Irhafu—Ngaba Ufanele Uyihlawule?

BAMBALWA abantu abakuthandayo ukuhlawula irhafu. Abantu abaninzi bavakalelwa kukuba imali yabo yerhafu isetyenziswa kakubi. Noko ke, abanye abafuni ukuyihlawula ngenxa yezazela zabo. Bechaza isizathu sokuba bengafuni ukuhlawula irhafu, abanye abemi bedolophu eseMbindi Mpuma bathi: “Asinakuze sikhuphe imali eza kuthenga iimbumbulu eziza kubulala kwa-abantwana bethu.”

Asikokokuqala abantu bevakalelwa ngaloo ndlela. Inkokeli yamaHindu engasekhoyo uMohandas K. Gandhi yachaza isizathu sokuba ingakufuni ukuhlawula irhafu: “Umntu oxhasa umkhosi kaRhulumente—enoba loo nto uyenza ngokungqalileyo okanye ngokungangqalanga—uyona. Enoba umntu mdala okanye mncinane, uxhasa uRhulumente ngokuhlawula irhafu.”

Ngendlela efanayo, isithandi sobulumko senkulungwane ye-19 uHenry David Thoreau wachaza isizathu sokuba isazela sakhe singamvumeli ukuba ahlawule irhafu. Wabuza: “Ngaba ummi umele avumele umenzi womthetho amenzele isigqibo kwizinto ezifuna isazela sakhe? Ukuba kunjalo, kutheni wonke umntu enesazela?”

Lo mbandela uyawachaphazela namaKristu, kuba iBhayibhile ikwenza kucace ukuba amele abe nesazela esicocekileyo kuzo zonke izinto. (2 Timoti 1:3) Kwangaxeshanye iBhayibhile iyavuma ukuba oorhulumente banalo igunya lokuqokelela irhafu. Ithi: “Yonke imiphefumlo mayiwathobele amagunya awongamileyo, kuba akukho gunya libekho ngaphandle kukaThixo; amagunya akhoyo abekwe nguThixo kwizikhundla zawo ezilinganiselweyo. Ngoko ke kukho isizathu esinyanzelisayo sokuba nithobele, kungekuphela ngenxa yengqumbo leyo kodwa kwanangenxa yesazela senu. Kuba kungenxa yoko le nto nikwahlawula iirhafu; kuba asisicaka sikawonke-wonke sikaThixo ekhonza rhoqo ngenxa yale njongo. Nikani bonke oko kubafaneleyo, lowo kufuneka irhafu kuye, mnikeni irhafu.”—Roma 13:1, 5-7.

Ngenxa yesi sizathu, amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala ayesaziwa nanguthathatha ukuba ayayihlawula irhafu, nangona eninzi yayo ixhasa umkhosi. Anjalo namaNgqina kaYehova kule mihla.a Ukuba inxalenye yerhafu isetyenziselwa ukuxhasa umkhosi, kutheni amaKristu emele ayihlawule? Ngaba umKristu umele angasinanzi isazela sakhe xa kufunwa irhafu?

Irhafu Nesazela

Kuyabonakala ukuba inxalenye yerhafu eyayihlawulwa ngamaKristu ngenkulungwane yokuqala yayisiya emkhosini. Yayiyile nto eyabangela ukuba uGandhi noThoreau bangavumi ukuhlawula irhafu.

Phawula ukuba amaKristu ayefanele athobele umyalelo okumaRoma isahluko 13 kungekhona kuba efuna ukuphepha isohlwayo kodwa ‘ngenxa yesazela sawo.’ (Roma 13:5) Isazela somKristu sifuna ahlawule irhafu, enoba loo rhafu isetyenziselwa izinto angazixhasiyo. Ukuze siyiqonde le nto, kufuneka siqale sazi indlela esisebenza ngayo isazela sethu, ilizwi elingaphakathi kuthi elisixelelayo xa into ilungile okanye ingalunganga.

Wonke umntu unalo eli lizwi, njengokuba noThoreau watshoyo, kodwa loo nto ayithethi kuthi sinokusoloko silithemba. Ukuze simkholise uThixo, kufuneka isazela sethu sivisisane nemilinganiselo yakhe. Kufuneka silungelelanise indlela esicinga ngayo ivisisane nekaThixo, kuba iindlela zakhe zingaphezu kwezethu. (INdumiso 19:7) Simele siqonde indlela uThixo abajonga ngayo oorhulumente babantu. Ubajonga njani?

Siyazi ukuba umpostile uPawulos wathi oorhulumente babantu “sisicaka sikawonke-wonke sikaThixo.” (Roma 13:6) Ithetha ukuthini loo nto? Ithetha ukuba bagcina ucwangco baze benzele uluntu iinkonzo ezibalulekileyo. Nkqu noorhulumente abarhwaphilizayo badla ngokubabonelela abantu ngeenkonzo ezinjengokuhambisa iposi, imfundo, ukucima umlilo nokubamba izaphuli mthetho. Nangona uThixo ezazi iintsilelo zala magunya, uyawanyamezela okwexeshana yaye usiyalela ukuba sihlawule irhafu sibonise intlonelo ngelungiselelo lakhe, ukuvumela kwakhe amagunya ukuba alawule uluntu.

Noko ke, uThixo uvumele aba rhulumente babantu ukuba balawule okwexeshana. Noko ke, baza kuthatyathelw’ indawo buBukumkani bakhe basezulwini yaye uza kulungisa wonke umonakalo owenziwe lulawulo loluntu ukutyhubela iinkulungwane. (Daniyeli 2:44; Mateyu 6:10) Okwangoku, uThixo akafuni amaKristu ukuba avukele urhulumente ngokungahlawuli irhafu nangezinye iindlela.

Kuthekani ukuba, njengoGandhi, usavakalelwa kukuba ukuhlawula irhafu exhasa umkhosi sisono? Njengokuba indawo sidla ngokuyibona kakuhle xa sikwindawo ephezulu, siya kukulungela ukuvisisanisa indlela esicinga ngayo nekaThixo ngokukhumbula indlela eziphakame ngayo iimbono zakhe kunezethu. Esebenzisa umprofeti uIsaya, uThixo wathi: “Njengoko amazulu ephakamile kunomhlaba, ngokunjalo neendlela zam ziphakamile kuneendlela zenu, neengcamango zam kuneengcamango zenu.”—Isaya 55:8, 9.

Ngaba Banegunya Elingasikelwanga Mda?

Imfundiso yeBhayibhile yokuhlawulwa kwerhafu ayithethi kuthi igunya loorhulumente babantu alisikelwanga mda. UYesu wafundisa ukuba igunya uThixo alinike oorhulumente lisikelwe umda. Xa uYesu wayebuzwa ukuba kufanelekile kusini na emehlweni kaThixo ukuhlawula irhafu kurhulumente welo xesha wamaRoma, waphendula wathi: “Buyiselani izinto zikaKesare kuKesare, kodwa izinto zikaThixo kuThixo.”—Marko 12:13-17.

Oorhulumente—abamelwa “nguKesare”—benza imali ezingqekembe okanye engamaphepha baze bachaze ixabiso layo. Ngokwembono kaThixo, banelungelo lokuyibiza imali ngokuhlawulisa irhafu. Sekunjalo, uYesu wabonisa ukuba “izinto zikaThixo”—ubomi bethu nonqulo—azinakusetyenziselwa ukuhambisela phambili izinto zabantu. Xa imithetho yabantu ingqubana nemithetho kaThixo, amaKristu ‘amele athobele uThixo njengomlawuli kunabantu.’—IZenzo 5:29.

AmaKristu namhlanje anokuphazamiseka ngendlela esetyenziswa ngayo irhafu ayihlawulayo, kodwa awazami ukuphembelela okanye ukuphakamisa urhulumente ngokwala okanye ukuxhathisa ukuhlawula irhafu. Loo nto ibiya kubonisa ukungabi nalukholo kwisicombululo sikaThixo seengxaki zoluntu. Kunoko, alinda ngomonde ixesha likaThixo elifanelekileyo lokungenelela kwiingxaki zoluntu ngolawulo loNyana wakhe uYesu, owathi: “Ubukumkani bam abuyonxalenye yeli hlabathi.”—Yohane 18:36.

Iingenelo Zokulandela Iimfundiso ZeBhayibhile

Zininzi iingenelo onokuzifumana ngokulandela imfundiso yeBhayibhile yokuhlawula irhafu. Unokuphepha isohlwayo esifunyanwa zizaphuli mthetho nokoyika ukubanjwa. (Roma 13:3-5) Okubaluleke ngakumbi kukuba uya kuba nesazela esicocekileyo phambi kukaThixo uze umzukise ngokuthobela umthetho. Nangona usenokuphulukana nemali eninzi kunabo bangayihlawuliyo irhafu, unokukholosa ngesithembiso sikaThixo sokuba uya kubanyamekela abakhonzi bakhe abanyanisekileyo. Umbhali weBhayibhile uDavide wathi: “Ndakha ndangumfana, kungokunje ndimdala, kodwa andikaboni nabani na olilungisa eshiywe ngokupheleleyo, nenzala yakhe ifuna isonka.”—INdumiso 37:25.

Okokugqibela, ukuqonda nokuthobela umyalelo weBhayibhile wokuhlawula irhafu kuya kukunika uxolo lwengqondo, usazi ukuba uThixo akakubeki tyala ngendlela urhulumente ayisebenzisa ngayo imali yakho yerhafu, kanye njengokuba umthetho ungenakukubeka tyala ngendlela umntu oqeshe kuye ayisebenzisa ngayo imali yerente omnika yona. Ngaphambi kokuba ifunde inyaniso yeBhayibhile, indoda ekuthiwa nguStelvio kangangeminyaka yayifuna iinguqu kwezopolitiko kwilizwe elisemazantsi eYurophu. Echaza isizathu sokuba waye wayeka, uthi: “Kwafuneka ndivume ukuba umntu akanakukwazi ukuzisa okusesikweni, uxolo nokwenza abantu bathandane ehlabathini. BuBukumkani bukaThixo kuphela obunokuzisa iinguqu.”

NjengoStelvio, ukuba ngokunyaniseka uhlawula ‘izinto zikaThixo kuThixo,’ nawe unokusifumana eso siqinisekiso. Uya kulibona ilixa laxa uThixo ezisa ubulungisa emhlabeni wonke, elungisa wonke umonakalo owenziwe lulawulo loluntu.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 22]

Kufuneka silungelelanise indlela esicinga ngayo ivisisane nekaThixo, kuba iindlela zakhe ziphakamile kunezethu

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 23]

Xa amaKristu ehlawula irhafu ngokuthembeka, aba nesazela esilungileyo phambi kukaThixo yaye abonisa ukuba ayamthemba ukuba unokuwanyamekela

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 22]

“Buyiselani izinto zikaKesare kuKesare, kodwa izinto zikaThixo kuThixo.”

[Inkcazelo]

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