UOnesiforo—Umthuthuzeli Onenkalipho
“BAGCINENI engqondweni abo bakwimixokelelwane yentolongo ngokungathi benibotshwe kunye nabo, nabo baphethwe kabuhlungu.” (Hebhere 13:3) Xa umpostile uPawulos wabhala la mazwi malunga nowama-61 C.E., yena wayesele ephuma entolongweni kangangezihlandlo eziliqela yaye wayeseza kuvalelwa kwakhona ngaphambi kokuba abulawe njengomfeli-nkolo. (IZenzo 16:23, 24; 22:24; 23:35; 24:27; 2 Korinte 6:5; 2 Timoti 2:9; Filemon 1) Njengoko kwakubalulekile ngoko, kusabalulekile nangoku ukuba amabandla anyamekele amanye amakholwa ajamelene novavanyo lokholo lwawo.
Omnye umfundi wenkulungwane yokuqala owanikela ingqalelo ngokukhethekileyo owayenenyameko kuloo ntswelo yayinguOnesiforo. Watyelela uPawulos ebudeni bexesha lokuvalelwa kwakhe okwesibini entolongweni eRoma. Ngokuphathelele yena, lo mpostile wabhala: “Ngamana iNkosi inganika inceba kwindlu kaOnesiforo, ngenxa yokuba ngokufuthi wayendizisela ukuhlaziyeka, yaye akazange abe neentloni ngemixokelelwane yam. Ngokwahlukileyo koko, xa kwenzeka ukuba abe seRoma, wandifuna ngokukhutheleyo kwaye wandifumana.” (2 Timoti 1:16, 17) Ngaba wakha wazinik’ ixesha lokucingisisa ngentsingiselo yokwenene yaloo mazwi? Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ukwenjenjalo kuya kulwandisa uxabiso lwakho ngo-Onesiforo. Uya kufumanisa ukuba wayengumthuthuzeli onenkalipho.
Ukubanjwa Kwesibini KukaPawulos
Emva kokukhululwa kwakhe entolongweni okokuqala, uPawulos waphinda wavalelwa kwintolongo yaseRoma kodwa kwiimeko ezahlukileyo. Ngaphambili abahlobo bakhe babekwazi ukumbona kwindlu yakhe ayiqeshileyo, ibe wayebonakala eqinisekile ukuba wayeza kukhululwa kungekudala. Ngoku ekubeni wayelahliwe yinkoliso yabantu, kwakubonakala ngathi uza kuba ngumfeli-nkolo.—IZenzo 28:30; 2 Timoti 4:6-8, 16; Filemon 22.
UPawulos wayesentolongweni ngesi sihlandlo malunga nowama-65 C.E. Phantse unyaka ngaphambilana—ngoJulayi 64 C.E.—elaseRoma ladlakazwa ngumlilo, ubangela umonakalo omkhulu kwimimandla eli-10 kweli-14 yeso sixeko. Ngokutsho kombhali-mbali wamaRoma uTacitus, uMlawuli uNero wayengakwazi “ukuzithethelela kwisityholo sokuba lo mlilo mkhulu kangaka wawuyinto yangabom. Ngenxa yoku, ukuze ahlambe igama lakhe, uNero walityabeka eli tyala kubantu ababethiyiwe ngenxa yezenzo zabo ezazicekiswa, waza wabatshutshisa ngeyona ndlela abantu ababebizwa ngokuba ngamaKristu. . . . Ngoxa babebulawa, babegculelwa ngeendlela zonke. Babenxityiswa iimfele zamarhamncwa, badlavulwe zizinja de bafe, okanye babethelelwe eminqamlezweni, okanye babulawe ngokutshiswa, ukuze bakhanyise ebusuku, xa ukukhanya kwemini kuphelile.”
UPawulos wazifumanisa esentolongweni kwakhona ejamelene nemeko enjengale. Akumangalisi ukuba ngoko akuvuyele kangaka ukutyelelwa ngumhlobo wakhe uOnesiforo! Kodwa makhe siqwalasele imeko efanayo nokwakubandakanyekile kuOnesiforo.
Ukutyelela UPawulos Ibanjwa
Kuyabonakala ukuba intsapho kaOnesiforo yayihlala e-Efese. (2 Timoti 1:18; 4:19) Enoba uOnesiforo wayezele imicimbi yakhe kule dolophu ilikomkhulu okanye eze kutyelela uPawulos ngokukhethekileyo akuchazwanga. Sekunjalo, lo mpostile wathi: ‘Nanini na uOnesiforo eseRoma, ngokufuthi wayendizisela ukuhlaziyeka.’ (2 Timoti 1:16, 17) Yayikukuhlaziyeka okunjani oku? Nangona uncedo lukaOnesiforo lusenokuba lwaluquka izinto eziphathekayo, ubukho bakhe ngokucacileyo babumomeleza buze bumkhuthaze uPawulos. Enyanisweni, ezinye iinguqulelo zifundeka ngokuthi: “Ngokufuthi uye wandivuselela,” okanye “ngokufuthi uye wandithuthuzela.”
Ukufeza umnqweno wokutyelela ibanjwa elingumKristu entolongweni eRoma ngelo xesha kwakulucelomngeni. Ngokwahlukileyo kwimihla yokubanjwa kukaPawulos okokuqala, kubonakala ukuba amaKristu aseRoma ayengasanxibelelani naye. Kwisixeko esikhulu njengeRoma, kwakungeyonto ilula ukufumana ibanjwa elinye elingaziwayo phakathi kwamaninzi abanjelwe izinto ezahlukahlukeneyo. Ngenxa yoko, kwakufuneka ubani afunisise ngenkuthalo. Umphengululi uGiovanni Rostagno uzichaza ngale ndlela izinto: “Kusenokuba kwakukho iingxaki ezahlukahlukeneyo. Ngaphezu koko, kwakufuneka uchul’ ukunyathela xa usenza uphando. Ukuhamba usenza uphando uze ubonakale ukhangela intolongo elivalelwe kuyo ibanjwa elidala nelinenzondelelo yempambano nelibekwa amatyala ezenzo ezininzi zolwaphulo-mthetho kwakusenokubangela ubani arhanelwe ngokungeyomfuneko.”
Umbhali uP. N. Harrison uzoba umfanekiso-ngqondweni ocacileyo ngemeko efanayo, esithi: “Sinombono wobuso obubonakala buxhalabile phakathi kwesihlwele esiphithizelayo, yaye simlandela ngomdla omkhulu lo mntu ungaziwayo usuka kunxweme olukude lweAegean, njengoko etyhutyha ezo zitrato angazaziyo, ehamba enkqonkqoza kule mizi, elandela nayiphi na inkcazelo ayifumanayo, elunyukiswa ngengozi azifaka kuyo kodwa engazimisele kuphazanyiswa kweli phulo lakhe; de aye kufika kwintolongo ethile esitheleyo apho afika abuliswe lilizwi aliqhelileyo, aze abone uPawulos ebotshelelwe kwijoni elingumRoma.” Ukuba loo ndawo yayifana nezinye iintolongo zamaRoma, kusenokwenzeka ukuba yayiyindawo ebandayo, emnyama nemdaka, apho kwakukho imixokelelwano nezinto zokohlwaya ezahlukahlukeneyo ezininzi.
Ukwaziwa njengomhlobo webanjwa elinjengoPawulos yayikukuzibeka esichengeni. Kwakuyingozi nangakumbi ukusoloko umtyelela. Ukuzazisa ngokukhululekileyo njengomKristu yayikukuzibeka engozini yokubanjwa nokubulawa ngokuthuthunjiswa. Kodwa uOnesiforo akazange aneliswe nje kukutyelela kanye okanye kabini. Wayengenazintloni yaye engoyiki ukwenjenjalo “ngokufuthi.” Eneneni uOnesiforo waphila ngokuvisisana negama lakhe elithetha “Ukuba Yinzuzo,” enikela uncedo ngenkalipho nangothando phezu kwazo nje iingozi.
Kwakutheni ukuze uOnesiforo enze konke oku? UBrian Rapske wathi: “Intolongo yayingeyondawo nje yembandezelo ngokwasemzimbeni, kodwa yayiyindawo yonxunguphalo olungathethekiyo ngenxa yengcinezelo eyayiyibangela kwibanjwa. Ngenxa yoko, ubukho namazwi alukhuthazo abo baluncedo kwakulinceda gqitha ngokweemvakalelo elo banjwa.” Ngokucacileyo uOnesiforo wayekwazi oko yaye ngenkalipho wanamathela kulo mhlobo wakhe. Hayi indlela amele ukuba uPawulos wayeluxabisa ngayo uncedo olunjalo!
Waphelela Phi UOnesiforo?
Kwincwadi yakhe yesibini eyayisiya kuTimoti, uPawulos wathumela imibuliso kwindlu kaOnesiforo waza wathi ngaye: “Ngamana iNkosi ingamnika ukuba afumane inceba kuYehova ngaloo mini.” (2 Timoti 1:18; 4:19) Abaninzi bacinga ukuba amazwi athi “ngaloo mini” abhekisela kwimini kaThixo yomgwebo yaye ngenxa yoko bagqibe ngelithi uOnesiforo wayefile. Ukuba eneneni oko kwakunjalo, uP. N. Harrison uthi, mhlawumbi “uOnesiforo weza kule ndawo iyingozi kangangezihlandlo ezininzi, waza walahlekelwa . . . bubomi bakhe.” Phofu ke, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uOnesiforo wayengekho nje ekhaya, okanye uPawulos usenokuba wamquka kwimibuliso eyayisiya kwindlu yakhe iphela.
Bambi bakholelwa kukuba abaluleke ngokukhethekileyo amazwi athi: “Ngamana iNkosi ingamnika ukuba afumane inceba kuYehova ngaloo mini.” Bavakalelwa kukuba ngenxa yala mazwi kufanelekile ukuthandazela imiphefumlo yabangasekhoyo nephilayo mhlawumbi ebandezelekileyo ndaweni ithile yelemimoya. Noko ke, ingcamango enjalo ayivumelani nemfundiso yeZibhalo yokuba abafileyo abazi lutho. (INtshumayeli 9:5, 10) Enoba uOnesiforo wayefile, uPawulos wayevakalisa nje umnqweno wakhe wokuba umhlobo wakhe angafumana inceba kaThixo. UR. F. Horton uthi: “Lowo ngumnqweno esinokuba nawo ngabantu bonke. Kodwa ukuthandazela abafileyo, nokubenzela idini leMisa, kwakungeyongcamango eyayinokuthi qatha kwingqondo [yalo mpostile].”
Masibe Ngabathuthuzeli Abanyanisekileyo
Enoba eneneni uOnesiforo waphulukana nobomi bakhe ngoxa wayenceda uPawulos okanye akunjalo, ngokuqinisekileyo wazibeka esichengeni ngokufuna lo mpostile nokumtyelela entolongweni. Yaye alithandabuzeki elokuba uPawulos wayixabisa inkxaso nokhuthazo awayelufuna gqitha nawalufumana kuOnesiforo.
Xa amanye amaKristu ejamelana nesilingo, intshutshiso, okanye evalelwa entolongweni, sisenokuba kwimeko yokuwathuthuzela nokuwakhuthaza. Ngoko ke ngamana singawathandazela size ngothando senze konke okusemandleni ethu ukuwanceda. (Yohane 13:35; 1 Tesalonika 5:25) Njengo-Onesiforo, masibe ngabathuthuzeli abanenkalipho.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]
Ngenkalipho uOnesiforo wamthuthuzela umpostile uPawulos owayesentolongweni