“Bukanani”
UFIBHI, umKristu wenkulungwane yokuqala, wayesengxakini. Wayesuka eKenkreya, eGrisi, esinge eRoma, kodwa yayengawazi amanye amakholwa kweso sixeko. (Roma 16:1, 2) Umguquleli weBhayibhile uEdgar Goodspeed, uthi: “[Ngezo mini] abantu baseRoma yayingabantu abangendawo yaye babekhohlakele, izindlu zabahambi zazidume kakubi yaye ibhinqa elinesidima, ingakumbi elingumKristu lalingenakuya kwiindawo ezinjalo.” Ngoko ke, wayeza kuhlala phi uFibhi?
Ngamaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile abantu babehamba imigama emide. UYesu Kristu nabafundi bakhe babesenjenjalo ukuze bashumayele iindaba ezilungileyo kwaYuda naseGalili. Kungekudala emva koko, abavangeli abangamaKristu njengoPawulos babehambisa isigidimi kwiindawo ezahlukahlukeneyo zaseMeditera, kuquka neRoma, ikomkhulu loBukhosi baseRoma. Xa amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala ayethabath’ uhambo, enoba ayesiya kwindawo yamaYuda okanye kwenye indawo, ayehlala phi? Ayejamelana naziphi iingxaki xa efuna iindawo zokuhlala? Yintoni esinokuyifunda kuwo ngokuphathelele umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe?
“Namhlanje Ndimele Ndihlale Endlwini Yakho”
Umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe uchazwa “njengokwamkela abantu ngokufudumeleyo nangobubele,” yaye kwakudala abanquli bakaYehova bokwenyaniso babesaziwa ngalo moya. Ngokomzekelo, uAbraham, uLote noRebheka babenalo moya. (Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-3; 24:17-20) Echaza indlela awayebaphatha ngayo abaphambukeli, usolusapho uYobhi wathi: “Akukho mphambukeli uya kuchitha ubusuku ngaphandle; iminyango yam bendiyivulela emendweni.”—Yobhi 31:32.
Ukuze abahambi bamkelwe ngamanye amaSirayeli, ngokufuthi babedla ngokuhlala kwindawo kawonke-wonke kwisixeko esithile baze balindele ukuba bamenywe. (ABagwebi 19:15-21) Ngokufuthi abamkeli-zindwendwe babehlamba iinyawo zabahambi baze babanike ukutya nento eselwayo, bandule bondle nezilwanyana zabo. (Genesis 18:4, 5; 19:2; 24:32, 33) Abahambi ababengafuni ukuba ngumthwalo kubamkeli-zindwendwe babeziphathela umphako—ukutya newayini nokutya kwamaesile abo. Babefuna kuphela indawo yokulala ngobo busuku.
Nangona iBhayibhile ingafane ichaze indlela uYesu awayeyifumana ngayo indawo yokuhlala xa wayeshumayela, yena nabafundi bakhe babefanele balale ndaweni ithile. (Luka 9:58) Xa wayetyelele eYeriko, uYesu wathi kuZakeyu: “Namhlanje ndimele ndihlale endlwini yakho.” UZakeyu ‘walwamkela ngemihlali’ undwendwe lwakhe. (Luka 19:5, 6) Ngokufuthi uYesu wayendwendwela abahlobo bakhe uMarta, uMariya noLazaro eBhethani. (Luka 10:38; Yohane 11:1, 5, 18) Yaye kubonakala ukuba eKapernahum, uYesu wayehlala noSimon Petros.—Marko 1:21, 29-35.
Indlela uYesu awathetha ngayo kubapostile bakhe abali-12 xa wayebayalela kubonisa indlela abantu bakwaSirayeli ababeza kubamkela ngayo. UYesu wathi kubo: “Ningafumaneli iinxili zemibhinqo yenu igolide okanye isilivere okanye ubhedu, okanye ingxowa yokutya yohambo, okanye izambatho zangaphantsi ezibini, okanye iimbadada okanye umsimelelo; kuba umsebénzi ufanelwe kukutya kwakhe. Nakusiphi isixeko okanye idolophana eningena kuyo, funisisani ukuba ngubani na ofanelekayo kuyo, nize nihlale apho de nimke.” (Mateyu 10:9-11) Wayesazi ukuba abantliziyo zinyanisekileyo baya kubamkela abafundi bakhe, babanike ukutya, indawo yokuhlala nezinye izinto eziyimfuneko.
Noko ke, kwakuza ixesha xa abavangeli basemazweni kwakufuneka bazilungiselele izinto baze bazinyamekele. Esazi ukuba ekuhambeni kwexesha abalandeli bakhe baza kuthiywa yaye baza kushumayela nakwiindawo ezingaphandle kwaSirayeli, uYesu wathi: “Lowo unenxili makayithabathe, kwanalowo unengxowa yokutya.” (Luka 22:36) Ukuthabath’ uhambo nokufuna indawo yokuhlala kwakuza kuba yinto engenakuphepheka xa kusasazwa iindaba ezilungileyo.
“Landelani Ikhondo Lokubuk’ Iindwendwe”
Ekubeni uBukhosi baseRoma babuseluxolweni yaye zininzi iindlela ezigangathiweyo kwinkulungwane yokuqala kwakulula ngabantu ukusoloko beseluhambweni.a Kuba babebaninzi abahambi loo nto yayithetha ukuba kwakufuneka iindawo ezingakumbi zokuhlala. Ngoko kwakukho izindlu zabahambi kumgama ongangowosuku olunye ukusuka kwenye ukuya kwenye kufuphi nohola wendlela. Noko ke, incwadi ethi The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting ithi: “Xa ubani efunda ngoko kuthethwa ngezi zakhiwo, kumbangela ukuba adakumbe. Iincwadi neenzululwazi ngezakudala zithi ezi ndawo zazingabukeki yaye zingcolile, zingenafanitshala, kukho iincukuthu, ukutya neziselo zingekho mpilweni, abaphathi nabantu abasebenza apho bengathembekanga, ingabantu abadume kakubi, yaye abantu apho babeziphethe kakubi.” Kuyaqondakala ke ngoku, ukuba umhambi oziphethe kakuhle wayekuphepha ukuhlala kwizindlu zabahambi ezinjalo xa kwakunokwenzeka.
Ngoko ke, akumangalisi ukuba iZibhalo zibongoze amaKristu ngokuphindaphindiweyo ukuba abonakalise umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe kwabanye. UPawulos wabongoza amaKristu eRoma esithi: “Yabelanani nabo bangcwele ngokweemfuno zabo. Landelani ikhondo lokubuk’ iindwendwe.” (Roma 12:13) Wakhumbuza amaKristu angamaYuda esithi: “Musani ukulibala ukubuk’ iindwendwe, kuba ngako bambi, bengazi bona, baye bamkela iingelosi.” (Hebhere 13:2) UPetros wabongoza amanye amakholwa ukuba ‘abukane ngaphandle kokumbombozela.’—1 Petros 4:9.
Noko ke, kwakukho iimeko apho kwakungafanelekanga ukubonakalisa umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe. Ngokuphathelele “lowo ugqithayo, ungahlaliyo kwimfundiso kaKristu,” umpostile uYohane wathi: “Ningaze nimamkele emakhayeni enu okanye nimbulise. Kuba lowo umbulisayo unesabelo kwimisebenzi yakhe engendawo.” (2 Yohane 9-11) Ngokuphathelele aboni abangaguqukiyo, uPawulos wabhala: “Niyeke ukunxulumana naye nabani na obizwa ngokuba ngumzalwana ongumhenyuzi okanye umntu obawayo okanye umnquli-zithixo okanye umtshabhisi okanye inxila okanye umphangi, ningatyi kwaukutya nomntu onjalo.”—1 Korinte 5:11.
Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abakhohlisi nabanye baye bazama ukuxhaphaza amaKristu okwenyaniso kuba enomoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe. Uxwebhu lweenkolelo zamaKristu lwenkulungwane yesibini kwiXesha Eliqhelekileyo nelingasekelwanga eBhayibhileni elaziwa ngokuba yiThe Didache okanye iTeaching of the Twelve Apostles, lincomela ukuba umshumayeli ohambahambayo anyanyekelwe “usuku olunye, okanye ukuba kuyimfuneko nosuku lwesibini.” Emva koko, xa ehamba, “makanikwe kuphela ukutya . . . Ukuba ucela imali, ungumprofeti wobuxoki.” Olu xwebhu luqhubeka lusithi: “Ukuba unqwenela ukuhlala phakathi kwenu yaye unobugcisa obuthile, makazisebenzele. Kodwa ukuba akanabugcisa mnyamekeleni, ukuze kungabikho bani oya kuhlala phakathi kwenu engenamsebenzi kuba engumKristu. Kodwa ukuba akakwenzi oko, usebenzisa ubuKristu ekufezeni izilangazelelo zobuqu; balumkeleni abantu abanjalo.”
Umpostile uPawulos wayekulumkela ukuba ngumthwalo kwabo babemamkele xa wayehlala ixesha elide kwizixeko ezithile. Wayesenza iintente ukuze azixhase. (IZenzo 18:1-3; 2 Tesalonika 3:7-12) Ukunceda abahambi abalungileyo phakathi kwawo, kubonakala ukuba amaKristu okuqala ayesebenzisa iileta zokuncomela, njengaleyo yayibhalwa nguPawulos ethetha ngoFibhi. UPawulos wabhala: “Ndincomela kuni uFibhi udade wethu, . . . ukuze nimamkele ngokwaseNkosini . . . nokuze nimncede kuwo nawuphi na umbandela asenokunifuna kuwo.”—Roma 16:1, 2.
Iintsikelelo Zokuba Nomoya Wokubuk’ Iindwendwe
Abavangeli basemazweni abangamaKristu benkulungwane yokuqala babekholose ngoYehova ukuze anyamekele iintswelo zabo. Kodwa ngaba babelindele ukuba amanye amaKristu abonakalise kubo ububele? ULidiya wamkela uPawulos nabanye ekhayeni lakhe. Lo mpostile wahlala noAkwila noPrisila eKorinte. Ibanjwa eFilipi lenzela uPawulos noSilas isidlo. UPawulos wamkelwa ngezandla ezifudumeleyo nguYason eTesalonika, nguFilipu eKesareya, noMnason kwindlela evela eKesareya esinge eYerusalem. Xa wayesiya eRoma, uPawulos wamkelwa ngabazalwana basePuteyoli. Kumele ukuba aba babemamkele bazuza gqitha ngokomoya!—IZenzo 16:33, 34; 17:7; 18:1-3; 21:8, 16; 28:13, 14.
Umphengululi uFrederick F. Bruce uthi: “Aba bahlobo naba bantu ababesebenza kunye naye, nabo bamamkela njengondwendwe, yayingekho enye into ebashukumiselayo ukuba babe luncedo ngaphandle kokumthanda uPawulos nokuthanda iNkosi awayeyikhonza. Babesazi ukuba xa babenceda uPawulos babekhonza uKristu.” Esi sesona sizathu sihle esisishukumisela ukuba sibe nomoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe.
Isekho imfuneko yokubonakalisa umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe. Amawaka abaveleli abahambahambayo bamaNgqina kaYehova enzelwa ububele ngamanye amaKristu. Abanye abavakalisi boBukumkani basebenzisa imali yabo ukuze bahambe baye kushumayela kwiindawo ezingafane zifikelelwe ngeendaba ezilungileyo. Sizuza lukhulu ukubamkela abanjalo enoba amakhaya ethu aphantsi kangakanani na. Ukubuk’ iindwendwe ngokuthi siziphe nje ukutya okuqhelekileyo kusinika ithuba lokuba “sikhuthazane elukholweni” nokubonakalisa uthando kubazalwana bethu noThixo wethu. (Roma 1:11, 12) Izihlandlo ezinjalo ziyinzuzo nakakhulu kwabo bamkela iindwendwe, kuba “kunoyolo ngakumbi ukupha kunokwamkela.”—IZenzo 20:35.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Kuqikelelwa ukuba malunga nowama-100 C.E., kwakukho iindlela eziziikhilomitha ezingama-80 000 ezazigangathiwe eRoma.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]
MaKristu “landelani ikhondo lokubuk’ iindwendwe”