‘Sapos Samwan Forcem Iu for Waka’

“MAN ia! Kam fastaem and karem kago bilong mi.” Sapos wanfala soldia bilong Rome sei olsem long wanfala busy Jew long fasfala century, hao nao bae hem feel? Long Sermon Long Maunten, Jesus hem sei: “Sapos samwan wea garem paoa forcem iu for waka for karekare witim hem for wanfala kilometer, go witim hem for nara kilometer moa.” (Matthew 5:41) Hao nao bae olketa wea lisin long Jesus minim datfala kaonsel? And wanem nao datwan shud minim for iumi distaem?

For ansarem olketa kwestin hia, iumi need for savve abaotem waka wea olketa wea garem paoa savve forcem nara pipol for duim long bifor kam. Pipol wea stap long Israel long taem bilong Jesus barava savve long datwan.

Waka wea Man wea Garem Paoa Forcem Narawan for Duim

Wei wea olketa wea garem paoa forcem nara pipol for waka (wea olketa kolem corvée) hem kamap long southwest Asia and northeast Africa long samting olsem mek-18 century B.C.E. Raeting from oldfala taon bilong Alalakh long Syria storyim olketa grup wakman wea olketa kolem corvée. Olketa grup hia hem pipol wea gavman markem for duim waka for olketa. Long Ugarit, wea saedem sea long Syria, gavman savve markem olketa farmer tu for waka for olketa. Olketa savve missim datwan only sapos olketa kasem spesol order from king.

Hem tru, planti taem olketa nation wea winim nara nation long war forcem pipol hia for waka. Olketa raf boss long Egypt forcem olketa Israelite for kamap olketa slave and wakem olketa brik. Bihaen, olketa Israelite forcem pipol bilong Canaan wea stap long Promis Land for waka for olketa olsem slave, and David and Solomon duim semkaen samting.—Exodus 1:13, 14; 2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Kings 9:20, 21.

Taem olketa Israelite ask for wanfala king, Samuel explainim wanem nao king garem right for demandim from olketa. Bae hem tekem pipol wea stap anda long hem for waka for draevem chariot and raedem horse, for houm graon and duim waka for harvest, for wakem olketa samting for faet, and olketa nara waka olsem. (1 Samuel 8:4-17) Bat taem olketa buildim temple bilong Jehovah, pipol from difren ples waka olsem slave, bat “Solomon no markem eni son bilong Israel for kamap olketa slave; from olketa nao olketa soldia and servant and prince and bigman and chief bilong olketa man bilong hem wea draevem olketa chariot and raedem olketa horse.”—1 Kings 9:22.

First Kings 5:13, 14 hem sei olsem abaotem olketa Israelite wea waka for build: “King Solomon hem gohed for tekem kam olketa bilong Israel wea hem markem for duim waka; and namba bilong olketa hia wea hem forcem for duim waka hem thirti thousand man. And hem sendem ten thousand bilong olketa go long Lebanon evri month. Olketa stap long Lebanon for wanfala month, then stap long haos bilong olketa seleva for tufala month.” Wanfala savveman hem sei: “Hem klia hao olketa king bilong Israel and Judah mekius long corvée olsem wei for kasem olketa wakman wea olketa no need for baem for duim building waka and for waka long land wea king ownim.”

Solomon barava putim hevi long olketa. From diswan, taem Rehoboam sei hem bae mekem datfala waka hard go moa, full Israel againstim hem and sutim dae man wea boss ovarem olketa slave hia witim ston. (1 Kings 12:12-18) Nomata olsem, disfala wei wea man savve forcem narawan for waka hem gohed nomoa. Granson bilong Rehoboam, Asa, hem givim order for pipol bilong Judah buildim olketa taon bilong Geba and Mizpah, and ‘evriwan mas waka.’—1 Kings 15:22.

Anda Long Rul Bilong Rome

Datfala Sermon Long Maunten hem showimaot hao olketa Jew long fasfala century savve hao enitaem nomoa samwan maet ‘forcem olketa for waka.’ Datfala toktok ‘forcem olketa for waka’ hem transleison bilong datfala Greek word ag·ga·reuʹo, wea fastaem hem storyim waka bilong olketa man from Persia for karekare. Olketa garem paoa for forcem olketa nara man for waka and olketa savve demandim olketa horse and ship and eni nara samting wea olketa needim for kwiktaem duim eni pablik waka.

Long taem bilong Jesus, olketa bilong Rome rulim Israel and olketa duim semkaen samting. Gavman askem pipol long olketa province long Asia for mas peim tax, and tu, olketa savve mekem pipol for waka evritaem, or maet taem wanfala project kamap. Pipol barava les long diswan. And tu, planti taem olketa forcem pipol for givim olketa animal, draeva, or olketa wagon for olketa iusim for Rul Bilong Rome. Olsem man for raetem history Michael Rostovtzeff talem, olketa bigman “trae for putim olketa law for kontrolem [datfala arrangement], bat hem fail, and for sure, taem datfala arrangement gohed, masbi datwan hem barava spoelem pipol. Olketa bigman putim staka law, from olketa barava laek for stopem wei wea pipol iusim paoa for bossim narawan and spoelem olketa. . . Bat disfala nogud samting hem gohed nomoa.”

Wanfala Greek savveman talem hao man wea garem paoa savve “forcem eni man nomoa for karem kago bilong army,” and olketa savve “forcem eni man nomoa for duim wanfala waka wea olketa bilong Rome laekem hem for duim.” Hem nao samting wea kasem Simon bilong Cyrene taem olketa soldia bilong Rome “forcem” hem for karem post wea Jesus dae long hem.—Matthew 27:32.

Raeting bilong olketa Rabbi tu storyim disfala arrangement wea pipol barava heitim. Olsem example, olketa forcem wanfala rabbi for karem timba go long haos bilong king. Olketa savve tekem olketa wakman from boss bilong olketa and forcem olketa for duim difren waka, bat boss bilong olketa mas gohed peim wages bilong olketa. Olketa savve tekem nomoa buluka bilong wanfala man. Nomata sapos olketa givim bak bihaen, planti taem olketa animal hia no fit nao for duim eni waka moa. Nomata olketa sei olketa tekem olketa animal or eni nara samting for lelebet taem nomoa, pipol luksavve olketa samting hia lus for olowe nao. Dastawe, wanfala toktok bilong olketa Jew hem sei: “Angareia hem olsem dae.” Wanfala man for raetem history hem sei: “Taem pipol tekem for angareia olketa buluka wea fit for pullim hou nomoa winim wei for tekem olketa animal wea fit for pullim olketa hevi lod, diswan savve spoelem wanfala vilij evribit.”

Hem isi for iumi minim hao pipol barava les long kaen waka olsem, especially from olketa wea forcem man for duim diswan planti taem raf and duim long wei wea no followim justice. Taem iumi tingim hao olketa Jew barava heitim olketa Gentile wea rul ovarem olketa, iumi minim hao kaen labor olsem bae mekem olketa barava kros and feel nogud. No eni copy bilong law from datfala taem stap wea storyim hao farawe nao man savve forcem nara man for karem wanfala lod. Luk olsem staka man bae nating willing for karekare nomata wan step moa winim wanem law hem sei olketa mas duim.

Nomata olsem, Jesus story abaotem disfala arrangement taem hem sei: “Sapos samwan wea garem paoa forcem iu for waka for karekare witim hem for wanfala kilometer, go witim hem for nara kilometer moa.” (Matthew 5:41) Taem olketa herem datwan, masbi samfala tingse Jesus hem no garem balance tingting. Wanem nao Jesus really minim?

Hao Olketa Christian Mas Ting Long Diswan

Jesus talem olketa wea lisin long hem hao sapos samwan wea garem paoa forcem olketa for duim wanfala waka wea no againstim law or Bible, olketa shud duim long willing wei and no witim feeling for kros. Long wei olsem olketa mas peim “samting bilong Caesar long Caesar” bat no missim wei wea olketa mas peim “samting bilong God long God.”—Mark 12:17.a

And tu, aposol Paul encouragem olketa Christian olsem: “Evri soul shud stap anda long olketa hae paoa, from no eni paoa bae stap sapos God hem no letem; olketa paoa bilong distaem stap long position wea God letem olketa for stap. So man wea againstim disfala paoa hem againstim datfala arrangement bilong God . . . Sapos iu duim samting wea nogud, luk aot: from hem no holem sword nating.”—Romans 13:1-4.

Long wei olsem, Jesus and Paul showimaot olketa luksavve long right bilong wanfala king or gavman for panisim olketa wea brekem law bilong olketa. Hao nao olketa panisim olketa? Greek savveman Epictetus wea stap long fasfala and mek-tu century C.E., hem ansa olsem: “Sapos seknomoa wanfala soldia askem and tekem young donkey bilong iu, letem nomoa. No trae for stopem, no tok againstim hem, nogud hem tekem donkey bilong iu and whipim iu tu.”

Bat samfala taem long bifor kam, and distaem tu, olketa Christian disaedem hao hem bae spoelem conscience bilong olketa for duim samting wea gavman askem olketa for duim. Samfala taem, olketa kasem barava nogud samting from diswan. Samfala Christian kasem panis for dae. Olketa narawan stap long prison for staka year from olketa no willing for duim samting wea long tingting bilong olketa, bae spoelem wei wea olketa no teksaed. (Isaiah 2:4; John 17:16; 18:36) Samfala taem, olketa Christian disaedem hao olketa savve duim samting wea gavman askem olketa for duim. Olsem example, hem no spoelem conscience bilong samfala Christian for duim waka wea helpem community and no join witim army. Insaed kaen waka olsem hem for klin raonem olketa skul, hospital, saed road, and olketa samting olsem.

Hem tru, bae diswan no semsem long evri kantri. Dastawe, each Christian mas followim conscience bilong hem wea kasem training from Bible taem hem disaed for duim samting wea gavman askem hem for duim or nomoa.

Duim Moa Samting

Datfala principle wea Jesus teachim hao iumi mas willing for duim samting wea no againstim law or Bible, hem no samting for iumi obeyim taem gavman askem samting nomoa, bat hem fitim laef bilong iumi evriday. Olsem example, maet samwan wea garem paoa askem iu for duim samting wea iu no laek duim, bat hem no againstim law bilong God. Wanem nao bae iu duim? Maet iu no willing and feel kros from iu tingse hem no fitim for narawan askem iu for duim samting wea iusim planti taem and strong bilong iu. Diswan savve mekem nogud feeling kamap midolwan long iutufala. Long narasaed, sapos iu duim samting wea hem askem nomata iu feel kros, maet iu no garem peace long mind. Wanem nao best samting for duim? Duim samting wea Jesus talem—karekare for nara kilometer moa. Diswan minim iu no duim nomoa samting wea narawan askem, bat iu duim moa samting. Duim witim willing fasin. Taem iu garem tingting olsem, bae iu no feel olsem man mekius long iu, bat bae iu feel olsem iu nao disaedem samting iu bae duim or no duim.

Wanfala man for raet hem sei: “Long full laef bilong olketa, planti pipol duim nomoa samting olketa mas duim. Olketa no hapi, and olketa feel taed olowe. Olketa narawan duim moa samting winim wanem olketa mas duim and olketa willing for helpem nara pipol.” Planti taem man savve disaed sapos hem bae gogo for wanfala kilometer nomoa, from datwan nao samting wea hem mas duim—or bae hem gogo for nara kilometer moa. Man wea gogo for wanfala kilometer maet ting for demandim right bilong hem. Man wea gogo for nara kilometer moa maet kasem olketa nambawan experience. Iu olsem which wan long tufala man hia? Maet iu moa hapi and duim staka moa samting sapos iu no ting long samting olsem waka nomoa or samting wea iu mas duim, bat olsem samting wea iu want for duim.

And waswe sapos iu nao man wea garem paoa? Hem klia hao hem no wei bilong wanfala Christian and hem no showimaot love tu for iusim paoa for forcem nara pipol for duim samting wea iu askem olketa for duim. Jesus hem sei: “Olketa ruler bilong olketa nation bossim olketa and olketa bigman garem paoa ovarem olketa.” Bat datwan hem no wei bilong olketa Christian. (Matthew 20:25, 26) Nomata wanfala man maet obeyim samwan wea forcem hem for duim samting, hem moabeta sapos man wea askem narawan for duim samting, hem ask long kaenfala wei and askem samting wea fitim. Hem gud tu sapos olketa wea obey duim diswan witim hapi and respect! Tru nao, fasin for gogo for tufala kilometer and no wanfala nomoa savve barava mekem laef bilong iu kamap moabeta.

[Footnote]

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OVA TUMAS FOR FORCEM MAN WAKA BIFOR

Wei wea planti taem pipol mekius long disfala arrangement for forcem samting wea ova tumas hem showaot klia long olketa law wea trae for kontrolem diswan. Long 118 B.C.E., Ptolemy Euergetes II bilong Egypt putim law hao olketa bigman bilong hem “no savve forcem eniwan long datfala kantri for duim eni private waka for olketa seleva, and olketa no savve askem (aggareuein) buluka bilong olketa for tekem for olketa seleva.” And tu, “No eniwan savve askem . . . olketa boat for iusim for eni samting for hemseleva nomoa.” Long wanfala raeting from 49 C.E., long Temple bilong Great Oasis, long Egypt, bigman bilong Rome, Vergilius Capito, talemaot hao olketa soldia askem samting wea againstim law, and hem putim law wea sei “no eniwan savve tekem or askem . . . eni samting sapos mi no letem fastaem and givim hem pepa for pruvim mi letem datwan.”

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Olketa forcem Simon bilong Cyrene for waka

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Planti Witness stap long prison from olketa hol strong long olketa Christian standard