U-Evnike NoLowisi—Abafundisi Abayizibonelo

Njengezinceku zikaJehova, siyazi ukuthi ukunikeza izingane zethu imfundo engokwenkolo ephumelelayo kuwumthwalo wemfanelo ongathi sína. Ngisho nangaphansi kwezimo ezinhle kakhulu, lo msebenzi ungase uhambisane nezithiyo nobunzima obukhulu. Lokhu kunzima nakakhulu lapho umzali ongumKristu ebhekene naleyo nselele emkhayeni ohlukene ngokwenkolo. Isimo esinjalo asisisha. ImiBhalo isitshela ngomzali othile owazithola esesimweni esifanayo ngekhulu lokuqala C.E.

Umkhaya wowesifazane okuthiwa u-Evnike wawuhlala eListra, umuzi osesifundeni saseLikawoniya eningizimu ye-Asia Minor ephakathi. IListra yayiwumuzi nje ongatheni. Yayiyikoloni lamaRoma elibizwa ngokuthi iJulia Felix Gemina Lustra, elasungulwa u-Awugustu Kesari ukuze avimbele abaphangi ezindaweni ezizungezile. U-Evnike wayengumKristu ongumJuda owayehlala emkhayeni ohlukene ngokwenkolo nomyeni wakhe ongumGreki, indodana yakhe uThimothewu, kanye nonina uLowisi.—IzEnzo 16:1-3.

Kungenzeka ukuthi amaJuda ayembalwa eListra, njengoba iBhayibheli lingakhulumi lutho ngesinagoge lalapho, nakuba kwakunamaJuda e-Ikoniyu, eqhele ngamakhilomitha angaba ngu-30. (IzEnzo 14:19) Ngakho kwakungelula ngo-Evnike ukuqhuba ukholo lwakhe. Iqiniso lokuthi uThimothewu akazange asokwe lapho ezalwa liye labangela ukuthi ezinye izazi ziphethe ngokuthi umyeni ka-Evnike wayemelene nalowo mbono.

Nokho, u-Evnike wayengeyedwa ezinkolelweni zakhe. Kubonakala sengathi uThimothewu wathola imfundo yakhe ‘yemibhalo engcwele’ kubo bobabili unina nakuninakhulu, uLowisi.a Umphostoli uPawulu wanxusa uThimothewu: “Qhubeka ezintweni owazifunda futhi wathonyelwa ukuba uzikholelwe, wazi ukuthi wazifunda kubaphi abantu nokuthi kusukela uwusana uye wazi imibhalo engcwele, ekwazi ukukuhlakaniphisela insindiso ngokholo olumayelana noKristu Jesu.”—2 Thimothewu 3:14, 15.

Imfundo “Kusukela Uwusana”

Lapho uPawulu ethi uThimothewu wafundiswa “imibhalo engcwele” ‘kusukela ewusana,’ ngokusobala wayesho ukuthi kusukela ebuntwaneni. Lokhu kuvumelana nokusebenzisa kwakhe igama lesiGreki elithi (breʹphos) ngokuvamile elibhekisela kosanda kuzalwa. (Qhathanisa noLuka 2:12, 16.) Ngakho u-Evnike wasithatha ngokungathi sína isibopho sakhe esivela kuNkulunkulu, engachithi sikhathi ngokuqala ukunikeza uThimothewu ukuqeqesha okwakuyomsiza akhulele ekubeni inceku kaNkulunkulu ezinikezele.—Duteronomi 6:6-9; IzAga 1:8.

UThimothewu ‘wathonyelwa ukuba akholelwe’ amaqiniso angokomBhalo. Ngokwesichazamazwi esithile sesiGreki igama uPawulu alisebenzisa lapha lisho “ukuthonywa ngokuqinile; ukuqinisekiswa” ngokuthile. Ngokungangabazeki, kwakudingeka isikhathi esiningi nomzamo ukuze kugxiliswe ukukholelwa okuqine ngaleyo ndlela enhliziyweni kaThimothewu, esizwa ukuba azindle ngeZwi likaNkulunkulu futhi abonise ukholo kulona. Khona-ke, kusobala ukuthi bobabili u-Evnike noLowisi basebenza kanzima ukuze bafundise uThimothewu ngemiBhalo. Yeka umvuzo labo besifazane abahlonipha uNkulunkulu abawuthola! UPawulu wayengabhala ngoThimothewu: “Ngiyalukhumbula ukholo olukuwe olungenabo noma ibuphi ubuzenzisi, futhi olwahlala kuqala kunyokokhulu uLowisi nakunyoko u-Evnike, kodwa engiqinisekayo ukuthi lukhona nakuwe futhi.”—2 Thimothewu 1:5.

Yeka indima ebalulekile u-Evnike noLowisi abayifeza ekuphileni kukaThimothewu! Ngokuphathelene nale ndaba, umlobi uDavid Read uyaphawula: “Ukube umphostoli wayekholelwa ukuthi konke kwakungasho lutho ngaphandle kokuphenduka kukaThimothewu ngokwakhe, wayeyomkhumbuza ngakho zisuka nje. Kodwa into yokuqala ayisho ngokholo lukaThimothewu ukuthi kakade ‘lwase lukhona kuLowisi . . . naku-Evnike.’” Inkulumo kaPawulu mayelana nokholo lukaLowisi, u-Evnike noThimothewu ibonisa ukuthi ngokuvamile imfundo engokomBhalo yasebuntwaneni enikezwa ekhaya abazali ngisho nogogo nomkhulu ibalulekile ekunqumeni impumelelo engokomoya yakusasa yosemusha. Ingabe lokhu akumelwe kwenze amalungu omkhaya acabange ngokungathi sína ngalokho akwenzayo ukufeza lo mthwalo wemfanelo kuNkulunkulu nasezinganeni zawo?

Mhlawumbe uPawulu wayecabanga nangesimo sekhaya uLowisi no-Evnike ababesenzile. Kungenzeka ukuthi umphostoli wavakashela ikhaya labo lapho efike eListra okokuqala, cishe ngo-47/48 C.E. Mhlawumbe laba besifazane ababili baphendukela ebuKristwini ngaleso sikhathi. (IzEnzo 14:8-20) Mhlawumbe ubudlelwane obunemfudumalo nenjabulo obabujatshulelwa kulelo khaya bathonya ukukhetha kukaPawulu amagama lapho ebhekisela kuLowisi ngokuthi ‘uninakhulu’ kaThimothewu. Ngokwesazi uCeslas Spicq, igama lesiGreki alisebenzisa (elithi mamʹme, ngokungefani nelithi teʹthe elivamile nelibonisa inhlonipho) “liyigama lengane lokuteketisa” uninakhulu, kule ndaba eliveza “imfanelo yokujwayelana nothando.”

Ukuhamba KukaThimothewu

Akwaziwa ukuthi u-Evnike wayesashadile yini noma cha lapho uPawulu evakashela iListra okwesibili (cishe ngo-50 C.E.). Izazi eziningi zicabanga ukuthi wayengumfelokazi. Nakuba kunjalo, ngaphansi kokuqondiswa unina noninakhulu, uThimothewu wayesekhule waba insizwa ekahle, mhlawumbe eseneminyaka engu-20 ubudala ngaleso sikhathi. “Wayekhulunyelwa kahle abafowethu eListra nase-Ikoniyu.” (IzEnzo 16:2) Ngokusobala, isifiso sokusakaza izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso sasigxilisiwe enhliziyweni kaThimothewu, ngoba wasamukela isimemo sikaPawulu sokuhamba naye noSila ohambweni lwabo lwezithunywa zevangeli.

Cabanga nje ukuthi bazizwa kanjani o-Evnike noLowisi lapho uThimothewu esezohamba! Babazi ukuthi lapho uPawulu eqala ukuvakashela kulo muzi ababehlala kuwo, lo mphostoli wakhandwa ngamatshe futhi washiywa umndondo. (IzEnzo 14:19) Ngakho kumelwe ukuba kwakungelula ngabo ukudedela uThimothewu osemusha ukuba ahambe. Ngokunokwenzeka bazibuza ukuthi wayezohamba isikhathi esingakanani nokuthi wayeyobuya ephephile yini. Naphezu kokukhathazeka okunjalo ngokwakungase kwenzeke, akungabazeki ukuthi unina noninakhulu bamkhuthaza ukuba alamukele leli lungelo elikhethekile elalizomsiza ukuba akhonze uJehova ngokugcwele.

Izifundo Eziwusizo

Kungafundwa okuningi ngokubacabangela ngokucophelela o-Evnike noLowisi. Ukholo lwabashukumisela ukuba bakhulise uThimothewu ngendlela ephilile ngokomoya. Isibonelo sokuvuthwa esingantengantengi sokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu ogogo nomkhulu abasibekela abazukulu babo nabanye ngokuqinisekile singazuzisa lonke ibandla lobuKristu. (Thithu 2:3-5) Ngokufanayo, isibonelo sika-Evnike sikhumbuza omama abanabayeni abangakholwa ngomthwalo wemfanelo nemivuzo yokufundisa izingane zabo ngokomoya. Ukwenza lokhu kungase kudinge isibindi esikhulu ngezinye izikhathi, ikakhulukazi uma ubaba engazithandisisi izinkolelo ezingokwenkolo zomngane wakhe womshado. Futhi kudinga ubuhlakani, njengoba owesifazane ongumKristu kumelwe ahloniphe ubunhloko bomyeni wakhe.

Ukholo, umzamo nokuzidela kukaLowisi no-Evnike kwavuzwa ngokubona kwabo uThimothewu ethuthuka ngokomoya kwaze kwaba seqophelweni lokuba isithunywa sevangeli nombonisi okahle kakhulu. (Filipi 2:19-22) Ngokufanayo nanamuhla, ukufundisa izingane zethu amaqiniso angokomBhalo kudinga isikhathi, isineke nokuzimisela, kodwa umphumela omuhle wenza wonke umzamo ufaneleke ngempela. Intsha eningi engamaKristu eyizibonelo eye yafundiswa ‘imibhalo engcwele kusukela iseyizinsana’ emkhayeni ohlukene ngokwenkolo iletha injabulo enkulu kubazali bayo abesaba uNkulunkulu. Futhi yeka ukuthi siyiqiniso kangakanani isaga esithi: ‘Ozala ohlakaniphileyo uyothokoza’!—IzAga 23:23-25.

Umphostoli uJohane wathi ngabantwana bakhe abangokomoya: “Anginaso isizathu esikhulu sokubonga kunalezizinto, ukuba ngizwe ukuthi abantwana bami baqhubeka behamba eqinisweni.” (3 Johane 4) Ngokuqinisekile, umuzwa ovezwe kulawo mazwi uhlanganyelwa abaningi abaye bazibonakalisa benjengo-Evnike noLowisi, abafundisi ababili abayizibonelo.

[Umbhalo waphansi]