📖 1 Petro — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 8: Toa Jibu la Utetezi📖 1 Peter Intensive — Unit 8: Make Your Defense

Somo: 1 Petro 3:8-17Text: 1 Peter 3:8-17

Wenye Nia Moja: Sura ya FamiliaOf One Mind: The Family Likeness

Baada ya kuwaambia raia, watumishi, wake na waume, sasa Petro analikusanya kanisa zima pamoja kwa neno kwa kila mtu. "Hatimaye, ninyi nyote mwe na nia moja, wenye kuhurumiana, wenye kupendana kama ndugu, wenye moyo wa huruma, wanyenyekevu" (1 Petro 3:8). Hapa kuna alama tano za sura ya familia kati ya waamini. Kuwa na nia moja ni kushiriki malengo yale yale na Bwana yule yule, mkivuta pamoja badala ya kupingana. Kuwa na huruma ni kuhisi pamoja na ndugu katika taabu yake. Kupendana kama ndugu ni kuwatendea waamini wenzetu kama familia ya kweli. Kuwa na moyo wa huruma ni kudumisha moyo laini na mwema badala ya moyo mgumu. Na kuwa wanyenyekevu ni kuwaonyesha wengine heshima ya unyenyekevu. Kanisa lililokuwa likiteswa na kutawanyika lingeweza kudumu tu ikiwa washiriki wake walishikamana kwa nguvu namna hii; na ndivyo ilivyo kwa kusanyiko lolote katika kizazi chochote.Having spoken to citizens, servants, wives, and husbands, Peter now gathers the whole church together with a word for everyone. "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous" (1 Peter 3:8). Here are five marks of the family likeness among believers. To be of one mind is to share the same goals and the same Lord, pulling together rather than against one another. To have compassion is to feel with a brother in his trouble. To love as brothers is to treat fellow believers as true family. To be tenderhearted is to keep a soft, kind heart rather than a hard one. And to be courteous is to show humble respect to others. A suffering, scattered church could survive only if its members held tightly to one another in this way; and the same is true of any congregation in any age.

Si kwa bahati kwamba Petro anaweka wito huu wa umoja kwanza, kabla hajasema lolote kuhusu kuwajibu watu wa nje. Kanisa lililogawanyika lenyewe kwa lenyewe halina ushuhuda unaoaminika kwa ulimwengu, kwa maana waamini wanaogombana huhubiri Injili ambayo hakuna atakayeiamini. Lakini kusanyiko lililounganishwa pamoja katika huruma na upendo wa kindugu linakuwa, kwa maisha yake yenyewe ya pamoja, hoja ya kwanza na iliyo bora zaidi kwa ajili ya ukweli wa Kristo. Ulimwengu unaotazama umeona dini nyingi zinazozaa kiburi na mgawanyiko; kile ambacho haujakiona mara nyingi ni jamii ambamo watu kwa kweli huchukuliana mizigo, husameheana, na humheshimu hata mshiriki aliye wa chini kabisa. Upendo wa namna hiyo unashangaza hasa kwa sababu ni adimu sana. Kwa hiyo kabla mwamini hajafungua kinywa chake kutoa sababu ya tumaini lake, maisha ya pamoja ya kanisa tayari yanasema.It is no accident that Peter places this call to unity first, before he speaks of answering outsiders at all. A church divided against itself has no credible witness to the world, for quarreling believers preach a gospel no one will believe. But a congregation knit together in compassion and brotherly love becomes, by its very life together, the first and best argument for the truth of Christ. The watching world has seen plenty of religion that breeds pride and division; what it has rarely seen is a community where people genuinely bear one another’s burdens, forgive one another, and treat the lowest member with honor. Such love is striking precisely because it is so rare. So before the believer ever opens his mouth to give a reason for his hope, the shared life of the church is already speaking.

Baraka Badala ya KisasiBlessing Instead of Revenge

Kutoka katika duara la familia Petro anageukia jinsi mwamini anavyowajibu wale wanaomkosea. "Watu wasiolipa ovu kwa ovu, wala laumu kwa laumu; bali wenye kubariki; kwa sababu mliitwa ili mrithi baraka" (1 Petro 3:9). Hili ni kinyume kabisa cha silika ya ulimwengu. Akipigwa, mtu wa asili hurudisha pigo; akitukanwa, hurudisha tusi na kuongeza zaidi. Lakini Mkristo ameitwa kuuvunja mnyororo huo. Hujibu ovu si kwa ovu bali kwa baraka, kama Bwana wake alivyofanya, ambaye alipotukanwa hakurudisha matukano. Na Petro anaongeza sababu ya kushangaza: waamini waliitwa kwa jambo hili, na kwa kuwabariki wengine wao wenyewe hurithi baraka. Yule anayevumilia jeraha na kurudisha mema hapotezi kitu mwishowe; anatarajia kupata baraka ya Mungu.From the family circle Peter turns to the believer's response to those who wrong him. "Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9). This is the very opposite of the world's instinct. When struck, the natural man strikes back; when insulted, he returns the insult with interest. But the Christian is called to break that chain. He answers evil not with evil but with blessing, exactly as his Lord did when, reviled, He did not revile in return. And Peter adds a striking reason: believers were called to this, and in blessing others they themselves inherit a blessing. The one who absorbs an injury and returns good for it loses nothing in the end; he stands to gain the blessing of God.

Siri ya Siku NjemaThe Secret of Good Days

Ili kuunga mkono jambo hili, Petro anarudi nyuma kwenye Agano la Kale na kunukuu Zaburi 34. "Atakaye kupenda maisha, na kuona siku njema, auzuie ulimi wake usinene mabaya, na midomo yake isiseme hila. Na aache mabaya, atende mema; atafute amani, aifuate sana. Kwa kuwa macho ya Bwana huwaelekea wenye haki, na masikio yake husikiliza maombi yao; bali uso wa Bwana ni juu ya watendao mabaya" (1 Petro 3:10-12). Njia ya maisha mema imeelezwa kwa hatua zilizo wazi. Inaanza na ulimi, kwa maana maovu mengi na amani nyingi hupita katika maneno yetu; yule atakaye kuona siku njema lazima kwanza auzuie usemi wake. Kisha lazima aache mabaya na kutenda mema kwa bidii, na asitamani amani tu bali aifuatilie sana. Nyuma ya haya yote kuna faraja kuu na onyo kuu: macho na masikio ya Bwana yameelekezwa kwa watu wake wenye haki, yakisikiliza maombi yao, huku uso Wake ukiwa juu ya wale wanaotenda maovu. Mwamini huishi, huteseka na huomba chini ya macho ya Mungu yanayomwangalia na kumjali.To support this, Peter reaches back to the Old Testament and quotes from Psalm 34. "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:10-12). The path to a good life is laid out in plain steps. It begins with the tongue, for much evil and much peace both pass through our words; the one who would see good days must first bridle his speech. Then he must turn from evil and actively do good, and he must not merely wish for peace but chase after it. Behind all of this stands a great comfort and a great warning: the eyes and ears of the Lord are turned toward His righteous people, attentive to their prayers, while His face is set against those who practice evil. The believer lives, suffers, and prays under the watchful, caring gaze of God.

Heri Katika Mateso, Huru Mbali na HofuBlessed in Suffering, Free from Fear

Petro anajua wasomaji wake wanaogopa, hivyo anazungumza moja kwa moja na hofu yao. "Tena ni nani atakayewadhuru, mkiwa wenye juhudi katika mema? Lakini mjapoteswa kwa ajili ya haki mna heri. Msiogope kutisha kwao, wala msifadhaike" (1 Petro 3:13-14). Kwa kawaida, maisha yaliyojitoa kutenda mema hupunguza uadui; ni wachache watakaomsumbua mtu aliye mwema na mnyoofu waziwazi. Lakini Petro ni mkweli: wakati mwingine wema huteseka hasa kwa sababu ya kuwa wema. Na kwa hilo anasema jambo la kushangaza — mtu anayeteseka hivyo si wa kuhurumiwa bali ana heri. Kuteseka kwa ajili ya haki ni kushiriki katika njia ya Kristo na kusimama chini ya upendeleo wa pekee wa Mungu. Kwa hiyo mwamini anawekwa huru mbali na mambo mawili yanayoulemaza moyo wenye hofu: hahitaji kuogopa vitisho vya adui zake, wala hahitaji kufadhaika ndani yake. Hofu ya mwanadamu inapoteza nguvu zake juu ya yule anayejua kwamba hata mateso yake yana heri.Peter knows his readers are afraid, so he speaks directly to their fear. "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled" (1 Peter 3:13-14). As a general rule, a life devoted to doing good disarms hostility; few will trouble the person who is plainly kind and upright. But Peter is realistic: sometimes the good do suffer precisely for being good. And to that he says something startling — such a sufferer is not pitiable but blessed. To suffer for righteousness' sake is to share in the path of Christ and to stand under the special favor of God. Therefore the believer is freed from the two things that cripple a frightened heart: he need not be afraid of his enemies' threats, and he need not be inwardly troubled. The fear of man loses its grip on the one who knows that even his suffering is blessed.

Mtakaseni Kristo Kuwa Bwana; Mwe Tayari Siku ZoteSanctify Christ as Lord; Always Be Ready

Sasa unakuja moyo wa kifungu hiki, na mojawapo ya mistari muhimu zaidi katika barua. "Bali mtakaseni Kristo kuwa Bwana mioyoni mwenu. Siku zote mwe tayari kumjibu kila mtu awaulizaye habari za tumaini lililo ndani yenu; lakini kwa upole na kwa hofu" (1 Petro 3:15). Angalia mpangilio, kwa sababu una maana. Kabla neno moja halijasemwa kwa mtu yeyote, jambo fulani lazima litokee ndani: mwamini anapaswa kumtakasa Bwana moyoni mwake — kumtenga Kristo kuwa Bwana, akimpa nafasi ya kwanza na ya juu kabisa. Ushuhuda wa midomo huanza na kiti cha enzi cha moyo. Ni yule tu aliyemtawaza Kristo kweli ndani yake atakayekuwa na jambo thabiti la kusema nje.Now comes the heart of the passage, and one of the most important verses in the letter. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15). Notice the order, because it matters. Before a single word is spoken to anyone, something must happen inside: the believer is to sanctify the Lord God in his heart — to set Christ apart as Lord, giving Him the first and highest place. The witness of the lips begins with the throne of the heart. Only the one who has truly enthroned Christ within will have anything steady to say without.

Kisha Petro anasema mwamini anapaswa kuwa "tayari kumjibu" — yaani kutoa jibu la utetezi. Neno linalotafsiriwa jibu la utetezi ndilo neno ambalo kutoka kwake tunapata neno la Kiingereza "apology" (apolojia), lakini halimaanishi kuomba msamaha; linamaanisha jibu lenye hoja, aina ya jibu ambalo mtu angetoa kujieleza au kujitetea. Kila mwamini — si mhubiri au msomi peke yake — anapaswa kuwa tayari kufanya hivi kwa "kila mtu awaulizaye." Na angalia wanachouliza: habari za tumaini lililo ndani yenu. Hili linaunganika na barua nzima. Mwamini ambaye maisha yake yamejaa tumaini thabiti na la furaha, hata katikati ya mateso na hasara, anakuwa swali linalotembea. Majirani wanaomtazama hawawezi kueleza jinsi mtu huyo anavyoendelea kutumaini wakati kila kitu kinachomzunguka kingeliponda tumaini, na mwishowe wanauliza sababu. Mwamini lazima awe tayari kuwaeleza — tayari kuelekeza mbali na nafsi yake kwa tumaini lililo hai, yaani Kristo.Then Peter says the believer is to be "ready to give a defense." The word translated defense is the word from which we get "apology," but it does not mean to say one is sorry; it means a reasoned answer, the kind a person would give to explain or defend himself. Every believer — not only the preacher or the scholar — is to be ready to do this for "everyone who asks." And notice what they ask about: the hope that is in you. This connects to the whole letter. A believer whose life is so full of a steady, joyful hope, even in the middle of suffering and loss, becomes a walking question. Watching neighbors cannot explain how such a person keeps hoping when everything around him would crush hope, and at last they ask the reason. The believer must be ready to tell them — ready to point past himself to the living hope that is Christ.

Lakini Petro ni mwangalifu vile vile kuhusu namna kama kuhusu kuwa tayari: jambo hili lifanyike "kwa upole na kwa hofu," au kama tunavyoweza kusema, kwa upole na heshima. Kweli lazima isemwe, lakini kamwe si kwa kiburi, dharau, au tamaa ya kushinda mabishano na kumponda muulizaji. Jibu la ukali, hata likiwa sahihi kiasi gani, huwafukuza watu mbali na Kristo badala ya kuwaleta Kwake. Namna lazima ilingane na ujumbe. Kwa hiyo mwamini hujibu kwa upole, kwa unyenyekevu na kwa uchaji, akikumbuka kwamba hajitetei yeye mwenyewe bali anamsifu Bwana wake, na kwamba lengo si kushinda mjadala bali kuivuta roho.But Peter is just as careful about the manner as the readiness: it is to be done "with meekness and fear," or as it may be put, with gentleness and respect. The truth must be spoken, but never with arrogance, contempt, or a desire to win an argument and crush the questioner. A harsh defense, however correct, drives people away from Christ rather than toward Him. The manner must match the message. So the believer answers gently, humbly, and reverently, remembering that he is not defending himself but commending his Lord, and that the goal is not to win a debate but to win a soul.

Dhamiri Njema Inayonyamazisha MasingizioA Good Conscience That Silences Slander

Mwishowe Petro anaunganisha neno lililo tayari na maisha matakatifu ambayo lazima yaambatane nalo. "Mkiwa na dhamiri njema; ili katika neno lile mnalosingiziwa, watahayarishwe wale wanaoutukana mwenendo wenu mwema katika Kristo. Kwa maana ni afadhali kuteswa kwa kutenda mema, ikiwa ndivyo atakavyo Mungu, kuliko kwa kutenda mabaya" (1 Petro 3:16-17). Jibu la utetezi linalotolewa kwa midomo huaminiwa tu linapoungwa mkono na dhamiri njema na maisha mema. Wasingiziaji wanapomshtaki mwamini kuwa mtenda mabaya, na bado kila mtu anaweza kuona kwamba mwenendo wake ni mwema waziwazi, mashtaka hayo huanguka na washtaki wenyewe huaibishwa. Na Petro anamalizia kwa kanuni ambayo imewaimarisha Wakristo tangu wakati huo: ikiwa mateso lazima yaje, ni afadhali sana kuteswa kwa kutenda mema kuliko kwa kutenda mabaya. Kuteseka kwa kutenda maovu huleta aibu tu; kuteseka kwa ajili ya haki huleta baraka ya Mungu na dhamiri safi ambayo hakuna masingizio yanayoweza kuigusa. Kwa hiyo mwamini anaujibu ulimwengu wenye uadui pande mbili kwa wakati mmoja — neno lililo tayari na la upole kuhusu tumaini lake, na dhamiri njema ambayo hakuna shtaka linaloweza kuipindua.Finally Peter ties the ready word back to the holy life that must accompany it. "Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:16-17). A defense made with the lips is only believed when it is backed by a good conscience and a good life. When slanderers accuse a believer of being an evildoer, and yet everyone can see his conduct is plainly good, the accusation collapses and the accusers themselves are put to shame. And Peter closes with a principle that has steadied Christians ever since: if suffering must come, it is far better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. To suffer for wrongdoing brings only disgrace; to suffer for righteousness brings the blessing of God and a clear conscience that no slander can touch. So the believer answers a hostile world on two fronts at once — a ready, gentle word about his hope, and a good conscience no accusation can overturn.

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