Kodi N’chifukwa Chiyani Saulo Anazunza Akristu?

‘Inedi ndinayesa kuti kundiyenera kuchita zinthu zambiri zotsutsana nalo dzina la Yesu Mnazarayo; chimenenso ndinachita m’Yerusalemu. Ndinatsekera ine oyera mtima ambiri m’ndende, popeza ndidalandira ulamuliro wa kwa ansembe akulu. Pophedwa ophunzirawo, ndinavomerezapo. Ndinawalanga kaŵirikaŵiri m’masunagoge onse, ndi kuwakakamiza anene zamwano. Pakupsa mtima kwakukulu pa iwo, ndinawalondalonda ndi kuwatsata ngakhale kufikira ku midzi yakunja.’​—Machitidwe 26:9-11.

ANANENA motero Saulo wa ku Tariso, wodziŵikanso kuti mtumwi Paulo. Inde, panthaŵi imene anali kunena zimenezi anali atasintha. Posakhalanso wotsutsa Chikristu, iye tsopano anali mmodzi wa anthu amene anali kuchichirikiza mwachangu. Koma kodi ndi chiyani chimene chinachititsa Saulo kuti poyambapo azizunza Akristu? N’chifukwa chiyani anaganiza kuti ‘anayenera kuchita’ zimenezo? Ndipo kodi pali chilichonse chimene tingaphunzirepo pankhani yake?

Kuponyedwa Miyala kwa Stefano

Saulo akupezeka m’Baibulo kwanthaŵi yoyamba ali pakati pa anthu amene akupha Stefano. “Anamutaya [Stefano] kunja kwa mudzi, namuponya miyala; ndipo mbonizo zinaika zovala zawo pa mapazi a mnyamata dzina lake Saulo.” “Ndipo Saulo anali kuvomerezana nawo pa imfa yake.” (Machitidwe 7:58; 8:1) Kodi ndi chiyani chimene chinachititsa kuti aukiridwe? Ayuda, kuphatikizapo ena a ku Kilikiya, anatsutsana ndi Stefano koma sanathe kuilaka nzeru imene analankhula nayo. Sizinatchulidwe ngati Saulo, yemwenso anali wa ku Kilikiya, anali nawo. Mulimonse mmene zinalili, anagwiritsa ntchito mboni zonama kuti zineneze Stefano za kunena mawu amwano ndi kupita naye kwa Sanihedirini. (Machitidwe 6:9-14) Msonkhano umenewu, womwe unali kutsogozedwa ndi mkulu wa ansembe, unali ngati bwalo la milandu lalikulu la Ayuda. Popeza kuti ndilo linali ndi mphamvu zonse pa chipembedzo, mamembala akenso anali kuteteza zimene iwo anali kuona kuti ndi chiyero cha chiphunzitso. M’kuona kwawo, Stefano anali wofunika kufa. Iye anawaimba mlandu kuti sanali kutsatira Chilamulo, si choncho? (Machitidwe 7:53) Anali kudzamusonyeza mmene chinafunikira kutsatidwira!

Kuvomereza kwa Saulo malingaliro amenewo kunali koyenera mogwirizana ndi zimene anali kukhulupirira. Iye anali Mfarisi. Kagulu kamphamvu kameneka kanali kufuna kuti anthu azitsatira chilamulo ndi miyambo mosamalitsa kwambiri. Chikristu chinali kutengedwa kuti chinali kutsutsana ndi zikhulupiriro zimenezo, chinali kuphunzitsa njira yatsopano yopulumukira kupyolera mwa Yesu. Ayuda a m’zaka za zana loyamba anali kuyembekezera kuti Mesiya adzakhala Mfumu yaulemerero imene idzawamasula m’goli limene anali kudana nalo la kulamulidwa ndi Aroma. Motero malingaliro akuti Mesiya anali munthu amene Sanihedirini Yaikuluyo inamupeza wolakwa pa mlandu wa kunena zamwano ndiyeno ndi kumupachika pa mtengo wozunzirapo monga ngati wolakwira wotembereredwa, anali malingaliro achilendo, osavomerezedwa, ndi onyansa kwa iwo.

Chilamulo chinali kunena kuti munthu wopachikidwa pamtengo anali ‘wotembereredwa ndi Mulungu.’ (Deuteronomo 21:22, 23; Agalatiya 3:13) Kwa Saulo, “mawu ameneŵa anali kugwira ntchito bwino pa Yesu,” anatero Frederick F. Bruce. “Anafa wotembereredwa ndi Mulungu, ndipo motero sakanakhutiritsa anthu kuti anali Mesiya, amene, monga mwa kanenedwe kawo, anali kudzakhala ndi madalitso a Mulungu m’njira yapadera. Motero unali mwano kunena kuti Yesu anali Mesiya; amene anali kunena zopusa zimenezi anayenera kuvutika monga anthu onena zamwano.” Monga momwe Saulo iyemwini kenako anadzavomerezera, lingaliro lakuti “Kristu wopachikidwa, kwa Ayudatu [linali] chokhumudwitsa.”​—1 Akorinto 1:23.

Zimene Saulo anachita pa chiphunzitso choterocho kunali kuchitsutsa mwamphamvu monga mmene kungathekere. Ngakhale nkhanza zabasi zikanagwiritsidwa ntchito poyesa kuchithetsa. Iye anali wotsimikiza kuti ndizo zimene Mulungu anali kufuna. Polongosola mzimu umene anali nawo, Saulo anati: “Monga mwa changu, [ndinalondalonda] Eklesia; monga mwa chilungamo cha m’lamulo wokhala wosalakwa ine.” “Ndinalondalonda Mpingo wa Mulungu koposa, ndi kuupasula, ndipo ndinawaposa ndi kutsogola mwa Chiyuda ambiri a msinkhu wanga mwa mtundu wanga, ndipo ndinakhala wachangu koposa pa miyambo ya makolo anga.”​—Afilipi 3:6; Agalatiya 1:13, 14.

Wotsogolera Chizunzo

Stefano atafa, Saulo sakuonekanso monga chabe wothandiza kuzunza koma ngati mtsogoleri wake. Motero iye ayenera kuti anatchuka ndi kuzunzako, chifukwa ngakhale pambuyo pa kutembenuka kwake, pamene anayesa kudziphatika kwa ophunzira, ‘anamuwopa iye onse, osakhulupirira kuti ali wophunzira.’ Pamene zinadziŵika kuti analidi Mkristu, kutembenuka kwake kunasangalatsa ophunzira ndipo kunawapangitsa kuthokoza, chifukwa iwo anamva, osati kuti wotsutsa wamba wasintha mtima wake, koma m’malo mwake kuti ‘iye wakutilondalonda ife kale, tsopano alalikira chikhulupirirocho adachipasula kale.’​—Machitidwe 9:26; Agalatiya 1:23, 24.

Damasiko anali pamtunda wa makilomita 220​—ulendo woyenda masiku asanu ndi aŵiri kapena asanu ndi atatu​—kuchokera ku Yerusalemu. Komabe, “wosaleka kupumira pa akuphunzira . . . kuopsa ndi kupha,” Saulo anapita kwa mkulu wa ansembe ndi kumupempha makalata opita nawo ku masunagoge ku Damasiko. Chifukwa? Kutero kuti Saulo atakapeza ena otsata “Njirayo” akabwere nawo omangidwa ku Yerusalemu. Pokhala atalolezedwa ndi akuluakulu, iye “anapasula Mpingo, naloŵa m’nyumba m’nyumba, nakokamo amuna ndi akazi, nawaika m’ndende.” Ena ‘anawapanda m’masunagoge,’ ndipo ‘anavomerezapo’ (kwenikweni, kuponya “mwala [wake] wovotera”) kuvomereza kuti aphedwe.​—Machitidwe 8:3; 9:1, 2, 14; 22:5, 19; 26:10, NW, mawu amtsinde.

Polingalira za maphunziro amene Saulo analandira kwa Gamaliyeli ndiponso mphamvu zimene tsopano anali nazo, akatswiri a maphunziro ena amakhulupirira kuti iye anali atakwera kwambiri kuchoka pokhala chabe wophunzira Chilamulo kufika pokhala munthu waulamuliro winawake mu Chiyuda. Mwachitsanzo, wina analingalira kuti Saulo mwina angakhale atakhala mphunzitsi m’sunagoge wina ku Yerusalemu. Komabe, sitingatsimikize kuti Saulo anatanthauza chiyani mwa ‘kuponya voti yake’​—kaya ngati membala wa bwalo lalikulu kapena monga munthu amene anali kusonyeza kuti anali kuchirikiza kuphedwa kwa Akristu.a

Popeza kuti poyamba penipeni Akristu onse anali Ayuda kapena osinthira ku Chiyuda, mwachionekere Saulo anali kuona kuti Chikristu chinali gulu lampatuko m’Chiyuda, ndipo analingalira kuti unali udindo wa akuluakulu a Chiyuda kuwongolera otsatira ake. Katswiri wamaphunziro Arland J. Hultgren, anati: “Ndi zokayikitsa kuti Paulo wozunza anatsutsa Chikristu chifukwa chakuti anali kuchiona monga chipembedzo china chosachokera m’Chiyuda chopikisana nacho. Iye pamodzi ndi anthu ena anali kuona kuti Chikristu chinali chidakali pansi pa ulamuliro wa Chiyuda.” Motero malingaliro ake anali kukakamiza Ayuda oloŵerera kuti asiye chikhulupiriro chinacho ndi kubwereranso ku ziphunzitso zawo zamwambo, mwa kugwiritsa ntchito njira iliyonse imene akanatha. (Machitidwe 26:11) Njira ina imene iye anapeza inali kuwaika m’ndende. Ina inali kuwamenya m’masunagoge, chilango chotchuka chimene chinali kuperekedwa m’khothi lililonse la oweruza atatu pokhaulitsa munthu wosamvera ulamuliro wa arabi.

Zoonadi, zonse izi zinatha pamene Yesu anaonekera kwa Saulo panjira ya ku Damasiko. Kuchoka pokhala mdani woopsa wa Chikristu, Saulo mwadzidzidzi anakhala wochichirikiza wachangu kwambiri, ndipodi mosakhalitsa Ayuda a ku Damasiko anali kufuna kumupha. (Machitidwe 9:1-23) Modabwitsa, Saulo, ali Mkristu, anadzavutika ndi zinthu zambiri zimene iyemwini anali atachita pamene anali mzunzi, kotero kuti zaka zingapo pambuyo pake iye anati: “Kwa Ayuda ndinalandira kasanu mikwingwirima makumi anayi kupereŵera umodzi.”​—2 Akorinto 11:24.

Tingachite Changu Posafunika Changu

“Kale ndinali wamwano, ndi wolondalonda, ndi wachipongwe,” analemba tero Saulo atatembenuka, pamene anali kudziŵika bwino monga Paulo. “Komatu anandichitira chifundo, popeza ndinazichita wosazindikira, wosakhulupirira.” (1 Timoteo 1:13) Motero kukhala woona mtima ndi wachangu m’chipembedzo chako sikutsimikizira kuti Mulungu akutivomereza. Saulo anali wachangu ndipo anachita zinthu mogwirizana ndi chikumbumtima chake, koma zimenezo sizinamupange kukhala woona. Changu chake choopsacho chinali kusonyezedwa pamalo osayenerera. (Yerekezerani ndi Aroma 10:2, 3.) Zimenezi ziyenera kutipangitsa kulingalirapo.

Ambiri lerolino ali okhutira kwambiri kuti Mulungu amangofuna kuti iwo akhale ndi khalidwe labwino basi. Komadi n’tero? Aliyense angachite bwino kumvera zimene Paulo analimbikitsa mwakuti: “Yesani zonse; sungani chokomacho.” (1 Atesalonika 5:21) Zimenezi zikutanthauza kuti tifunika kukhala ndi nthaŵi yopeza chidziŵitso cholongosoka cha Mawu a Mulungu a choonadi ndiyeno ndi kumakhala ndi moyo mogwirizana kotheratu ndi zimenezo. Ngati mwa kuphunzira Baibulo tizindikira kuti tikufunika kusintha zinthu zina, ndiye kuti mwanjira iliyonse tiyenera kusintha mwamsanga. Mwina ndife ochepa amene panthaŵi ina tinali amwano, ozunza, kapena achipongwe monga momwe Saulo analili. Komabe, kuli kokha mwa kuchita zinthu ndi chikhulupiriro ndiponso chidziŵitso cholongosoka kuti, mofanana ndi iye, tingakhale ndi chiyanjo cha Mulungu.​—Yohane 17:3, 17.

[Mawu a M’munsi]