Filemoni ndi Onesimo—Anagwirizana Paubale Wachikristu
IMODZI mwa makalata a mtumwi Paulo ouziridwa ndi Mulungu ikusamalira vuto lalikulu lapakati pa amuna aŵiri. Wina anali Filemoni, ndipo winayo anali Onesimo. Kodi amunawa anali ayani? Kodi nchiyani chinachititsa Paulo kuloŵa m’nkhani yawo?
Filemoni, wolandira kalatayo, anali kukhala ku Kolose ku Asia Minor. Mosiyana ndi Akristu ena ambiri akumeneko, Filemoni anali kudziŵana ndi Paulo, pokhala analandira uthenga wabwino chifukwa cha kulalikira kwa mtumwiyo. (Akolose 1:1; 2:1) Paulo anamdziŵa kukhala ‘wokondedwa ndi wantchito mnzake.’ Filemoni anali chitsanzo cha chikhulupiriro ndi chikondi. Anali wochereza alendo ndiponso anali kutsitsimula Akristu anzake. Ndiponso Filemoni mwachionekere anali wachuma ndithu, popeza kuti nyumba yake inali yaikulu bwino moti ankachitiramo misonkhano ya mpingo wa kumeneko. Ena anena kuti Apiya ndi Arkipo, anthu enanso aŵiri otchulidwa m’kalata ya Paulo, ayenera kuti anali mkazi wake ndi mwana wake wamwamuna. Mwina Filemoni analinso ndi kapolo mmodzi, Onesimo.—Filemoni 1, 2, 5, 7, 19b, 22.
Wothaŵira ku Roma
Malemba samatiuza chifukwa chimene Onesimo analili ndi Paulo ku Roma, mtunda wa makilomita oposa 1,400 kuchokera kwawo kumene Paulo analembera kalata yopita kwa Filemoni cha ku ma 61 C.E. Koma Paulo anauza Filemoni kuti: “Ngati [Onesimo] anakulakwira kanthu, kapena wakongola kanthu, undiŵerengere ine kameneko.” (Filemoni 18) Mawu amenewo akusonyeza bwino lomwe kuti Onesimo anali pavuto kwa mbuye wake, Filemoni. Kalata ya Paulo inalembedwa ndi cholinga choyanjanitsanso amuna aŵiriwa.
Ena anena kuti Onesimo anathaŵa ataba katundu wa Filemoni kuti apeze ndalama zaulendo wa ku Roma. Kumeneko anafuna kubisala pakati pa anthu miyandamiyanda.a M’dziko la Agiriki ndi Aroma, othaŵa anali kupereka vuto lalikulu kwambiri osati kwa eni akapolo okha komanso kwa oyang’anira mizinda. Roma weniweniyo wanenedwa kuti anali “wodziŵika monga kobisalira nthaŵi zonse” kwa akapolo othaŵa.
Kodi Paulo anakumana naye motani Onesimo? Baibulo silimatiuza. Komabe, ufulu watsopanowo utatha, Onesimo ayenera kuti anazindikira kuti anadziika pangozi yaikulu kwambiri. Mumzinda wa Roma, gulu lapadera la apolisi linali kufunafuna akapolo othaŵa, amene mlandu wawo umenewo unali umodzi mwa milandu yaikulu koposa pamalamulo akale. Malinga nkunena kwa Gerhard Friedrich, “akapolo othaŵa amene anagwidwa anali kusindikizidwa chizindikiro pamphumi pawo. Kaŵirikaŵiri anali kuwazunza . . . , kuwaponya kuzilombo m’bwalo la maseŵero, kapena kuwapachika pamtanda kuti akapolo ena atengerepo phunziro kuti asatsatire chitsanzo chawo.” Mwinamwake, akutero Friedrich, Onesimo zitamthera ndalama zakubazo ndipo atafunafuna pobisalira kapena ntchito koma mosaphula kanthu, anapempha Paulo, amene anamvapo za iye m’nyumba ya Filemoni, kuti amtetezere ndi kumlankhulira.
Ena amakhulupirira kuti Onesimo anathaŵira dala kwa mmodzi wa mabwenzi a mbuyake, ndi chiyembekezo choti ameneyo adzathandizira kuti iye akhalenso paunansi wabwino ndi mbuye wake amene wamkwiyira pachifukwa chinachake chabwino. Mbiri yakale ikusonyeza kuti imeneyi inali “njira yofala kwa akapolo ambiri amene anali pavuto.” Ngati zili choncho, ndiye kuti kuba kwa Onesimo “ayenera kuti anakuchita kuti apite kwa mkhalapakati Paulo osati kuti athaŵe,” akutero katswiri wamaphunziro Brian Rapske.
Paulo Apereka Thandizo
Kaya anathaŵiranji, Onesimo mwachionekere anapempha thandizo la Paulo kuti ayanjanenso ndi mbuyake wokwiyayo. Limenelo linali vuto kwa Paulo. Munthuyu poyamba anali kapolo wosakhulupirira amene anali mpandu wothaŵa. Kodi mtumwiyo ayenera kuyesa kumthandiza mwa kukakamiza bwenzi lake lachikristu kuti asapereke chilango choŵaŵa mogwirizana ndi lamulo? Kodi Paulo akanachitanji?
Podzafika nthaŵi imene Paulo analembera Filemoni, wothaŵayo anali atakhala ndi mtumwiyo kwa nthaŵi yaitali ndithu. Panapita nthaŵi yaitali ndithu kuti Paulo anene kuti Onesimo anakhala ‘mbale wokondedwa.’ (Akolose 4:9) “Ndikudandaulira chifukwa cha mwana wanga, amene ndambala m’ndende,” anatero Paulo ponena za unansi wake wauzimu ndi Onesimo. Pa zonse zimene zikanatsatirapo, chotsatirapo chimenechi chiyenera kuti nchimene Filemoni sanayembekezere nkomwe. Mtumwiyo ananena kuti kapoloyo amene poyamba ‘sanampindulira’ akubwerera monga mbale wachikristu. Onesimo tsopano adzakhala ‘waphindu,’ kapena kuti ‘wopindulitsa,’ ndi kukhala mogwirizana ndi tanthauzo la dzina lake.—Filemoni 1, 10-12.
Onesimo anakhala wothandiza kwambiri kwa mtumwi wamndendeyo. Kwenikweni, Paulo akanakonda kukhalabe naye kumeneko, koma kusiyapo kuswa lamulo, kuteroko kukanakhala kudyera masuku pamutu Filemoni. (Filemoni 13, 14) M’kalata ina, yolembedwa ngati panthaŵi imodzimodziyo yopita ku mpingo umene unali kusonkhana m’nyumba ya Filemoni, Paulo anatcha Onesimo kukhala “mbale wokhulupirika ndi wokondedwa, amene ali wa kwa inu.” Zimenezi zikusonyeza kuti Onesimo anali atasonyeza kale umboni wa kukhulupirika kwake.—Akolose 4:7-9.b
Paulo analimbikitsa Filemoni kuti alandire Onesimo mokoma mtima koma sanagwiritsire ntchito mphamvu zautumwi kumlamula kuchita zimenezo kapena kumasula kapolo wake. Chifukwa cha ubwenzi wawo ndi kukondana kwawo, Paulo anali wotsimikiza kuti Filemoni ‘adzachitanso koposa’ zimene anapemphedwa. (Filemoni 21) ‘Zoposa’ zimenezo sizikudziŵikabe kuti zinali chiyani chifukwa chakuti ndi Filemoni yekha amene akanasankha bwino chochita naye Onesimo. Ena atanthauzira mawu a Paulo ameneŵa kuti anali pempho lakuti wothaŵayo ‘amtumizenso kuti akapitirizebe kuthandiza Paulo popeza anali atayamba kale kuchita zimenezo.’
Kodi Filemoni analabadira kuchonderera kwa Paulo ponena za Onesimo? Sitingakayikire kuti anatero, ngakhale kuti zimenezi mwina zinakwiyitsa Akolose ena okhala ndi akapolo amene akanakonda kuona Onesimo akulangidwa kuti akhale chitsanzo kwa akapolo awo kuti asatsatire chitsanzo chake.
Onesimo—Munthu Wosandulika
Mulimonse mmene zinakhalira, Onesimo anabwerera ku Kolose ndi umunthu watsopano. Maganizo ake atasandulika ndi mphamvu ya uthenga wabwino, mosakayika konse anakhala chiŵalo chokhulupirika cha mpingo wachikristu wa mumzindawo. Kaya Onesimo m’kupita kwa nthaŵi anamasulidwa ndi Filemoni sizikutchulidwa m’Baibulo. Komabe m’lingaliro lauzimu, amene poyamba anali wothaŵayo anakhala munthu waufulu. (Yerekezerani ndi 1 Akorinto 7:22.) Kusandulika kofanana ndi kumeneku kumachitikanso lerolino. Pamene anthu atsatira mapulinsipulo a Baibulo m’moyo wawo, mikhalidwe yawo ndi umunthu wawo zimasintha. Awo amene kale ankaonedwa kukhala opanda phindu kwa anthu amathandizidwa kukhala nzika zopereka chitsanzo chabwino.c
Kutembenukira ku choonadi chenicheni kunasinthadi zinthu. Pamene kuli kwakuti Onesimo woyamba anali ‘wosapindulitsa’ kwa Filemoni, Onesimo watsopano mosakayikira anakhala mogwirizana ndi dzina lake monga munthu ‘waphindu.’ Ndithudi linalinso dalitso kuti Filemoni ndi Onesimo anagwirizana paubale wachikristu.
[Mawu a M’munsi]
a Malamulo achiroma anafotokoza servus fugitivus (kapolo wothaŵa) kukhala ‘uyo amene anasiya mbuye wake, ndi lingaliro la kusabwereranso.’
b Paulendowu wobwerera ku Kolose, mwachionekere Onesimo ndi Tukiko anapatsidwa makalata atatu a Paulo, amene tsopano anaphatikizidwa m’mabuku ovomerezedwa a Baibulo. Kuwonjezera pa kalatayi yopita kwa Filemoni, makalata ameneŵa a Paulo anali opita kwa Aefeso ndi kwa Akolose.
c Ngati mukufuna zitsanzo zina, chonde onani Galamukani! yachingelezi ya June 22, 1996, masamba 18-23; Galamukani!, March 8, 1997, masamba 11-13; Nsanja ya Olonda, August 1, 1989, masamba 30-1; February 15, 1997, masamba 21-4.
[Bokosi patsamba 30]
Malamulo Achiroma Onena za Akapolo
M’malamulo achiroma amene analiko m’zaka za zana loyamba C.E., mbuye anali ndi mphamvu yochita chilichonse kwa kapolo wake malinga ndi zimene waganiza, zikhumbo zake, ndi mtima wake. Malinga ndi kunena kwa wothirira ndemanga Gerhard Friedrich, “kunena zenizeni ndiponso malinga ndi malamulo, kapolo sanali munthu, koma chinthu chimene mwini angachigwiritsire ntchito m’njira iliyonse. . . . Ankamuona [iye] monga momwe amaonera ziŵeto ndi ziŵiya ndipo kunalibe lamulo lililonse la boma lomtetezera.” Kapolo analibe ufulu wosumira mbuyake mlandu pachilichonse chimene walakwiridwa. Kwenikweni, iye anali kungofunikira kutsatira malamulo a mbuyake. Mbuyake atakwiya anali ndi ufulu wompatsa chilango chilichonse chimene wafuna. Ngakhale pacholakwa chaching’ono, iye anali ndi mphamvu yakumupha atafuna.d
Pamene kuli kwakuti anthu olemera anali kukhala ndi akapolo mazana angapo, ngakhale banja lachuma pang’ono linali kukhala ndi akapolo aŵiri kapena atatu. “Ntchito zochitidwa ndi akapolo apanyumba zinali zosiyanasiyana,” akutero katswiri wamaphunziro John Barclay. “Akapolo anali kutumikira monga osamala m’nyumba, ophika, operekera chakudya, oyeretsa, amithenga, osunga ana, oyamwitsa ana, ndi atumiki otumikira munthu pazilizonse, kuwonjezera pa akatswiri osiyanasiyana amene ungapeze m’mabanja aakulu olemera. . . . Kwenikweni, mtundu wa moyo wa kapolo wapanyumba unadalira kwambiri pa mkhalidwe wa mbuyake ndipo zimenezo zinali ndi zotsatirapo ziŵiri: kukhala ndi mbuye wankhanza kunachititsa kuvutika ndi nkhanza zosiyanasiyana, koma mbuye wokoma mtima ndi wooloŵa manja anali kupangitsa moyo kukhala wabwino ndiponso wokhutiritsa. Mabuku osimba zakale ali ndi zitsanzo zotchuka zosonyeza nkhanza, koma palinso zolembedwa zambirimbiri zosonyeza chikondi pakati pa eni akapolo ndi akapolo awo.”
[Mawu a M’munsi]
d Ponena za ukapolo pakati pa anthu a Mulungu a m’nthaŵi zakale, onani buku la Insight on the Scriptures, lofalitsidwa ndi Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., Voliyumu 2, masamba 977-9.