“Owesifazane UJezabeli”
“NGINALOKHU ngawe ukuthi uvumela owesifazane uJezabeli ozisho ukuthi ungumprofethikazi, afundise, adukise izinceku zami ukuba zifebe, zidle okuhlatshelwe izithombe.” (IsAmbulo 2:20) UJesu washo kanjalo kubadala abangamaKristu baseThiyathira. Lelibandla lalikhuthele kakhulu futhi lalibonise uthando, ukholo, nokukhuthazela. Kodwa lalivumele ithonya likaJezabeli elonakalisayo. Ngani? Futhi ingabe into enjalo ingenzeka namuhla?—IsAmbulo 2:19.
Ngokunokwenzeka, akukho muntu eThiyathira owayenguJezabeli ngempela. UJesu wasebenzisa leligama ukuze asikhumbuze ngeNdlovukazi engokomlando uIzebeli (uJezabeli), umfazi weNkosi uAhabi. Lowo wesifazane onenkani wabonakalisa kakhulu abantu bakaNkulunkulu lapho engenisa ukukhulekelwa okungcolile kukaBali kwaIsrayeli, ekhankasela ngokuzimisela ukukhipha ukukhulekela okuhlanzekile.—1 AmaKhosi 16:31-33; 21:1-7.
UJezabeli waseThiyathira—owesifazane oyedwa noma iqembu labesifazane—ngokufanayo wakhuthaza ukuziphatha okubi nokukhulekelwa kwezithombe phakathi kwabantu bakaNkulunkulu. Abanye ebandleni bamlalela, njengoba uJesu ekhuluma ‘ngabantwana bakhe,’ ngokunokwenzeka abalandeli bakhe. (IsAmbulo 2:22, 23) Ithonya lakhe lasongela ukwenza ibandla laseThiyathira lonakale njengoIsrayeli osukwini luka-Ahabi.
Kungani uJezabeli waseThiyathira ayenethonya elingaka? Bebheka umfuziselo kuJezabeli wasendulo, abanye baye bacabanga ukuthi wayeyinkosikazi yomdala oholayo eThiyathira. Nokho, iBhayibheli alikusho lokho. Kungenzeka ukuthi, inkani yakhe neqiniso lokuthi wayethi ungumprofethikazi kwamnika isikhundla ebandleni.
Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi imikhuba emibi ayeyikhuthaza yayihlangene nezinhlangano zezohwebo. NgokukaDkt. W. M. Ramsay, “ziningi izinhlangano zezohwebo ezaziwayo eThiyathira kunanoma yiliphi elinye idolobha laseAsia.” Ngalezi, i-Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible ithi: “Inhlangano ngayinye enjalo yayinonkulunkulu wayo ongumsizi, amadili ayo, imibuthano yayo ngezinye izikhathi eyayingaba imigidi enokuziphatha okubi. Kungenzeka ukuthi ‘uJezabeli’ wayethi . . . lemigidi akumelwe yenqatshelwe njengoba isisebenzi ngasinye, ukuze siziphilise, kwakumelwe sizihlanganise nenhlangano ethile.” IExpositor’s Greek Testament iyavumelana nalokhu, isikisela ukuthi labo ababelandela uJezabeli “babeziqhayisa ngenkululeko yabo ekhanyiselwe.”
Eqinisweni, imfundiso kaJezabeli eThiyathira yayifuze “isifundiso sikaBalami” ePhergamu. (IsAmbulo 2:14) Ibandla lasePhergamu lalikhuthazelele ukushushiswa okukhulu, kodwa abanye lapho babelingisa uBalami wasendulo ngokukhuthaza ubufebe nokukhulekelwa kwezithombe. Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi ePhergamu ithonya likaBalami lalikhuthaza ukuhlehla ukuze kugwenywe ukushushiswa konya, kanti eThiyathira uJezabeli wayekhuthaza ukuhlehla ngenxa yezizathu ezingokomnotho. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yikuphi, zombili lezimfundiso zaziwukuhlubuka okubulalayo.
Ingabe lingaba khona ithonya likaJezabeli—noma likaBalami—namuhla? Yebo, lingaba khona. Abaholi abaningi beLobukholwa balingisa uJezabeli ekuvumeleni, emabandleni abo, ukwenziwa kobungqingili, ubufebe, ukuphinga, ukukhishwa kwezisu, nezinye izinto ezinjalo uNkulunkulu azilahlayo. Ngisho naphakathi kwebandla lobuKristu, abantu abambalwa baye bakhuthaza “inkululeko” ekukhulekeleni kweqiniso, bekhuthaza amaKristu ukuba anganamatheli ngokuqinile ezindinganisweni nasemikhubeni yeBhayibheli futhi bekhuthaza nanokuziphatha okubi.
Bonke abafisa ukujabulisa uJehova kumelwe bagweme imiqondo enjalo, ngisho noma iza nabantu—amadoda noma abesifazane—abanobuntu obukhangayo noma obunethonya. Namuhla lomqondo usabulala ngendlela owawubulala ngayo ekhulwini lokuqala.—IsAmbulo 2:22, 23.