Kungani USawulu Ashushisa AmaKristu?

‘NGANGICABANGA UKUTHI KUFANELE ngenze izenzo eziningi zokuphikisa igama likaJesu umNazaretha; okuyilokho, eqinisweni, engakwenza eJerusalema. Abaningi kwabangcwele ngabavalela ematilongweni, njengoba ngangithole igunya kubapristi abakhulu. Lapho abafundi bebulawa, ngangiphonsa ivoti lami ngokumelene nabo. Ngokubajezisa izikhathi eziningi kuwo wonke amasinagoge, ngazama ukubaphoqa ukuba bahoxe. Njengoba ngangibathukuthelele ngokudlulele, ngaze ngabashushisa ngisho nasemizini engaphandle.’—IzEnzo 26:9-11.

WASHO kanjalo uSawulu waseTarsu, owaziwa nangokuthi umphostoli uPawulu. Yiqiniso, lapho esho lokhu, wayeseguqukile. Wayengaseyena umphikisi wobuKristu, kodwa wayesengomunye wabasekeli babo abashiseka kakhulu. Kodwa yini eyashukumisela uSawulu ukuba ashushise amaKristu ngaphambili? Kungani acabanga ukuthi ‘kwakufanele enze’ izenzo ezinjalo? Futhi ingabe sikhona isifundo esingafundwa endabeni yakhe?

Ukukhandwa Ngamatshe KukaStefanu

USawulu uvela embhalweni weBhayibheli ephakathi kwalabo ababulala uStefanu. “Ngemva kokumxoshela ngaphandle komuzi [uStefanu], baqala ukumjikijela ngamatshe. Futhi ofakazi babeka phansi izingubo zabo zangaphandle ezinyaweni zensizwa ebizwa ngokuthi uSawulu.” “USawulu, ngakolwakhe uhlangothi, wayekwamukela ukubulawa kwakhe ngokungemthetho.” (IzEnzo 7:58; 8:1) Yini eyaholela kulokho kuhlasela? AmaJuda, kuhlanganise nabathile baseKhilikhiya, baphikisana noStefanu kodwa bahluleka ukuma baqine ngokumelene naye. Akushiwo noma uSawulu, naye owayengowaseKhilikhiya, wayephakathi kwalabo yini. Kunoma yikuphi, basebenzisa ofakazi bamanga ukuze babeke uStefanu icala lokuhlambalaza futhi bamhudulela phambi kweSanhedrini. (IzEnzo 6:9-14) Le ndikimba, eyayenganyelwe umpristi ophakeme, yayisebenza njengenkantolo ephakeme yamaJuda. Njengegunya eliphakeme kunawo wonke elingokwenkolo, amalungu ayo ayevikela nalokho ayekubheka njengobumsulwa bezimfundiso. Ngokombono wawo, uStefanu wayefanelwe ukufa. Wayengalokotha kanjani awasole ngokungawugcini uMthetho? (IzEnzo 7:53) Ayezombonisa ukuthi kufanele ugcinwe kanjani!

USawulu wakubona kufanele ukwamukela lowo mbono ngenxa yalokho ayekukholelwa. WayengumFarisi. Leli hlelo elinamandla lalifuna ukuba umthetho nesiko kugcinwe ngokungaguquki. UbuKristu babubhekwa njengobuphikisana ngokuqondile nalezo zinkolelo, bufundisa indlela entsha yensindiso ngoJesu. AmaJuda ekhulu lokuqala ayelindele ukuba uMesiya abe yiNkosi ekhazimulayo eyayiyowakhulula ejokeni ayelizonda lokubuswa amaRoma. Ngakho, ayengakucabangi nhlobo, kungamukeleki futhi kwenyanyeka ukuthi lowo owalahlwa iSanhedrini Enkulu ngecala lokuhlambalaza nowabethelwa esigxotsheni sokuhlushwa kamuva njengeselelesi esiqalekisiwe angaba uMesiya.

UMthetho wawuthi umuntu ophanyekwe esigxotsheni ‘wayeqalekiswe nguNkulunkulu.’ (Duteronomi 21:22, 23; Galathiya 3:13) Ngokombono kaSawulu, “la mazwi ayesebenza ngokucacile kuJesu,” kuphawula uFrederick F. Bruce. “Wayefe ngenxa yokuqalekiswa uNkulunkulu, ngakho kwakungenakucatshangwa ukuthi wayengaba nguMesiya, lowo cishe ngokwesiko lamaJuda, owayebusiswe uNkulunkulu ngendlela engenakuqhathaniswa. Ngakho-ke, ukuthi uJesu wayenguMesiya kwakuwukuhlambalaza; futhi labo ababesho leyo nto engenangqondo kanjalo kwakufanele bajeze njengabahlambalazi.” Njengoba uSawulu kamuva avuma, wona kanye umqondo wokuthi ‘uKristu wabethelwa, wawuyimbangela yokukhubeka kumaJuda.’—1 Korinte 1:23.

USawulu wasabela ngokuyiphikisa ngokuzimisela okukhulu ngangokunokwenzeka leyo mfundiso. Kwakungasetshenziswa ngisho nobudlova ukuze iqedwe. Wayeqiniseka ukuthi yilokho uNkulunkulu ayekufuna. Echaza umoya ayewukhuthaza, uSawulu wathi: “Ngokuqondene nentshiseko, [ngangishushisa] ibandla; ngokuqondene nokulunga okuza ngomthetho, ngingozibonakalise engasoleki.” “Ngaqhubeka ngishushisa ibandla likaNkulunkulu futhi ngilichitha kwaze kwaba seqophelweni lokweqisa, futhi ngangenza intuthuko enkulu enkolweni yobuJuda kunabaningi kontanga yami siqu ohlangeni lwakithi, njengoba ngangiwashisekela kakhulu impela amasiko obaba.”—Filipi 3:6; Galathiya 1:13, 14.

Umshushisi Oqavile

Ngemva kokufa kukaStefanu, uSawulu akasaveli njengomsekeli nje woshushiso kodwa njengomgqugquzeli walo. Njengoba ayengumgqugquzeli, kumelwe ukuba waba nedumela elibi, njengoba ngisho nangemva kokuguquka kwakhe, lapho enza umzamo wokuzihlanganisa nabafundi, “bonke babemesaba, ngoba babengakholwa ukuthi ungumfundi.” Lapho kuba sobala ukuthi wayengumKristu ngempela, ukuguquka kwakhe kwabangela injabulo nokubonga kubafundi abezwa ukuthi, kwakungashintshanga inhliziyo yanoma yimuphi nje umphikisi wangaphambili kodwa, “umuntu owayesishushisa ngaphambili manje usememezela izindaba ezinhle ezimayelana nokholo ayeluchitha ngaphambili.”—IzEnzo 9:26; Galathiya 1:23, 24.

IDamaseku yayisebangeni elingaba amakhilomitha angu-220—uhambo lwezinsuku ezingu-7 noma 8 ngezinyawo—ukusuka eJerusalema. Nokho, ‘ephefumula usongo nokubulala ngokungemthetho ngokumelene nabafundi,’ uSawulu waya kumpristi ophakeme wayocela izincwadi zokuya emasinagogeni aseDamaseku. Ngani? Ukuze amlethe eJerusalema eboshiwe noma ubani ayeyomthola ‘engoweNdlela.’ Esegunyazwe iziphathimandla, ‘waqala ukuphatha ibandla ngendlovula, ehlasela indlu ngemva kwenye, ehudulela ngaphandle kokubili amadoda nabesifazane ukuze abanikele etilongweni.’ Abanye ‘wayebabhambabulele emasinagogeni,’ futhi ‘waphonsa ivoti lakhe’ (ngokwezwi nezwi, “itshana [lakhe] lokuvota”) esekela ukuba babulawe.—IzEnzo 8:3; 9:1, 2, 14; 22:5, 19; 26:10, umbhalo waphansi we-NW.

Zicabangela imfundo uSawulu ayithola ngaphansi kukaGamaliyeli namandla ayesenawo, ezinye izazi zikholelwa ukuthi wayesethuthukile esuka ekubeni umfundi nje woMthetho wafinyelela ezingeni lokusebenzisa isilinganiso esithile segunya ebuJudeni. Ngokwesibonelo, esinye sasikisela ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi uSawulu waba umfundisi esinagogeni laseJerusalema. Nokho, asiqiniseki ukuthi kushiwo ukuthini ngokuthi uSawulu ‘wayephonsa ivoti lakhe’—njengelungu lenkantolo noma njengothile osekela ukubulawa kwamaKristu.a

Njengoba ekuqaleni wonke amaKristu ayengamaJuda noma amaJuda angamaproselithe, kusobala ukuthi uSawulu wayebheka ubuKristu njengenhlangano yezihlubuki ephakathi ebuJudeni, futhi ekubheka njengomthwalo wezikhulu zobuJuda ukuqondisa amakholwa abo. Isazi u-Arland J. Hultgren sithi: “Akunakwenzeka ukuthi uPawulu umshushisi wayephikisa ubuKristu ngoba ebubheka njengenkolo engaphandle kobuJuda, eyimbangi. Kungenzeka ukuthi yena nabanye babebheka inhlangano yamaKristu njengesengaphansi kwegunya lobuJuda.” Khona-ke, injongo yakhe yayiwukuphoqelela amaJuda aphambukile ukuba ahoxe abuyele emfundisweni yakuqala, esebenzisa zonke izindlela ezikhona. (IzEnzo 26:11) Enye indlela ayengayisebenzisa yayiwukuwabopha. Enye yayiwukuwabhambabula emasinagogeni, indlela eyayivamile yokuyala eyayisetshenziselwa ukujezisa abangalaleli igunya lorabi kunoma iyiphi inkantolo enamajaji amathathu.

Yiqiniso, ukubonakala kukaJesu kuSawulu emgwaqweni oya eDamaseku kwakuqeda konke lokho. Esuka ekubeni isitha esinobudlova sobuKristu, ngokushesha uSawulu waba umsekeli wabo oshisekayo, futhi kungakapholi maseko, amaJuda aseDamaseku ayesefuna ukubulala yena. (IzEnzo 9:1-23) Okumangazayo ukuthi, njengomKristu, uSawulu kwakufanele ahlupheke ngezinto eziningi yena ngokwakhe ayehlupha ngazo lapho ayesengumshushisi, kangangokuthi eminyakeni ethile kamuva wayengathi: “KumaJuda ngamukela izikhathi ezinhlanu imivimbo engamashumi amane kushiywa munye.”—2 Korinte 11:24.

Intshiseko Ingaba Engaqondisiwe Kahle

Ngemva kokuguquka, lapho esaziwa kahle ngokuthi uPawulu, uSawulu wabhala: “Ngaphambili ngangingumhlambalazi nomshushisi nomuntu oweyisayo. Noma kunjalo, ngaboniswa isihe, ngoba ngangingenalwazi futhi ngenza ngokuntula ukholo.” (1 Thimothewu 1:13) Ngakho-ke, ukuba qotho komuntu nokuba kwakhe matasa enkolweni yakhe akusona isiqinisekiso sokwamukeleka kwakhe kuNkulunkulu. USawulu wayeshiseka futhi enza ngokuvumelana nonembeza, kodwa lokho akuzange kumenze olungile. Intshiseko yakhe evuthayo yayingaqondisiwe kahle. (Qhathanisa neyabaseRoma 10:2, 3.) Lokho kufanele kusenze sicabange.

Abaningi namuhla bakholelwa ngokuqinile ukuthi uNkulunkulu ufuna nje ukuba baziphathe kahle. Kodwa ingabe kunjalo? Ngamunye uyokwenza kahle ukulalela ukunxusa kukaPawulu: “Qinisekani ngazo zonke izinto; bambelelani niqinise kokuhle.” (1 Thesalonika 5:21) Lokho kusho ukuzinika isikhathi sokungenisa ulwazi olunembile lweZwi leqiniso likaNkulunkulu bese uphila ngokuvumelana ngokuphelele nalo. Ekufundeni kwethu iBhayibheli, uma siqaphela ukuthi kunoshintsho okudingeka silwenze, khona-ke kufanele silwenze ngaphandle kokulibala. Mhlawumbe bambalwa kithi abake baba abahlambalazi, abashushisi noma abantu abeyisa njengoSawulu. Nokho, ngokwenza ngokuvumelana nokholo nolwazi lwethu olunembile, singazuza umusa kaNkulunkulu njengaye.—Johane 17:3, 17.

[Umbhalo waphansi]