U-Aristarku—Umngane Othembekile
PHAKATHI kwezisebenzi eziningi ezithembekile umphostoli uPawulu ayekanye nazo kwakuno-Aristarku. Yini efika engqondweni yakho lapho uzwa igama lakhe? Ingabe ikhona? Ubungasho yini ukuthi wafeza yiphi ingxenye emlandweni wokuqala wamaKristu? Nakuba u-Aristarku engase angabi ngomunye wabantu baseBhayibhelini esibajwayele kakhulu, nokho wayehileleke ezenzakalweni eziningana ezilandiswe emiBhalweni YamaKristu YesiGreki.
Khona-ke, wayengubani u-Aristarku? Wayenabuhlobo buni noPawulu? Kungani kungase kuthiwe u-Aristarku wayengumngane othembekile? Futhi iziphi izifundo esingazifunda lapho sihlola isibonelo sakhe?
Ukungena ngendlela evusa amadlingozi kuka-Aristarku ekulandiseni kwencwadi yezEnzo kwenzeka phakathi nokumemeza nokuphithizela kwesixuku esasihayiza edolobheni lase-Efesu. (IzEnzo 19:23-41) Ukwenza izindawo zokukhulekela zikankulunkulu wamanga u-Arthemisi ngesiliva kwakuyibhizinisi elalibazuzisa oDemetriyu nabanye abakhandi besiliva base-Efesu. Ngakho, lapho umkhankaso kaPawulu wokushumayela kuleli dolobha ubangela ukuba abaningi bakuyeke ukukhulekelwa okungcolile kwalonkulunkulukazi, uDemetriyu washoshozela ezinye izingcweti. Wazitshela ukuthi ukushumayela kukaPawulu kwakungasongeli nje kuphela ukulondeka kwazo ngokwezimali kodwa futhi kwakungase kubangele ukuba ukukhulekelwa kuka-Arthemisi kuphele.
Lapho singamtholi uPawulu, isixuku esithukuthele sahudulela ngempoqo abangane bakhe o-Aristarku noGayu enkundleni yemidlalo. Njengoba bobabili babesengozini enkulu, abangane bakaPawulu bamncenga ukuba “angazifaki engozini enkundleni yemidlalo.”
Ake uzicabange ukuleso simo. Isixuku esasihayiza cishe samemeza amahora amabili, sithi, “Mkhulu u-Arthemisi wabase-Efesu!” Ukuzithola bengaphansi kwesixuku esasiwotha ubomvu bengakwazi ngisho nokuzikhulumela kumelwe ukuba kwaba isehlakalo esethusa ngempela ku-Aristarku noGayu. Kumelwe ukuba bazibuza ukuthi kazi babeyophuma bephila yini. Ngokujabulisayo, kwaba njalo. Ngempela, ukulandisa okucacile kukaLuka kuye kwaholela izazi ezithile ekubeni zisikisele ukuthi wasebenzisa ubufakazi bofakazi bokuzibonela, mhlawumbe obuka-Aristarku noGayu ngokwabo.
Ekugcineni umgcini-mbhalo wakulowo muzi wasithulisa isiyaluyalu. Kumelwe ukuba o-Aristarku noGayu bazizwa bekhululeka lapho bemuzwa ekuvuma ngokuqondile ukuba msulwa kwabo futhi bebona ukuxokozela kuphela.
Ingabe wawuyozizwa kanjani ngemva kokuhlangenwe nakho okunjalo? Ingabe wawuyophetha ngokuthi ukuba umngane kaPawulu oyisithunywa sevangeli akunakukulungela, uthi kuyingozi kakhulu, futhi uthi kungcono ukufuna ukuphila okunokuthula? Akazange acabange kanjalo u-Aristarku! Njengoba ayengowaseThesalonika, cishe wayeyazi kakade ingozi yokumemezela izindaba ezinhle. Lapho uPawulu eshumayela emzini wakubo eminyakeni emibili nje ngaphambili, nakhona kwasuka isiyaluyalu. (IzEnzo 17:1-9; 20:4) U-Aristarku wanamathela ngokwethembeka kuPawulu.
Ukusuka EGrisi Eya EJerusalema
Ezinyangeni ezithile ngemva kwesiyaluyalu sabakhandi besiliva, uPawulu wayeseGrisi futhi wayesezoqala uhambo ngomkhumbi owawuya eSiriya ephokophelele eJerusalema lapho ‘akhelwa ugobe ngamaJuda.’ (IzEnzo 20:2, 3) Ubani esimthola enoPawulu kulezi zimo eziyingozi? Ngu-Aristarku!
Lolu songo olusha lwabangela ukuba uPawulu, u-Aristarku, nabangane babo bashintshe ababekuhlelile, okokuqala baya eMakedoniya, khona-ke bahamba bema ngasogwini lwase-Asia Minor ngaphambi kokuba ekugcineni baye eFenike esePathara. (IzEnzo 20:4, 5, 13-15; 21:1-3) Ngokusobala injongo yalolu hambo yayiwukuhambisa iminikelo yamaKristu aseMakedoniya nase-Akhaya kubazalwane bawo ababeswele eJerusalema. (IzEnzo 24:17; Roma 15:25, 26) Babehamba ndawonye beyisixuku, mhlawumbe ngenxa yokuthi babephathiswe lomthwalo wemfanelo ngamabandla ahlukahlukene. Ngokungangabazeki, iqembu elikhulu kangako laliyoqinisekisa nokuphepha okwengeziwe.
U-Aristarku wayenelungelo elikhulu lokuphelezela uPawulu esuka eGrisi eya eJerusalema. Nokho, uhambo lwabo lwesibili lwaluyobasusa eJudiya lubayise eRoma.
Uhambo Lokuya ERoma
Manje izimo zase zishintshe kakhulu. UPawulu owayekade eboshiwe eKesariya iminyaka emibili, wayedluliselé icala kuKesari, futhi wayezothunyelwa eRoma eboshwé ngamaketanga. (IzEnzo 24:27; 25:11, 12) Ake uzame ukucabanga ukuthi abangane bakaPawulu bazizwa kanjani. Uhambo olusuka eKesariya luya eRoma lwaluzoba lude futhi lube olukhathazayo ngokomzwelo, kungaziwa nokuthi iyozala nkomoni. Obani ababengahamba naye ukuze bamsekele futhi bamsize? Kwakhethwa amadoda amabili noma wona azinikela. Kwakungu-Aristarku noLuka, umlobi wencwadi yezEnzo.—IzEnzo 27:1, 2.
Engxenyeni yokuqala yohambo lokuya eRoma uLuka no-Aristarku babezokwazi kanjani ukungena emkhunjini owodwa? Isazi-mlando uGiuseppe Ricciotti siyasikisela: “Bobabili laba bangena emkhunjini njengabagibeli abavamile . . . noma, cishe bangena ngomusa wenduna yekhulu eyashaya sengathi ibabheka njengezigqila zikaPawulu, njengoba umthetho wawuzivumela izakhamuzi zaseRoma ukuba zisizwe izigqila ezimbalwa.” Yeka ukuthi kumelwe ukuba kwammisa isibindi kanjani uPawulu ukuba khona kwabo nokumkhuthaza!
ULuka no-Aristarku babonisa uthando lwabo ngoPawulu ngokuzifaka ezindlekweni nangokubeka ukuphila kwabo engozini. Eqinisweni, babhekana nesimo esisongela ukuphila, lapho bephukelwa umkhumbi esiqhingini saseMelitha bekanye nomngane wabo ongumthunjwa.—IzEnzo 27:13–28:1.
‘Abathunjwa Abakanye’ NoPawulu
U-Aristarku noLuka babesenoPawulu eRoma lapho ebhala izincwadi zakhe eziya kwabaseKolose nakuFilemoni ngo-60-61 C.E. U-Aristarku no-Ephafrasi kubhekiselwa kubo ‘njengabathunjwa abakanye’ noPawulu. (Kolose 4:10, 14; Filemoni 23, 24) Ngakho-ke, okwesikhashana, u-Aristarku ngokusobala wahlanganyela noPawulu ekuboshweni ejele.
Nakuba uPawulu ayeyisiboshwa okungenani iminyaka emibili eRoma, wayevunyelwe ukuhlala eqashiwe endlini yakhe ayeyiqashile, lapho ayengamemezela khona izindaba ezinhle ezivakashini. (IzEnzo 28:16, 30) Khona-ke, u-Aristarku, u-Ephafrasi, uLuka, nabanye bamkhonza uPawulu, bemsiza futhi bemsekela.
“Usizo oluqinisayo”
Ngemva kokucabangela izenzakalo ezihlukahlukene lapho u-Aristarku abonakala khona ekulandiseni okuphefumulelwe kweBhayibheli, sithola muphi umbono ngaye? Ngokomlobi u-W. D. Thomas, u-Aristarku “uvelele njengendoda eyayingakwazi ukubhekana nokuphikiswa futhi inqobe ukholo lwayo nokuzimisela kwayo ukukhonza kusaqinile. Uvelele njengendoda eyayithanda uNkulunkulu hhayi nje kuphela ngezinsuku ezikahle, lapho ilanga likhanya bhá esibhakabhakeni esiluhlaza, kodwa ngisho nalapho kukubi kuneziphepho.”
UPawulu uthi u-Aristarku nabanye ‘babewusizo oluqinisayo’ (ngesiGreki, pa·re·go·riʹa) kuyena, okungukuthi, babewumthombo wenduduzo. (Kolose 4:10, 11) Ngakho ngokududuza nokumisa uPawulu isibindi, u-Aristarku wayengumngane wangempela ngezikhathi zokuswela. Ukuba nobudlelwano nomphostoli nokuba nobungane naye iminyaka eminingana kumelwe ukuba kwakwenelisa kakhulu futhi kungokuhlangenwe nakho okucebisayo ngokomoya.
Singase singazitholi sisezimweni ezivusa amadlingozi njengalezo u-Aristarku ahlangabezana nazo. Noma kunjalo, ukwethembeka okufanayo kubafowabo bakaKristu abangokomoya nasenhlanganweni kaJehova kudingekile kubo bonke labo abasebandleni lobuKristu namuhla. (Qhathanisa noMathewu 25:34-40.) Kungenzeka ukuba umkhulekeli esikanye naye esimaziyo esikhathini esizayo abhekane nosizi noma acindezeleke, mhlawumbe ngenxa yokushonelwa, ukugula, noma yiluphi olunye uvivinyo. Ngokusondela kubo nokubanika usizo, induduzo, nesikhuthazo, singathola injabulo futhi sibonise ukuba ngabangane abathembekile.—Qhathanisa nezAga 17:17; IzEnzo 20:35.