Benza Ukuthanda KukaYehova
UPawulos Woyisa Ubunzima
UPAWULOS ukwimeko enganik’ ithemba. Yena nabanye abangama-275 basenqanaweni efunyanwa sisivuthuvuthu esibizwa ngokuba yiYurokhwilo—owona moya mkhulu kwiMeditera. Esi saqhwithi sinamandla kangangokuba ilanga alibonakali emini, neenkwenkwezi ebusuku. Liyaqondakala elokuba, abahambi boyikisela ubomi babo. Sekunjalo, uPawulos uyabomeleza ngokubabalisela oko kwakutyhilwe kuye ephupheni: “Akukho mphefumlo wenu uya kulahleka, sisikhephe kuphela esiya kwenjenjalo.”—IZenzo 27:14, 20-22.
Ngobusuku be-14 beso saqhwithi, oomatiloshe babona into emangalisa gqitha—amanzi anzulu kangangeefatom ezingama-20.a Emva kokuba behambe umgama omfutshane, bafumanisa okunye. Ngoku, amanzi anzulu kangangeefatom ezili-15. Umhlaba ukufuphi! Kodwa ezi ndaba zilungileyo zibenza banxube. Njengoko igungqa kuloo manzi angenzulu ebusuku, le nqanawa isenokuntlitheka ematyeni ize yaphuke. Ngobulumko, oomatiloshe bathoba iiankile. Abanye babo bafuna ukwehlisa isikhitshane baze bakhwele kuso, besithi mhlawumbi bangasinda.b Kodwa uPawulos uyabanqanda. Uxelela igosa lomkhosi namajoni esithi: “Ngaphandle kokuba aba bantu bahlale esikhepheni, aninakusindiswa.” Eli gosa liyamphulaphula uPawulos, yaye ngoku bonke abo bakhweleyo abangama-276 balinda ngomonde kude kuse.—IZenzo 27:27-32.
Ukwaphuka Kwenqanawa
Ngentsasa elandelayo, abo bakhwele enqanaweni babona umnxweme olunendawo yokuqubha. Bephinde banethemba, oomatiloshe bakhulula iiankile baze baphakamisele iseyile ngasemoyeni. Inqanawa iqalisa ukuya ngaselunxwemeni—alithandabuzeki elokuba bavuya gqitha.—IZenzo 27:39, 40.
Noko ke, ngesiquphe inqanawa ibambeka kwindawo esisidibi. Okona kubi ngakumbi kukuba, amaza amakhulu abetha umva wenqanawa, aze awaphule ube ziingceba. Bonke abo bakhweleyo kuza kufuneka bayishiye le nqanawa! (IZenzo 27:41) Kodwa oku kubangela ingxaki. Uninzi lwabo basenqanaweni—kuquka uPawulos—bangamabanjwa. Ngaphantsi komthetho wamaRoma, umlindi ovumela ibanjwa ukuba lizimele uyohlwaywa ngohlobo ebeliza kohlwaywa ngayo elo banjwa. Ngokomzekelo, ukuba umbulali uyabaleka, umlindi ongakhathaliyo kwakufuneka ahlawule ngobomi bakhe.
Esoyika imiphumo enjalo, amajoni afuna kubulawe onke amabanjwa. Noko ke, igosa lomkhosi, elinobuhlobo kuPawulos, liyamthethelela. Liyalela ukuba bonke abo banako ukutsibela emanzini benjenjalo nokuze baqubhele emhlabeni. Abo bangakwaziyo bamele babambelele emaplangeni okanye kwezinye izinto esikhepheni. Omnye emva komnye kwabo bakhweleyo bayaphuma enqanaweni eyaphukileyo bazabalazele ukuya ngaselunxwemeni. Ayazaliseka amazwi kaPawulos athi, akukho mphefumlo wenu uya kulahleka!—IZenzo 27:42-44.
Ummangaliso EMalta
Eli qela lidiniweyo liye lasindela kwisiqithi esiyiMalta. Abemi ‘bangabantu abantetho yasemzini,’ ngokoqobo ‘bangabantu abangenankcubeko’ (ngesiGrike, barʹba·ros).c Kodwa aba bantu baseMalta asingobantu banengcwangu. Ngokwahlukileyo koko, uLuka, ohamba noPawulos unikela ingxelo yokuba aba bantu “babonisa kuthi ubuntu obungaqhelekanga, kuba baphemba umlilo baza basinceda sonke ngokusamkela ngenxa yemvula eyayisina nangenxa yengqele.” UPawulos wabancedisa abemi baseMalta ekuthezeni iinkuni nasekuphembeni umlilo.—IZenzo 28:1-3, umbhalo osemazantsi weNW.
Ngesiquphe, irhamba linamathela esandleni sikaPawulos! Abemi beso siqithi bacinga ukuba uPawulos ngumbulali. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba bacinga ukuba uThixo wohlwaya aboni ngokuhlasela ilungu elithile lomzimba wabo elisetyenzisiweyo ukwenza isono. Kodwa khangela! Into emangalisa abemi balapha kukuba, uPawulos ulivuthululela emlilweni irhamba. Kunjengokuba ingqina lokuzibonela uLuka lisitsho, “babelindele ukuba [uPawulos] wayeza kudumba okanye athi qithi aze afe ngequbuliso.” Abemi besi siqithi batshintsha iingqondo zabo baze baqalise ukuthi uPawulos umele ukuba unguthixo.—IZenzo 28:3-6.
UPawulos uchitha iinyanga ezintathu ezilandelayo eMalta, aze ebudeni beli xesha aphilise uyise kaPubliyo indoda eyintloko yeso siqithi, owamkela uPawulos ngobubele, kuquka nabo babegula. Ukongezelela, uPawulos utyala imbewu yenyaniso, ephumela kwiintsikelelo ezininzi kubahlali baseMalta abanomoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe.—IZenzo 28:7-11.
Oko Sikufundayo
Ebudeni bobulungiseleli bakhe, uPawulos wahlangabezana nocelomngeni ngeendlela ezininzi. (2 Korinte 11:23-27) Kule ngxelo ingasentla, wayelibanjwa ngenxa yeendaba ezilungileyo. Emva koko, kwakufuneka ajamelane nezilingo awayengazilindelanga: isaqhwithi esinamandla nokwaphukelwa yinqanawa okwabangelwa siso. Ebudeni bayo yonke le nto, uPawulos akazange axengaxenge ekuzimiseleni kwakhe ekubeni ngumshumayeli onenzondelelo weendaba ezilungileyo. Kumava akhe wabhala oku: “Kuyo yonk’ into nakuzo zonke iimeko ndiye ndayifunda imfihlelo kokubini yokuba kunjani ukuhlutha nokuba kunjani ukulamba, kokubini yokuba kunjani ukuba nentabalala nokuba kunjani ukuba nentswelo. Ezintweni zonke ndinamandla ngenxa yalowo undomelezayo.”—Filipi 4:12, 13.
Iingxaki zobomi azimele zisityhafise kwisigqibo sethu sokuba ngabalungiseleli abanenzondelelo boThixo oyinyaniso! Xa kuvela izilingo esingazilindelanga, silahlela umthwalo wethu kuYehova. (INdumiso 55:22) Emva koko, silinda ngomonde ukuze sibone indlela enza ngayo ukuze sikwazi ukusinyamezela isilingo eso. Ngelo xesha, siqhubeka simkhonza ngokuthembeka, siqinisekile ukuba uyasikhathalela. (1 Korinte 10:13; 1 Petros 5:7) Ngokuhlala somelele, kungakhathaliseki ukuba sijamelana naziphi iingxaki—njengoPawulos—sinokuboyisa ubunzima.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Ngokuqhelekileyo ifatom yaziwa njengeekyubhiki ezine, okanye iimitha ezisisi-1,8.
b Isikhitshane yayiliphenyane elalisetyenziswa ukuya elunxwemeni xa inqanawa ibotshelelwe kufuphi nonxweme. Kubonakala ukuba, oomatiloshe babezama ukusindisa ubomi babo bengabakhathalele abo babesenokuba basele ngasemva, ababengenalwazi ngenqanawa.
c IWilfred Funk’s Word Origins ithi: “AmaGrike ayezicekisa ezinye iilwimi ngaphandle kolwawo, yaye athi zazivakala ngathi yi-‘bar-bar’ yaye nabani na owayethetha zona ayembiza ngokuthi ngubarbaros.”