UThithu—‘Isisebenzi Esikanye Nami Ngenxa Yezinzuzo Zenu’

NGEZINYE izikhathi kwakuphakama izinkinga ebandleni lamaKristu lekhulu lokuqala. Kwakudingeka zixazululwe, futhi lokhu kwakudinga isibindi nokulalela. Indoda eyabhekana ngokuphumelelayo nenselele enjalo engaphezu kweyodwa kwakunguThithu. Njengoba ayesebenza nomphostoli uPawulu, wenza umzamo oqotho wokusiza abanye ukuba benze izinto ngendlela kaJehova. Ngakho-ke, uPawulu watshela amaKristu aseKorinte ukuthi uThithu ‘wayeyisisebenzi esikanye naye ngenxa yezinzuzo zawo.’—2 Korinte 8:23.

Wayengubani uThithu? Waba nayiphi ingxenye ekuxazululeni izinkinga? Futhi singazuza kanjani ekucabangeleni ukuziphatha kwakhe?

Udaba Lokusoka

UThithu wayengumGreki ongasokile. (Galathiya 2:3)a Njengoba uPawulu ambiza ngokuthi “umntwana woqobo ngokokholo oluhlanganyelwayo,” kungenzeka ukuthi uThithu wayengomunye wabantwana abangokomoya balo mphostoli. (Thithu 1:4; qhathanisa neyoku-1 Thimothewu 1:2.) UThithu wayenoPawulu, uBarnaba nabanye base-Antiyokiya, eSiriya, lapho beya eJerusalema cishe ngo-49 C.E. beyodingida udaba lokusoka.—IzEnzo 15:1, 2; Galathiya 2:1.

Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi njengoba kwakuyodingidwa udaba lokuguquka kwabeZizwe abangasokile eJerusalema, kwahanjwa noThithu ukuze kuboniswe ukuthi amaJuda nabangewona amaJuda babengazuza umusa kaNkulunkulu kungakhathaliseki ukuthi basokiwe noma cha. Amanye amalungu ebandla laseJerusalema ayengabaFarisi ngaphambi kokuba amukele ubuKristu ayethi abeZizwe abaguqukile kwakufanele basokwe futhi bagcine uMthetho, kodwa lokhu kwenqatshwa. Ukuphoqelela uThithu nabanye beZizwe ukuba basokwe kwakuyoba ukwenqaba ukuthi insindiso ixhomeke emseni kaJehova ongafanelwe nasekubeni nokholo kuJesu Kristu kunasemisebenzini yoMthetho. Kwakuyoba nawukwenqaba ubufakazi bokuthi abeZizwe babamukele umoya ongcwele kaNkulunkulu.—IzEnzo 15:5-12.

Wathunyelwa EKorinte

Lapho udaba lokusoka seluxazululiwe, uPawulu noBarnaba banikwa igunya eliphelele lokushumayela kwabeZizwe. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, babezama ukungabakhohlwa abampofu. (Galathiya 2:9, 10) Lapho uThithu ephinda evela emBhalweni ophefumulelwe cishe eminyakeni eyisithupha kamuva, wayeseKorinte ethunywe uPawulu ukuba ayohlela ukuqoqwa kweminikelo eyayinikelelwa abangcwele. Nokho, njengoba uThithu ayenza lo msebenzi, wazithola ekwesinye isimo esicindezela kakhulu.

Izincwadi uPawulu azibhalela abaseKorinte zembula ukuthi waqale wababhalela ukuba ‘bayeke ukuzihlanganisa nezifebe.’ Kwadingeka abatshele ukuba bakhiphe isifebe esingaphenduki phakathi kwabo. Yebo, uPawulu wababhalela incwadi enamandla, enza kanjalo “ngezinyembezi eziningi.” (1 Korinte 5:9-13; 2 Korinte 2:4) Phakathi naleso sikhathi, uThithu wathunyelwa eKorinte ukuyosiza ekuqoqweni kweminikelo lapho eyayiqoqelwa amaKristu aseJudiya ayeswele. Kungenzeka ukuthi wathunyelelwa nokuba ayobheka indlela abaseKorinte abasabela ngayo encwadini kaPawulu.—2 Korinte 8:1-6.

AbaseKorinte babeyosabela kanjani eselulekweni sikaPawulu? Ekhathazeke ngokwazi, kungenzeka ukuthi uPawulu wathumela uThithu esuka e-Efesu ukuba awele i-Aegean Sea aye eKorinte, emyala ukuba ambikele ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka. Uma uhambo lwakhe ayezoluphothula ngaphambi kokuphela kwemikhumbi ebusika (cishe phakathi no-November), uThithu wayengahamba ngomkhumbi aye eTrowa noma athathe indlela ethathelayo yokuhamba ezweni edlula eHellespont. Cishe uPawulu wafika kusenesikhathi endaweni ababevumelene ukuthi babezohlangana kuyo eTrowa, njengoba isiyaluyalu esabangelwa abakhandi besiliva sabangela ukuba ahambe ngaphambi kwesikhathi ayesicabanga e-Efesu. Ngemva kokulinda ngokukhathazeka eTrowa, uPawulu waqaphela ukuthi uThithu wayengeke eze ngomkhumbi. Ngakho, uPawulu waqombola ngezinyawo enethemba lokuhlangana naye endleleni. Lapho esekwelaseYurophu, uPawulu wathatha indlela edlula e-Egnatia, futhi ekugcineni wahlangana noThithu eMakedoniya. Wakhululeka futhi wajabula kakhulu uPawulu lapho ezwa ukuthi izindaba zaseKorinte zazizinhle. Lelo bandla lalisabele kahle eselulekweni salo mphostoli.—2 Korinte 2:12, 13; 7:5-7.

Nakuba uPawulu ayekhathazekile ngendlela isithunywa sakhe esasiyokwamukelwa ngayo, uNkulunkulu wamsiza uThithu ukuba afeze isabelo sakhe. UThithu wayamukelwe “ngokwesaba nangokuthuthumela.” (2 Korinte 7:8-15) Lapho sisebenzisa amazwi omkhulumeli uW. D. Thomas, “singaphetha ngokuthi ngaphandle kokululaza amazwi kaPawulu aqinile okusola, [uThithu] wabancenga ngekhono nangobuhlakani abaseKorinte; ebaqinisekisa ukuthi uPawulu, ngendlela ayekhulume ngayo, wayecabangela inhlalakahle yabo engokomoya.” Phakathi naleso sikhathi, uThithu wawathanda amaKristu aseKorinte ngenxa yomoya wawo wokulalela nokwenza ushintsho olufanele. Isimo sawo sengqondo esincomekayo saba umthombo wesikhuthazo kuye.

Kuthiwani ngesinye isici uThithu ayethunywe ukuba ayosisingatha eKorinte—ukuhlela ukuqoqwa kweminikelo eyayinikelelwa abangcwele baseJudiya? UThithu wayesebenza nangalokho, njengoba kungabonakala ekwazisweni okutholakala kweyesiBili kwabaseKorinte. Leyo ncwadi cishe yabhalelwa eMakedoniya ekwindla ngo-55 C.E., ngemva nje kokuhlangana kukaThithu noPawulu. UPawulu wabhala ukuthi uThithu, owayeqalise ukuqoqwa kweminikelo, manje wayethunyelwa futhi nabasizi ababili abangabizwanga ngamagama ukuze baqedele lokho. Njengoba ayenesithakazelo esiqotho kwabaseKorinte, uThithu wayezimisele kakhulu ukubuyela khona. Lapho uThithu ebuyela eKorinte, cishe wayephethe incwadi yesibili ephefumulelwe kaPawulu eyayiya kwabaseKorinte.—2 Korinte 8:6, 17, 18, 22.

UThithu wayengeyena umhleli omuhle kuphela kodwa futhi wayewuhlobo lwendoda eyayingaphathiswa umsebenzi obucayi ezimweni ezinzima. Wayenesibindi, evuthiwe futhi eqinile. Kusobala ukuthi uPawulu wayebheka uThithu njengokwaziyo ukusingatha izinselele eziqhubekayo ezazibangelwa ‘abaphostoli abahle kakhulu’ baseKorinte. (2 Korinte 11:5) Lo mbono ngoThithu ufakazelwa isimo esilandelayo avela kuso emiBhalweni, kwesinye isabelo esiyinselele.

Esiqhingini SaseKrethe

Kungenzeka ukuthi esikhathini esithile phakathi kuka-61 no-64 C.E., uPawulu wabhalela uThithu, ngaleso sikhathi owayekhonza esiqhingini saseKrethe esikuyiMedithera. UPawulu wayemshiye lapho ukuze ‘alungise izinto ezazinephutha’ futhi ‘amise amadoda amadala emzini ngomuzi.’ Abantu baseKrethe babenedumela lokuba “abaqambimanga, izilo zasendle ezilimazayo, iziminzi ezingasebenzi.” Ngakho-ke, eKrethe uThithu kwakuzodingeka aphinde enze izinto ngesibindi futhi aqine. (Thithu 1:5, 10-12) Lowo kwakuwumsebenzi odinga ukucophelela ngempela, ngoba cishe wawuzoqondisa ikusasa lobuKristu kuleso siqhingi. Ephefumulelwe, uPawulu wasiza uThithu ngokusho ngokuqondile izinto okufanele azibheke kubantu abangaba ababonisi. Lezo zimfanelo zisabhekwa lapho kumiswa abadala abangamaKristu.

ImiBhalo ayibonisi ukuthi uThithu wahamba nini eKrethe. Wahlala lapho isikhathi eside ngokwanele ukuba uPawulu amcele ukuba anakekele izidingo zikaZena no-Apholo, ababezodlula lapho besohambweni esikhathini esithile esingashiwongo. Kodwa uThithu wayengeke esaba kulesi siqhingi isikhathi eside. UPawulu wayehlela ukuthumela u-Arethema noma uThikhiku lapho, bese uThithu ehlangana nomphostoli eNikopholi, cishe okwakuwumuzi ovelele obizwa ngalelo gama owawusenyakatho-ntshonalanga neGrisi.—Thithu 3:12, 13.

Ngokwalokho iBhayibheli elikushoyo kafushane ngoThithu okokugcina, sithola ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi cishe ngo-65 C.E., uPawulu wamthumela kwesinye isabelo. Waya eDalmathiya, esifundeni esisempumalanga ye-Adriatic Sea okuyiCroatia yanamuhla. (2 Thimothewu 4:10) Asitshelwanga ukuthi uThithu wayeyokwenzani lapho, kodwa kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi wayethunyelelwe ukuyoqondisa izindaba eziphathelene namabandla futhi enze umsebenzi wezithunywa zevangeli. Uma kunjalo, uThithu wayeyosebenza ngendlela efanayo naleyo yangesikhathi ekhonza eKrethe.

Yeka indlela esibonga ngayo ngababonisi abavuthiwe abangamaKristu abanjengoThithu! Ukuqonda kwabo ngokucacile izimiso zemiBhalo nokuzisebenzisa ngesibindi kuyasiza ekulondolozeni ingokomoya lebandla. Masilingiseni ukholo lwabo futhi sibe njengoThithu ngokuthuthukisa izithakazelo ezingokomoya zalabo esikholwa nabo.—Heberu 13:7.

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UThithu wayengesinye sezisebenzi ezinesibindi esasikhonza izithakazelo zamaKristu eKorinte nakwezinye izindawo