U-Onesiforu—Umduduzi Onesibindi

“BAGCINENI engqondweni labo abasezibophweni zasetilongweni njengokungathi niboshwe kanye nabo, nalabo abaphathwa kabi.” (Heberu 13:3) Lapho umphostoli uPawulu ebhala lamazwi cishe ngo-61 C.E., yena ngokwakhe wayeseboshwe izikhathi ezingaphezu kwesisodwa futhi wayesazoboshwa ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe njengomfel’ukholo. (IzEnzo 16:23, 24; 22:24; 23:35; 24:27; 2 Korinte 6:5; 2 Thimothewu 2:9; Filemoni 1) Kwakunesidingo esiphuthumayo ngaleso sikhathi, njengoba kunjalo namanje, sokuba amabandla anakekele labo akholwa kanye nabo ababhekene nokuvivinywa kokholo lwabo.

Umfundi wekhulu lokuqala owasinakekela ngokukhethekile leso sidingo kwakungu-Onesiforu. Wavakashela uPawulu lapho eboshwe okwesibili eRoma. Ngokuphathelene naye, umphostoli wabhala: “Kwangathi iNkosi ingapha indlu ka-Onesiforu isihe, ngoba kaningi wayengilethela ukuqabuleka, futhi akabanga namahloni ngamaketanga ami. Ngokuphambene nalokho, ngenkathi kwenzeka eba seRoma, wangifuna ngenkuthalo futhi wangithola.” (2 Thimothewu 1:16, 17) Ingabe wake wazipha isikhathi sokuzindla ngokuthi lawo mazwi ambalwa asho ukuthini ngempela? Ukwenza kanjalo cishe kuyokwandisa ukumazisa kwakho u-Onesiforu. Uzobona ukuthi wayengumduduzi onesibindi.

Ukuboshwa KukaPawulu Kwesibili

Ngemva kokukhululwa ekuboshweni kokuqala, uPawulu waphinde waboshwa eRoma kodwa ngaphansi kwezimo ezihlukile. Ngaphambili abangane bakhe babekwazi ukumbona endlini yakhe eqashiwe, futhi wayebonakala eqiniseka ukuthi wayesezokhululwa. Manje njengoba iningi lalimshiyile, wabona sekuseduze ukuba afel’ukholo.—IzEnzo 28:30; 2 Thimothewu 4:6-8, 16; Filemoni 22.

Kulokhu uPawulu wayeboshwe cishe ngo-65 C.E. Esikhathini esingaba unyaka ngaphambili—ngo-July 64 C.E.—iRoma yabhuqwa umlilo, ubangela umonakalo omkhulu ezifundeni eziyishumi kweziyishumi nane zalomuzi. Ngokwesazi-mlando esingumRoma uTacitus, uMbusi uNero wahluleka “ukuchitha inkolelo yokuthi leli kloba lomlilo laliwumphumela womyalo wakhe. Ngakho, ukuze anqande lowo mbiko, uNero wabheca ngecala futhi wahlukumeza kanzima isigaba esasizondwa ngenxa yezenzo zaso ezingathandeki, umphakathi owawusibiza ngokuthi amaKristu. . . . Sagconwa ngazo zonke izindlela lapho sibulawa. Simbozwe ngezikhumba zezilwane, sadwengulwa sabulawa izinja, noma sabethelwa eziphambanweni, noma saphonswa emalangabini sashiswa, ukuze sibe izinkanyiso zasebusuku, lapho sekuhlwile.”

Kwakungaphansi kwezimo ezinjalo futhi esengozini yokubhekana nezimo ezifanayo lapho uPawulu ezithola esesejele futhi. Yingakho akujabulela kangaka ukuvakashelwa umngane wakhe u-Onesiforu! Kodwa ake sibheke isimo esifanayo ngasohlangothini luka-Onesiforu.

Ukuvakashela Isiboshwa EsinguPawulu

Kubonakala sengathi umkhaya ka-Onesiforu wawuhlala e-Efesu. (2 Thimothewu 1:18; 4:19) Akushiwo ukuthi u-Onesiforu wayezele izinto zakhe siqu yini noma wayezele ukuzobona uPawulu ngokukhethekile enhloko-dolobha yombuso. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi wayezeleni, umphostoli waphawula: ‘Ngenkathi kwenzeka u-Onesiforu eba seRoma, kaningi wayengilethela ukuqabuleka.’ (2 Thimothewu 1:16, 17) Hlobo luni lokuqabuleka? Nakuba usizo luka-Onesiforu lwalungase luhlanganise nosizo lwezinto ezibonakalayo, kusobala ukuthi ukuba khona kwakhe nakho kwakumqinisa futhi kumkhuthaza uPawulu. Eqinisweni, ezinye izinguqulo zifundeka kanje: “Wayevame ukwenza umphefumulo wami wename,” noma “wayevame ukungiduduza.”

Ukwanelisa isifiso sokuvakashela isiboshwa esingumKristu eRoma ngaleso sikhathi kwakuyinselele. Ngokungefani nangezinsuku zokuboshwa kukaPawulu kokuqala, kusobala ukuthi amaKristu aseRoma adukelana naye. Emzini omkhulu njengeRoma, kwakungelula ukuthola isiboshwa esisodwa esinganakekile phakathi kweziningi okumelwe ukuba zaziboshelwe amacala ahlukahlukene. Ngakho, kwakudingeka ukucinga kwenkuthalo. Isazi uGiovanni Rostagno siyichaza ngalendlela lendaba: “Kungenzeka ukuthi kwakunezinkinga ezihlukahlukene. Ngaphezu kwakho konke, kwakudingeka ukuqapha okukhethekile lapho kucingwa. Ukuhlanganisa ukwaziswa lapha nalaphaya nokubonakala umagange ngokuthola ijele elaligcine isiboshwa esigugile esishisekayo esasihileleke emacaleni amaningi kwakungase kubangele izinsolo ezingadingekile.”

Umlobi uP. N. Harrison unikeza umbono wesimo esifanayo, ethi: “Sibonakala sikwazi ukubuthi shazí ubuso obunenjongo esixukwini esidlulayo, futhi sisilandele ngesithakazelo esikhulu lesi sihambi esivela phakathi ezingwini zase-Aegean, njengoba sithubeleza emigwaqweni esingayazi, singqongqoza eminyango eminingi, silandelela wonke umkhondo, siqasheliswa ngezingozi esizifaka kuzo kodwa singathenwa amandla esifisweni saso; kuze kuthi endlini ethile yeziboshwa efihlekile sibingelelwe iphimbo esilaziyo, futhi sithole uPawulu eboshelwe esosheni elingumRoma.” Uma leyo ndawo yayifana namanye amajele aseRoma, cishe kwakuyindawo ebandayo, emnyama nengcolile, lapho kwakugcwele amaketanga nezinhlupheko ezinhlobonhlobo.

Kwakuyingozi ukwaziwa njengomngane wesiboshwa esinjengoPawulu. Kwakuyingozi ngisho nakakhulu ukuqhubeka usivakashela. Ukuziveza obala njengomKristu kwakuwukuzifaka engozini yokuboshwa nokubulawa ngokuhlukunyezwa. Kodwa u-Onesiforu akazange aneliswe ukuvakasha kanye noma kabili nje. Wayengenamahloni futhi engesabi ukwenza kanjalo “kaningi.” U-Onesiforu wenza ngokuvumelana ngempela nencazelo yegama lakhe ethi, “Umthwali Wembuyiselo,” ngokunikeza usizo ngesibindi nangothando naphezu kwezingozi.

U-Onesiforu wayekwenzelani konke lokhu? UBrian Rapske waphawula: “Ijele lalingeyona indawo yokuhlupheka ngokwenyama kuphela, kodwa laliyindawo yokukhathazeka okukhulu ngenxa yezingcindezi elaliziletha esiboshweni. Esimweni esinjalo, ukuba khona ngokoqobo nezikhuthazo ezinikezwa ngomlomo zabasizi kwakungasiqinisa kakhulu ngokomzwelo isiboshwa.” Kusobala ukuthi u-Onesiforu wakuqaphela lokho futhi wanamathela ngesibindi kumngane wakhe. Yeka ukuthi kumelwe ukuba uPawulu wayelwazisa kanjani usizo olunjalo!

Kwenzekani Ngo-Onesiforu?

Encwadini yakhe yesibili eya kuThimothewu, uPawulu wakhonza emkhayeni ka-Onesiforu futhi wathi ngaye: “Kwangathi iNkosi ingamupha ukuba athole isihe kuJehova ngalolosuku.” (2 Thimothewu 1:18; 4:19) Abaningi bacabanga ukuthi amazwi athi “ngalolosuku” abhekisela osukwini lukaNkulunkulu lokwahlulela bese bephetha ngokuthi u-Onesiforu wafa. Uma kwaba njalo, uP. N. Harrison usikisela ukuthi mhlawumbe “u-Onesiforu wavama kakhulu kulendawo eyingozi, futhi wakhokha . . . ngokuphila kwakhe.” Kanti kungenzeka nokuthi u-Onesiforu wayemane nje engekho kwakhe, noma kungenzeka ukuthi uPawulu wayemhlanganise emikhonzweni ayeyithumele kuwo wonke umkhaya wakhe.

Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi kunokubaluleka okukhethekile emazwini athi: “Kwangathi iNkosi ingamupha ukuba athole isihe kuJehova ngalolosuku.” Banomuzwa wokuthi lamazwi afakazela ukuba khona kwemithandazo yokunxusela imiphefumulo eyaphuma ephilayo futhi mhlawumbe ehluphekayo endaweni ethile yemimoya. Nokho, umqondo onjalo ungqubuzana nemfundiso engokomBhalo yokuthi abafile abezwa lutho. (UmShumayeli 9:5, 10) Ngisho noma u-Onesiforu afa, uPawulu wayemane ezwakalisa isifiso sokuba umngane wakhe athole isihe kuNkulunkulu. UR. F. Horton uthi: “Leso sifiso sinelungelo lokusizwakalisa ngabo bonke abantu. Kodwa ukuthandazela asebafa, nokubenzela amaMisa, umcabango [umphostoli] ayengenawo.”

Masibe Abaduduzi Abathembekile

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi u-Onesiforu wafa yini ngempela lapho esiza uPawulu noma cha, ngokuqinisekile wafaka ukuphila kwakhe engozini ukuze athole lomphostoli futhi amvakashele ejele. Futhi akungabazeki ukuthi uPawulu wakwazisa ukusekelwa nesikhuthazo ayekudinga kakhulu akuthola ku-Onesiforu.

Lapho amaKristu esikanye nawo ebhekana nokulingwa, ukushushiswa noma ukuboshwa, singase sibe sesimweni sokuwaduduza nokuwakhuthaza. Khona-ke, kwangathi singawathandazela futhi senze konke esingakwenza ngothando ukuze siwasize. (Johane 13:35; 1 Thesalonika 5:25) Njengo-Onesiforu, masibe abaduduzi abanesibindi.

[Isithombe ekhasini 31]

U-Onesiforu wamduduza ngesibindi umphostoli uPawulu owayeboshiwe