UFilemoni—Ukubonakalisa Ukusebenza KobuKristu
YENZA lokho okushumayelayo! Yeka ukuthi uJesu waliqokomisa ngokuqine kanjani leliphuzu ekusoleni abaholi benkolo bosuku lwakhe! (Mathewu, isahluko 23) Kodwa kuthiwani ngababefundisa ebandleni lokuqala lobuKristu? Ingabe bakwenza lokho ababekushumayela? Ukuthi bakwenza kuboniswa ngokukhanyayo encwadini yeBhayibheli kaFilemoni.
Incwadi eyayiya kuFilemoni ayibhekiselwe ebandleni kodwa ibhekiselwe kumuntu othile, futhi ikhuluma ngendaba engaziwa abantu. Okunezela esimweni sayo sokuba ngeyomuntu siqu, iqiniso lokuthi uPawulu wayibhala ngokwakhe ngesandla, kunokusebenzisa unobhala.
Siyini isizathu sokubhalwa kwalencwadi kaPawulu kuFilemoni? Ilesi: UPawulu wayebuyisela kuFilemoni inceku yakhe uOnesimu. UOnesimu wayebalekile, mhlawumbe waze weba nemali kuFilemoni ukuze akwazi ukuya eRoma. Ngandlela-thile uOnesimu wayethintene noPawulu eRoma, walalela ekushumayeleni kwakhe futhi waba ngumKristu. Njengoba ayesenjalo wayesewusizo ekukhonzeni uPawulu, futhi umphostoli wayesesondelene kakhulu naye. Kodwa uPawulu akathandanga ukugcina uOnesimu ngaphandle kwemvume kaFilemoni. Ngakho, ngemvume kaOnesimu, uPawulu wayembuyisela kuFilemoni—engaseyona nje inceku kuphela manje kodwa esewumzalwane othandekayo eNkosini.
Ukuthi uOnesimu manje wayesengumzalwane owaziswayo nothembekayo kuboniswa futhi ukuphathiswa kwabo benomngane wakhe uThikhiku izincwadi zikaPawulu eziya emabandleni e-Efesu naseKolose. (Efesu 6:21, 22; Kolose 4:7-9) Kuzo zombili lezincwadi uPawulu weluleka izinceku ukuba zilalele amakhosi azo. (Efesu 6:5-7; Kolose 3:22, 23) Ngakho uPawulu wayenza ngokuvumelana neseluleko sakhe ekubuyiseleni uOnesimu emuva. Wazihlonipha izinto zabanye futhi wenza ngokuvumelana neseluleko sakhe sokuthobela ilungiselelo likahulumeni.—Roma 13:1-7; 1 Korinte 7:20-24.
UPawulu wabeka futhi isibonelo eselulekweni sakhe siqu ngokubonisa ukuthobeka, uthando nokukhathalela abanye. (Efesu 4:1-3; Filipi 2:3, 4; Kolose 3:12-14) Kunokucindezela uFilemoni ngenxa yokuba enegunya lobuphostoli ukuba athethelele uOnesimu futhi amamukele njengomzalwane, uPawulu ngokuzithoba wamcela ngokwesisekelo sothando lobuKristu nangobungane babo siqu. (Filemoni 8, 9, 17) Yeka isibonelo esihle sababonisi abangamaKristu namuhla!
UFilemoni wayefanele ukumbonga uPawulu, ngoba izindaba ezinhle wayezifunde ngoPawulu futhi wakhululwa ebugqilini bobuqaba. Kanti ngokomthetho wayesengamphatha kabi futhi asebenzelane ngokhahlo no-Onesimu. Futhi ngokuqinisekile wayenesizathu sokumthukuthelela. UPawulu akamkhuthazanga kuphela uFilemoni ukuba abonise umusa, intethelelo nesihawu kodwa umphostoli naye wayezimisele ukwenza kanjalo. “Uma [uOnesimu] ekonile ngento, noma enecala kuwe,” kubhala uPawulu, “lokho kubalele kimi; . . . ngiyakukukhokha.”—Filemoni 18, 19.
Ngokuqinisekile, njengoba kuboniswe encwadini kaFilemoni, ababhali bokuqala nabafundisi bobuKristu benza ngokuvumelana nezimiso zobuKristu. Benza lokho ababekushumayela.