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UPawulu Ufakaza Ngesibindi Phambi Kwezikhulu

KUMELWE ukuba wawuphawuleka kakhulu umehluko phakathi kwala madoda amabili. Enye yayithwele umqhele kuyilapho enye iboshwe ngamaketanga. Enye yayiyinkosi; enye iyisiboshwa. Ngemva kweminyaka emibili esejele, umphostoli uPawulu manje wayemi phambi kombusi wamaJuda, uHerode Agripha II. Inkosi nomkayo, uBernike, bafika “ngokubukisa okukhulu kokugabisa futhi bangena egumbini lezilaleli kanye nabalawuli bamabutho kanye namadoda avelele emzini.” (IzEnzo 25:23) Enye incwadi yezikhombo ithi: “Cishe kwakukhona amakhulu amaningana abantu.”

Lo mhlangano wawuhlelwe umbusi owayesanda kumiswa, uFestu. Umbusi owayemandulele, uFeliksi, wayeneliswe ukuba uPawulu abhadle ejele. Kodwa uFestu wayekungabaza ukuba yiqiniso kwamacala abekwe uPawulu. Phela, uPawulu wayephikelela ngokuthi wayengenacala kangangokuthi wafuna ukwethula udaba lwakhe kuKesari! Udaba lukaPawulu lwenza iNkos’u-Agripha yaba nelukuluku lokufuna ukwazi. Yathi: “Nami ngokwami ngingathanda ukumuzwa lomuntu.” UFestu wenza amalungiselelo ngokushesha, cishe ezibuza ukuthi inkosi yayizocabangani ngalesi siboshwa esingavamile.—IzEnzo 24:27–25:22.

Ngakusasa, uPawulu wazithola emi phambi kwesixuku esikhulu sezikhulu. Wathi ku-Agripha: “Ngizibheka njengojabulayo ngokuthi namuhla kumelwe ngizivikele phambi kwakho, ikakhulukazi njengoba uyisazi sazo zonke izinkambiso kanye nezimpikiswano phakathi kwamaJuda. Ngakho-ke ngiyakuncenga ukuba ungizwe ngesineke.”—IzEnzo 26:2, 3.

Ukuzivikela KukaPawulu Ngesibindi

Okokuqala, uPawulu watshela u-Agripha ngomlando wakhe wangesikhathi esidlule lapho ayengumshushisi wamaKristu. “Ngazama ukubaphoqa ukuba bahoxe,” esho. “Ngaze ngabashushisa ngisho nasemizini engaphandle.” UPawulu waqhubeka echaza indlela athola ngayo umbono ophawulekayo lapho uJesu ovusiwe ambuza khona: “Ungishushiselani? Ukuqhubeka ukhahlela izinkandi kwenza kube nzima kuwe.”a—IzEnzo 26:4-14.

UJesu wabe esethuma uSawulu ukuba ayofakaza kubantu bazo zonke izizwe ‘kokubili ngezinto azibonileyo nangezinto azokwenza azibone ngokuqondene naye.’ UPawulu wachaza ukuthi wazama ngenkuthalo ukufeza isabelo sakhe. Nokho, watshela u-Agripha: “Ngenxa yalezizinto amaJuda angibamba ethempelini futhi azama ukungibulala.” Eshukumisa isithakazelo u-Agripha anaso ngobuJuda, uPawulu wagcizelela ukuthi ekufakazeni kwakhe empeleni ‘wayengasho lutho ngaphandle kwezinto abaProfethi kanye noMose abathi zaziyokwenzeka’ ngokuphathelene nokufa kukaMesiya nokuvuswa kwakhe.—IzEnzo 26:15-23.

UFestu waphazamisa. Wamemeza wathi: “Ukufunda kakhulu kuyakuhlanyisa!” UPawulu waphendula: “Angihlanyi, Mhlonishwa Festu, kodwa ngikhuluma amazwi eqiniso nawokuhluzeka kwengqondo.” UPawulu wabe esethi ngo-Agripha: “Inkosi engikhuluma kuyo ngenkululeko yokukhuluma yazi kahle ngalezizinto; ngoba ngiyakholiseka ukuthi ayikho neyodwa kulezizinto eyiphunyukayo, ngoba lento ayenziwanga engosini.”—IzEnzo 26:24-26.

UPawulu wabe esekhuluma no-Agripha ngokuqondile. “Ingabe wena, Nkosi Agripha, uyakholelwa kubaProfethi?” Akungabazeki ukuthi lo mbuzo wamenza wangakhululeka u-Agripha. Phela, kwakumelwe alondoloze idumela lakhe, futhi ukuvumelana noPawulu kwakuyosho ukusekela lokho uFestu akubize ngokuthi ‘ukuhlanya.’ Mhlawumbe eqaphela ukuba mathinta nyawo kuka-Agripha, uPawulu wawuphendula ngokwakhe umbuzo wakhe. Wathi: “Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakholelwa.” U-Agripha wabe esekhuluma kodwa amazwi akhe ayebonisa ukungazibophi. Wathi kuPawulu: “Ngesikhathi esifushane ubuyongithonya ukuba ngibe umKristu.”—IzEnzo 26:27, 28.

Ngobuciko, uPawulu wasebenzisa amazwi ka-Agripha agwegwesayo ukuze aveze iphuzu elinamandla. Wathi: “Bengingafisa kuNkulunkulu ukuba kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ngesikhathi esifushane noma ngesikhathi eside ukuthi kungabi uwena nje kuphela kodwa futhi nabo bonke labo abangizwayo namuhla nibe abantu abanjengami, ngaphandle kwalezizibopho.”—IzEnzo 26:29.

U-Agripha noFestu abazange babone lutho kuPawulu olwalumenza afanelwe ukufa noma ukuboshwa. Nokho, isicelo sakhe sokuba ethule udaba lwakhe kuKesari sasingenakuhoxiswa. Yingakho u-Agripha athi kuFestu: “Lomuntu ngabe ukhululiwe ukuba akadluliselanga icala kuKesari.”—IzEnzo 26:30-32.

Isifundo Esisifundayo

Indlela kaPawulu yokufakaza ngaphambi kwezikhulu isinikeza isibonelo esivelele. Lapho ekhuluma neNkos’u-Agripha, uPawulu wasebenzisa ukuhlakanipha. Ngokungangabazeki wayazi ngehlazo elithinta u-Agripha noBernike. Babeyizihlobo eziseduze, ngoba uBernike empeleni wayengudadewabo ka-Agripha. Kodwa uPawulu kulesi senzakalo akazange akhethe ukufundisa ngokuziphatha. Kunalokho, wagcizelela amaphuzu yena no-Agripha ababevumelana ngawo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, nakuba uPawulu ayefundiswe umFarisi ofundile uGamaliyeli, wavuma ukuthi u-Agripha wayeyisazi sezinkambiso zobuJuda. (IzEnzo 22:3) Naphezu kwendlela yokuziphatha ka-Agripha ngokwakhe, uPawulu wakhuluma naye ngenhlonipho ngoba u-Agripha wayesesikhundleni segunya.—Roma 13:7.

Lapho sifakaza ngesibindi ngezinkolelo zethu, akuwona umgomo wethu ukuchaya noma ukulahla izenzo ezingcolile zalabo abasilalele. Kunalokho, ukuze senze kube lula ngabo ukwamukela iqiniso, kufanele sigcizelele izici ezinhle zezindaba ezinhle, sigcizelela amathemba esinawo afana nawabo. Lapho sikhuluma nabantu abadala noma abasegunyeni, kufanele sisiqaphele isikhundla sabo. (Levitikusi 19:32) Ngale ndlela singalingisa uPawulu, owathi: “Ngiye ngaba yizinto zonke kubantu bazo zonke izinhlobo, ukuze ngazo zonke izindlela ngisindise abathile.”—1 Korinte 9:22.

[Umbhalo waphansi]