40—Upawulos Ubhenela Kukesare

[Esi sahluko sisekwe kwiZenzo 25:1-12]

“Uthe ke ngoko uFesto, akuba engene eburhulumenteni, wathi emva kwemihla emithathu, wenyuka waya eYerusalem, esuka eKesareya. Ke kaloku umbingeleli omkhulu nabaziintloko kumaYuda bammangalela uPawulos kuye, bambongoza, becela ukuba abababale ngokumbiza eze eYerusalem.” Ngokwenza esi sicelo, babenenjongo yokumlalela uPawulos endleleni ukuze bambulale. UFelikis wayengumntu onomthwalo ngesikhundla sakhe, waza, ngembeko, wala ukumthumela ukuba abizwe uPawulos. “Asilosiko lamaRoma,” watsho, “ukubabala ngomntu abulawe, phambi kokuba lowo umangalelweyo akhangelane nabamangaleli bakhe, azuze nethuba lokuziphendulela ngalo ityala lakhe.” Watsho esithi, “naye ke ngokwakhe uza kuya kamsinya” eKesareya. “Mabathi ngoko abanako phakathi kwenu, behle kunye nam, bayimangalele, ukuba kukho into [eyinkohlakalo] kule ndoda.”IZ 428.1

Asiyonanto ayeyifuna le amaYuda. Ayengakulibalanga ukoyiswa kwawo kokuqala eKesareya. Ngokuchasene nokuziphatha ngokuzola kunye neengxoxo ezazinamandla zompostile, umoya wawo ombi nezityholo ezingenasihlahla, zaziya kubonakala zimbi kakhulu. Azama kwakhona ukuba uPawulos asiwe ematyaleni eYerusalem, kodwa waqina uFesto kwinjongo yakhe yokumnika uPawulos impatho entle ematyaleni eKesareya. UThixo ngokwenza kwaKhe wasilawula isigqibo sikaFesto, ukuze ubomi bompostile bukhe bongezwe.IZ 429.1

Athi nje ukuba zoyiswe iinjongo zawo, iinkokeli zamaYuda zakhawuleza zalungiselela ukungqina ngokuchasene noPawulos enkundleni yomphathi. Akuba ebuyele eKesareya, emva kokuhlala iintsuku ezimbalwa eYerusalem, uFesto “ngengomso, akuba ehleli esihlalweni sokugweba, wathi makaziswe uPawulos.” AmaYuda abehle evela eYerusalem, amngqonga, emtyhola ngamatyala amaninzi anzima uPawulos, awayengenako ukuwamisa.” Njengoko ayengenaye umthetheli kwesi sihlandlo, amaYuda akhetha ukuzibekela ngokwawo izityholo. Ngexesha lokuhamba kwetyala, ummangalelwa, ngokuphola nokuthetha phandlewenza kwacaca ukuphosisa kweentetho zabo.IZ 429.2

UFesto wabona ukuba imbambano ingeemfundiso zobuYuda ngokupheleleyo, nokuba, ukuba zinje ngokuba zivakala, kwakungekho nto iphethwe zizityholo ngakuPawulos eyayinokwenza ukuba afanele ukugwetyelwa ukufa, okanye ukuvalelwa. Noko kunjalo, walubona uqhwithela olwaluya kubakho ukuba uPawulos akagwetywanga okanye anikelweezandleni zawo. Wathi ngoko, “efuna ukuzithandisa kumaYuda,” uFesto wakhangela kuPawulos, wambuza ukuba unentumekelelo na ukuya eYerusalem phantsi kokhuselo lwakhe, ukuba avavanywe yiSanhedrin.IZ 429.3

Umpostile wayesazi ukuba akangeke afumane bulungisa kubantu abaye bazizisela ingqumbo kaThixo ngenxa yokwaphula kwabo umthetho. Wayesazi ukuba, njengomprofeti uEliya, wayeya kukhuseleka phakathi kwabahedeni kunakwabo bakwalayo ukukhanya kwezulu bazenza lukhuni iintliziyo zabo ngakuzo iindaba ezilungileyo. Edinwe yimbambano, umoya wakhe osebenzayo wawungayi kukuthwala ukubambezela nokulindela okudinisayo kokuvavanywa nokuvalelwa entolongweni. Wagqiba ke ngoko ukuba asebenzise ilungelo lakhe, njengommi waseRoma, ukuba abhenele kuKesare.IZ 430.1

Ukuphendula umbuzo werhuluneli, uPawulos wathi, “Ndimi esihlalweni sokugweba sikaKesare, apho limele ukuthethwa khona ityala lam. AmaYuda andiwonanga nganto, njengokuba nawe usazi kakuhle. Kuba okunene ukuba ndonile, ndenza into elingene ukufa, andali kufa; kodwa ukuba akukho nanye yezo zinto bandimangalela ngazo aba, akukho namnye unako ukundinikela kubo. Ndibhenela kuKesare.”IZ 430.2

UFesto wayengazi ngamayelenqe amaYuda okumbulala uPawulos, waza wamangaliswa koku kubhenela kuKesare. Noko kunjalo, amazwi ompostile enza ukuba ime inkundla. “UFesto, akuba ethethe nephakathi, waphendula wathi, Ubhenele kuKesare; uya kuya kuKesare.”IZ 430.3

Kwaba njalo ke kwakhona, ngenxa yentiyo ezalwa ziinkani nokuzibona benobulungisa, umkhonzi kaThixo watyhalelwa ukuba afune ukhuseleko kubahedeni. Yayikwayile ntiyo eyanyanzelaukubaumprofeti uEliya abalekele ekuncedweni ngumhlolokazi waseSarepta; neyanyanzelisa abavakalisi beendaba ezilungileyo ukuba bawashiye amaYuda bavakalise isigidimi sabo eziNtlangeni. Ikwa yile ntiyo abantu bakaThixo abaphila kule mihla abaza kuhlangana nayo. Phakathi kwabaninzi abathi bangabalandeli bakaKristu, kukho elo kratshi, ubungqongqo obungaphethe nto, nokuzithandela, umoya ofanayo wengcinezelo, owawuthabathe indawo enkulu entliziyweni yobuYuda. Kwixesha elizayo, abo babanga ukuba ngabameli bakaKristu, baya kulandela ikhondo elifanayo nelo lalandelwa ngababingeleli nabalawuli kwindlela abaphatha ngayo uKristu kunye nabapostile. Kwintlekele enkulu abaza kuphumela kuyo kungekudala, abakhonzi bakaThixo abanyanisekileyo baya kuhlangana nobulukhuni bentliziyo, ukuzimisela okukhohlakele ngokufanayo, nentiyo enye engafiyo.IZ 430.4

Bonke abaya kuthi ngaloo mhla umbi, bamkhonze uThixo bengenaloyiko ngokokuyalelwa sisazela, baya kudinga isibindi, ukuqina, nokumazi uThixo nelizwi laKhe; kuba abo banyanisekileyo kuThixo, baya kutshutshiswa, iinjongo zabo ziphikiswe, awona malinge abo mahle agqwethwe, amagama abo alahlwe njengamabi. USathana uya kusebenza ngawo onke amandla akhe okukhohlisa ukuphembelela intliziyo nokwenza mnyama ulwazi, ukwenza okubi kubukeke kulungile, nokulungileyo bube bubi. Ukuqina nokuba nyulu ngakumbi kokholo lwabantu bakaThixo, nokuqina ngakumbi kokuzimisela ukumthobela, uThixo, okona uSathana aya kuthi, ngendlela eyoyikeka kakhulu, azame ukuvusa umsindo omkhulu kwabo, bathi bebanga ukuba ngamalungisa, bawunyhashe phantsi umthetho kaThixo. Oku kuya kufuna okona kuqinileyo ukuthembela, injongo yobona bugorha, nokubamba uqinise ukholo olwanikelwa kwakanye kwabangcwele.IZ 431.1

UThixo ufuna ukuba abantu baKhe balungiselele intlekele eza kufika kamsinyane. Beyilungele okanye bengayilungelanga, bonke baza kuhlangana nayo; kwaye ngabo kuphela baye babuzisa ubomi babo ekuhambelaneni nomgangatho wezulu, abaya kuma baqine ngexesha lovavanyo nokulingwa. Xa abalawuli behlabathi bemanyana nabalungiseleli benkolo ukulawula imiba yesazela, kuya kubonakala ngelo xesha ukuba ngubani omoyikayo nomkhonza ngokwenene uThixo. Xa ubumnyama bungqingqwa, ukukhanya kwesimilo esifana nesikaThixo kuya kubengezela ngokona kuqaqambileyo. Xa konke okunye okuthenjiweyo kusilela, kuya kubonakala ngoku ukuba ngubani onethemba elimiyo kuYehova. Ngexesha iintshaba zenyaniso zikho macal’ onke, zikhangela abakhonzi bakaYehova ukuba zibenze okubi, uThixo uya kubakhangela [abakhonzi] ukuba enzele okulungileyo. Kubo uya kuba ngumthunzi weliwa elikhulu kwilizwe lokudinwa.IZ 432.1