“LO MUNTU uyisitsha sami esikhethiweyo ukuba aphathe igama lami ezizweni nasemakhosini.” (IzE. 9:15) Yilokho iNkosi uJesu eyakusho ngoPawulu, indoda yomJuda eyayisanda kuguqukela ebuKristwini.

Enye yalawo ‘makhosi’ kwakunguMbusi waseRoma uNero. Ubungazizwa kanjani uma bekungadingeka uvikele ukholo lwakho phambi kombusi onjalo? AmaKristu akhuthazwa ukuba alingise uPawulu. (1 Kor. 11:1) Enye indlela esingakwenza ngayo lokhu ihilela lokho uPawulu abhekana nakho endleleni ezomthetho ezazisebenza ngayo ngosuku lwakhe.

Kwa-Israyeli kwakusebenza uMthetho kaMose futhi amaJuda kuyo yonke indawo ayephila ngalo mthetho. Ngemva kwePhentekoste lika-33 C.E., abakhulekeli beqiniso babengabophekile ukuba bagcine uMthetho kaMose. (IzE. 15:28, 29; Gal. 4:9-11) Nokho, uPawulu namanye amaKristu abazange bawudelele lo Mthetho; babekwazi ukufakaza emiphakathini eminingi yamaJuda ngaphandle kokuphazanyiswa. (1 Kor. 9:20) Empeleni, uPawulu waya kaningana esinagogeni, lapho ayengafakaza khona kubantu ababemazi uNkulunkulu ka-Abrahama futhi akhulume nabo ngemiBhalo yesiHebheru.​—IzE. 9:19, 20; 13:5, 14-16; 14:1; 17:1, 2.

Abaphostoli bakhetha iJerusalema njengedolobha lokuqala ababezoqondisela kulo umsebenzi wokushumayela. Babefundisa njalo ethempelini. (IzE. 1:4; 2:46; 5:20) Ngesinye isikhathi uPawulu waya eJerusalema futhi wagcina eboshiwe lapho. Kwabe sekuqala ukuqulwa kwecala okwabangela ukuba agcine eseRoma.

Iziphathimandla zaseRoma kungenzeka zazizibheka kanjani izinkolelo uPawulu ayeshumayela ngazo? Ukuze siphendule lokho, kuyasiza ukuphawula indlela amaRoma ayebheka ngayo inkolo. Ayengaphoqi amaqembu ezinhlanga ezihlukahlukene embusweni wawo ukuba ayeke izinkolo zawo, uma nje lezo zinkolo zingabeki uMbuso noma indlela yokuziphatha engozini.

AmaRoma anika amaJuda amalungelo embusweni. Incwadi ethi Backgrounds of Early Christianity ithi:  “UbuJuda babuyinkolo ekhululekile embusweni waseRoma. . . . AmaJuda ayekhonza ngokukhululekile futhi ayengaphoqwa ukuba akhulekele onkulunkulu baseRoma. Ayephila ngokuvumelana nomthetho wawo.” Kwakungadingeki ukuba ahlanganyele empini. * UPawulu wayezosebenzisa isivikelo umthetho waseRoma owawusinike inkolo yamaJuda ukuze avikele ubuKristu phambi kweziphathimandla zaseRoma.

Abaphikisi bakaPawulu bazama ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene ukwenza abantu abavamile neziphathimandla ukuba bamelane nalo mphostoli. (IzE. 13:50; 14:2, 19; 18:12, 13) Cabanga ngokwenzeka ngesinye isikhathi. Abadala abangamaKristu ebandleni laseJerusalema bezwa amahemuhemu ayesakazekele kumaJuda okuthi uPawulu wayefundisa “ukuhlubuka kuMose.” Izindaba ezinjalo zazingabangela ukuba amaJuda asanda kuguqukela ebuKristwini acabange ukuthi uPawulu wayengawahloniphi amalungiselelo kaNkulunkulu. ISanhedrini yayingaphetha ngokuthi ubuKristu buyihlelo elihlubuke ebuJudeni. Uma lokho kwakungenzeka, amaJuda azihlanganisa namaKristu ayengajeziswa. Ayeyokhishwa inyumbazane emphakathini futhi enqatshelwe ukufakaza emathempelini nasemasinagogeni. Ngakho, abadala bebandla beluleka uPawulu ukuba abonise ukuthi lawo mahemuhemu ayengamanga ngokuya ethempelini futhi enze okuthile uNkulunkulu ayengadingi ukuba akweze kodwa ayengakwenqabeli.—IzE. 21:18-27.

UPawulu wakwenza lokho futhi kwaholela emathubeni ‘okuvikela nokumisa ngokomthetho izindaba ezinhle.’ (Fil. 1:7) Ethempelini kwasuka isiphithiphithi esikhulu, amaJuda efuna ukubulala uPawulu. Umkhuzi webutho laseRoma wathatha uPawulu wamvalela. Njengoba belungiselela ukumbhaxabula, uPawulu waveza ukuthi uyisakhamuzi saseRoma. Lokho kwaholela ekutheni ayiswe eKhesariya lapho amaRoma ayeqondisa khona abaseJudiya. Lapho wayeyoba nethuba elingavamile lokunikeza ubufakazi obuqinile phambi kweziphathimandla. Cishe lokho kwenza abantu ababengenalwazi ngobuKristu babuqonda kangcono.

IzEnzo isahluko 24 zichaza icala likaPawulu phambi kukaFeliksi, umbusi wamaRoma waseJudiya, owayesezwile kakade ngezinkolelo zamaKristu. AmaJuda amangalela uPawulu ngokuphula umthetho wamaRoma okungenani ngezindlela ezintathu. Bathi wayebhebhezela ukuvukela umbuso phakathi kwamaJuda, wayengumholi wohlelo oluyingozi futhi wayezama ukugcolisa ithempeli, elalingaphansi kwesivikelo samaRoma. (IzE. 24:5, 6) Lawo macala ayengenza ukuba agcine esethole isigwebo sokufa.

Kuyathakazelisa kumaKristu namuhla ukuhlola indlela uPawulu abhekana ngayo nala macala. Wahlala ezolile futhi enenhlonipho. UPawulu wabhekisela eMthethweni nakubaProfethi futhi waveza ilungelo lakhe lokukhonza ‘uNkulunkulu wokhokho bakhe.’ Lelo kwakuyilungelo amanye amaJuda ayenalo ngaphansi komthetho wamaRoma. (IzE. 24:14) Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uPawulu wakwazi ukuvikela nokuchaza ukholo lwakhe phambi kombusi owalandela, uPorkiyu Festu, naphambi kweNkosi uHerode Agripha.

Ekugcineni, ukuze ahlulelwe ngobulungisa uPawulu wathi: “Ngidlulisela icala kuKhesari!”​—IzE. 25:11.

Kamuva ingelosi yathi kuPawulu: “Kumelwe ume phambi kukaKhesari.” (IzE. 27:24) UMbusi waseRoma uNero ekuqaleni kokubusa kwakhe wayethe ngeke awahlulele ngokwakhe wonke amacala. Phakathi neminyaka yakhe yokuqala yokubusa engu-8, ngokuvamile wayewunika abanye lo msebenzi. Incwadi ethi The Life and Epistles of Saint Paul ibika ukuthi lapho uNero evuma ukwahlulela icala, lokho wayekwenzela esigodlweni sakhe esizwa abeluleki ababengomakad’ ebona futhi benethonya.

 IBhayibheli alisho ukuthi uNero walilalela icala likaPawulu futhi wamahlulela ngokwakhe noma wakhetha othile ukuba alalele isikhalo sikaPawulu bese ebika kuye. Kunoma yikuphi, cishe uPawulu wachaza ukuthi wayekhulekela uNkulunkulu wamaJuda futhi wanxusa bonke abantu ukuba banike uhulumeni udumo olufanele. (Roma 13:1-7; Thithu 3:1, 2) Kubonakala sengathi ukuvikela kukaPawulu izindaba ezinhle phambi kwezikhulu eziphakeme kwaphumelela—inkantolo kaKhesari yamkhulula uPawulu.​—Fil. 2:24; Filem. 22.

UJesu wathi kubafundi bakhe: “Niyohudulelwa phambi kwababusi namakhosi ngenxa yami, ngenjongo yobufakazi kubo nasezizweni.” (Math. 10:18) Kuyilungelo ukumelela uJesu ngale ndlela. Imizamo yethu yokuvikela izindaba ezinhle ingabangela ukuba sinqobe ezinkantolo. Kuyiqiniso ukuthi lokho okunqunywa umuntu ongaphelele ‘akuzimisi ngokomthetho’ izindaba ezinhle ngomqondo ophelele. UMbuso kaNkulunkulu kuphela oyoletha ukukhululwa okuphelele ekucindezelweni nasekuphathweni ngendlela engenabulungisa.​—UmSh. 8:9; Jer. 10:23.

Nokho, ngisho nanamuhla igama likaJehova lingakhazinyuliswa lapho amaKristu evikela ukholo lwawo. NjengoPawulu, kumelwe sizame ukuzola, ukuba qotho nokukholisa. UJesu watshela abalandeli bakhe ukuthi kwakungeke kudingeke ‘bazilungiselele kusengaphambili ukuthi bayozivikela kanjani, ngoba uyobanika umlomo nokuhlakanipha, bonke abaphikisi babo behlangene ngeke bakwazi ukumelana nabo noma babaphikise.’​—Luka 21:14, 15; 2 Thim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:15.

Lapho amaKristu evikela ukholo lwawo phambi kwamakhosi, ababusi noma ezinye izikhulu, anganikeza ubufakazi kubantu obekungase kube nzima ukubafinyelela ngesigijimi samaKristu. Ezinye izinqumo zenkantolo ezisivunayo ziye zalungisa imithetho ethile, ngaleyo ndlela zavikela inkululeko yokukhuluma neyokukhulekela. Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi iba yini imiphumela yala macala, isibindi esiboniswa izinceku zikaNkulunkulu ngaphansi kovivinyo senza uNkulunkulu ajabule.