Kwakutheni Ukuze UPawulos Atshutshise AmaKristu?

‘MNA NGOKWENENE NDAZICINGELA kum ukuba ndifanelwe kukwenza izenzo ezininzi zenkcaso nxamnye negama likaYesu umNazarete; ezo, enyanisweni, ndazenzayo eYerusalem. Abaninzi kwabo bangcwele ndabatshixela ezintolongweni, njengoko ndandifumene igunya kubabingeleli abaziintloko. Xa abafundi babeza kubulawa, ndandivota ngokunxamnye nabo. Yaye ngokubohlwaya izihlandlo ezininzi kuzo zonke izindlu zesikhungu ndazama ukubanyanzelela ukulukhanyela ukholo. Ekubeni ndandinempambano gqitha ngokunxamnye nabo, ndandide ndiye kubatshutshisa kwanakwizixeko ezingaphandle.’​—⁠IZenzo 26:​9-⁠11.

WATSHO uSawule waseTarso, owayekwaziwa njengompostile uPawulos. Kambe ke, ngexesha athetha ngalo la mazwi, wayesele eguqukile. Wayengasabuchasanga ubuKristu, ngoku wayengomnye wabameli babo onenzondelelo. Kodwa yintoni eyayiphembelele uSawule ngaphambili ukuba atshutshise amaKristu? Yintoni eyamenza wacinga ukuba ‘wayefanele kukwenza izenzo’ ezinjalo? Yaye ngaba ikho into enokufundwa kweli bali lakhe?

Ukuxulutywa KukaStefano Ngamatye

IBhayibhile iqala ukuthetha ngoSawule ephakathi kwabo babebulala uStefano. “Emva kokumphosela ngaphandle kwesixeko [uStefano] baqalisa ukumgibisela ngamatye. Kwaye amangqina abeka izambatho zawo zangaphandle ezinyaweni zomfana obizwa ngokuba nguSawule.” “USawule, ngokukokwakhe, wayekholiswa kukugetyengwa kwakhe.” (IZenzo 7:​58; 8:⁠1) Yintoni eyakhokelela kolu hlaselo? AmaYuda, kuquka athile aseKilikiya, ayemchasile uStefano kodwa ayengakwazi ukumbek’ ityala nganto. Enoba uSawule, naye owayengowaseKilikiya wayephakathi kwawo, asixelelwa. Kuphela nje, asebenzisa amangqina obuxoki ukuze amangalele uStefano ngokunyelisa aza amrhuqela phambi kweSanhedrin. (IZenzo 6:​9-14) Le ntlanganiso, eyayisonganyelwa ngumbingeleli omkhulu, yayisebenza njengenkundla ephakamileyo yamaYuda. Njengelona gunya liphakamileyo lonqulo, amalungu ayo ayekhusela oko ayekugqala kuyimfundiso enyulu. Ngokwembono yawo uStefano wayefanelwe kukufa. Wayeyinyathele emsileni ngokuwatyhola ngokungawuthobeli umthetho, akunjalo na? (IZenzo 7:​53) Ayeza kumbonisa indlela ofanele uthotyelwe ngayo!

Ukuvumelana kukaSawule naloo mbono kwakuvisisana neenkolelo zakhe. WayengumFarisi. Eli hlelo linamandla lalifuna umntu athobele umthetho nesithethe ngokungqongqo. UbuKristu babugqalwa njengobuphikisana nezo mfundiso, bufundisa indlela entsha yosindiso ngoYesu. AmaYuda enkulungwane yokuqala ayelindele uMesiya ukuba abe yiNkosi ezukisiweyo eyayiya kuwakhulula kwidyokhwe ethiyekileyo yolawulo lwamaRoma. Yayingamkeleki nakancinane ezingqondweni yaye icekiseka into yokuba umntu owagwetywa yiSanhendrin ngenxa yokunyelisa waza emva koko wabethelelwa kwisibonda sentuthumbo njengesikrelemnqa unokuba nguMesiya.

UMthetho wawusithi umntu oxhonywe esibondeni “usisiqalekiso kuThixo.” (Duteronomi 21:​22, 23; Galati 3:​13) Ngokwembono kaSawule, “loo mazwi ngokucacileyo ayesebenza kuYesu,” utsho uFrederick F. Bruce. “Wafa eqalekisiwe nguThixo, yaye ngoko ke akunakucingwa ukuba unguMesiya, umntu, ngokutsho kweli gama, owayejizekwe intsikelelo kaThixo ngomlinganiselo okhethekileyo. Ngoko ke ukuthi uYesu wayenguMesiya yayikukunyelisa; abo babethetha ubudenge obunjalo kwakufuneka bohlwaywe njengabanyelisi.” Njengoko uSawule kamva wavumayo, ingcamango ‘kaKristu ebethelelwe yayingunobangela wokukhubeka kumaYuda.’​—⁠1 Korinte 1:⁠23.

Ekuphela kwento awayenokuyenza uSawule kukuyikhaba ngawo omane le mfundiso. Kwakufanele kusetyenziswe nezigalo ukuyitshayela ithi tu. Wayeqinisekile ukuba leyo yinto eyayifunwa nguThixo. Echaza indlela awayezimisele ngayo, uSawule uthi: “Ngokuphathelele inzondelelo, ndandilitshutshisa ibandla; ngokuphathelele ubulungisa obungokomthetho, ndazingqina ndingenakusoleka.” “Ndathi gqolo ndilitshutshisa ngokugqithiseleyo ibandla likaThixo yaye ndiliphanzisa, yaye ndandisenza inkqubela enkulu ngakumbi kubuYuda kunabaninzi ababeziintanga zam kwisizwe sakowethu, njengoko ndandizizondelela kakhulu ngakumbi izithethe zoobawo.”​—⁠Filipi 3:⁠6; Galati 1:​13, 14.

Intshatsheli Yomtshutshisi

Emva kokufa kukaStefano, uSawule akusathethwa ngaye njengomphembeleli nje kuphela wentshutshiso kodwa njengentshatsheli yayo. Enyanisweni, kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayesele ezenzele igama elibi, kuba nasemva kokuguquka kwakhe, xa wenza imigudu yokuzihlanganisa nabafundi, “bonke babemoyika, ngenxa yokuba babengakholelwa ukuba ungumfundi.” Kwakuba kucacile ngokwenene ukuba ungumKristu, ukuguquka kwakhe kwabenza banovuyo nombulelo abafundi, bakuva ukuba, ingekuphela nje ukuba indoda nje ebisoloko ibachasile iguqukile, kunoko, “laa mntu wayesitshutshisa ngaphambili ngoku uvakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo zokholo awayeluphanzisa ngaphambili.”​—⁠IZenzo 9:​26; Galati 1:​23, 24.

IDamasko yayikumgama onokuba ziikhilomitha ezingama-220​—⁠uhambo lweentsuku ezisixhenxe okanye ezisibhozo​—⁠ukusuka eYerusalem. Sekunjalo, “esabafuthela ngesisongelo nobugebenga abafundi,” uSawule waya kumbingeleli omkhulu waza wafuna iileta eziya kwizindlu zesikhungu eDamasko. Yayizezokwenza ntoni ezo leta? Ukuze uSawule akwazi ukuzisa nabani na ongowale “Ndlela” ekhonkxiwe eYerusalem. Akuba efumene imvume engokwasemthethweni, ‘waqalisa ukuqhubana ngokuneengcwangu nebandla, engenela izindlu ngezindlu, erhuqela phandle kokubini amadoda nabafazi, ukuze abanikele entolongweni.’ Abanye ‘wabakatsa kwizindlu zesikhungu,’ yaye ‘wavota’ (ngokoqobo, wabeka “ingqalutye yakhe yokuvota”) ukuze babulawe.​—⁠IZenzo 8:⁠3; 9:​1, 2, 14; 22:​5, 19; 26:​10, umbhalo osemazantsi weNW.

Xa kucingwa ngemfundo uSawule awayifumana kuGamaliyeli negunya awayenalo ngoku, bambi abaphengululi bakholelwa ukuba wenza inkqubela kususela ekubeni ngumfundi nje oqhelekileyo woMthetho de waba negunya elithile kunqulo lobuYuda. Ngokomzekelo, omnye ucinga ukuba uSawule usenokuba wayengumfundisi kwindlu yesikhungu yaseYerusalem. Noko ke, oko kuthethwa nguSawule ‘ngokuvota’​—⁠enoba wakwenza njengelungu lenkundla okanye njengomntu owayebonakalisa inkxaso yakhe ekubulaweni kwamaKristu​—⁠asinakuqiniseka ngako.a

Ekubeni ekuqaleni onke amaKristu ayengamaYuda okanye amaguquka ebuYudeni, kuyabonakala ukuba uSawule wayebugqala ubuKristu njengombutho wabawexuki ebuYudeni, yaye wayecinga ukuba kuyimbopheleleko yonqulo olusemthethweni lwamaYuda ukulungisa amarhamente awo. Umphengululi uArland J. Hultgren uthi: “Akunto eyayingenakwenzeka ukuba uPawulos owayengumtshutshisi abuchase ubuKristu kuba wayebubona bulunqulo olungahambisani nobuYuda, unqulo olukhuphisanayo. Lo mbutho wobuKristu umele ukuba yena nabanye bawugqala njengophantsi kwegunya lonqulo lobuYuda.” Ngoko injongo yakhe yayikukuwanyanzela la maYuda akreqileyo ukuba alukhanyele olu kholo lwawo aze abuyele kunqulo lwesithethe, esebenzisa zonke iindlela ezikhoyo. (IZenzo 26:​11) Enye indlela awayenokukwenza ngayo oku kukuwavalela entolongweni. Enye yayikukuwakatsa kwizindlu zesikhungu, indlela eqhelekileyo yokuqeqesha eyayisetyenziswa ukohlwaya abo bangalithobeliyo igunya loorabhi kuyo nayiphi na inkundla yasekuhlaleni eyayinabagwebi abathathu.

Kambe ke, uYesu wabonakala kuSawule endleleni eya eDamasko, waza wayiphelisa yonke loo nto. Ngequbuliso uSawule wayeka ukuba lutshaba olunengcwangu lobuKristu, waza waba ngumlweli wabo onenzondelelo, yaye kungekudala amaYuda aseDamasko ayemfuna apho ebekho efuna ukumbulala. (IZenzo 9:​1-23) Okuhlekisayo kukuba, njengomKristu, uSawule wayeza kujamelana noba bunzima obukhulu awayebuvisa abanye ngoxa wayengumtshutshisi, kangangokuba kwiminyaka kamva wathi: “NgamaYuda ndamkela izihlandlo ezihlanu imivumbo emashumi mane kwaphuke wamnye.”​—⁠2 Korinte 11:⁠24.

Ubani Usenokuba Nenzondelelo Ngento Engalunganga

Emva kokuguquka kukaSawule, xa wayesaziwa njengoPawulos wabhala: “Ngaphambili ndandingumnyelisi nomtshutshisi nomntu osileyo. Noko ke, ndaboniswa inceba, ngenxa yokuba ndandingenalwazi ndaza ndenza ngokuswela ukholo.” (1 Timoti 1:​13) Ngoko ke, ukunyaniseka nokuxakeka kunqulo lukabani, akusosiqinisekiso sokwamkelwa nguThixo. USawule wayenenzondelelo yaye eqhutywa sisazela sakhe, kodwa oko akuzange kumenze umntu olungileyo. Wayenenzondelelo kwinto engalunganga. (Thelekisa amaRoma 10:​2, 3.) Oko kufanele kusenze sicingisise.

Abaninzi namhlanje baqinisekile ukuba ihambo elungileyo kuphela kwento uThixo ayifunayo kubo. Kodwa ngaba kunjalo? Mntu ngamnye ufanele aphulaphule isibongozo sikaPawulos esithi: “Qinisekani ngezinto zonke; nibambelele nkqi koko kuhle.” (1 Tesalonika 5:​21) Oko kuthetha ukuzipha ixesha ukuze ufumane ulwazi oluchanileyo lweLizwi likaThixo lenyaniso uze uphile ngokuvumelana nalo ngokupheleleyo. Ukuba xa sihlolisisa iBhayibhile sifumanisa ukuba sifanele senze iinguqulelo, ngoko sifanele sizenze ngaphandle kokulibazisa. Mhlawumbi bambalwa kuthi abakhe bangabanyelisi, abatshutshisi, okanye amadoda asileyo ngendlela awayeyiyo uSawule. Sekunjalo, kungokuphila ngokholo nangolwazi oluchanileyo kuphela esinokuthi njengaye, samkeleke kuThixo.​—⁠Yohane 17:​3, 17.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]