela ukuba uPawulos wayesenza impazamo ngokuba nentembelo kuye. Ngamana abadala, abazali namadoda angamaKristu namhlanje ngokufanayo bangaphumelela kwiindlela abaqhuba ngazo, kungekhona ngokunyanzelisa, ngokuyalela, okanye ngokugagamela, kodwa ‘ngokubabongoza abanye ngenxa yothando.’

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

Kunokusebenzisa igunya lakhe njengompostile, uPawulos wambongoza uFilemon ngenxa yothando lobuKristu