“LO MNTU usisitya esinyuliweyo kum sokuthwala igama lam ezintlangeni nakookumkani.” (IZe. 9:15) INkosi yethu uYesu yathetha la mazwi ngendoda engumYuda eyayisandul’ ukuguquka eyaziwa ngoku ngokuba ngumpostile uPawulos.

Omnye wabo “kumkani” yayinguNero, uMlawuli WaseRoma. Ubunokuthini ukuba bekunokufuneka uthethelele unqulo lwakho kumlawuli onjalo? Sekunjalo, amaKristu akhuthazwa ukuba axelise uPawulos. (1 Kor. 11:1) Amava kaPawulos aphathelele iinkundla zomhla wakhe asibonisa enye indlela esinokuyenza ngayo le nto.

UMthetho kaMoses wawenzelwe amaSirayeli, kwaye wawuchaza indlela amaYuda azinikeleyo awayemele aziphathe ngayo. Emva kwePentekoste ka-33 C.E., abanquli bokwenene babenganyanzelekanga ukuba bagcine uMthetho kaMoses. (IZe. 15:28, 29; Gal. 4:9-11) Kodwa uPawulos namanye amaKristu abazange bathethe kakubi ngoMthetho kaMoses; bakwazi ukushumayela kumaYuda amaninzi ngaphandle kweziphazamiso. (1 Kor. 9:20) Ukongezelela koko, uPawulos waya kwizindlu zesikhungu kangangezihlandlo ezininzi, apho wayefika ashumayele kubantu ababemazi uThixo ka-Abraham aze abacacisele esebenzisa iZibhalo ZesiHebhere.—IZe. 9:19, 20; 13:5, 14-16; 14:1; 17:1, 2.

Abapostile bakhetha ukuba abazalwana abalathisa umsebenzi wokushumayela babe seYerusalem. Babefundisa rhoqo etempileni. (IZe. 1:4; 2:46; 5:20) Ngesinye isihlandlo, uPawulos waya eYerusalem, ibe ekugqibeleni wabanjwa apho. Loo nto yabangela ukuba aquqe kwiinkundla zamatyala de ekugqibeleni waya kutsho eRoma.

Abasemagunyeni baseRoma bamele ukuba babezijonga njani izinto awayeshumayela ngazo uPawulos? Ukuze sikwazi ukuphendula lo mbuzo, kungasinceda ukuqala sijonge indlela olwalujongwa ngayo unqulo eRoma. AmaRoma ayengabanyanzeli abantu beentlanga ezahlukeneyo ukuba balahle unqulo lwabo, ngaphandle kwaxa kwakubonakala ngathi luyingozi kuRhulumente okanye kwindlela yokuziphatha.

 AmaRoma anika amaYuda amalungelo angakumbi. Incwadi ethi Backgrounds of Early Christianity ithi: “AmaYuda ayenewonga elikhethekileyo kubukhosi baseRoma. . . . AmaYuda ayekhululekile ukuba anqule ngendlela yawo kwaye ayenganyanzelekanga ukuba anqule izithixo zamaRoma. Ayephila ngemithetho yawo kwiindawo ahlala kuzo.” Kwakhona kwakunganyanzelekanga ukuba abe semkhosini. * UPawulos wasebenzisa umthetho wamaRoma owawukhusela unqulo lwamaYuda xa wayethethelela ubuKristu kwabasemagunyeni baseRoma.

Iintshaba zikaPawulos zazama ngandlela zonke ukuba abantu kunye nabasemagunyeni bamjikele. (IZe. 13:50; 14:2, 19; 18:12, 13) Nanku umzekelo. Abadala bebandla laseYerusalem beva kusasazwa amarhe okuba uPawulos wayeshumayela “ukuwexuka kuMoses.” Olu lwimi lwalunokubangela ukuba amaYuda asandul’ ukuba ngamaKristu acinge ukuba uPawulos wayengazihloneli izinto zikaThixo. Ukongezelela koko, iSanhedrin yayinokubhengeza into yokuba ubuKristu buwexukile kubuYuda. Xa yayinokwenzeka loo nto, amaYuda angamaKristu ayenokohlwaywa. Ayeya kucatshukelwa ngabantu aze angavunyelwa ukuba ashumayele etempileni okanye kwizindlu zesikhungu. Yiloo nto abadala bebandla bacebisa uPawulos ukuba abonise ukuba loo marhe ayebubuxoki ngokuthi aye etempileni afike enze into awayengayithunywanga nguThixo kodwa eyayingaxhomisi mehlo.—IZe. 21:18-27.

Wayenza loo nto uPawulos, watsho wafumana amathuba ‘okuthethelela nokumisela ngokusemthethweni iindaba ezilungileyo.’ (Fil. 1:7) Etempileni, amaYuda aqhway’ udushe efuna ukumbulala. Inkumanda yomkhosi waseRoma yamvalela. Xa kanye wayeza kutywatyushwa, wachaza ukuba wayengummi waseRoma. Loo nto yabangela ukuba asiwe eKesareya, apho ayehlala khona amaRoma awayelawula elakwaYuda. Watsho wafumana amathuba anqabileyo okushumayela ngesibindi phambi kwabasemagunyeni. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba loo nto yabangela ukuba abantu ababengawazi amaKristu batsho bawazi.

IZenzo isahluko 24 zisichazela ngokuxoxwa kwetyala likaPawulos phambi koFeliks, irhuluneli yelakwaYuda, eyayisele ivile ngeenkolelo zamaKristu. AmaYuda atyhola uPawulos ngokophula umthetho wamaRoma ubuncinane ngeendlela ezintathu. Athi uhamba exhokonxa iziphendu phakathi kwamaYuda kubo bonke ubukhosi; uyinkokeli yehlelo eliyingozi; kwaye ulinga ukunyemba itempile eyayikhuselwa ngamaRoma. (IZe. 24:5, 6) Ezo zityholo zazinokumenza anikwe isigwebo sentambo.

Thina maKristu anamhlanje simele sibe nomdla kwindlela uPawulos awaye wajongana ngayo nezo zityholo. Wahlala ezolile kwaye enembeko. Wacaphula uMthetho kaMoses nabaProfeti waza wathi unelungelo lokunqula ‘uThixo wookhokho bakhe.’ Namanye amaYuda ayenalo elo lungelo phantsi koMthetho wamaRoma. (IZe. 24:14) Ekuhambeni kwexesha, uPawulos wakwazi ukuthethelela nokuchaza iinkolelo zakhe phambi kwerhuluneli elandelayo, uPorkiyo Festo, nakuKumkani uHerode Agripa.

Ekugqibeleni, ukuze ityala lakhe lichotshelwe kakuhle, wathi: “Ndibhenela kuKesare!”—oyena mlawuli wayemkhulu ngelo xesha.—IZe. 25:11.

Kamva ingelosi yathi kuPawulos: “Umelwe kukuma phambi koKesare.” (IZe. 27:24) Xa wayeqalisa ukulawula, uMlawuli WaseRoma uNero wathi wayengayi kuwachophela ngokwakhe onke amatyala. Ebudeni beminyaka yakhe yokuqala esibhozo elawula, waye wawuyekela kwabanye lo msebenzi. Incwadi ethi The Life and Epistles of Saint Paul isichazela ukuba xa uNero evuma ukuchophela ityala, lalichotshelwa kwibhotwe lakhe, apho wayencediswa ngabacebisi bakhe abanamava nempembelelo.

IBhayibhile ayisichazeli ukuba nguNero owalichophelayo eli tyala waza wagweba uPawulos  okanye wayecele omnye umntu ukuba achophele eso sibheno aze amchazele. Nokuba kwakwenzeke ntoni, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uPawulos wacacisa ukuba yena wayenqula uThixo wamaYuda nokuba wayexelela bonke abantu ukuba bamthobele urhulumente. (Roma 13:1-7; Tito 3:1, 2) Kuyabonakala ke ukuba waphumelela ekuthetheleleni iindaba ezilungileyo kwabasemagunyeni—inkundla kaKesare yamkhulula.—Fil. 2:24; Filem. 22.

UYesu wabaxelela oku abafundi bakhe: “Niya kurholelwa phambi kweerhuluneli nookumkani ngenxa yam, ukuze kube bubungqina kubo nakwiintlanga.” (Mat. 10:18) Kulilungelo ukumela uYesu ngolu hlobo. Iinzame zethu zokuthethelela iindaba ezilungileyo zinokusenza siwaphumelele amatyala. Kodwa izigwebo eziwiswa ngabantu abangafezekanga azinako ‘ukuzimisela ngokusemthethweni’ ngokupheleyo iindaba ezilungileyo. BuBukumkani bukaThixo kuphela obuya kusikhulula ngokusisigxina kwingcinezelo nasekuphathweni kakubi.—INtshu. 8:9; Yer. 10:23.

Nanamhlanje ke, igama likaYehova linokuzukiswa xa amaKristu ethethelela unqulo lwawo. NjengoPawulos, nathi simele sizole, sinyaniseke size sibashiye becacelwe abantu. UYesu waxelela abafundi bakhe ukuba kwakungayi kufuneka ‘bayiqhelisele kwangaphambili indlela yokuzithethelela, kuba wayeza kubanika umlomo nobulumko, obo xa bebonke abachasi babo babengayi kukwazi ukubuchasa okanye ukubuphikisa.’—Luka 21:14, 15; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:15.

Xa amaKristu ethethelela iinkolelo zawo kookumkani, iirhuluneli, okanye abanye abasemagunyeni, anokushumayela nakubantu ebekuya kuba nzima ukubafikelela ngomyalezo woBukumkani. Amanye amatyala esiwaphumeleleyo aye enza ukuba kuphuculwe imithetho, nto leyo eye yakhusela inkululeko yokuthetha neyonqulo. Kodwa kwanokuba siye safumana eziphi iziphumo, uvuya kakhulu uThixo xa ebona isibindi ababa naso abakhonzi bakhe xa bevavanywa.