USawulu Uhlangana Nabangane Bakudala Nezitha Zakudala

KUMELWE ukuba uSawulu, kamuva owabizwa ngokuthi umphostoli uPawulu, wayenexhala lapho ebuyela eJerusalema okokuqala ngqa ngemva kokuguqukela ebuKristwini. * Ngenkathi esuka kulo muzi eminyakeni emithathu ngaphambili, wayesonga futhi eshabashekela ukubulala abafundi bakaJesu. Wayegunyazwe ukuba abophe noma imaphi amaKristu ayewathola eDamaseku.—IzEnzo 9:1, 2; Galathiya 1:18.

Lapho naye eba umKristu, uSawulu walumemezela ngesibindi ukholo lwakhe kuMesiya ovusiwe. Ngenxa yalokho, amaJuda aseDamaseku afuna ukumbulala. (IzEnzo 9:19-25) Ingabe wayengalindela ukwamukelwa ngezandla ezimhlophe abangane bakhe bakudala abangamaJuda eJerusalema? Okwakubaluleke kakhulu kuSawulu kwakuwukuhlangana nabalandeli bakaKristu eJerusalema. Lokho kwakungeke kube lula.

“Lapho efika eJerusalema wenza imizamo yokuzihlanganisa nabafundi; kodwa bonke babemesaba, ngoba babengakholwa ukuthi usengumfundi.” (IzEnzo 9:26) Kuyaqondakala lokhu. Bamgcina engumshushisi ononya. Ukuzibiza  kwakhe ngomKristu kwakungase kubonakale njengecebo lokungena ebandleni. Ngakho, amaKristu aseJerusalema ayefuna ukuzigcina ekude naye.

Nokho, omunye wawo wamsiza uSawulu. IBhayibheli lithi uBarnaba wamhola lo muntu owayeshushisa amaKristu wamyisa “kubaphostoli,” ngokusobala uPetru (uKhefase) noJakobe, umfowabo weNkosi, wabatshela ngokuguquka nokushumayela kukaSawulu eDamaseku. (IzEnzo 9:27; Galathiya 1:18, 19) Akuchazwa ukuthi kwenzeka kanjani ukuba uBarnaba athembe uSawulu. Ingabe babazana, okwashukumisela uBarnaba ukuba avivinye uSawulu bese kamuva efakazela ubuqotho bakhe? Ingabe uBarnaba wayexhumana namaKristu aseDamaseku futhi azi ngokuguquka kukaSawulu? Kunoma yikuphi, uBarnaba wenza ukuba uSawulu angabe esasolwa kangako. Ngakho, uSawulu wahlala nomphostoli uPetru izinsuku ezingu-15.

Izinsuku Ezingu-15 Azihlala NoPetru

Njengoba akugcizelela kwabaseGalathiya, uSawulu wayethunywe uJesu uqobo engadinge kugunyazwa abantu. (Galathiya 1:11, 12) Kodwa akungabazeki ukuthi uSawulu wayekuqonda ukubaluleka kokuyazi kahle inkonzo kaJesu. Ukuhlala kukaSawulu noPetru kwakuzomnika ithuba elanele lokwenza kanjalo. (Luka  24:12; 1 Korinte 15:3-8) Kumelwe ukuba ziningi izinto uSawulu azibuza uPetru noJakobe, futhi nabo kumelwe ukuba bambuza imibuzo ethile mayelana nombono nokuthunywa kwakhe.

Wasinda Kanjani Kubangane Bakhe Bakudala?

UStefanu uye wabizwa ngokuthi umfel’ ukholo wokuqala ongumKristu. Abantu uStefanu ayephikisane nabo ngaphambili ‘babengabalokho okwakuthiwa iSinagoge Labakhululiwe, nabaseKhurene nabase-Aleksandriya nalabo abavela eKhilikhiya nase-Asiya.’ Manje uSawulu “wayephikisana namaJuda akhuluma isiGreki,” efakaza kuwo ngesibindi. Asabela kanjani? Afuna ukumbulala.—IzEnzo 6:9; 9:28, 29.

USawulu wayengafisa ukuchaza ushintsho olukhulu olwalwenzeke ekuphileni kwakhe nokuzama ukukhanyisela abangane bakhe bakudala ngoMesiya. Nokho, la maJuda akhuluma isiGreki abonisa ukuyizonda le ndoda ayeyibheka njengembuka.

USawulu wayeqaphela yini ukuthi wayesengozini engakanani? Sifunda ukuthi njengoba ayethandaza ethempelini, wathathwa isihlwathi futhi wabona uJesu owathi kuye: “Shesha uphume eJerusalema masinyane, ngoba ngeke babuvume ubufakazi bakho ngami.” USawulu waphendula: “Nkosi, bona ngokwabo bazi kahle ukuthi ngangibafaka etilongweni futhi ngibabhambabula emasinagogeni ngamasinagoge labo abakholwa nguwe; futhi lapho igazi likaStefanu ufakazi wakho lichithwa, mina ngokwami ngangimi eduze ngikwamukela lokho.”—IzEnzo 22:17-20.

Abanye bathi impendulo kaSawulu isho ukuthi wayazi ukuthi usengozini. Abanye bacabanga ukuthi wayethi: ‘Ngangingumshushisi njengabo, futhi bayakwazi lokho. Ngokuqinisekile kufanele bakuthathe ngokungathí sina ukuguquka kwami. Mhlawumbe ngingabasiza bazi iqiniso.’ Noma kunjalo, uJesu wayazi ukuthi lawo maJuda ayengeke abulalele ubufakazi baleli “mbuka.” Watshela uSawulu: “Hamba, ngoba ngizokuthuma ezizweni ezikude.”—IzEnzo 22:21, 22.

Lapho amaKristu akubo ebona ingozi uSawulu ayekuyo, amehlisa ngokushesha amyisa ethekwini laseKhesariya futhi amthumela emzini wakubo iTarsu oqhele ngamakhilomitha angu-500. (IzEnzo 9:30) USawulu waze wabuyela eJerusalema ngemva kweminyaka eminingana.

Kungenzeka ukuthi lokho kuhamba ngokubhuduzela kwalivikela ibandla lobuKristu. Ukuba khona kwalo muntu owayengumshushisi kwakungase kudale ingozi. Ngemva kokuhamba kukaSawulu, “ibandla kulo lonke elaseJudiya naseGalile naseSamariya langena enkathini yokuthula, lakhiwa; futhi njengoba lalihamba ekumesabeni uJehova nasenduduzweni yomoya ongcwele laqhubeka landa.”—IzEnzo 9:31.

Izifundo Zokuqapha

Njengasekhulwini lokuqala, nanamuhla kungavela izimo okufanelekayo ukubonisa kuzo ukuqapha. Asikho isizathu sokubasola ngokungafanele abantu esingabazi. Nokho, kuye kwaba nezikhathi lapho abantu abonakele beye bazama ukuxhaphaza abantu bakaJehova ukuze bazuze noma ngenjongo yokulimaza ibandla. Ngakho, sisebenzisa ukuqonda ukuze singabi izisulu zobuqili babakhohlisi.—IzAga 3:27; 2 Thimothewu 3:13.

Indlela uSawulu enza ngayo lapho eshumayela eJerusalema ibonisa enye indlela amaKristu angabonisa ngayo ukuqapha. Ukufakaza ezindaweni ezithile noma kubantu abathile, kuhlanganise nabangane bakudala, kungaba ingozi—ngokwenyama, ngokomoya noma ngisho nangokokuziphatha. Kuyafaneleka ukuqapha, njengokukhetha isikhathi nendawo esishumayela kuyo.—IzAga 22:3; Mathewu 10:16.

Singaqiniseka ukuthi izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu zizoshunyayelwa ngaphambi kokuba ukuphela kwalesi simiso esibi kufike. Yeka isibonelo esihle uSawulu asibeka kule ndaba, “ekhuluma ngesibindi egameni leNkosi” ngisho nakubangane bakudala nasezitheni zakudala!—IzEnzo 9:28.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Lapho uSawulu efika eJerusalema wafakaza ngesibindi kumaJuda akhuluma isiGreki