UGAYIYU labanye abazalwane abaphila ngesikhathi sabaphostoli babehlangana lobunzima obutshiyeneyo. Kwakulabanye ababefundisa amanga behlose ukuxegisa ukholo lwabanye lokudala izingxabano emabandleni. (1 Joh. 2:18, 19; 2 Joh. 7) Ngokwesibonelo uDiyothrefe wayekhuluma kubi ngomphostoli uJohane labanye abazalwane. Wayesala lokwamukela izihambi futhi wayehuga labanye ukuthi balandele lokho ayekwenza. (3 Joh. 9, 10) Sasinjalo isimo ngesikhathi uJohane ebhalela uGayiyu. Incwadi ayibhalayo ibizwa ngokuthi yincwadi yesithathu kaJohane futhi ingabe yabhalwa ngabo-98 C.E.

Lanxa izinto zazingahambi kuhle ngalesosikhathi uGayiyu waqhubeka ethembekile kuJehova. Watshengisa njani ukuthi uthembekile? Kungani kumele silingisele isibonelo sakhe? Incwadi kaJohane ingasinceda njani ukuthi sikwenze lokhu?

Umlobi wencwadi yesithathu kaJohane waqala incwadi yakhe ngokuthi “mina omdala.” Kwahle kwaba segcekeni kuGayiyu ukuthi incwadi le yayivela kumphostoli uJohane indoda eyayisikhulile ayeyibona njengoyise. UJohane wathi: “Ngilobela umngane wami uGayiyu, engimthanda ngeqiniso.” Ngemva kwalokho watshengisa ukuthi umfisela impilakahle njalo watsho lokuthi uyathokoza ukuzwa ukuthi uqhubeka ephila ngokumayelana leqiniso. Kumele ukuthi amazwi la amkhuthaza futhi amqinisa uGayiyu.—3 Joh. 1, 2, 4.

Kungenzakala ukuthi uGayiyu wayengumdala ebandleni lanxa lokhu singakutshelwa encwadini le. UJohane wancoma uGayiyu ngokwamukela abazalwane ababeyizihambi lanxa wayengabazi. Wabona lokhu kuyibufakazi bokuthi uGayiyu uthembekile ngoba ukwamukela izihambi yinto eyayivele isehlukanisa izinceku zikaNkulunkulu labanye abantu nje.—Gen. 18:1-8; 1 Tim. 3:2; 3 Joh. 5.

Amazwi abhalwa nguJohane ebonga uGayiyu ngokwamukela kwakhe izihambi atshengisa ukuthi kulamaKhristu ayejayele ukuvakatshela amanye amabandla ngakho kungenzakala ukuthi yibo ababemtshela izinto ababehlangana lazo. Kungenzakala lokuthi yibo ababemtshela izinto ezaziphathelane lalawo mabandla ababefika kuwo.

Kumele ukuthi amaKhristu ayevakatshela kwezinye izindawo ayekhetha ukuhlala labazalwane ngoba indawo ezazilungiselelwe ukuhlala izivakatshi zazingazinhle, zigcwele ukungaziphathi futhi abantu bephathwa kubi. Yikho izihambi ezinengi zazikhetha ukuhlala labangane ikanti amaKhristu lawo ayebona kungcono ukufikela kubazalwane.

UJohane waphinda wakhuthaza uGayiyu ukuthi amukele abazalwane. Wamtshela wathi: “Uzakuba wenze kuhle ukubasiza ohambeni lwabo ngendlela efanele uNkulunkulu.” Wayesitshoni uJohane? Wayesitsho ukuthi uGayiyu ancede labobazalwane ngalokho ababekudinga ukuze benelise ukufika lapho ababesiyakhona. UGayiyu wayevele ebamukele kuhle abanye abazalwane ngoba ekubuyeleni kwabo bafika babikela uJohane ngokuthembeka kwakhe langokuhle ayebenzele khona.—3 Joh. 3, 6.

Kungenzakala ukuthi abazalwane labo kwakungabanali, izithunywa ezazivela kuJohane loba ababonisi abahambelayo. Lanxa singeke sitsho okunengi ngabo esileqiniso lakho yikuthi babehamba ngezindaba ezinhle ngoba uJohane wabhala ukuthi abazalwane laba baphuma ngenxa yebizo lakhe. (3 Joh. 7) Kukhanya ibizo ayekhuluma ngalo ngelikaNkulunkulu ngoba kuvesi 6 wayekhulume ngaye. Ngakho abazalwane laba babengamalunga ebandla lobuKhristu futhi kwakufanele bamukelwe ngezandla zombili. UJohane laye wakugcizelela lokhu lapho esithi: “Kufanele sitshengise ukuphana ebantwini abanjalo ukuze sisebenzele iqiniso ndawonye.”—3 Joh. 8.

Okwenza uJohane wabhalela uGayiyu incwadi kayisikho ukuthi wayefuna ukumbonga kuphela. Kodwa wayefuna lokumnceda ukuthi alwisane lobunzima obabukhona ebandleni. Ngokwesibonelo kwakulendoda okuthiwa nguDiyothrefe ebandleni eyayingafuni ukwamukela abazalwane abahambelayo futhi ivimbela labanye ababefuna ukwamukela labobazalwane.—3 Joh. 9, 10.

Kumele ukuthi abazalwane abathembekileyo babekuthola kunzima ukuyahlala koDiyothrefe lanxa wayengabe efuna ukuthi bafikele emzini wakhe. Indoda le yayithanda isikhundla, iseyisa yonke into eyayivela kuJohane njalo ibanyeya kubi abaphostoli labanye abazalwane. Lanxa uJohane engatshongo ukuthi uDiyothrefe wayefundisa amanga, kusegcekeni ukuthi wayengafuni ukulalela abaphostoli. Ukuthanda kwakhe izikhundla lendlela ayesenza ngayo kwenza ukuthi angathenjwa. Indaba kaDiyothrefe itshengisa ingozi ebakhona nxa ebandleni kulabantu abathanda izikhundla futhi abangokhanda limtshela okwakhe. Yikho uJohane watshela uGayiyu amazwi asebenza lakithi lamuhla, wathi: ‘Lingalingiseli okubi.”—3 Joh. 11.

UJohane usitshela ngomunye umKhristu okuthiwa nguDemetriyu owayesenza okuhle. Wabhala wathi: “UDemetriyu unconywa ngabantu bonke . . . Lathi sikhuluma okuhle ngaye, njalo liyakwazi ukuthi ubufakazi bethu buliqiniso.” (3 Joh. 12) Kumele ukuthi uDemetriyu wayedinga usizo njalo incwadi le eyabhalwa nguJohane yayingabe ingeyokumethula kuGayiyu ukuze amsize ngalokho ayekudinga. Kungenzakala lokuthi nguye owahamba lencwadi le kuGayiyu. Nxa kuyikuthi uDemetriyu wayeyisithunywa sikaJohane loba engumhambeli kumele ukuthi laye wafika wagcizelela lokho okwakusencwadini.

UGayiyu wayevele ebamukela kuhle abanye futhi ebenzela okuhle. Manje kungani uJohane wamtshela ukuthi aqhubeke ekwenza lokhu? Angabe wayefuna ukumkhuthaza yini kumbe wayekhathazwa yikuthi uGayiyu angacina engasamukeli abazalwane ngenxa yokwesaba uDiyothrefe? Phela indoda le yayithembisa ukuxotsha abazalwane ebandleni nxa bangemukela izihambi emizini yabo. Lanxa singakwazi ukuthi wayehloseni, uJohane watshela uGayiyu wathi: “Lowo owenza okuhle ngokaNkulunkulu.” (3 Joh. 11) Lesi yisizatho esihle sokuthi umuntu aqhubeke esenza okuhle.

 Incwadi kaJohane yamkhuthaza yini uGayiyu ukuthi aqhubeke ebamukela ngesihle abazalwane? Kasithandabuzi ukuthi yamnceda sibili ngoba lamuhla incwadi le iyingxenye yeMibhalo engcwele futhi lathi iyasikhuthaza ukuthi ‘silingisele okuhle.’

Akula okunye iMibhalo esitshela khona ngomzalwane wethu uGayiyu. Lanxa kunjalo kulokuthile esingakufunda encwadini ayibhalelwa nguJohane.

Okokuqala, kumele sibabonge abazalwane abathembekileyo ababezimisele ukuhamba imango emide ukuze bazosifundisa iqiniso. Kodwa lamuhla ayisibo bonke abazalwane abahamba imango emide ukuze bayetshumayela izindaba ezinhle. Loba kunjalo singenelisa ukulingisela isibonelo sikaGayiyu ngokwamukela abahambeli labomkabo kanye lokubakhuthaza. Okunye esingakwenza yikusiza abafowethu labodadewethu ngalokho abakudingayo ikakhulu labo abancedisa ezindaweni ezilabamemezeli abalutshwana elizweni lakithi loba abancedisa kwamanye amazwe. Ngakho ‘kasizejwayezeni ukuphana.’—Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 5:9, 10.

Okwesibili, akumelanga simangale nxa kwezinye izikhathi sibona abanye ebandleni behlamukela abazalwane abakhokhelayo. Lasendulo kwake kwenzakala lokhu, bakhona abazalwane ababeseyisa umphostoli uJohane kanye lomphostoli uPhawuli. (2 Khor. 10:7-12; 12:11-13) Manje kumele senzeni nxa kungaba lezimo ezinjalo ebandleni? UPhawuli watshela uThimothi wathi: “Inceku yeNkosi kumele ixwaye ingxabano; kodwa kumele ibe lomusa ebantwini bonke, yanelise ukufundisa, ingabi lenzondo. Abaphikisayo kumele ibaluleke kuhle.” Ngakho kufanele sibe lomusa kwabanye nxa besiphathe kubi. Lokhu kungenza abanye bacine bentshintsha futhi loJehova ‘angabaguqula izinhliziyo baholelwe ekwazini iqiniso.’—2 Tim. 2:24, 25.

Okwesithathu, kumele sibancome abazalwane abaqhubeka bekhonza uJehova futhi beqotho lanxa bephikiswa. Umphostoli uJohane wamkhuthaza uGayiyu njalo wamncoma ngokuhle ayekwenza. Abadala labo kumele balingisele isibonelo sikaJohane ngokukhuthaza bonke ebandleni ukuze “bangadinwa.”—Isaya. 40:31; 1 Thes. 5:11.

Incwadi eyabhalwa ngumphostoli uJohane ebhalela uGayiyu imfitshane kakhulu futhi yilo ibhuku elincane kulawo wonke eBhayibhilini. Kodwa lilezifundo ezinhle kakhulu ezisincedayo lamuhla.