Incwadi YeBhayibheli Yama-57—KuFilemoni

Umlobi: UPawulu

Yalotshelwa: ERoma

Ukuloba Kwaphela: Cishe ngo-60–61 C.E.

 1. Yiziphi ezinye zezici zencwadi eya kuFilemoni?

LENCWADI kaPawulu enobuhlakani obukhulu nothando iwathakazelisa kakhulu amaKristu namuhla. Akukhona nje kuphela ukuthi iyincwadi emfushane kunazo zonke eyalondolozwa ivela esandleni ‘somphostoli wabezizwe’ kodwa kulo lonke iBhayibheli yincwadi yesiBili neyesiThathu KaJohane kuphela eziqukethe ukwaziswa okuncane. Futhi, iwukuphela kwencwadi kaPawulu “yangasese,” ngoba ngokomthetho yayingaqondisiwe ebandleni noma kumbonisi othile ophathiswe imithwalo yemfanelo kodwa yayiqondiswe kumuntu ngasese futhi yayiphathelene kuphela nenkinga ekhethekile uPawulu ayefuna ukuyixoxa nalomzalwane ongumKristu, uFilemoni, okusobala ukuthi wayemi kahle, owayehlala emzini waseFrigiya eKolose, enkabeni yeAsia Minor.​—⁠Roma 11:⁠13.

 2. Incwadi eya kuFilemoni yalotshwa kusiphi isizinda futhi ngayiphi injongo?

² Injongo yencwadi yembulwe ngokukhanyayo: Phakathi nokuboshwa kwakhe kokuqala eRoma (59-61 C.E.), uPawulu wayenenkululeko enkulu yokushumayela ngoMbuso kaNkulunkulu. Phakathi kwalabo abalalela ukushumayela kwakhe kwakunguOnesimu, inceku eyayibaleke endlini kaFilemoni, umngane kaPawulu. Ngenxa yalokho, uOnesimu waba umKristu, futhi uPawulu wanquma, ngemvume kaOnesimu, ukuba ambuyisele kuFilemoni. Futhi, kwakukulesikhathi lapho uPawulu abhala khona izincwadi ezaziya emabandleni ase-Efesu naseKolose. Kuzo zombili lezincwadi wanikeza iseluleko esihle ezincekwini ezingamaKristu nakubanumzane abanezinceku ngendlela yokuziphatha ngokufanele kulobubuhlobo. (Efe. 6:​5-⁠9; Kol. 3:​22–4:⁠1) Nokho, ngaphezu kwakho konke lokhu, uPawulu wabhala incwadi eya kuFilemoni ancengela kuyo uOnesimu yena mathupha. Kwakuyincwadi eyayilotshwe ngesandla sakhe siqu​—⁠okuyinto eyayingavamile ngoPawulu. (Filem. 19) Lokhu kuxhumana komuntu siqu kwanezela kakhulu esisindweni sokuncenga kwakhe.

 3. Ngokunokwenzeka kakhulu incwadi eya kuFilemoni yalotshwa nini, futhi yathunyelwa kanjani?

³ Ngokunokwenzeka kakhulu lencwadi yalotshwa cishe ngo-60-61 C.E., njengoba ngokusobala uPawulu wayeseshumayele isikhathi eside ngokwanele eRoma ukuba aguqule abathile. Futhi, ngoba evesini 22 ubonisa ithemba lokukhululwa, singaphetha ngokuthi lencwadi yalotshwa ngemva kokuba sekudlule isikhathi esithile sokuboshwa kwakhe. Kubonakala sengathi lezincwadi ezintathu, eyodwa eya kuFilemoni kanye nezamabandla ase-Efesu naseKolose, zaphathiswa uThikhiku no-Onesimu.​—⁠Efe. 6:​21, 22; Kol. 4:​7-⁠9.

 4. Yini ebonisa umlobi nobuqiniso bencwadi kaFilemoni?

⁴ Ukuthi uPawulu owaloba incwadi kaFilemoni kusobala evesini lokuqala, lapho ebizwa khona ngegama. UOrigen noTertullian bamqaphela kanjalo.a Futhi ubuqiniso bencwadi busekelwa ukufakwa kwayo ohlwini, kanye nezinye zezincwadi zikaPawulu, oCezwini LukaMuratori lwekhulu lesibili leminyaka C.E.

OKUQUKETHWE INCWADI KAFILEMONI

 5. (a) Lencwadi iqalisa ngakuphi ukubingelela nokutusa? (b) Yini uPawulu ayitshela uFilemoni ngenceku yakhe uOnesimu?

⁵ UOnesimu ubuyiselwa enkosini yakhe ‘esengaphezu kwesigqila’ (Amav. 1-25). UPawulu uthumela imikhonzo efudumele kuFilemoni, kuApifiya “udadewethu,” kuArkiphu “ibutho kanye nathi,” kanye nasebandleni elisendlini kaFilemoni. Utusa uFilemoni (ogama lakhe lisho ukuthi “Othandayo”) ngothando nokukholwa anakho ngeNkosi uJesu nangabangcwele. Imibiko yothando lukaFilemoni iye yaletha ukuthokoza okukhulu nenduduzo kuPawulu. UPawulu, indoda endala nesiboshwa, manje ukhuluma ngesibindi esikhulu ‘ngomntanakhe’ uOnesimu, ‘amzala’ ekuboshweni kwakhe. UOnesimu (ogama lakhe lisho ukuthi “Okunenzuzo”) ngaphambili wayekade engenalusizo kuFilemoni, kodwa manje unosizo kokubili kuFilemoni nakuPawulu.​—⁠Amav. 2, 10.

 6. Luhlobo luni lwempatho uPawulu alutusayo ngo-Onesimu, kanye naliphi iphuzu lobuhlakani?

⁶ Umphostoli ubengathanda ukugcina uOnesimu ukuze amkhonze etilongweni, kodwa ngeke akwenze ngaphandle kwemvume kaFilemoni. Ngakho uyambuyisela ukuba “angabe esaba-njengesigqila, kodwa abe-ngaphezu kwesigqila, engumzalwane othandekayo.” UPawulu ucela ukuba uOnesimu amukelwe ngomusa, ngendlela efanayo naleyo uPawulu ngokwakhe abeyokwamukelwa ngayo. Uma uOnesimu emonile uFilemoni, lokho makubalelwe kuPawulu, ngoba, uPawulu utshela uFilemoni, “Nawe unecala kimi elinguwe uqobo.” (Amav. 16, 19) UPawulu ufisa sengathi angakhululwa ngokushesha nokuba avakashele uFilemoni, futhi uphetha ngemikhonzo.

ISIZATHU SOKUBA IBE NENZUZO

 7. Ngokuqondene no-Onesimu, uPawulu wayenamathela kanjani ekubizweni kwakhe okukhulu njengomphostoli?

⁷ Njengoba kuboniswa yilencwadi, uPawulu wayengashumayeli “ivangeli lezenhlalo,” ezama ukuqeda isimiso sezinto esikhona nemikhuba yaso, njengobugqila. Akazange akhulule ngisho nezinceku ezingamaKristu nje ngokungathi ungumahluleli, kodwa, kunalokho, waphindisela inceku eyayibalekile, uOnesimu, ohambweni lwebanga elingaphezu kwamakhilomitha angu-⁠1 400 ukusuka eRoma kuya eKolose, emuva enkosini yayo uFilemoni. Ngakho uPawulu wanamathela obizweni lwakhe olukhulu njengomphostoli, ebambelela ngokuqinile ekuthunyweni kwakhe kwaphezulu ‘kokushumayela umbuso kaNkulunkulu . . . nokufundisa izindaba zeNkosi uJesu Kristu.’​—⁠IzE. 28:​31; Filem. 8, 9.

 8. Yikuphi ukusebenza okungokoqobo kwezimiso zobuKristu incwadi kaFilemoni ekubonisayo?

⁸ Incwadi eya kuFilemoni yembula okuningi ngoba ibonisa uthando nobunye okwakukhona phakathi kwamaKristu ekhulu lokuqala leminyaka. Kuyona sithola ukuthi amaKristu okuqala ayebizana ngokuthi “mzalwane” nangokuthi “dadewethu.” (Filem. 2, 20) Ngaphezu kwalokho, yembulela amaKristu namuhla ukusebenza okungokoqobo kwezimiso zobuKristu phakathi kwabazalwane abangamaKristu. KuPawulu, sithola ukubonakaliswa kothando lobuzalwane, inhlonipho ngobuhlobo phakathi kwezakhamuzi nangempahla yomunye umuntu, ubuhlakani obuphumelelayo, nokuthobeka okutusekayo. Esikhundleni sokuzama ukuphoqelela uFilemoni ukuba athethelele uOnesimu ngokusebenzisa igunya ayenalo njengombonisi oholayo ebandleni lobuKristu, uPawulu wamnxusa ngokuzithoba ngesisekelo sothando lobuKristu nobuhlobo bakhe bomuntu siqu. Ababonisi namuhla bangazuza endleleni yobuhlakani uPawulu akhuluma ngayo noFilemoni.

 9. Ngokwenza ngokuvumelana nesicelo sikaPawulu, yisiphi isandulela esithakazelisayo kumaKristu namuhla uFilemoni ayeyosibeka?

⁹ Ngokusobala uPawulu wayelindele ukuba uFilemoni avumelane nesicelo sakhe, futhi ukwenza kanjalo kukaFilemoni kwakuyoba ukukusebenzisa ngokoqobo lokho uJesu akusho kuMathewu 6:​14 nalokho uPawulu akusho kwabase-Efesu 4:​32. Ngokufanayo amaKristu namuhla angalindelwa ukuba abe nomusa futhi amthethelele umzalwane owonayo. Uma uFilemoni ayengayithethelela inceku ayeyiqashile nayekhululekile ngokomthetho ukuyiphatha kabi ngokuthanda kwakhe, khona-ke amaKristu namuhla kumelwe akwazi ukuthethelela umzalwane owonayo​—⁠umsebenzi ongenzima neze.

10. Kubonakala kanjani ukusebenza komoya kaJehova encwadini eya kuFilemoni?

¹⁰ Ukusebenza komoya kaJehova kusobala kakhulu kulencwadi eya kuFilemoni. Kuboniswa indlela yobuciko uPawulu asingatha ngayo inkinga ebucayi kakhulu. Kubonakala ozweleni, othandweni lomzwelo, nasekwethembeni umKristu akanye naye okuboniswa uPawulu. Kubonakala eqinisweni lokuthi incwadi eya kuFilemoni, njengeminye imiBhalo, ifundisa izimiso zobuKristu, ikhuthaza ubunye bobuKristu, futhi ikhulisa uthando nokholo okuvamile phakathi ‘kwabangcwele,’ abathemba eMbusweni kaNkulunkulu nabamusa wothando kaJehova ubonakaliswa ekuziphatheni kwabo.​—⁠Iv. 5.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]