UTikiko—Ikhoboka Elithembekileyo Elilidlelane
NGEZIHLANDLO ezahlukahlukeneyo, uTikiko wayehamba nompostile uPawulos yaye ekwanguye nomthunywa wakhe. Wayengumthunywa owayenokugciniswa imali neembopheleleko zokuvelela. Ekubeni iZibhalo zibalaselisa ukuthembeka kwakhe—uphawu olufunekayo kuwo onke amaKristu—mhlawumbi usenokuthanda ukwazi okungakumbi ngaye.
UPawulos uchaza uTikiko ‘njengomzalwana wakhe oyintanda nongumlungiseleli othembekileyo kwanekhoboka elilidlelane lakhe eNkosini.’ (Kolose 4:7) Kwakutheni ukuze umpostile amgqale ngaloo ndlela?
Ukunikela Ngoncedo EYerusalem
Kwabakho intswelo yezinto eziphathekayo kumaKristu akwelakwaYuda malunga nowama-55 C.E. Ngoncedo lwamabandla aseYurophu naseAsia Minor, uPawulos walungiselela ukuba kuqokelelwe imali yokuwanceda. UTikiko, owayevela kwisithili saseAsiya, waba negalelo elikhulu ekunikeleni olo ncedo.
Emva kokunikela imiyalelo ngendlela yokuphatha loo mnikelo, uPawulos wacebisa ukuba amadoda athembekileyo athunyelwe eYerusalem okanye ahambe naye aye apho, ephethe loo mali. (1 Korinte 16:1-4) Xa wayethabatha uhambo olude esuka eGrisi esiya eYerusalem, wayephelekwa ngamadoda aliqela, kubonakala ukuba omnye wawo yayinguTikiko. (IZenzo 20:4) Abantu abaninzi kangako kusenokwenzeka ukuba babefuneka ngenxa yokuba babephethe imali ababeyiphathiswe ngamabandla aliqela. Ukufuna unqabiseko kusenokuba kwakubalulekile, ekubeni kwakungxange izihange kwindlela ekwakuhanjwa kuyo.—2 Korinte 11:26.
Ekubeni uAristarko noTrofimo bebepheleke uPawulos ukuya eYerusalem, bambi bacinga ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba uTikiko nabanye benjenjalo nabo. (IZenzo 21:29; 24:17; 27:1, 2) Ngenxa yokuba uTikiko wayebandakanyekile kwiphulo lokunceda, ungomnye wabaninzi obizwa ngokuba ‘ngumzalwana’ owayesebenza noTito eGrisi ukuze alungiselele ukuqokelelwa kwemali yaye nalowo ‘wamiselwa ngamabandla ukuba abe ngumlingane [kaPawulos] ohambahambayo ngokunxibelelene nesi sipho sobubele.’ (2 Korinte 8:18, 19; 12:18) Ukuba uthumo lokuqala olwaphunyezwa nguTikiko lwaba nempumelelo, kumele ukuba nolwesibini lwalubalulekile.
Ukusuka ERoma Ukuya EKolose
Kwiminyaka emihlanu okanye emithandathu kamva (60-61 C.E.), uPawulos wayecinga ngokukhululwa kwakhe ekuvalelweni okwesihlandlo sokuqala eRoma. UTikiko wayekunye naye, kwisithuba esingangeekhilomitha ezingamakhulukhulu ukusuka kokwabo. Ngoku uTikiko wayegoduka ebuyela eAsiya. Oku kwamnceda uPawulos wakwazi ukuhambisa iileta kumabandla amaKristu akuloo mmandla yaye nokuthumela isicaka sikaFilemon, uOnesimo, abuyele eKolose. UTikiko no-Onesimo ubuncinane babephethe iileta ezintathu ngoku eziqukwe kwiincwadi ezingcwele zeBhayibhile—enye kwabase-Efese, enye kwabaseKolose nenye kuFilemon. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba kwakushiywe nenye ileta kwibandla laseLawodike, isixeko esimalunga neekhilomitha ezili-18 ukusuka eKolose.—Efese 6:21; Kolose 4:7-9, 16; Filemon 10-12.
UTikiko wayengengonoposi nje kuphela. Wayengumthunywa othembekileyo, kuba uPawulos wabhala: “UTikiko, umzalwana wam oyintanda nomlungiseleli othembekileyo kwanekhoboka elilidlelane lethu eNkosini, uya kunazisa ngayo yonke imicimbi yam. Kungenxa yale njongo kanye yokuba nazi ngezinto ezinento yokwenza nathi nokuze athuthuzele iintliziyo zenu, le nto ndimthumelayo kuni.”—Kolose 4:7, 8.
Umphengululi uE. Randolph Richards uthi unoposi “ngokufuthi wayeba ngoqhakamishelanisa umbhali nabo bafumana iileta ukongezelela koko kubhaliweyo. . . . [Esinye isizathu] sokuba afune unoposi othembekileyo [sesokuba] wayesoloko enenkcazelo eyongezelelekileyo. Ileta isenokuchaza imeko ngokufutshane ngokufuthi ngendlela umbhali ayibona ngayo, kodwa unoposi ulindeleke ukuba acacisele abo baza kuyifumana zonke iinkcukacha.” Nangona ileta isenokuxubusha ngeemfundiso nemibandela ebalulekileyo, eminye isenokudluliselwa ngomlomo ngumthunywa othembekileyo.
Iileta eziya kwabase-Efese, kwabaseKolose, nakuFilemon azithethi okuninzi ngendlela uPawulos awayephila ngayo. Ngaloo ndlela uTikiko kwakufuneka acacise kwakhona ngokuphuma kuye, aze acacise neemeko zikaPawulos eRoma, aze aphawule neemeko emabandleni kangangokuba angakwazi ukuwakhuthaza. Izigidimi neembopheleleko ezinjengezi zazidluliselwa kuphela kwabo babenokuthenjwa nabo babenokummela lowo ubathumileyo ngokuthembekileyo. UTikiko wayeyindoda enjalo.
Ukuvelela Kwizabelo Ezikude
Ekukhululweni kwakhe emva kokuvalelwa endlwini yakhe eRoma, uPawulos wacinga ngokuthumela uTikiko okanye uArtemas kuTito kwisiqithi saseKrete. (Tito 1:5; 3:12) Ebudeni bokuvalelwa kwesibini kukaPawulos eRoma (ekusenokwenzeka ukuba kwakumalunga nowama-65 C.E.), kwakhona lo mpostile wathumela uTikiko e-Efese, mhlawumbi eye kungena esikhundleni sikaTimoti, owayeza kuthi kamva ahambe noPawulos.—2 Timoti 4:9, 12.
Akwaziwa nokuba uTikiko waya eKrete na-se-Efese ebudeni beli xesha. Sekunjalo, iimbekiselo ezinjengezi zibonisa ukuba wahlala esesinye sezinxulumani zikaPawulos ezisenyongweni de kwayiminyaka yokugqibela yobulungiseleli bompostile. Ukuba uPawulos wayecinga ngokumthumela mhlawumbi kumsebenzi onzima endaweni kaTimoti noTito, kuyabonakala ukuba uTikiko waba ngumKristu nomveleli oqolileyo. (Thelekisa eyoku-1 kuTimoti 1:3; Tito 1:10-13.) Ukuvuma kwakhe ukuhamba nokusetyenziswa kwizabelo ezikude kwamenza waluncedo kuPawulos nakulo lonke ibandla lamaKristu.
Namhlanje, amaKristu anomoya wokuzincama ngokuvumayo akhonza uThixo kumabandla asekuhlaleni amaNgqina kaYehova okanye azenza afumaneke ukuze ahambisele phambili izilangazelelo zoBukumkani kwezinye iindawo. Amawaka aye azamkela ngovuyo izabelo zokuba ngabavangeli basemazweni, abaveleli abahambahambayo, izicaka zamazwe ngamazwe ezikwimisebenzi yolwakhiwo, kwikomkhulu lehlabathi leWatch Tower Society, okanye kwamanye amasebe alo. NjengoTikiko, ababalaselanga, kodwa bayazibhokoxa, ‘abalungiseleli abathembekileyo’ abaxabisekileyo kuThixo nabathandwayo ngamanye amaKristu abanokuthenjwa ‘njengedlelane eliyintanda eNkosini.’