📖 1 Petro — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 11: Jaribu la Moto📖 1 Peter Intensive — Unit 11: The Fiery Trial

Andiko: 1 Petro 4:12-19Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Msione Jaribu la Moto Kuwa ni AjabuDo Not Think the Fiery Trial Strange

Sasa Petro anarudi kwenye somo kuu la barua yote — mateso — na kulishughulikia moja kwa moja. Anawaita wasomaji wake wapenzi, kwa maana anakaribia kusema kwa upole na watu walio katika maumivu. "Wapenzi, msione kuwa ni ajabu ule moto ulio kati yenu, unaowajia ili kuwajaribu, kana kwamba ni kitu kigeni kilichowapata" (1 Petro 4:12). Funzo la kwanza ni hili tu: msishangae. Wakristo waliopokea barua hii walijaribiwa kufikiri kwamba mateso yao yalimaanisha kuna jambo limeharibika vibaya sana, kwamba labda Mungu alikuwa amewaacha. Petro anarekebisha wazo hilo mara moja. Mateso si jambo la ajabu kwa wafuasi wa Bwana aliyesulibiwa; ndiyo njia ya kawaida. Neno analolitumia, jaribu la moto, linaonyesha mateso kama tanuru. Kama tulivyoona mapema katika barua hii, moto hauji kuiharibu imani ya mwamini bali kuijaribu na kuisafisha, kama moto wa msafishaji unavyoisafisha dhahabu. Moto ni halisi na una joto kali, lakini hauna maana tupu, wala si ishara kwamba Mungu hayupo.Peter now returns to the great theme of the whole letter — suffering — and addresses it head-on. He calls his readers beloved, for he is about to speak tenderly to people in pain. "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you" (1 Peter 4:12). The first lesson is simply this: do not be surprised. The Christians receiving this letter were tempted to think that their suffering meant something had gone terribly wrong, that perhaps God had forsaken them. Peter corrects that at once. Suffering is not strange for the followers of a crucified Lord; it is the normal road. The word he uses, fiery trial, pictures suffering as a furnace. As we saw earlier in this letter, fire does not come to destroy the believer's faith but to test and refine it, as a refiner's fire purifies gold. The fire is real and hot, but it is not pointless, and it is not a sign of God's absence.

Kisha Petro anasema jambo ambalo ulimwengu hauwezi kamwe kulielewa. "Bali kwa kadiri mnavyoyashiriki mateso ya Kristo, furahini; ili kwamba hata katika ufunuo wa utukufu wake mpate kufurahi kwa shangwe" (1 Petro 4:13). Hawaambii tu wavumilie; anawaambia wafurahi. Sababu ni kwamba katika mateso yao wanayashiriki mateso ya Kristo mwenyewe, wakishiriki kwa kiasi kidogo kile ambacho Bwana wao alikivumilia kwa ajili yao. Na kuna utukufu unaokuja: utukufu wa Kristo utakapofunuliwa katika kuja kwake, wale walioshiriki mateso yake watafurahi kwa shangwe kuu. Kwa hiyo maumivu ya sasa na furaha ya baadaye vimefungwa pamoja kwa nguvu. Jaribu si jambo la ajabu, si lisilo na maana, wala si mwisho wa habari; ni ushirika na Kristo unaoongoza kwenye utukufu.Then Peter says something the world can never understand. "But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:13). He does not merely tell them to endure; he tells them to rejoice. The reason is that in their suffering they are partaking of Christ's own sufferings, sharing in some small measure what their Lord endured for them. And there is a glory coming: when Christ's glory is revealed at His appearing, those who shared His sufferings will be glad with exceeding joy. So present pain and future joy are bound tightly together. The trial is not strange, not meaningless, and not the end of the story; it is a fellowship with Christ that leads to glory.

Hii ilikuwa hekima iliyopatikana kwa gharama kubwa kwa kanisa la kwanza. Waamini hawa waliotawanyika labda walikuwa wametarajia kwamba kumjia Kristo kungefanya maisha yawe rahisi zaidi, na badala yake walijikuta wakisingiziwa, wakitengwa, na katika sehemu fulani wakiwa katika hatari ya kupoteza maisha yao yenyewe. Petro hajifanyi kwamba moto si halisi, wala hawaambii waende kuyatafuta mateso; Mkristo kamwe hayatafuti mateso kwa ajili ya mateso yenyewe. Lakini moto unapokuja, kama utakavyokuja, hapaswi kuchanganyikiwa kana kwamba Mungu amepoteza udhibiti. Bwana yule yule aliyeitembea njia ya msalaba aliwaambia watu wake waziwazi kwamba mtumwa si mkuu kuliko bwana wake, na kwamba kama ulimwengu ulimchukia Yeye, utawachukia walio wake. Na kuna faraja hapa: jaribu lililotarajiwa tayari ni jaribu lililobebwa nusu, kwa maana haliwezi kumshtukiza mwamini wala kumsukuma katika kukata tamaa.This was hard-won wisdom for the early church. These scattered believers had perhaps expected that coming to Christ would make life easier, and instead they found themselves slandered, shut out, and in some places in danger of their very lives. Peter does not pretend the fire is not real, nor does he tell them to go looking for suffering; the Christian never courts persecution for its own sake. But when the fire comes, as it will, he is not to be thrown into confusion as though God had lost control. The same Lord who walked the road of the cross told His people plainly that the servant is not greater than his Master, and that if the world hated Him, it will hate those who are His. And there is comfort here: a trial expected is a trial already half-borne, for it cannot take the believer by surprise or drive him to despair.

Heri Mkilaumiwa kwa Ajili ya JinaBlessed When Reproached for the Name

"Mkilaumiwa kwa ajili ya jina la Kristo, heri ninyi; kwa kuwa Roho wa utukufu, na wa Mungu, anawakalia. Kwa upande wao anatukanwa, bali kwa upande wenu anatukuzwa" (1 Petro 4:14). Kulaumiwa ni kutukanwa, kudhihakiwa, na kusingiziwa. Waamini walikuwa wakiaibishwa kwa sababu tu walilibeba jina la Kristo. Jibu la Petro linaupindua uamuzi wa ulimwengu: mtu wa namna hiyo hakuaibishwa bali ni heri. Sababu ni ya kushangaza: Roho wa utukufu, na wa Mungu, anamkalia yule anayeteswa kwa ajili ya jina la Kristo. Uwepo wenyewe wa Mungu unaambatana na wale wanaobeba lawama kwa ajili yake, kama vile wingu la utukufu lilivyokaa juu ya hema la kukutania zamani. Na angalia pande mbili za jina lile lile: kwa upande wa wadhihaki, jina la Kristo linatukanwa; lakini kwa upande wa mwamini anayeteseka, jina lile lile linatukuzwa. Kile ambacho adui anakikusudia kuwa tusi, Mungu anakipokea kama utukufu."If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified" (1 Peter 4:14). To be reproached is to be insulted, mocked, and slandered. The believers were being shamed simply because they bore the name of Christ. Peter's response turns the world's verdict upside down: such a one is not disgraced but blessed. The reason is staggering: the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon the one who suffers for Christ's name. The very presence of God attends those who bear reproach for Him, as the cloud of glory once rested upon the tabernacle. And notice the two sides of the same name: on the part of the mockers, the name of Christ is blasphemed; but on the part of the suffering believer, that same name is glorified. What the enemy means as an insult, God receives as glory.

Teseka kama Mkristo, Si kama Mtenda MabayaSuffer as a Christian, Not as an Evildoer

Sasa Petro anaongeza tofauti ya makini na ya lazima. "Maana mtu wa kwenu asiteswe kama mwuaji, au mwivi, au mtenda mabaya, au kama mtu ajishughulishaye na mambo ya watu wengine. Lakini ikiwa kwa sababu ni Mkristo, asione haya; bali amtukuze Mungu kwa ajili ya jina hilo" (1 Petro 4:15-16). Si kila teso lina heshima. Mwamini akiteseka kwa sababu ameua au ameiba, au ametenda uovu, au hata kwa sababu amekuwa mtu wa kuingilia mambo akichunguza mambo ya watu wengine, teso hilo analistahili na halileti heshima yoyote. Mwamini lazima ahakikishe kwamba anapoteseka, kamwe si kwa sababu ya kutenda mabaya. Lakini kuna aina nyingine kabisa ya mateso: kuteseka kama Mkristo, kwa sababu tu ni wa Kristo. Kwa jambo hili mwamini hapaswi kamwe kuona haya; badala yake, anapaswa kumtukuza Mungu katika jina hilo hasa. Neno Mkristo mara nyingi lilitupwa kama tusi siku zile, neno la dharau kwa wafuasi wa Yesu. Petro analichukua tusi hilo na kulifanya kuwa nishani ya heshima. Kuitwa Mkristo, na kuteseka kwa sababu hiyo, si aibu bali ni utukufu, jina ambalo ndani yake tunamsifu Mungu.Peter now adds a careful and necessary distinction. "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter" (1 Peter 4:15-16). Not all suffering is honorable. If a believer suffers because he has committed murder or theft, or done evil, or even because he has been a meddling busybody prying into other people's affairs, that suffering is deserved and brings no honor at all. The believer must make sure that when he suffers, it is never for wrongdoing. But there is another kind of suffering entirely: to suffer as a Christian, simply for belonging to Christ. Of this the believer is never to be ashamed; rather, he is to glorify God in that very name. The word Christian was often flung as an insult in those days, a term of contempt for the followers of Jesus. Peter takes that insult and makes it a badge of honor. To be called a Christian, and to suffer for it, is not shame but glory, a name in which to praise God.

Hukumu Inaanza katika Nyumba ya MunguJudgment Begins at the House of God

Sasa Petro anayaweka mateso ya waamini katika mpangilio mpana zaidi na wa kutisha zaidi. "Kwa maana wakati umefika hukumu ianze katika nyumba ya Mungu; na ikianza kwetu sisi, mwisho wao wasioitii Injili ya Mungu utakuwaje? Na 'mwenye haki akiokolewa kwa shida, yule asiyemcha Mungu na mwenye dhambi ataonekana wapi?'" (1 Petro 4:17-18). Kuna maana ambayo kwayo majaribu yenyewe ya watu wa Mungu ni mwanzo wa kazi ya Mungu ya kuhukumu na kusafisha, nayo inaanza si na ulimwengu bali na nyumba yake mwenyewe. Mungu huwasafisha watu wake kwanza, akiwapitisha katika moto ili kuwafanya watakatifu. Hii si kuwakataa kwake bali ni usafishaji wake wa kibaba. Hata hivyo Petro anatoa hoja kutoka hapa kwenda kwenye onyo zito. Ikiwa hukumu inaanza na watoto wa Mungu mwenyewe, na ikiwa hata wenye haki wanaokolewa kama kupitia moto, kwa shida na kwa taabu, basi itakuwaje kwa wale wasioitii Injili? Asiyemcha Mungu na mwenye dhambi hatimaye ataonekana wapi? Mateso ya watakatifu ni makali, lakini yanaishia katika wokovu na utukufu; mwisho wa wasiotii ni wa kutisha zaidi sana. Wazo hili linamtuliza mwamini na pia kuwaonya waliopotea.Peter now sets the believers' suffering in a larger and more solemn frame. "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now 'If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?'" (1 Peter 4:17-18). There is a sense in which the very trials of God's people are the beginning of God's judging, refining work, and it begins not with the world but with His own household. God purifies His people first, putting them through the fire to make them holy. This is not His rejection of them but His fatherly purifying of them. Yet Peter reasons from this to a sobering warning. If judgment begins with God's own children, and if even the righteous are saved only as through fire, scarcely and with difficulty, then what will become of those who do not obey the gospel? Where will the ungodly and the sinner finally appear? The suffering of the saints is severe, but it ends in salvation and glory; the end of the disobedient is far more fearful. The thought both steadies the believer and warns the lost.

Mkabidhi Roho Yako Muumba MwaminifuCommit Your Soul to a Faithful Creator

Baada ya kusema hayo yote, Petro anayakusanya pamoja katika amri moja kuu. "Basi wale wanaoteswa kwa mapenzi ya Mungu na wamwaminie yeye roho zao katika kutenda mema, kama kwa Muumba mwaminifu" (1 Petro 4:19). Hapa ndipo jibu lote la mwamini kwa mateso, likiwa limekusanywa katika sentensi moja. Wale wanaoteswa kwa mapenzi ya Mungu — kwa maana wakati mwingine ni mapenzi ya Mungu kwamba watu wake wateseke — wanapaswa kufanya mambo mawili. Kwanza, wanapaswa kumwaminia roho zao Mungu, wakijikabidhi kabisa katika ulinzi wake badala ya kutegemea utetezi wao wenyewe au kutafuta kulipiza kisasi wenyewe. Neno hili linaonyesha amana iliyowekwa katika mikono inayoaminika. Pili, wanapaswa kuendelea kutenda mema, wakiendelea kuishi kwa haki na kwa upendo hata katikati ya maumivu yao, bila kuruhusu kamwe mateso yawafanye wenye uchungu au watenda dhambi. Na msingi wa tumaini hili lote ni tabia ya Yule wanayemwamini: Yeye ni Muumba mwaminifu. Mungu aliyewaumba hatawaangusha wala hatawaacha; Yeye hukilinda kile kilichokabidhiwa kwake. Kwa hiyo mwamini anayeteseka anaiweka roho yake yenyewe katika mikono ya Muumba aliye mwaminifu kabisa, na anaendelea kwa utulivu kutenda mema, akiwa na uhakika kwamba yuko salama.Having said all this, Peter draws it together into one grand command. "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19). Here is the whole response of the believer to suffering, gathered into a single sentence. Those who suffer according to the will of God — for it is sometimes God's will that His people suffer — are to do two things. First, they are to commit their souls to God, handing themselves over entirely to His safekeeping rather than trusting to their own defense or seeking their own revenge. The word pictures a deposit placed in trusted hands. Second, they are to keep doing good, continuing to live rightly and lovingly even in the middle of their pain, never letting suffering turn them bitter or sinful. And the ground of this whole trust is the character of the One they trust: He is a faithful Creator. The God who made them will not fail them or forsake them; He keeps what is committed to Him. So the suffering believer places his very soul into the hands of a Creator who is utterly faithful, and goes on quietly doing good, certain that he is safe.

Inafaa kwamba sehemu hii kuu juu ya mateso inaishia na neno Muumba. Mungu aliye na uwezo wa kuilinda roho ya mwamini ni Yule Yule aliyemuumba, na hakuna kitu chochote katika uumbaji wote kilicho nje ya ufikiaji au uangalizi wa Yule aliyekiumba. Basi, mwamini anajikabidhi si kwa bahati mbaya, si kwa bahati njema, wala hata kwa rafiki mwema tu, bali kwa Muumba mwenyezi na mwaminifu wa mbingu na nchi, ambaye hajawahi hata mara moja kuiangusha roho iliyowekwa mikononi mwake. Hapa ndipo ujasiri wa utulivu uliowabeba watu wa Mungu kupitia moto katika kila karne: liwalo na liwe, roho iliyokabidhiwa kwa Muumba mwaminifu iko salama kabisa, na mwamini amewekwa huru kuendelea kutenda mema bila hofu.It is fitting that this great section on suffering ends with the word Creator. The God who is able to keep the believer’s soul is the very One who made him, and nothing in all creation is beyond the reach or the care of the One who made it. The believer entrusts himself, then, not to fate, not to luck, not even merely to a kind friend, but to the almighty and faithful Maker of heaven and earth, who has never once failed a soul that was placed in His hands. Here is the quiet confidence that has carried God’s people through the fire in every century: come what may, the soul committed to a faithful Creator is utterly safe, and the believer is set free to go on doing good without fear.

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