Umtshutshisi Ubona Ukukhanya Okukhulu

USAWULE wayevutha ngumsindo ngenxa yabalandeli bakaYesu. Enganelisekanga yintshutshiso ababesele beyifumene eYerusalem, kuquka ukuxulutywa kukaStefano ngamatye, ngoku wayefuna ukubacinezela ngokungakumbi. “Esabafuthela ngesisongelo nobugebenga abafundi [uSawule] waya kumbingeleli omkhulu waza wacela kuye iileta zokuya kwizindlu zesikhungu eDamasko, ukuze abazise bebotshiwe eYerusalem nabaphi na abafumeneyo abangabale Ndlela, kokubini amadoda nabafazi.”—IZenzo 9:1, 2.

Njengoko uSawule wayesiya ngaseDamasko, kunokwenzeka ukuba wayecamngca ngendlela awayeza kuphumeza ngayo uthumo lwakhe ngeyona ndlela iphumelelayo. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo, igunya awayelinikwe ngumbingeleli omkhulu laliza kwenza ukuba iinkokeli zohlanga olukhulu lwamaYuda akweso sixeko zisebenzisane naye. USawule wayeza kulufuna uncedo lwazo.

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba yaya isanda imincili kuSawule njengoko wayesondela kwindawo awayesiya kuyo. Uhambo olusuka eYerusalem luye eDamasko—uhambo oluthabatha iintsuku ezisixhenxe okanye ezisibhozo kumntu ohamba ngeenyawo loo mgama oziikhilomitha ezingama-220—lwaludinisa. Ngequbuliso, malunga nemini emaqanda uSawule wabanekelwa kukukhanya okukhazimlayo kunelanga, waza wawela emhlabeni. Weva ilizwi lithetha naye ngesiHebhere, lisithi: “Sawule, Sawule, kutheni unditshutshisa nje? Ukuthi gqolo ukhaba iimviko kukwenzela nzima.” “Ungubani na, Nkosi?,” uSawule wabuza. “NdinguYesu, lo umtshutshisayo,” yatsho impendulo. “Noko ke, phakama uze ume ngeenyawo zakho. Kuba ngenxa yoku ndizenze ndabonakala kuwe, ukuze ndikunyule njengomlindi nengqina kokubini lezinto ozibonileyo nezinto endiya kukwenza uzibone ngokuphathelele mna; ngoxa ndikuhlangula kwaba bantu nakwiintlanga, endikuthuma kuzo.” “Ndiya kwenza ntoni na, Nkosi?,” wabuza uSawule. “Phakama, hamba indlela yakho uye eDamasko, yaye apho uya kuxelelwa ngayo yonk’ into ekumiselwe ukuba uyenze.”—IZenzo 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:13-17.

Abo babehamba noSawule baliva ilizwi, kodwa babengamboni lowo uthethayo bengakuqondi noko wayekuthetha. Ngenxa yokubengezela koko kukhanya, akuphakama uSawule wayengaboni yaye kwafuneka arholwe ngesandla. “Kangangemihla emithathu akazange abone nantoni na, ibe wayengadli engaseli.”—IZenzo 9:7-9; 22:11.

Iintsuku Ezintathu Zokucamngca

USawule wenzelwa ububele nguYudas, owayehlala kwisitrato esibizwa ngokuba seSithe Tye.a (IZenzo 9:11) Esi sitrato—esibizwa ngokuba yiDarb al-Mustaqim ngesiArabhu—sisenguhola wendlela waseDamasko. Khawucinge ngoko kwakucingwa nguSawule ngoxa wayekwikhaya likaYudas. Esi siganeko samshiya uSawule eyimfama yaye othukile. Ngoku yayilithuba lokuba acamngce ngentsingiselo yaso.

Lo mtshutshisi kwafuneka acinge ngoko wayekukhuphile engqondweni yakhe ecinga ukuba bubudenge. INkosi eyabethelelwayo uYesu Kristu—yagwetywa lelona gunya liphakamileyo lamaYuda, ‘eyayideliwe, ishiyiwe ngabantu’—yayiphila. Kaloku, yada yema ngakwisandla sasekunene sikaThixo “ekukhanyeni okungasondelekiyo”! UYesu wayenguye uMesiya. UStefano kunye nabanye babenyanisile. (Isaya 53:3; IZenzo 7:56; 1 Timoti 6:16) USawule wayephazama ngokupheleleyo, kuba uYesu wayefana ncam nabo uSawule wayebatshutshisa! Xa sele enobu bungqina, wayengathini uSawule ukuthi gqolo ‘ekhaba iimviko’? Kwanenkunzi yenkomo endlongondlongo ekugqibeleni igoba uphondo iye kwelo cala umniniyo afuna iye kulo. Ngoko ke, ngokungavumi ukuthobela uYesu, uSawule wayezenzakalisa.

NjengoMesiya, akunakwenzeka ukuba uYesu wayegwetyiwe nguThixo. Ukanti, uYehova wamvumela ukuba afe okona kufa kulihlazo yaye abe phantsi kwesigwebo soMthetho othi: “Oxhonyiweyo usisiqalekiso kuThixo.” (Duteronomi 21:23) UYesu wafa esajinga kweso sibonda sentuthumbo. Waqalekiswa, kungekhona ngenxa yezono zakhe, kuba wayengenazo, kodwa ngenxa yezono zoluntu. Kamva uSawule wachaza oku: “Kuba bonke abo baxhomekeke kwimisebenzi yomthetho baphantsi kwesiqalekiso; kuba kubhaliwe kwathiwa: ‘Uqalekisiwe wonke ubani ongaqhubekiyo kuzo zonke izinto ezibhaliweyo kumsongo woMthetho ukuze azenze.’ Ngaphezu koko, kuyabonakala ukuba akukho bani uvakaliswa elilungisa kuThixo ngawo umthetho . . . Ngokusithenga uKristu wasikhulula kwisiqalekiso soMthetho ngokuthi abe sisiqalekiso endaweni yethu, ngenxa yokuba kubhaliwe kwathiwa: ‘Uqalekisiwe wonke umntu oxhonywa esibondeni.’”—Galati 3:10-13.

Idini likaYesu lalinexabiso lentlawulelo. Ngokwamkela elo dini, uYehova ngendlela efuziselayo, wawubethelela uMthetho nesiqalekiso sawo esibondeni. Eqonda eso sibakala, uSawule wasigqala isibonda sentuthumbo ‘esasingunobangela wokukhubeka kumaYuda’ ‘njengobulumko bukaThixo’. (1 Korinte 1:18-25; Kolose 2:14) Ngoko ke, ukuba usindiso lwalungayi kufumaneka ngemisebenzi yomthetho kodwa ngokubonakalisa kukaThixo ububele bakhe obungasifanelanga kuboni abanjengoSawule, lwalunokufumaneka nakwabo babengaphandle koMthetho. Yaye uYesu wayethuma uSawule kwabeeNtlanga.—Efese 3:3-7.

Asazi ukuba uSawule wayekuqonda kangakanani na oku ngexesha lokuguquka kwakhe. Kwakuza kufuneka ukuba uYesu aphinde athethe naye, mhlawumbi ngaphezu kwesihlandlo esinye, ngolu thumo lwakhe ezintlangeni. Ngaphezu koko, kwadlula iminyaka eliqela ngaphambi kokuba uSawule akubhale oku ephantsi kwempefumlelo kaThixo. (IZenzo 22:17-21; Galati 1:15-18; 2:1, 2) Noko ke, kwadlula nje iintsuku ezimbalwa ngaphambi kokuba uSawule afumane imiyalelo engakumbi kwiNkosi yakhe entsha.

Ukutyelelwa NguAnaniyas

Emva kokubonakala kuSawule, uYesu wabonakala nakuAnaniyas, wamxelela oku: “Hamba uye kwisitrato esibizwa ngokuba seSithe Tye, uze endlwini kaYudas ufune umntu ogama linguSawule, waseTarso. Kuba, khangela! uyathandaza, yaye embonweni ubone umntu ogama linguAnaniyas engena aze abeke izandla zakhe phezu kwakhe ukuze abuye abone.”—IZenzo 9:11, 12.

Ekubeni uAnaniyas wayemazi uSawule, siyaqondakala isizathu sokuba amangaliswe ngala mazwi kaYesu. Wathi: “Nkosi, ndivile kwabaninzi ngale ndoda, ukuba zininzi kwazo izinto ezimbi ezenzileyo kwabo bangcwele bakho eYerusalem. Yaye nalapha inegunya elivela kubabingeleli abaziintloko lokubafaka imixokelelwane bonke abo babiza egameni lakho.” Noko ke, uYesu waxelela uAnaniyas oku: “Bekeka endleleni, ngenxa yokuba lo mntu usisitya esinyuliweyo kum sokuthwala igama lam ezintlangeni kwakunye nakookumkani noonyana bakaSirayeli.”—IZenzo 9:13-15.

Eqinisekisiwe, uAnaniyas waya kwidilesi awayeyinikwe nguYesu. Emva kokuba eyifumene waza wabulisa uSawule, uAnaniyas wambeka izandla. Ingxelo ithi, “Ngoko nangoko kwawa emehlweni akhe oko kwakukhangeleka njengamaxolo, ibe wabuya wabona.” Ngoku uSawule wayekulungele ukuphulaphula. Amazwi ka-Ananiyas akuqinisekisa oko mhlawumbi uSawule wayekuqonda ngokusuka kumazwi awayethethwe nguYesu: “UThixo wookhokho bethu ukunyulile ukuba ufikelele ekwazini ukuthanda kwakhe nokuba ubone Lowo ulilungisa nokuba ulive ilizwi lomlomo wakhe, ngenxa yokuba uza kuba lingqina lakhe ebantwini bonke lezinto ozibonileyo nozivileyo. Yaye ngoku kutheni ulibazisa nje? Suka ume, ubhaptizwe uze uhlambe izono zakho ngokubiza egameni lakhe.” Waba yintoni umphumo? USawule “wasukuma waza wabhaptizwa, yaye wathabatha ukutya waza wazuza amandla.”—IZenzo 9:17-19; 22:12-16.

Emva kokuphumeza uthumo lwakhe, uAnaniyas othembekileyo wanyamalala njengoko wayevele ngequbuliso kakade, yaye asiphindi sixelelwe nto ngaye. Kodwa uSawule wabamangalisa bonke abamvayo! Lowo wayesakuba ngumtshutshisi, owayeze eDamasko ngenjongo yokubamba abafundi bakaYesu, waqalisa ukushumayela ezindlwini zesikhungu nokungqina ukuba uYesu unguye uKristu.—IZenzo 9:20-22.

‘Umpostile Kuzo Iintlanga’

Oko wagaxeleka kuko uSawule endleleni eya eDamasko kwamenza wathi xha kwikhondo awayelihamba lo mtshutshisi. Eqonda ukuba uMesiya ungubani na, uSawule wayenokubhekisela imibandela neziprofeto ezininzi ezikwiZibhalo ZesiHebhere kuYesu. Ukuqonda ukuba uYesu wabonakala kuye waza ‘wambambela’ yaye wamthuma ‘njengompostile kuzo iintlanga’ kwabuguqula ngokunzulu ubomi bukaSawule. (Filipi 3:12; Roma 11:13) Ngoku njengompostile uPawulos, wayenelungelo negunya elaliya kuphembelela kungekuphela nje zonke iintsuku zokuphila kwakhe emhlabeni kodwa nekhondo lobomi bobuKristu.

Kwiminyaka ethile kamva, xa kwakukho impikiswano ngobupostile bukaPawulos, wakhusela igunya lakhe ngokukhankanya oko kwamehlelayo endleleni eya eDamasko. “Andingompostile na? Andimbonanga na uYesu iNkosi yethu?,” wabuza. Yaye emva kokukhankanya ukubonakala kukaYesu ovusiweyo kwabanye, uSawule (uPawulos) wathi: “Ekugqibeleni kwabo bonke wabonakala nakum ngokungathi kukulowo uzelwe ngaphambi kwexesha elililo.” (1 Korinte 9:1; 15:8) Ngokubona kwakhe umbono wobuqaqawuli bukaYesu basezulwini, uSawule kwakungathi ufumene ilungelo lokuzalwa, okanye lokuvuselwa kubomi bokomoya ngaphambi kwexesha.

USawule walixabisa ilungelo awayelinikiwe waza wazibhokoxa ukuze aphile ngokuvisisana nalo. Wabhala wenjenje, “ndingoyena mncinane kubapostile, yaye andikufanelekelanga ukubizwa ngokuba ngumpostile, ngenxa yokuba ndalitshutshisa ibandla likaThixo. Kodwa . . . ububele [bukaThixo] obungasifanelanga obabukum abubanga lilize, kodwa ndabulaleka ukubagqitha bonke [abanye abapostile].”—1 Korinte 15:9, 10.

Mhlawumbi njengoSawule uyalikhumbula ixesha laxa wawuqonda ukuba ukuze ufumane inkoloseko kaThixo, kufuneka uguqule iimbono zonqulo ekwakukudala uzazi. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo waba nombulelo kakhulu kuba uYehova wakunceda wayiqonda inyaniso. Xa uSawule wabona ukukhanya waza wakuqonda oko kwakufuneka akwenze, akazange alibazise ukukwenza. Yaye waqhubeka ekwenza ngenzondelelo nozimiselo ngalo lonke ixesha esaphila emhlabeni. Onjani wona ukubalasela umzekelo kubo bonke abo banqwenela ukufumana inkoloseko kaYehova namhlanje!

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Isitrato esibizwa ngokuba seSithe Tye kwiDamasko yanamhlanje

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