“NGOMBANA nguye osisitja sami esikhethiweko sokuphatha ibizo lami ebantwini abatjhili, emakhosini.” (IzE. 9:15) IKosi uJesu yahlathulula indoda yomJuda eyatjhuguluka yabamKrestu kwathiwa seyingumpostoli uPowula.

Enye ‘yamakhosi’ lawo bekunguNero ombusi omkhulu wamaRoma. Akhesithi bekunguwe okufuze uvikele ukukholwa kwakho phambi kombusi loyo, bewuzokubona wenzeni? Phela njengombana simaKrestu sinje, sikhuthazwa bona silingise uPowula. (1 Kor. 11:1) Nathi kusafuze siqalane nomthetho njengoba kwenza uPowula emihlenakhe.

UmThetho kaMosi bekungiwo olawula inarha yakwa-Israyeli, begodu bewulawula amaJuda koke lapho ayako. Ngemva komnyanya wePentekoste laka-33, abakhulekeli beqiniso bebangasekho ngaphasi komThetho kaMosi. (IzE. 15:28, 29; Gal. 4:9-11) Kodwana khonapho uPowula namanye amaKrestu bewasawuhlonipha umThetho loyo, bewakghona ukufakaza ngawo kezinye izakhamuzi zamaJuda ngaphandle kokuthikaziswa. (1 Kor. 9:20) Ngikho kanengi uPowula bekahlala aya emasinagogini, lapho-ke bekakghona ukufakaza ebantwini ebebazi uZimu ka-Abrahamu. Bekakghona nokuthi abonisane nabantwaba ngemiTlolo yesiHebheru.—IzE. 9:19, 20; 13:5, 14-16; 14:1; 17:1, 2.

Abapostoli bakhetha iJerusalema kwaba yikaba yendawo ebebazokuraga nokutjhunyayelwa kweendaba ezimnandi kiyo. Kanengi bebafudisa ethempelini. (IzE. 1:4; 2:46; 5:20) Kesinye isehlakalo uPowula waya eJerusalema, kulapho la bamthatha khona bamusa esikhungweni salapho. Ikhambwelo belingaphasi komthetho, ngilo elamthatha layombeka eRoma emaphethelweni.

Iimphathimandla zamaRoma bezizithatha njani iinkolelo ebezifundiswa nguPowula? Nasizakufumana ipendulo yalokho, kufuze sikhumbule indlela amaRoma ebewaqala ngayo iinkolo kanengi. Bebangakateleli ezinye iintjhaba bona zilise iinkolo zazo, ngaphandle kwalokha nange isiTjhaba sisengozini engathikameza ukuziphatha.

 AmaRoma la bewawavumela amalungelo wamaJuda embuswenawo. Incwadi ethi-Backgrounds of Early Christianity, ithi: “Zinengi izinto ebezithabisa amaJuda umbuso nabewusezandleni zamaRoma. . . . Kangangokuthi amaJuda bewasawenza amasiko aphathelene nekolwawo. Bekuthi nakwenziwa amasiko wamaRoma wona atjhatjhululwe. Bewakwazi nokuthi aziphilele ngewawo umthetho emphakathini.” Bewangazibandakanyi nakezobujoni. * Ngikho uPowula bekakwazi ukusebenzisa wona umthetho wamaRoma lo bonyana avikele ubuKrestu phambi kwababusi bamaRoma.

Abaphikisi bakaPowula bona balinga neendlela ezahlukahlukeneko bona bamraranise nabantu kunye neephathimandla. (IzE. 13:50; 14:2, 19; 18:12, 13) Khumbula isenzakalo nasi. Abadala bamaKrestu bebandleni leJerusalema bezwa amahlebezi arhatjhwe emaJudeni, athi uPowula ukhuthaza abantu bona ‘balise umthetho kaMosi.’ Amahlebezi anjalo bekangadosela ukuthi amaJuda amaKrestu asand’ukuphenduka acabange bona uPowula akahloniphi amahlelo kaZimu. NeSanhedrin nayo beyingacabanga ukuthi ikolo yobuKrestu ihlubuke ebuJudeni. Lokho-ke bekungabangela ukuthi nakhe kwafunyanwa amaJuda anganisene namaKrestu ajeziswe. Abantu abanjalo bebavalelwa ngaphandle bangavunyelwa nokuthi batjhumayele nethempelini nofana emasinagogeni. Yeke abadala bebandla bayala uPowula ngokuthi atjengise bonyana amahlebezi la bewamamala, bathi aye ethempeleni ebekuyinto engakalindeleki bona ayenze, kodwana lokho bekungasikumbi.—IzE. 21:18-27.

UPowula wakwenza lokho, ngikho okwamvulela amathuba ‘wokuvikela nokuqinisa ivangeli’ ngokusemthethweni. (Flp. 1:7) Kwaqubuka ibhenyogo ethempelini, amaJuda afuna ukubulala uPowula. Umlawuli wamajoni wamaRoma wathatha uPowula wamvalela. Kwathi nakulungiselelwa bona abetjhwe, uPowula wathi yena usisakhamuzi seRoma. Lokho kwabangela ukuthi athathwe asiwe eKhesariya, ngombana umbuso weRoma bewulawula bekufikele neJudiya. Endaweni leyo bekuhlukile-ke khona ngombana uPowula bekazokufakaza ngesibindi phambi kweemphathimandla. Lokho kwethula ubuKrestu baziwa nakabanye abantu ebebanganalwazi kangako ngabo.

IzEnzo isahluko 24 zisihlathululela ngesigwebo sakaPowula nazethula phambi kwakaFeliksi umbusi weRoma wesifundeni seJudiya ebesele ezwile kancani ngeenkolelo zamaKrestu. Phela amaJuda bewabeke uPowula umlandu ngokuphula umthetho wamaRoma bekwaba kathathu. Bathi ubanga irawurawu emaJudeni, abuye atjhotjhozele isiqhema esiyingozi; ahlambalaze nethempeli ebelingaphasi kokuvikelwa kwamaRoma. (IzE. 24:5, 6) Umlandu onjalo bewungabangela ukuthi abulawe.

Nathi namhlanjesi iyasikara indlela uPowula ajamelana ngayo nemilandu leyo. Wehlisa umoya bewasebenzisa nehlonipho. Wakhuluma ngomThetho, abaPhorofidi wabuye wakhuluma nangelungelo lokulotjha ‘uZimu wabokhokho bakhe.’ Lelo bekulilungelo amaJuda ebewanalo ngaphasi komthetho wamaRoma. (IzE. 24:14) Kwathi ngokukhamba kwesikhathi uPowula wakghona nokukhuluma ngokukholwa kwakhe phambi kombusi uPorkiyusi Festusi naphambi kweKosi uHerode u-Agripa.

Kwathi emagqinweni ukuze ahlulelwe kuhle, uPowula wathi: ‘Ngadlulisela umlandu kumbusi omkhulu.’ Ebekumbusi omkhulu ngeenkhathi zakhe.—IzE. 25:11.

Kamva ingelozi yatjela uPowula yathi, “Kufanele ujame phambi kombusi omkhulu.” (IzE. 27:24) UmBusi weRoma uNero wathi nakathoma ukubusa wakhuluma ngokuthi angeze ahlulela amacala ayedwa. Wathi nakahlanganisa iminyaka ebunane abusa wathatha iintambo wazinikela nabanye. Incwadi ethi-The Life and Epistles of Saint Paul ithi, uNero wavuma ukuthi icalelo uzalilalela asesigodlweni  sakhe, lapho-ke bekahlezi nesiqhema sabahluleli ebebanelemuko tle!

Kodwana iBhayibheli ayitjho bona uNero wazibambela yena ngokwakhe icalelo nofana waphathisa omunye umuntu bonyana kube nguye omlalelela icala lakaPowula, beseke ambikele umlayezo. Emacaleni la woke njalo, bekungasikanengi uPowula abahlathululela ngoZimu wamaJuda nokuthi bekakhuthaza abantu bona bathobele amagunya waborhulumende. (Rom. 13:1-7; Tit. 3:1, 2) Kwakhanya-ke ukuthi ukuvikela iindaba ezimnandi phambi kweemphathimandla kwagqina kuphumelele, nekhotho eKulu yamtjhaphulula.—Flp. 2:24; Flm. 22.

UJesu watjela abafundi bakhe wathi: “Nizakulethwa phambi kwababusi namakhosi ngebanga lami, kube bufakazi kibo nakabatjhili.” (Mat. 10:18) Yeke kulilungelo elikhulu ukujamelela uJesu. Umzamo esiwenzako lo wokuvikela iindaba ezimnandi nawo uzakuphumelela. Kodwana iqiniso kukuthi izinto ezikhethwa mumuntu angeze ‘zadzimelelisa iindaba ezimnandi ngokomthetho’ nangokupheleleko. MBuso kaZimu kwaphela ozosilethela ipumuzo kilokhu kugandeleleka nokungabi nobulungiswa.—UMtj. 8:9; Jor. 10:23.

Ngitjho nanamhlanjesi, navane sivikela ukukholwa kwethu njengamaKrestu, nebizo lakaJehova liyadunyiswa. Nathi kufuze silingise uPowula ngokuthi sibe nomoya ophasi, sibe nobungani kuhlanganise nekghono lokukholisa. UJesu watjela abalandeli bakhe ukuthi ‘ningakhathazeki isikhathi singakafiki ngokuthi nizozivikela njani. Ngizonipha amezwi nokuhlakanipha okuzakwenza bona kungabikho noyedwa wabajamelani benu ozakukghona ukuphikisana namkha ukuphambana nakho.’—Luk. 21:14, 15; 2 Thim. 3:12; 1 Pit. 3:15.

Navane amaKrestu avikela ukukholwa kwawo phambi kweemphathimandla namakhosi, lokho kungenza nokuthi kufikelelwe nabantu ebekusolo kubudisi ukubatjela umlayezo wobuKrestu. Amanye wamakhotho enze kabutjha iinqunto zokwahlula zaba semthethweni, lokho kwenza amalungelo wabantu wokuzikhulumela newekolo avikelwa. Kodwana kunanyana ngikuphi, isibindi esivezwa ziinceku zakaZimu simthabisa kweemhlolo!