“INDODA le iyisiphathelo sami engisikhethileyo ukuthwala ibizo lami phambi kwabezizwe lamakhosi abo.” (ImiSeb. 9:15) Amazwi la akhulunywa yiNkosi uJesu isitsho indoda eyayingumJuda eyayisanda kwamukela iqiniso futhi eyacina isibizwa ngokuthi ngumphostoli uPhawuli.

Omunye ‘wamakhosi’ okwakumele uPhawuli ayekuma phambi kwawo nguNero owayengumbusi waseRoma ngalesosikhathi. Akuthandabuzwa ukuthi lwalungakutshaya lukweqe uvalo nxa wawungezwa ukuthi kumele uyekuma phambi kombusi lo ukuze uvikele ukholo lwakho. Lanxa kunjalo sonke sikhuthazwa ukuthi silingisele isibonelo sikaPhawuli. (1 Khor. 11:1) Enye indlela esingakwenza ngayo lokhu yikulingisela indlela avikela ngayo izindaba ezinhle phambi kweziphathamandla ezazibusa ngalesosikhathi.

UMthetho kaMosi yiwo owawusetshenziswa ngamaJuda kuzo zonke izindawo ayetholakala kuzo. Kodwa ngemva kwePhentekhosti lika-33 C.E., kwakungasadingakali ukuthi abantu bakaNkulunkulu bagcine uMthetho kaMosi. (ImiSeb. 15:28, 29; Gal. 4:9-11) Loba kunjalo uPhawuli lamanye amaKhristu kabazange bawuchothoze uMthetho njalo babetshumayela ezindaweni ezinengi ezazihlala amaJuda kungelalutho olubaphambanisayo. (1 Khor. 9:20) UPhawuli wayehamba kanengi emasinagogeni esiyatshumayeza abantu ababekholwa kuNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama futhi wayebonisana labo esebenzisa iMibhalo yesiHebheru.—ImiSeb. 9:19, 20; 13:5, 14-16; 14:1; 17:1, 2.

Abaphostoli baqala ukutshumayela izindaba ezinhle edolobheni leJerusalema. Babefundisa nsuku zonke emagumeni ethempeli. (ImiSeb. 1:4; 2:46; 5:20) UPhawuli laye wayeke afike eJerusalema futhi yikho lapho abotshelwa khona. Yikho okwaqala khona uhambo lwakhe lokuvikela ivangeli phambi kwamakhosi waze wahanjiswa eRoma.

Iziphathamandla zeRoma zingabe zaziwubona njani umsebenzi wokutshumayela owawusenziwa nguPhawuli? Ukuze siphendule umbuzo lo kumele siqale sihlole ukuthi amaRoma ayevele eyiphatha njani indaba yezinkolo ezitshiyeneyo. Ayengababambi ngamandla abantu ababengaphansi kombuso wawo ukuthi  batshiye izinkolo zabo ngaphandle nxa zazingabangela ukuxokozela kumbe ukuthi abantu bahlamukele uMbuso.

AmaJuda ayenikwe amalungelo athe xaxa embusweni wamaRoma. Ibhuku elithi Backgrounds of Early Christianity lithi: “Abantu benkolo yesiJuda babenikwe amalungelo amanengi embusweni weRoma. . . . Babekhululekile ukuthi bakhonze ngendlela yabo njalo babevunyelwa lokuthi bangakhonzi onkulunkulu bamaRoma. Babelelungelo lokusebenzisa umthetho wabo kuzo zonke izindawo ababehlala kuzo.” Kanti njalo babevunyelwa lokuthi bangangeni esisotsheni. * Ngakho uPhawuli wayengasebenzisa amalungelo la ayephiwe amaJuda ukuze avikele inkolo yeqiniso phambi kweziphathamandla.

Izitha zikaPhawuli zazizama ngezindlela ezitshiyeneyo ukuthi zimenze azondwe yiziphathamandla kanye labantu emphakathini. (ImiSeb. 13:50; 14:2, 19; 18:12, 13) Nansi esinye isibonelo. Abadala bebandla leJerusalema bezwa amahungahunga ayelokhu ememetheka phakathi kwamaJuda esithi uPhawuli utshela abantu ukuthi “bafulathele uMosi.” Indaba le yayingabangela ukuthi amaJuda ayesanda kuba ngamaKhristu acabange ukuthi uPhawuli kahloniphi izinhlelo zikaNkulunkulu. Kanti njalo leSanihedrini yayingethesa amaKhristu icala lokuba ngabahlamuki besekusenza ukuthi wonke amaJuda angamaKhristu ajeziswe kabuhlungu. Kwakungabangela lokuthi angamukelwa emphakathini njalo angavunyelwa ukutshumayela ethempelini kumbe emasinagogeni. Lanxa amaKhristu ayengasekho ngaphansi koMthetho kaMosi, abadala bebandla bacebisa uPhawuli ukuthi aye ethempelini ayekwenza umkhuba wokuzihlambulula ukuze atshengise ukuthi ihungahunga lelo lingamanga.—ImiSeb. 21:18-27.

Lakanye uPhawuli wakwenza lokhu futhi kwamvulela ithuba lokuthi ‘avikele njalo aqinise ivangeli’ ngokusemthethweni. (Flp. 1:7) Wathi esesethempelini amaJuda amsusela amanqe efuna ukumbulala. Umlawuli webutho lamaRoma wamthatha wayamvalela esitokisini. Bathi sebefuna ukumtshaya uPhawuli wabatshela ukuthi uyisizalwane seRoma. Lokhu kwabangela ukuthi ahanjiswe eKhesariya lapho okwakulesigodlo samaRoma ayekhokhela iJudiya. Khonale wayezafika athole ithuba elihle kakhulu lokufakaza ngesibindi phambi kweziphathamandla. Kungenzakala ukuthi lokhu kwenza izindaba ezinhle zafika lasebantwini ababengakaze bazizwe.

Ibhuku lemiSebenzi kusahluko 24 lisitshela ngokuthonisiswa kukaPhawuli phambi kukaFelikhe owayengugavuna weJudiya. Kukhanya indoda le yayisilokuthile ekwaziyo mayelana lalokho amaKhristu akukholwayo. AmaJuda ethesa uPhawuli amacala amathathu okwephula umthetho wamaRoma. Ayesithi udunga amaJuda ezindaweni zonke embusweni, usevuse iqembu elithile eliyingozi njalo uzama lokungcolisa ithempeli elalikhangelwa nguhulumende wamaRoma. (ImiSeb. 24:5, 6) Amacala la ayengabangela ukuthi uPhawuli agwetshelwe intambo.

Kuqakathekile ukuthi lathi sihlole indlela uPhawuli aziphendulela ngayo kulawo macala. Wabeka amaphaphu phansi njalo wakhuluma ngenhlonipho. Waphinda wakhuluma ngomthetho labaphrofethi, lokuthi ulelungelo lokukhonza ‘uNkulunkulu wabokhokho bakhe.’ Lelo kwakulilungelo wonke amaJuda ayeliphiwe ngaphansi kombuso wamaRoma. (ImiSeb. 24:14) Ngemva kwesikhathi uPhawuli wathola ithuba lokuyavikela lokumemezela izindaba ezinhle kuziphathamandla ezimbili, kumbusi uPhokhiyu Festu kanye leNkosi u-Agripha.

Ekucineni wacela ukuthi icala lakhe ‘lidluliselwe kuKhesari’ umbusi owayedume kakhulu ngalesosikhathi.—ImiSeb. 25:11.

Ingilosi yatshela uPhawuli ukuthi ‘kumele ayethonisiswa nguKhesari.’ (ImiSeb. 27:24) UMbusi weRoma uNero wathi eqalisa ukubusa watsho ukuthi wayengeke athonise wonke amacala ayengalethwa kuye. Yikho okweminyaka eyisitshiyangalombili yokubusa kwakhe wayecela abanye ukuthi kube yibo abathonisa amacala. Ibhuku elithi The Life and Epistles of Saint Paul libika ukuthi nxa uNero wayevuma ukuthonisa  icala elithile wayekwenzela esigodlweni sakhe, encediswa liqembu labacebisi bakhe ababelolwazi olunengi futhi ababekhuluma kuzwakale.

IBhayibhili kalisitsheli ukuthi uPhawuli wama phambi kukaNero ngokwakhe kumbe ukuthi uNero wacela omunye umuntu ukuthi alalele indaba kaPhawuli abesezombikela. Lanxa singakwazi ukuthi kwahamba njani, esileqiniso lakho yikuthi uPhawuli wabachasisela ukuthi ukhonza uNkulunkulu wamaJuda lokuthi wayengahambi etshela abantu ukuthi bahlamukele uhulumende. (Rom. 13:1-7; Tit. 3:1, 2) Kukhanya waphumelela sibili ukuvikela izindaba ezinhle phambi kwababusi ngoba umthethwandaba kaKhesari wamkhulula.—Flp. 2:24; Filim. 22.

UJesu watshela abafundi bakhe wathi: “Ngenxa yami lizamiswa phambi kwababusi lamakhosi ukuze libe ngofakazi kubo lakwabezizwe.” (Mat. 10:18) Kuyisibusiso esikhulu ukuba ngabameli bakaJesu phambi kwababusi. Ukuzimisela kwethu ukuvikela izindaba ezinhle kungasenza sinqobe emthethwandaba. Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi silesono esasithatha ku-Adamu asingeke senelise ‘ukuziqinisa’ ngokupheleleyo izindaba ezinhle. UMbuso kaNkulunkulu yiwo kuphela ozasusa ukuhlupheka lokucindezelwa, kuphele du!—UmTshu. 8:9; Jer. 10:23.

Lanxa kunjalo umzamo esiwenzayo khathesi wokumela ukholo lwethu wenza ukuthi ibizo likaJehova lidunyiswe. Yikho kumele silingisele uPhawuli ngokukhuluma iqiniso langokukhuluma ngendlela etshengisa ukuthi kasithandabuzi. UJesu watshela abafundi bakhe ukuthi ‘banganqinekeli ukuthi bazazivikela bathini. Ngokuba uzabanika amazwi lokuhlakanipha ukuze angabi khona ezitheni zabo ozabehlula loba abaphikise.’—Luk. 21:14, 15; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Phet. 3:15.

Ukuvikela ukholo lwethu phambi kwamakhosi, ababusi loba kwezinye nje iziphathamandla kungasinika ithuba lokufakaza ebantwini okunzima ukubathola. Ezinye izinqumo ezenziwa yimthethwandaba zisinceda ukuthi sithole inkululeko yokutshumayela lokukhonza uJehova. Lanxa kwezinye izikhathi singanqobi kwamanye amacala, isibindi esisitshengisayo ukuze sivikele izindaba ezinhle senza uNkulunkulu athokoze.