Umshushisi Ubona Ukukhanya Okukhulu

USAWULU wayebathukuthelele kakhulu abalandeli bakaJesu. Enganelisiwe indlela ayesebashushise ngayo kakade eJerusalema, kuhlanganise nokukhandwa ngamatshe kukaStefanu, manje wayesefuna ukuqhubeka nokubacindezela. “Esaphefumula usongo nokubulala ngokungemthetho ngokumelene nabafundi beNkosi, [uSawulu] waya kumpristi ophakeme futhi wacela kuye izincwadi eziya emasinagogeni eDamaseku, ukuze abalethe eJerusalema beboshiwe noma ibaphi abatholayo abangabaleyoNdlela, kokubili amadoda nabesifazane.”—IzEnzo 9:1, 2.

Lapho uSawulu eya ngaseDamaseku, kumelwe ukuba wayecabanga ngendlela ayezokwenza ngayo uphumelele ngokwengeziwe lo msebenzi ayegunyazwe ukuwenza. Igunya ayelinikwe umpristi ophakeme ngokungangabazeki lalizokwenza abaholi bomphakathi wamaJuda akulelo dolobha babambisane naye. USawulu wayezocela usizo lwabo.

Kumelwe ukuba injabulo kaSawulu yanda lapho esondela endaweni ayelibangise kuyo. Uhambo lokusuka eJerusalema ukuya eDamaseku—uhambo lwezinsuku ezingu-7 noma-8 lwebanga elingamakhilomitha angaba ngu-220—lwalukhathaza. Kungazelelwe, cishe emini bebade, ukukhanya okukhanya kakhulu kunelanga kwabaneka nxazonke zikaSawulu, wabe esewela phansi. Wezwa izwi lithi kuye ngesiHeberu: “Sawulu, Sawulu, ungishushiselani? Ukuqhubeka ukhahlela izinkandi kwenza kube nzima kuwe.” USawulu wabuza: “Ungubani wena, Nkosi?” Impendulo yathi: “NginguJesu, lowo omshushisayo. Noma kunjalo, vuka ume ngezinyawo. Ngoba ngenxa yalenjongo ngizibonakalisile kuwe, ukuze ngikukhethe njengesikhonzi nofakazi wakho kokubili izinto ozibonileyo nezinto engizokwenza uzibone ngokuqondene nami; lapho ngikukhulula kulababantu nasezizweni, engikuthuma kuzo.” “Kufanele ngenzeni, Nkosi?” kubuza uSawulu. “Vuka, uye eDamaseku, futhi lapho uyotshelwa ngakho konke okumiselwe ukuba ukwenze.”—IzEnzo 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:13-17.

Labo ababehamba noSawulu bezwa izwi, kodwa abazange bambone okhulumayo noma baqonde lokho ayekusho. Ngenxa yokukhazimula kwalokho kukhanya, lapho uSawulu evuka wayengaboni futhi kwadingeka aholwe ngesandla. “Izinsuku ezintathu wayengaboni lutho, futhi akazange adle noma aphuze.”—IzEnzo 9:7-9; 22:11.

Izinsuku Ezintathu Zokuzindla

USawulu wamukelwa uJuda, ohlala emgwaqweni okuthiwa oQondile.a (IzEnzo 9:11) Lo mgwaqo—okuthiwa i-Darb al-Mustaqim ngesi-Arabhu—usewumgwaqo omkhulu onqamula eDamaseku. Cabanga ngalokho okwakucatshangwa uSawulu lapho esemzini kaJuda. Lokho okwakumehlele kwakumshiye eyimpumputhe futhi eshaqekile. Manje kwakunesikhathi sokuba azindle ngalokho okwakushiwo yilokhu.

Lo mshushisi wayebhekene nalokho ayekubheka njengento engenangqondo. INkosi uJesu Kristu eyayibethelwe—eyayibekwe icala yigunya eliphakeme kunawo wonke lamaJuda futhi ‘yadelelwa futhi yashiywa ngabantu’—yayiphila. Phela, yama njengeyamukelekayo ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu “ekukhanyeni okungasondeleki”! UJesu wayenguye uMesiya. UStefanu nabanye babeqinisile. (Isaya 53:3; IzEnzo 7:56; 1 Thimothewu 6:16) USawulu wayenephutha ngokuphelele, ngoba uJesu wayengasohlangothini lwabo kanye labo uSawulu ayebashushisa! Njengoba ayesenalobo bufakazi, uSawulu wayengaqhubeka kanjani ‘ekhahlela izinkandi’? Ngisho nenkabi edlubulundayo igcina iqhubukushela ngasohlangothini elifunwa umniniyo. Ngakho-ke, ngokwenqaba ukubambisana nokunxusa kukaJesu, uSawulu wayezobe ezilimaza yena.

Njengoba ayenguMesiya, akunakwenzeka ukuthi uJesu wayelahlwe uNkulunkulu. Nokho, uJehova wakuvumela ukuba abhekane nokufa okuyisihlamba kunakho konke futhi abe ngaphansi kwesigwebo soMthetho esithi: “Ophanyekiweyo uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu.” (Duteronomi 21:23) UJesu wafa ephanyekwe esigxotsheni sokuhlushwa. Wayeqalekisiwe, hhayi ngenxa yezakhe izono njengoba ayengenasono, kodwa ngezono zesintu. USawulu kamuva wachaza: “Bonke abancika emisebenzini yomthetho bangaphansi kwesiqalekiso; ngoba kulotshiwe: ‘Uqalekisiwe wonke umuntu ongaqhubeki ezintweni zonke ezilotshwe emqulwini woMthetho ukuze azenze.’ Ngaphezu kwalokho, kusobala ukuthi ngomthetho akekho okuthiwa ulungile kuNkulunkulu . . . Ngokusithenga uKristu wasikhulula esiqalekisweni soMthetho ngokuba abe isiqalekiso esikhundleni sethu, ngoba kulotshiwe: ‘Uqalekisiwe wonke umuntu olengiswe esigxotsheni.’”—Galathiya 3:10-13.

Umhlatshelo kaJesu wawunenani elihlengayo. Ngokwamukela lowo mhlatshelo, uJehova wawubethela ngokomfanekiso uMthetho nesiqalekiso sawo esigxotsheni. Ngokuqonda lelo qiniso, uSawulu wayengasibheka ‘njengokuhlakanipha kukaNkulunkulu’ isigxobo sokuhlushwa ‘esasiyimbangela yokukhubeka kumaJuda.’ (1 Korinte 1:18-25; Kolose 2:14) Khona-ke, uma insindiso yayingatholakali ngemisebenzi yomthetho kodwa ngokubonisa kukaNkulunkulu umusa ongafanelwe ezonini ezinjengoSawulu ngokwakhe, yayingatholwa nayilabo abangaphandle koMthetho. Futhi uJesu wayethumela uSawulu kwabeZizwe.—Efesu 3:3-7.

Asazi ukuthi kungakanani ngempela uSawulu ayekuqonda ngesikhathi sokuguquka kwakhe. UJesu wayesazophinde akhulume naye, mhlawumbe izikhathi ezingaphezu kwesisodwa, ngalo msebenzi ayethunywa ukuyowenza kwabezizwe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kwadlula iminyaka eminingana ngaphambi kokuba uSawulu alobe konke lokhu ngaphansi kokuphefumulelwa kwaphezulu. (IzEnzo 22:17-21; Galathiya 1:15-18; 2:1, 2) Nokho, kwadlula izinsuku ezimbalwa nje ngaphambi kokuba uSawulu athole iziqondiso ezengeziwe ezivela eNkosini yakhe entsha.

Ukuvakasha Kuka-Ananiya

Ngemva kokubonakala kuSawulu, uJesu wabonakala naku-Ananiya, wathi kuye: “Yana esitaladini okuthiwa esiQondile, futhi endlini kaJuda ufune umuntu ogama lakhe linguSawulu, waseTarsu. Ngoba, bheka! uyathandaza, futhi embonweni uboné indoda egama layo lingu-Ananiya ingena futhi ibeka izandla zayo phezu kwakhe ukuze aphinde abone.”—IzEnzo 9:11, 12.

Njengoba u-Ananiya ayemazi uSawulu, kuyaqondakala ukumangazwa kwakhe amazwi kaJesu. Wathi: “Nkosi, ngizwile ngabaningi ngalendoda, ukuthi ziningi kangakanani izinto ezimbi ezenze kwabangcwele bakho eJerusalema. Futhi lapha inegunya elivela kubapristi abakhulu lokubopha bonke ababiza igama lakho.” Nokho, uJesu wathi ku-Ananiya: “Hamba, ngoba lomuntu uyisitsha esikhethiweyo kimi ukuba aphathe igama lami ezizweni kanye nasemakhosini nasemadodaneni ka-Israyeli.”—IzEnzo 9:13-15.

Eqinisekisiwe, u-Ananiya waya ekhelini ayelinikwe uJesu. Lapho emthola uSawulu futhi esembingelele, u-Ananiya wambeka izandla. Ukulandisa kuthi: “Masinyane kwawa emehlweni [kaSawulu] okwakubonakala kunjengezingcwecwe, waphinde wabona.” USawulu wayesekulungele ukulalela. Amazwi ka-Ananiya aqinisekisa lokho uSawulu okungenzeka wayeye wakuqonda emazwini kaJesu: “UNkulunkulu wokhokho bethu ukukhethile ukuba wazi intando yakhe, ubone oLungileyo futhi uzwe izwi lomlomo wakhe, ngoba uyoba ufakazi wakhe, kubo bonke abantu, wezinto ozibonile nozizwile. Futhi manje ulibalelani? Vuka, ubhapathizwe futhi uhlanze izono zakho ngokubiza igama lakhe.” Waba yini umphumela? USawulu “wasukuma wabhapathizwa, futhi wadla ukudla wayesethola amandla.”—IzEnzo 9:17-19; 22:12-16.

Ngemva kokufeza umsebenzi ayethunywe ukuba awenze, u-Ananiya othembekile wanyamalala ngokushesha njengokuvela kwakhe, futhi asibe sisatshelwa lutho ngaye. Kodwa uSawulu wamangaza bonke abamuzwa! Umuntu owayengumshushisi, owayezobopha abafundi bakaJesu eDamaseku, waqala ukushumayela emasinagogeni nokufakazela ukuthi uJesu wayenguKristu.—IzEnzo 9:20-22.

“Umphostoli Ezizweni”

Lokho okwehlela uSawulu endleleni eya eDamaseku kwamvimba lo mshushisi enkambweni yakhe. Njengoba ayeseqaphela ukuthi ungubani uMesiya, uSawulu wayengasebenzisa imiqondo eminingi neziprofetho zemiBhalo YesiHeberu kuJesu. Ukuqaphela ukuthi uJesu wayebonakale kuye futhi ‘wambamba’ wayesemthuma ukuba abe “ngumphostoli ezizweni” kwakushintsha kakhulu ukuphila kukaSawulu. (Filipi 3:12; Roma 11:13) Manje njengoba ayesengumphostoli uPawulu, wayenelungelo negunya elalingeke ligcine ngokuqondisa ingxenye esele yokuphila kwakhe kwasemhlabeni kodwa elalizoqondisa nenkambo yomlando wobuKristu.

Eminyakeni ethile kamuva, lapho kuphikiswana ngokuba kukaPawulu umphostoli, wavikela igunya lakhe ngokubhekisela kulokho okwamehlela emgwaqweni oya eDamaseku. Wabuza: “Angiyena yini umphostoli? Angimbonanga yini uKristu iNkosi yethu?” Futhi ngemva kokukhuluma ngokubonakala kukaJesu ovusiwe kwabanye, uSawulu (uPawulu) wathi: “Ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonakala nakimi njengokungathi kozelwe ngaphambi kwesikhathi.” (1 Korinte 9:1; 15:8) Ngokubona inkazimulo kaJesu yasezulwini, kwaba sengathi uSawulu wayenikwe ilungelo lokuzalelwa, noma lokuvuselwa, ekuphileni komoya ngaphambi kwesikhathi.

USawulu waliqaphela lelo lungelo lakhe futhi wazikhandla ukuze aphile ngokuvumelana nalo. Wabhala: “Ngingomncane kunabo bonke kubaphostoli, futhi angifaneleki ukubizwa ngomphostoli, ngenxa yokuthi ngashushisa ibandla likaNkulunkulu. Kodwa . . . umusa [kaNkulunkulu] ongafanelwe ngakimi awuzange ube yize, kodwa ngashikashikeka ukubadlula bonke [abanye abaphostoli].”—1 Korinte 15:9, 10.

Mhlawumbe njengoSawulu uyasikhumbula isikhathi lapho waqaphela khona ukuthi ukuze wamukeleke kuNkulunkulu, kudingeka ulungise imibono yakho engokwenkolo osekunesikhathi eside unayo. Akungabazeki ukuthi wambonga kakhulu uJehova ngokukusiza ukuba uqonde iqiniso. Lapho uSawulu ebona ukukhanya futhi eqaphela ukuthi yini eyayidingeka kuye, akazange anqikaze ukuyenza. Futhi waqhubeka eyenza ngentshiseko nangokuzimisela ukuphila kwakhe konke kwasemhlabeni. Yeka isibonelo esihle kubo bonke abafisa ukwamukeleka kuJehova namuhla!

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 27]

Umgwaqo okuthiwa oQondile eDamaseku lanamuhla

[Umthombo]

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