UTito—‘Umsebenzi Olidlelane Ngenxa Yezilangazelelo Zenu’

MAXA WAMBI kwakuvela iingxaki kwibandla lamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. Zazimele ziconjululwe, yaye oku kwakufuna inkalipho nokuthobeka. Umntu owakwaziyo ukuzisingatha kakuhle iingxaki ezingaphezu kwenye yayinguTito. Njengoko wayesebenza nompostile uPawulos, wenza imigudu enyanisekileyo ukuze ancede abanye benze izinto ngendlela kaYehova. Ngoko ke, uPawulos waxelela amaKristu aseKorinte ukuba uTito ‘wayengumsebenzi olidlelane ngenxa yezilangazelelo zawo.’—2 Korinte 8:23.

Wayengubani uTito? Waphumeza yiphi indima ekucombululeni iingxaki? Yaye sinokungenelwa njani thina ngokuhlolisisa ihambo yakhe?

Imbambano Yolwaluko

UTito wayengumGrike ongalukanga. (Galati 2:3)a Ekubeni uPawulos embiza ngokuthi “umntwana wokwenene ngokokholo esabelana ngalo ngokufanayo,” uTito usenokuba wayengomnye wabantwana bokomoya balo mpostile. (Tito 1:4; thelekisa eyoku-1 kuTimoti 1:2.) UTito wayehamba noPawulos, uBharnabhas nabanye bevela kwa-Antiyokhwe, eSiriya, xa babesiya eYerusalem malunga nowama-49 C.E. besiya kuxubusha umbandela wolwaluko.—IZenzo 15:1, 2; Galati 2:1.

Kucingelwa ukuba ekubeni kwakuphethwe inyewe yokuguqulwa kwabangalukanga beeNtlanga eYerusalem, kwahanjwa noTito ukubonakalisa ukuba amaYuda nabangengomaYuda babenokuzuza inkoloseko kaThixo nokuba babolukile okanye kungenjalo. Wambi amalungu ebandla laseYerusalem awayengabaFarisi ngaphambi kokuba ngamaKristu ayesithi amaguquka eeNtlanga ayemele aluswe aze amkele uMthetho, kodwa akuzange kuvunyelwane ngoko. Ukunyanzela uTito nabanye beeNtlanga ukuba baluswe kwakuya kuba kukukhanyela ukuba ukusindiswa kuxhomekeke kububele obungasifanelanga bukaYehova kwanokuba nokholo kuYesu Kristu kunakwimisebenzi yoMthetho. Yaye kwakuya kuba kukusingela phantsi ubungqina bokuba abeeNtlanga babewamkele umoya oyingcwele kaThixo.—IZenzo 15:5-12.

Wathunyelwa EKorinte

Wakuba uconjululwe umbandela wolwaluko, uPawulos noBharnabhas banikwa igunya elipheleleyo lokushumayela kwiintlanga. Kwangaxeshanye, babezabalazela ukusoloko bebonakalisa ulwazelelelo ngamahlwempu. (Galati 2:9, 10) Eneneni, xa kuphindwa kuthethwa ngoTito kwingxelo ephefumlelweyo malunga neminyaka emithandathu kamva, useKorinte njengommeli kaPawulos eququzelela ukuqokelelela abangcwele. Noko ke, njengoko uTito wayeyokwenza loo msebenzi, wazifumana sele ekwenye ingxaki.

Imbalelwano kaPawulos nabaseKorinte ibonisa ukuba kuqala wababhalela ukuze ‘bayeke ukuxubana kunye nabahenyuzi.’ Wabaxelela ukuba bamgxothe umhenyuzi ongaguqukiyo phakathi kwabo. Ewe, uPawulos wayebabhalele ileta ebukhali, ekwenza oko “ngeenyembezi ezininzi.” (1 Korinte 5:9-13; 2 Korinte 2:4) Ngelo xesha, uTito wayethunyelwe eKorinte ukuze ancedise ekuqokeleleni okwakusenziwa apho ngenxa yentswelo yamaKristu akwaYuda. Kusenokwenzeka, ukuba wayethunyelwe nokuze akhangele indlela abasabela ngayo abaseKorinte kwileta kaPawulos.—2 Korinte 8:1-6.

Babeza kusabela njani abaseKorinte kwisiluleko sikaPawulos? Exhalabele ukwazi okwakuqhubeka, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uPawulos wathumela uTito esuka e-Efese enqumla uLwandle iAegean esiya eKorinte, emyalele ukuba anikele ingxelo ngokukhawuleza kangangoko kwakunokwenzeka. Ukuba olo thumo lwalugqitywe ngaphambi kokuyeka kweenqanawa ukuhamba ngenxa yobusika (malunga naphakathi kuNovemba), uTito wayenokuya eTrowa ngenqanawa okanye ahambe indlela ende ngomhlaba egqitha eHellespont. Mhlawumbi uPawulos waya kufika ngaphambi kwexesha kwindawo ababeza kudibana kuyo eTrowa, ekubeni ingxwabangxwaba eyaqhwaywa ngabakhandi besilivere yabangela ukuba ayishiye iEfese kamsinya kunokuba wayecebile. Emva kokulinda enexhala eTrowa, uPawulos wakhumbula ukuba uTito wayengayi kubuya ngolwandle. Ngenxa yoko, uPawulos wav’ endleleni ngendlela yomhlaba enethemba lokudibana naye endleleni. Kanye xa wayekumhlaba waseYurophu, uPawulos waya kugqitha e-Egnatia, yaye ekugqibeleni wadibana noTito eMakedoniya. Kwatsho kwee qabu kuPawulos waza wavuya kuba iindaba ezazivela eKorinte zazimnandi. Ibandla lalisabele kakuhle kwisiluleko salo mpostile.—2 Korinte 2:12, 13; 7:5-7.

Nangona uPawulos wayexhalatyiswe yindlela awayeza kwamkelwa ngayo ummeli wakhe, uThixo wamnceda uTito waluzalisekisa uthumo lwakhe. UTito wamkelwa “ngoloyiko nokungcangcazela.” (2 Korinte 7:8-15) Xa sikuchaza ngokwamazwi omsasazi uW. D. Thomas oku: “Sinokuthi ngaphandle kokuvanga isiluleko sikaPawulos, ngobuchule [uTito] watsho kwavokotheka kwabaseKorinte; ebaqinisekisa ukuba uPawulos, wathetha, njengoko wenjenjalo, ecinga ngempilontle yabo yokomoya.” Kwangaxeshanye, uTito wawathanda amaKristu aseKorinte ngenxa yomoya wawo wokuthobeka nangotshintsho oluhle alwenzayo. Isimo sawo sengqondo esihle samkhuthaza.

Kuthekani ngenye inkalo yothumo lukaTito eKorinte—ukuququzelela ukuqokelelela abangcwele bakwaYuda? Nako oku wayekwenza uTito, ekubeni kunokubonwa kwinkcazelo efumaneka kweyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba loo leta yabhalelwa eMakedoniya ekwindla lowama-55 C.E., kungekudala emva kokuba uTito noPawulos bedibene. UPawulos wabhala esithi uTito, owayeseqalile ukuqokelela, ngoku wayebuyiselwa apho nabancedisi ababini abangaxelwanga ngamagama khon’ ukuze bagqibezele oko. Enomdla ngokungazenzisiyo kwabaseKorinte, uTito wayekulungele ngeyona ndlela ukubuyela. Njengoko uTito wayebuyela eKorinte, umele ukuba wayephethe ileta yesibini ephefumlelweyo kaPawulos isiya kwabaseKorinte.—2 Korinte 8:6, 17, 18, 22.

UTito wayengengomququzeleli ulungileyo nje kuphela kodwa wayekwaluhlobo lomntu onokuphathiswa imibandela e-ethe-ethe kwimeko ezinzima. Wayenenkalipho, eqolile yaye ebambelela kwinto ayithethileyo. Kuyabonakala ukuba uPawulos wayemgqala uTito njengowayenako ukuhlangabezana nocelomngeni olwalungapheli ‘lwabapostile abaziincamisa’ baseKorinte. (2 Korinte 11:5) Olu phawu lukaTito luqinisekiswa kukuphinda kuthethwe ngaye eZibhalweni, kwesinye isabelo ekwakufuneka asiphumeze.

Kwisiqithi SaseKrete

Kumele ukuba ngasihlandlo sithile phakathi kowama-61 nowama-64 C.E., uPawulos wabhalela uTito, ngoko owayekhonza kwisiqithi esikwiMeditera saseKrete. UPawulos wamshiya apho ‘ukuze alungise izinto ezazingalunganga nokuze amisele amadoda amakhulu kwizixeko ngezixeko.’ Ngokuqhelekileyo, amaKrete ayedume ngokuba “ngamaxoki, amarhamncwa amabi, amadla-kudla angasebenziyo.” Ngoko ke, eKrete, uTito wabizelwa inkalipho nokubambelela kwinto ayithethileyo. (Tito 1:5, 10-12) Oko kwakuyimbopheleleko enkulu, kuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba oko kwamisela ikamva lobuKristu kweso siqithi. Ephefumlelwe, uPawulos wanceda uTito ngokucacisa izinto awayemele azijonge kumadoda anokuba ngabaveleli. Ezo mfaneleko zisahlolwa xa kumiselwa abadala abangamaKristu.

IZibhalo azisichazeli ixesha uTito awemka ngalo eKrete. Waba lapho ithuba elidana kuba uPawulos wamcela ukuba anyamekele iintswelo zikaZenas noApolo, ababemise apho kuhambo lwabo kwixesha elingachazwanga. Kodwa uTito wayengayi kuba sesiqithini ixesha elide kakhulu. UPawulos wayecebe ukuthumela uArtemas okanye uTikiko apho, ukuze yena uTito aye kudibana nompostile eNikopoli, ekunokwenzeka ukuba esi yayisisixeko esibizwa ngelo gama kumntla-ntshona weGrisi.—Tito 3:12, 13.

Ngokusuka kwingxelo emfutshane yokugqibela ethetha ngoTito eBhayibhileni, sifunda ukuba mhlawumbi malunga nowama-65 C.E., uPawulos wamthumela kwesinye isabelo kwakhona. Waya eDalmatiya ummandla osempuma woLwandle iAdriatic kule mihla oyiCroatia. (2 Timoti 4:10) Asixelelwanga ukuba uTito wayesiya kwenza ntoni apho, kodwa kucingelwa ukuba wayethunyelwe ukuya kulungisa iingxaki zamabandla kwaye ashumayele. Ngoko ke, uTito wayeza kwenza ngendlela efanayo neyaseKrete.

Hayi indlela esinombulelo ngayo ngabaveleli abangamaKristu abanjengoTito! Ukuyiqonda kakuhle kwabo imigaqo yeZibhalo nokuyisebenzisa kwabo ngenkalipho kunceda amabandla akhuseleke ngokomoya. Kwanga singaxelisa ukholo lwabo size sizingqine sifana noTito ngokukhuthaza izilangazelelo zokomoya kwabo sikhonza nabo.—Hebhere 13:7.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

UTito wayengumsebenzi olidlelane elinenkalipho ngenxa yezilangazelelo zamaKristu aseKorinte nakwezinye iindawo