UThikhiku—Isigqila Esithembekile Esikanye Nathi
EZENZAKALWENI ezihlukahlukene, uThikhiku wahamba nomphostoli uPawulu futhi wasebenza njengesithunywa sakhe. Wayeyisithunywa esasingaphathiswa imali nemithwalo yemfanelo yokwengamela. Njengoba imiBhalo iqokomisa ukwethembeka kwakhe—imfanelo ebalulekile kuwo wonke amaKristu—mhlawumbe ungathanda ukwazi okwengeziwe ngaye.
UPawulu wachaza uThikhiku ngokuthi “umfowethu othandekayo nesikhonzi esikholekile nesigqila esikanye nathi eNkosini.” (Kolose 4:7) Kungani umphostoli ambheka ngaleyo ndlela?
Umsebenzi Wokusiza EJerusalema
Cishe ngo-55 C.E. kwaba nesidingo sezinto ezibonakalayo phakathi kwamaKristu aseJudiya. Ngosizo lwamabandla aseYurophu nawase-Asia Minor, uPawulu wahlela ukuba kwenziwe iminikelo yokusiza lawo maKristu. UThikhiku, owayevela esifundeni sase-Asiya, waba nengxenye emsebenzini wokusiza.
Ngemva kokunikeza iziqondiso ngokuphathelene nendlela yokusingatha le minikelo, uPawulu wasikisela ukuba kuthunyelwe amadoda athembekile eJerusalema noma ahambe naye, naleyo minikelo. (1 Korinte 16:1-4) Lapho ethatha lolo hambo olude lokusuka eGrisi eya eJerusalema, wayehamba namadoda amaningana, ngokusobala enye yawo kwakunguThikhiku. (IzEnzo 20:4) Kungenzeka ukuthi babedingeka abantu abaningi kangako njengoba babephethe imali ababeyiphathiswe amabandla amaningana. Kungenzeka ukuthi kwakubonakala kunesidingo sokulondeka, ngoba izinswelaboya zazenza kube nzima ukuhamba ngokuphepha emigwaqweni.—2 Korinte 11:26.
Njengoba u-Aristarku noTrofimu babehamba noPawulu ukuya eJerusalema, abanye bacabanga ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi uThikhiku nabanye nabo benza kanjalo. (IzEnzo 21:29; 24:17; 27:1, 2) Ngenxa yokuthi uThikhiku wayehilelekile kulesi simiso sokusiza, ungomunye wabaningana okucatshangwa ukuthi “umfowethu” owasebenza noThithu eGrisi ekuhleleni iminikelo ‘nowamiswa amabandla ukuba abe umngane [kaPawulu] ahambisana naye mayelana nalesisipho somusa.’ (2 Korinte 8:18, 19; 12:18) Umsebenzi wesibili owafezwa uThikhiku wawunomthwalo wemfanelo njengowokuqala.
Ukusuka ERoma Ukuya EKolose
Eminyakeni emihlanu noma eyisithupha kamuva (ngo-60-61 C.E.), uPawulu wayenethemba lokuthi wayezokhululwa ekuboshweni kwakhe kokuqala eRoma. UThikhiku wayenaye, emakhulwini amakhilomitha ukusuka ekhaya. Manje uThikhiku wayesebuyela e-Asiya. Lokhu kwenza uPawulu wakwazi ukuthumela izincwadi eziya emabandleni amaKristu akuleyo ndawo nokubuyisela eKolose isigqila esaseqile sikaFilemoni, u-Onesimu. UThikhiku no-Onesimu okungenani bahamba nezincwadi ezintathu manje ezihlanganiswe ohlwini lwezincwadi zeBhayibheli—eyayiya kwabase-Efesu, enye iya kwabaseKolose nenye iya kuFilemoni. Kungenzeka ukuthi kunencwadi eyayiswa nasebandleni laseLawodikeya, umuzi owawusebangeni elingamakhilomitha angaba ngu-18 ukusuka eKolose.—Efesu 6:21; Kolose 4:7-9, 16; Filemoni 10-12.
UThikhiku wayengeyona indoda yeposi nje. Wayeyisithunywa sikaPawulu esithembekile, ngoba uPawulu wabhala: “Zonke izindaba zami uThikhiku, umfowethu othandekayo nesikhonzi esikholekile nesigqila esikanye nathi eNkosini, uzonazisa zona. Ngenxa yayo kanye injongo yokuba nazi ngezinto eziphathelene nathi nokuba aduduze izinhliziyo zenu, ngimthumela kini.”—Kolose 4:7, 8.
Isazi u-E. Randolph Richards siphawula ukuthi umuntu owayephathiswa incwadi “ngokuvamile wayengumxhumanisi womlobi womlomo nomlomo nabayamukelayo ngaphezu kwalokho okulotshiwe. . . . [Esinye isizathu] esenza kudingeke isithunywa esithembekile [kwakuwukuthi] ngokuvamile sasiphatha nokwaziswa okwengeziwe. Incwadi ingase isichaze kafushane isimo, ngokuvamile ngendlela umlobi asibona ngayo, kodwa isithunywa silindeleke ukuba silandise ngokuningiliziwe yonke imininingwane lapho sichazela umuntu ozokwamukela [incwadi].” Nakuba incwadi ingase isingathe izimfundiso nezindaba eziphuthumayo, ezinye izinto ziyochazwa ngomlomo isithunywa esithembekile.
Izincwadi eziya kwabase-Efesu, eKolose nakuFilemoni azisho okuningi ngokuphathelene nenhlalakahle kaPawulu. Ngakho kwadingeka ukuba kube nokwaziswa uThikhiku akudlulisela ngomlomo, echaza isimo sikaPawulu eRoma, futhi aziqonde kahle izimo zamabandla kangangokuthi akwazi ukunikeza isikhuthazo. Izigijimi nemithwalo yemfanelo yalolu hlobo yayinikezwa labo kuphela okwakungathenjelwa kubo ekumeleleni ngokwethembeka umthumeli wencwadi. UThikhiku wayeyilolo hlobo lomuntu.
Ukwengamela Ezabelweni Ezikude
Ngemva kokukhululwa ekuboshelweni endlini eRoma, uPawulu wayecabangela ukuthumela uThikhiku noma u-Arethema kuThithu esiqhingini saseKrethe. (Thithu 1:5; 3:12) Phakathi nokuboshwa kukaPawulu kwesibili eRoma (cishe ngo-65 C.E.), umphostoli waphinde wathuma uThikhiku e-Efesu, cishe ukuze ayothatha isikhundla sikaThimothewu, owayesezohamba ayosebenza noPawulu.—2 Thimothewu 4:9, 12.
Akucacile ukuthi uThikhiku waya eKrethe nase-Efesu yini phakathi nalesi sikhathi. Nokho, ukukhuluma ngaye ngale ndlela kusikisela ukuthi waqhubeka engomunye wababesebenzelana eduze noPawulu kwaze kwaba iminyaka yokugcina yenkonzo yalo mphostoli. Uma uPawulu ayecabanga ukumthumela ukuyokwenza imisebenzi yomthwalo wemfanelo futhi mhlawumbe enzima esikhundleni sikaThimothewu noThithu, kusobala ukuthi uThikhiku wayesengumbonisi ongumKristu ovuthiwe. (Qhathanisa neyoku-1 Thimothewu 1:3; Thithu 1:10-13.) Ukuzimisela kwakhe ukuthatha uhambo olude nokusetshenziswa ezabelweni ezikude kwamenza waba usizo kuPawulu nakulo lonke ibandla lobuKristu.
Namuhla, amaKristu azidelayo akhonza uNkulunkulu ngokuzithandela emabandleni endawo oFakazi BakaJehova noma azenze atholakalele ukuyothuthukisa izithakazelo zoMbuso kwenye indawo. Izinkulungwane ziye zazamukela ngenjabulo izabelo zokuba izithunywa zevangeli, ababonisi abajikelezayo, izisebenzi zomhlaba wonke ezihlanganyela emisebenzini yokwakha, endlunkulu yomhlaba wonke ye-Watch Tower Society, noma kwelinye lamagatsha ayo. NjengoThikhiku, azibona abantu abavelele, kodwa ziyizisebenzi ezikhuthele, ‘izikhonzi ezikholekile’ eziyigugu kuNkulunkulu nezithandwa amaKristu ‘njengezigqila [ezithembekile] ezikanye nawo eNkosini.’