‘Ukunxusa Ngesisekelo Sothando’
CISHE ngo-60-61 C.E., isigqila esithile esingumbaleki sahamba eRoma futhi saqalisa uhambo lwamakhilomitha angu-1 400 siya ekhaya eKolose, umuzi oseningizimu-ntshonalanga yeAsia Minor. Sasiphethe isigijimi esilotshwe ngesandla esasiya kumqashi waso, esasibhalwe umphostoli uPawulu uqobo. Namuhla, leyoncwadi iyingxenye yeBhayibheli futhi iye yaqanjwa ngegama lalowomuntu eyayiya kuye, uFilemoni.
Incwadi eyayiya kuFilemoni iwubuciko bokubonisana okwenziwa ngobuhlakani nokukholisayo. Nokho, okubaluleke nangaphezulu ukuthi iqukethe izifundo eziningi eziwusizo kumaKristu namuhla, esinye sazo esiwukubaluleka kokunxusana ngesisekelo sothando lobuKristu. Ake siyihlolisise kahle lencwadi emfushane kodwa enamandla.
Umbaleki Uyabuya
UFilemoni wayengumKristu, ilungu elalithandwa kakhulu lebandla laseKolose. (Filemoni 4, 5) Phela, ibandla lapho lalisebenzisa ikhaya lakhe njengendawo yokuhlangana! (Ivesi 2) Ngaphezu kwalokho, uFilemoni wayejwayelene ngokomuntu siqu nomphostoli uPawulu; kungenzeka ukuthi nguye lomphostoli owenza ukuba abe ngumKristu. Yiqiniso, uPawulu ubonisa ukuthi akazange ashumayele eKolose ngokoqobo. (Kolose 2:1) Nokho, wayichitha iminyaka emibili e-Efesu, eshumayela kangangokuba “balizwa izwi leNkosi bonke abakhileyo eAsiya [eyayihlanganisa neKolose].” (IzEnzo 19:10) Cishe uFilemoni wayephakathi kwababezwa ababesabela.
Nokho, njengabanye abantu abacebile abaningi bangalesosikhathi, uFilemoni wayenezigqila. Ezikhathini zasendulo, ubugqila babungeyona into elulazayo ngaso sonke isikhathi. Phakathi kwamaJuda, ukuzithengisa komuntu noma amalungu omkhaya ebugqilini kwakuyindlela eyayamukeleka yokukhokha izikweletu. (Levitikusi 25:39, 40) I-International Standard Bible Encyclopedia isho lokhu ngenkathi yamaRoma: “Inani elikhulu labantu lazithengisela ebugqilini ngezizathu ezihlukahlukene, esikhulu kunazo zonke ukungenela ukuphila okwakulula ngokwengeziwe nokuqiniseke ngokwengeziwe kunokuphila njengomuntu ompofu, ongazalelwanga ebugqilini, ukuthola imisebenzi ekhethekile, nokuzama ukuba sezikhundleni eziphakeme ngokwezenhlalo. . . . Abantu abaningi abangewona amaRoma bazithengisela ezakhamuzini zaseRoma benethemba elifanelekile, eliqondiswa umthetho waseRoma, lokuthi bazoba izakhamuzi zaseRoma lapho sebekhululiwe.”
Nokho, kwaphakama inkinga lapho esinye sezigqila zikaFilemoni, indoda okwakuthiwa uOnesimu, simshiya futhi sibalekela eRoma, ngokunokwenzeka sintshontsha ngisho nemali kaFilemoni ukuze sikhokhele uhambo lwaso lokubaleka. (Ivesi 18) ERoma, uOnesimu wahlangana nomphostoli uPawulu, owayeyisiboshwa lapho.
Isigqila ‘esasikade singenalusizo’ esasibalekele ubugqila manje saba umKristu. Sasiza uPawulu futhi samenzela izinkonzo eziwusizo lomphostoli owayeboshiwe. Yingakho nje uOnesimu athola indawo ‘enhliziyweni’ kaPawulu futhi waba “ngumzalwane othandekayo” kuPawulu!—Amavesi 11, 12, 16.
Umphostoli uPawulu wayengakujabulela ukuba uOnesimu ahlale kuye, kodwa uFilemoni wayenamalungelo angokomthetho njengomnikazi kaOnesimu. Ngakho uOnesimu wayebophekile ukuba aphindele enkonzweni yenkosi yakhe esemthethweni. Khona-ke, uFilemoni wayezomamukela kanjani? Ingabe ngokuthukuthela wayezofuna ngenkani ukusebenzisa igunya lakhe lokukhipha isijeziso esinzima? Ingabe wayezobubekela inselele ubuqotho bokusho kukaOnesimu ukuthi ungumKristu akanye naye?
Ukuxazulula Izinkinga Ngothando
UPawulu washukunyiselwa ukuba abhalele uFilemoni ngo-Onesimu. Wayibhala yena mathupha lencwadi, engasebenzisi unobhala njengoba ayevame ukwenza kanjalo. (Ivesi 19) Thatha imizuzu embalwa uyifunde yonke lencwadi emfushane eyayiya kuFilemoni. Uzophawula ukuthi ngemva kokuzethula nokufisela uFilemoni nabendlu yakhe “umusa nokuthula,” uPawulu watusa uFilemoni ‘ngothando lwakhe nokukholwa anakho eNkosini uJesu nakubo bonke abangcwele.’—Amavesi 1-7.
Kwakungaba lula ngoPawulu ukuba asebenzise igunya lakhe njengomphostoli futhi ‘ayale uFilemoni ukuba enze okufanele,’ kodwa kunalokho uPawulu ‘wanxusa ngesisekelo sothando.’ Wafakazela iqiniso lokuthi uOnesimu ngempela wayebe ngumzalwane ongumKristu, owayebe usizo kuPawulu. Lomphostoli wavuma: “Bengifuna ukumbamba [uOnesimu] ahlale kimi, ukuze angikhonze esikhundleni sakho ngisekuboshweni ngenxa yevangeli; kepha,” kuqhubeka uPawulu, “ngaphandle kokubona kwakho ngangingathandi ukwenza-lutho, ukuze umusa wakho ungabi-ngokucindezelwa, kodwa ube-ngesihe.”—Amavesi 8-14, qhathanisa neNW.
Kanjalo lomphostoli wanxusa uFilemoni ukuba amukele lomuntu owayeyisigqila sakhe njengomfowabo. “Mamukele ngokungathi yimi,” kubhala uPawulu. Akukhona ngempela ukuthi uOnesimu wayezokhululwa ebugqilini. UPawulu wayengaphehli ukuba kushintshwe uhlelo lwezenhlalo olwalukhona osukwini lwakhe. (Qhathanisa nabase-Efesu 6:9; Kolose 4:1; 1 Thimothewu 6:2.) Nokho, ubuhlobo obuphakathi kwenkosi nesigqila ngokungangabazeki babuzothonywa isibopho sobuKristu manje esasesikhona phakathi kukaOnesimu noFilemoni. UFilemoni wayesezothatha uOnesimu ‘njengongaphezu kwesigqila, njengomzalwane othandekayo.’—Amavesi 15-17.
Nokho, kuthiwani ngezikweletu okungenzeka ukuthi uOnesimu wayenazo, mhlawumbe ngenxa yokweba? Nalapha futhi, uPawulu wanxusa uFilemoni ngenxa yobungane bakhe naye, ethi: “Uma ekonile ngento, noma enecala kuwe, lokho kubalele kimi.” UPawulu wazwakalisa ukwethemba ukuthi uFilemoni wayezobonisa umoya wokuthethelela, ukudlulela ngalé kwalokho uPawulu akucela. Njengoba uPawulu ayethemba ukuthi wayezokhululwa ngokushesha, wahlelela ngisho nokujabulela ukungenisa izihambi kukaFilemoni esikhathini esizayo esasingekude. Ngemva kokudlulisa imikhonzo eyengeziwe nokufisela uFilemoni “umusa weNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu,” uPawulu wayiphetha lencwadi yakhe.—Amavesi 18-25.
Izifundo Ezingase Zifundwe AmaKristu Namuhla
Incwadi kaFilemoni igcwele izifundo eziwusizo ezingase zifundwe amaKristu namuhla. Phakathi kokunye, isikhumbuza ngesidingo sokuba ngabathethelelayo, ngisho nalapho esikholwa kanye naye esone kakhulu. “Uma nithethelela abantu iziphambeko zabo,” kusho uJesu Kristu, “noYihlo wasezulwini uyakunithethelela nani.”—Mathewu 6:14.
Labo abasezikhundleni zokuba negunya ebandleni lobuKristu namuhla bangazuza ngokukhethekile encwadini kaFilemoni. Kungokuphawulekayo ukuthi uPawulu wagwema ukusebenzisa igunya lakhe lobuphostoli ukuze ayale uFilemoni ukuba enze okufanele. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uPawulu akazange afune ngenkani ukuba uOnesimu avunyelwe ukuba ahlale eRoma ukuze akhonze uPawulu. UPawulu wawahlonipha amalungelo abanye ezinto. Waqaphela futhi ukuthi nakuba indlela yokusebenzisa igunya yayingase iphumele ekulaleleni, kwakuyoba ngcono ukuba uFilemoni athathe isinyathelo esisuka enhliziyweni. Wenza ukunxusa okusekelwe othandweni ukuze athole ukusabela okuqotho.
Ngakho-ke abadala abangamaKristu namuhla kufanele bangalokothi ‘bazenze amakhosi phezu kwamabandla ababelwe wona’ ngokuwasebenzisa kabi amandla abo noma ngokusebenzisa indlela yokhahlo, nenamandla lapho besebenzelana nomhlambi. (1 Petru 5:1-3) UJesu wathi: “Niyazi ukuthi ababusi bezizwe bazenza amakhosi phezu kwazo, nezikhulu zazo ziphethe amandla phezu kwazo. Akunjalo phakathi kwenu.” (Mathewu 20:25, 26) Ababonisi ngokuvamile bathola ukuthi amalungu omhlambi asabela kangcono kakhulu ekunxuseni okwenziwa ngothando kunasekunikezweni iziyalo. Labo ababhekene nokucindezeleka bayabazisa ababonisi ngomusa abazinika isikhathi sokulalela izinkinga zabo futhi banikeze iseluleko esibonisa ukuqonda.
Incwadi kaPawulu ikhumbuza abadala futhi ngokubaluleka kokutusa kanye nobuhlakani. Uqala ngokusho ukuthi ‘izinhliziyo zabangcwele zahlunyelelwa’ ngoFilemoni. (Ivesi 7) Lokhu kutusa okuqotho ngokungangabazeki kwenza uFilemoni waba nesimo sengqondo esivuleke ngokwengeziwe. Ngokufanayo namuhla, iseluleko ngokuvamile singenziwa singabi buhlungu ngokutusa okuqotho nokufudumele. Futhi iseluleko esinjalo, akufanele sibe esihlabayo noma esingenabuhlakani, kodwa kufanele ‘siyoliswe ngosawoti’ kakhulu ukuze sibe mnandi ngokwengeziwe kolalele.—Kolose 4:6.
Umphostoli uPawulu waqhubeka ezwakalisa ukwethemba ukuthi uFilemoni wayeyokwenza okufanele, ethi: “Ngikulobele ngokwethemba ukulalela kwakho, ngazi ukuthi uzakwenza nokungaphezu kwengikushoyo.” (Ivesi 21) Badala, ingabe nibonisa ukuwethemba okufanayo amaKristu anikanye nawo? Ingabe lokhu akuwasizi ukuba afune ukwenza okulungile?
Ngokuthakazelisayo, abazali ngokuvamile bathola ukuthi ukubonisa ukubethemba abantwana babo nakho kunemiphumela emihle. Ngokuqaphela ukubaluleka kokulalela ngokuzithandela—isifiso sokudlulela ngalé kokuhlangabezana nezimfuneko—abazali banganikeza abantwana babo isilinganiso esithile sokuzihlonipha. Imiyalo yabazali noma izicelo, kufanele uma kunokwenzeka, zishiwo ngezwi elinomusa nelinothando. Kufanele kuboniswe isihawu, kunikezwe izizathu. Abazali kufanele babatuse ngokufudumele abantwana babo lapho bekufanele ukutusa okunjalo futhi bagweme ukuba ngababagxeka ngokweqile, ikakhulukazi phakathi kwabantu.
Ngokufanayo, amadoda angabonisa izimfanelo zokuba ngalinganiselayo nanomusa, akulungele ukuncoma abafazi bawo. Lokhu kwenza ukuba ukuzithoba komfazi kube injabulo futhi kube umthombo wokuqabuleka nenjabulo!—IzAga 31:28; Efesu 5:28.
Ukuthi uFilemoni wasabela kanjani ngempela kulencwadi kaPawulu akushiwongo. Nokho, asinakucabanga ukuthi uPawulu wamethemba kungafanele. Kwangathi abadala abangamaKristu, abazali, namadoda namuhla bangathola impumelelo ngendlela efanayo ekusebenzelaneni kwabo nabanye, kungabi ngokuphoqelela, ukunikeza iziyalo, kodwa kube ‘ngokunxusa ngesisekelo sothando.’
[Isithombe ekhasini 23]
Kunokunxusa ngokusebenzisa igunya lakhe njengomphostoli, uPawulu wanxusa uFilemoni ngesisekelo sothando lobuKristu