28—Imihla Yokusebenza Nzima Nokulingwa

[Esi sahluko sisekwe kwiZenzo 19:21-41;Zenzo 20:1]

Ngaphezu kweminyaka emithathu, iEfese yayiliziko lomsebenzi kaPawulos. Kwaqalwa apha ibandla elakhula ngokukhawuleza, zaza iindaba ezilungileyo zasityhutyha sonke isithili saseAsiya, phakathi kwamaYuda nabeeNtlanga.IZ 291.1

Ngeli xesha, umpostile wayenethuba ecinga ngolunye uhambo lovangelo. “Wamisa emoyeni wakhe uPawulos ukuba athi, elityhutyhile elaseMakedoni nelaseAkaya, aye eYerusalem, esithi, Emveni kokuba ndithe ndakhona, ndimelwe kukuba ndibone neRoma.” Ngokuhambelana neli cebo, “wathuma ke kwelaseMakedoni bababini kwabamlungiselelayo, uTimoti noErasto;” kwathi kuba esenengqondo yokuba umsebenzi e-Efese usabufuna ubukho bakhe, wagqiba ukuba akhe ahlale kude kube semva kwePentekoste. Nangona kunjalo, kwabakho isiganeko esenzeka ngesiquphe, esaya sakukhawulezisa ukuhamba kwakhe.IZ 291.2

Kanye ngonyaka, e-Efese kwakuye kubekho iinkonzo ezizodwa zokuvuyisana noDiana. Zazitsala abantu abaninzi abaphuma kuso sonke isithili. Ngalo lonke elixesha, imibhiyozo yayiba nemivuyo emikhulu nobuhle obukwanjalo.IZ 291.3

Eli xesha ledini elikhulu, lalilixesha lesihendo kwabo babebatsha enkolweni. Iqela lamakholwa elalihlangana kwisikolo sikaTirano laba lilizwi elikrasayo kwingoma yesiyunguma, likwayimpoxo, isigculelo, nentlekisa. Imisebenzi kaPawulos yayinegalelo elivakalayo [ekulweni] nonqulo lobuhedeni, kangangokuba kwabakho ukuhla okuqaphelekayo kubukho babantu kumgidi wesizwe nasemoyeni wabo banqulayo. Impembelelo yeemfundiso zakhe yadlula ngaphaya kwabo baguqukele enkolweni [yakhe]. Abaninzi abangazange bazamkele ekuhleni iimfundiso balufumana ukhanyo kangangokuba bayeka ukubathemba oothixo babo bobuhedeni.IZ 292.1

Kwabakho enye into engunobangela wokunganeliseki. E-Efese kwakukhule ishishini elaba banzi linenzuzo lokwenziwa nokuthengiswa kweendawo ezincinane zokunqulela izithixokunye nemifanekiso, izinto ezazakhiwe ngokwetempile nomfanekiso kaDiana. Abo babenomdla kweli shishini baphawula ukuba ingeniso yabo iyehla, baza bonke, ngamxhelo-mnye balubeka phezu kokusebenza kukaPawulos olu tshintsho lungamkelekanga.IZ 292.2

UDemetriyo, owayesenza iitempile zesilivere, wabizela ndawonye abasebenzi bobuchule bakhe, wathi: “Madoda, niyazi kakuhle ukuba buphuma kule nzuzo ubutyebi bethu; kananjalo niyabona, niyeva, ukuba akuse-Efese kodwa, kuphantse ukuba kulo lonke elaseAsiya, athe lo Pawulos waphambukisa isihlwele esaneleyo, ngokusoyisa ngamazwi athi, asingoothixo abo benziwa ngesandla. Asisiso ke esi sabelo sethu sodwa esisichenge sokudelwa; kwanetempile yothixokazi omkhulu uArtemis [Diana] iza kubalelwa ekuthini yinto engento, butshabalale ke nobungangamela bakhe, ohlonelwa lelaseAsiya liphela nelimiweyo.” La mazwi aba nevuso elikhulu lovelwano ebantwini. “Bazala ngumsindo, bankqangaza, besithi, Mkhulu uArtemis wabase-Efese!”IZ 292.3

Ingxelo yale ntetho yajikeleza ngokukhawuleza. “Wazala umzi uphela sisidubedube.” Wazingelwa uPawulos, kodwa akafunyanwa. Abazalwana bakhe, bayithi rheshe into yengozi, bakhawulezisa ukumsusa kuloo ndawo. Iingelosi zikaThixo zathunyelwa ukuba zimkhusele umpostile; lalingekafiki ixesha lakhe lokufela inkolo.IZ 293.1

Bathi bakungamfumani lowo babenomsindo ngakuye, “bamthi hlasi uGayo noAristarko, abelaseMakedoni, ababehamba noPawulos,” bahamba nabo ngokukhawuleza besiya “ngamxhelo mnye endaweni yokubonela.”IZ 293.2

Indawo awayezinyeliswe kuyo uPawulos yayingekho kude, waza wayiva kwangoko ingozi ababekuyo abazalwana bakhe abathandekayo. Walibala ngeyakhe inkuseleko, walangazelela ukuya kwangoko endaweni yomboniso ukuba athethe nabavukeli. Noko kunjalo “abamvumela abafundi.” UGayo noAristarko babengengawo amaxhoba awayefunwa ngabantu; kwakungekho bubi babubambeka kubo. Ukuba bekunokuthiwa tshe nje ubuso obuxwebileyo nobuxhwalekileyo bukampostile [uPawulos], bebuya kuvusa eyona yakha yamibi imizwa yesixuku kungabikho nelona lincinane ithuba lokuba bungasinda ubomi bakhe.IZ 293.3

UPawulos wayesafuna ukukhusela inyaniso phambi kwendimbane, kodwa ekugqibeleni wanqandwa sisigidimi esiphuma kwindlu yemiboniso. “Abathile ke bakubaphathi belaseAsiya, benobuhlobo kuye, bathumela kuye, bembongoza ukuba angazinikeli endaweni yokubonela.”IZ 293.4

Isiphithiphithi saya siqhubeka ngokukhula. “Abanye . . . benkqangaza enye into, abanye yimbi, kuba ibandla labe lidubadubekile; baye abaninzi bengazi ukuba babuthelene ngenxa yantoni na.” Into yokuba uPawulos namanye amaqabane akhe babephuma kumaHebhere yenza ukuba amaYuda alangazelele ukubonisa ngokuphandle ukuba wona ayengahambisani naye kunye nomsebenzi wakhe. Aya azisa omnye wawo phambi kwabantu ukuba aze acacise indawo yawo. Akhetha isithethi uAlesandire, omnye wabatyhidi, owayesebenza ngobhedu, awathi uPawulos kamva xa athetha ngaye wamenzela inkohlakalo embi kakhulu. 2 Timoti 4:14. UAlesandire wayeyindoda enobuciko kakhulu waza wasebenzisa onke amandla anawo ukujika umsindo wabantu ukuba uye kuphela kuPawulos nabahlobo bakhe. Isihlwele sathi sakumbona ukuba ungumYuda, samlahlela ecaleni “benza inzwinini enye bonke bephela, besithi, Mkhulu uArtemis wabase-Efese!”IZ 294.1

Ekugqibeleni, ngenxa yokudinwa, bakha bayeka, kwabakho inzolo yomzuzwana. Umbhali wesixeko wazama ukuthomalalisa ingxolo anikwe ithuba, kwathi ngenxa yesikhundla sakhe bamphulaphula. Wahlangana nabantu kule ndawo bakuyo [ngengqondo] ebonisa ukuba kwakungekho sizathu seso siphithiphithi. Wabanika umngeni ukuba bacingisise. Wathi: “Madoda ase-Efese, kanene nguwuphi na umntu ongaziyo, ukuba umzi wase-Efese ungumgcini-tempile wothixokazi omkhulu uArtemis, nowomfanekiselo owawa kuZeyus? Zingenakuphikwa nje ke ezo zinto, nimelwe kukuthi nizole, ningenzi nanye into ngobutyhuthutyhuthu, kuba niwazise aphala madoda,engebaphangi batempile, nabanyelisi bothixokazi wenu. Ukubake ngoko uDemetriyo neengcibi ezinaye banendawo emntwini, zikho iimini zamatyala, akho namabamba; mabamangalelane. Ke ukuba nifuna into nganto zimbi, yoconjululwa kwesesikweni intlanganiso. Kuba sizizichenge zokumangalelwa ngesaqunge sanamhla, kungekho nasinye isizathu nje, esingaba nako ngaso ukwenza ilizwi ngale mbuthumbuthu. Akutsho, wayindulula intlanganiso.”IZ 294.2

Kwintetho yakhe uDemetriyo wayethe, “Ubuchule bethu busesichengeni.” La mazwi atyhila oyena nobangela wesiphithiphithi e-Efese, kunye nonobangela wentshutshiso eninzi eyalandela abapostile emsebenzini wabo. UDemetriyo nabanye abatyhidi kunye naye babona ukuba ngemfundiso nokusasazeka kweendaba ezilungileyo ishishini lemifanekiso lalisesichengeni. Ingeniso yababingeleli babahedeni kunye namachule yayisesichengeni, kwaza ngenxa yesi sizathu, uPawuloswafumana inkcaso enkulu.IZ 295.1

Isigqibo sombhali kunye nabanye ababekwizikhundla ezihloniphekileyo esixekweni samveza uPawulos njengomsulwa kuzo naziphina izenzo zolwaphulo-mthetho. Olu lwaba lolunye uloyiso lobuKristu kuyo yonke imposiso nenkolo. UThixo wayevuse umgwebi omkhulu ukuba amele abapostile baKhe asibambe sibuye umva isihlwele esinesiphithiphithi. UPawulos wazaliswa ngumbulelo entliziyweni yakhe kuba ubomi bakhebuye basindiswa baza nobuKristu abahlaziswa sisihlwele e-Efese.IZ 295.2

“Emva kokuphela kwesiphithiphithi eso, uPawuloswababizela kuye abafundi, wababulisa, waphuma waya kwelaseMakedoni.” Wakhatshwa kuhambo lwakhe ngabazalwana abanyanisekileyo ababini base-Efese, uTikiko noTrofimo.IZ 296.1

Kwafikelela esiphelweni ukusebenza kukaPawulos e-Efese. Ulungiselelo lwakhe lwaba lithuba lomsebenzi othe rhoqo, unezilingo ezininzi, nokubandezeleka okukhulu. Wabafundisa abantu esidlangalaleni nakwimizi ngemizi, eneenyembezi ekufundiseni kwakhe nasekubalumkiseni. Wathi rhoqo echaswa ngamaYuda, awayengazange ayeke ukuvusa umnyele wentiyo ebantwini ngakuye.IZ 296.2

Ngexesha wayesilwa nenkcaso, etyhalela phambili umsebenzi weendaba ezilungileyo ngolangazelelo olungatyafiyo, uPawulos wayethwele emphefumlweni wakhe umthwalo onzima wawo onke amabandla.IZ 296.3

Iindaba zokreqo kwamanye amabandla awayewatyalile kwamvisa ubuhlungu obukhulu. Wayesoyika hleze kuthi kanti imizamo yakhe ngenxa yawo yayinokubonakala ililize. Wachitha ubusuku obuninzi engalali ethandaza ecinga nzulu ngakumbi akuva ngeendlela ekwakusenziwa ngazo ukuthintela umsebenzi wakhe. Wathi akuba nethuba, ngokunyanzelwa yimeko, wawabhalela amabandla, ewakhalimela, ewacebisa, ewaluleka, ekwawakhuthaza. Kwezi leta, umpostile akagxili kwazakhe izilingo, ukanti kukho ukuthi tshe imibono ethile ngokusebenza kwakhe emsebenzini kaKristu. Imivumbo nokuvalelwa entolongweni, ingqele nendlala nokunxanwa, iingozi emhlabeni naselwandle, esixekweni nasentlango, kubantu baselizweni, kubahedeni, nakubazalwana ababuxoki—konke oko wakuthwala ngenxa yeendaba ezilungileyo. Waye“nyeliswa,““etshabhiswa,” esenziwa “inkunkuma yazo zonke izinto,” “ethingaza,” “etshutshiswa,” “ebandezelwa ngenxa zonke,” “esemngciphekweni amaxa onke,” “emana enikelwa ekufeni ngenxa kaYesu.”IZ 296.4

Phakathi kwesaqhwithi senkcaso esithe rhoqo, ukunkqangaza kweentshaba, nokushiywa ngabahlobo, umpostile odiniweyo waphantsa waphelelwa sisibindi. Waya wakhangela emva eKhalvari waza wathi ngomfutho omtsha wabheka phambili ekusasazeni Owabethelelwayo. Wayehamba indlela enamathontsi egazi eyahanjwa nguYesu. Akazange afune kukhululwa edabini ade asibeke phantsi isikrweqe sakhe ezinyaweni zoMhlanguli wakhe. [297]IZ 297.1