Tiriso ya Lore mo ketapeleng le mo tumelong: Thuto e khutshwane mo bokaong jwa Mokgatlho wa Banna ba efangele mo kerekeng ya Tshatshe (English Version included)

 

 

Erile ke lemoga gore jaaka moetapele wa mokgatlo wa efangeli mo kerekeng e e katolika, kereke ya Tshatshe, tiro yame e bokete ntle le sedirisiwa sengwe, eleng lore kgotsa yone thobane e e dirisetswang go kaela ba re ba eteletsengpele. Ka bona gole matshwanedi gore ke leke go ka tlhalosa le go ruta ka ga botlhokwa le bokao jwa Lore mo ketapeleng ya tumelo.

 

Pono yame mo thutong e e itshigeditse thata mo dikwalong le dithuto tsa beibele e e boitshepo le sedumedi, mme e lebelele le bokao jwa seno ka leitlho la seAforika, segolothata mo go tsa ketapele mo malobeng le mo segompijenong. Kgangkgolo e le gore, ke lebeletse ka tlhoafalo tsela e dikereke le mekgatlo ka go farologana ga yone e dirisang lore kgotsa dithobane le mefuta emeng ya dithupa le dithupana. Potso e le gore, a na dithupa le dithupana tse, bokao jwa tsone ke eng, a gongwe ke go supa gore botlhe ba ba ditshotseng ke baetapele, kgotsa gongwe go kaya gore re tsile tlhabanong, kgotsa tlhaloso ngwe fela?

 

Karabo ya potso e ereng ‘a fa botlhe ba tshwere dithupa le dithupana go kaya gore botlhe ke baetapele na?’, re e bona mo puisanong yame e e potlana le mokwadi le moitseanape mo go tsa setso le ngwao Rre Sethunya Moss Kgafela, yo o re rayang are "go na le pharologanyo magareng ga motho yo eleng moeteledipele le yo e leng moetapele". Thuto ya ga Rre Kgafela e re ruta gore “moeteledipele ke motho kgotsa batho ba ba romiwang go etelelapele loeto lwa baeng kgotsa moeng yo e kabong e le moetapele kgotsa motho wa maemo a a kwa godimo” (S.M. Kgafela. 15/12/2025). Sekao sa gagwe se setswang mo Beibeleng e e boitshepo se tswa mo efangeleng e e kwadilweng ke ngaka Luka moitshepi, kgaolo ya lesome, temana ya ntlha fa a re raya are, “Jeso o ne a romela barutwa ba le masome a supa le bobedi go mo etelela pele, ba le babedi ka bobedi, kwa metseng le mafelo a a neng a ikaeletse go a etela. Boikaelelo jwa bone e ne e le go dira jaaka baeteledipele, ba baakanyetsa batho molaetsa le loeto lwa ga Jesu” (Luke 10:1). Luka o re raya gape mo kgaolong ya borobongwe, temana ya some a matlhano le bobedi are “Jesu o romela barongwa kwa pele go tsena mo motsaneng mongwe wa Basamarea go ipaakanyetsa go goroga ga gagwe” (Luke 9:52). Mme thuto e fa e tswelela pele e re ruta gore “moetapele ke motho yo o eteletseng pele morafe, setlhopha kgotsa setheo se se rileng, Beibele e e boitshepo e re ruta ka bontsi jwa batho ba mofuta o, go simolola kwa testamenteng e kgologolo goya kwa go e ntshwa, bangwe ba bone ba akaretsa Mose, Josua, Samuele, Esera, Nehemia, Paulo, le ene Keresete Jesu morwa Modimo, le babangwe. Mo thutong e, re ka tseya gore rona mo mokgatlong warona wa efangele, go dumelesegile gore bakaulengwe ba ka tshwara dithobane kgotsa dithupa le dithupana tsa bone jaaka baeteledipele, ba eteletswepele ke moetapele kgotsa baetapele ba setheo, kgangkgolo e le gore ’lebone mo isagong bakabo ba tsogile e le baetapele’, setso le ngwao di re ruta gore “Lore lo ojwa lo sa le metsi”, seo se raya gore ”ngwana o rutwa molao kgotsa tsela a sa le monnye”.

 

Ka jalo re tlhoka gore re ka tlhatlhoba bokao jwa Lore mo ketapeleng, fa re dirisa hisetori, re tla lemoga gore ‘tiriso ya thobane kgotsa Lore jaaka letshwao la maatla le taolo, e simolotse bogologolo go feta bokao jo bo gagametseng jwa Bokeresete’, ke kagonne bokeresete bo simolotse moragorago goya ka testament entshwa. Mo beibeleng ya Sehebere, thobane ya ga Moshe (kgotsa "thobane ya Modimo") e ne e le sedirisiwa sa taolo le maatla a bomodimo se se neng se dirisiwa go dira dikgakgamatso, jaaka go kgaoganya Lewatle le Lehibidu le go ntsha metsi go tswa mo lefikeng (Ekesodu 14:21-29 le Ekesodu 17:5-7). Gape thobane ya ga Arone e ne e dirisiwa jaaka sesupo sa boeteledipele jwa gagwe jo a bo tlhopetsweng ke Modimo. Bofaro le Badiredibagolo ba Egepeto wa bogologolo le bone bane ba dirisa dithobane jaaka letshwao la taolo le puso ya segosi, le badiredibagolo ba bone ba maemo a a kwa godimo le bone ba ne ba tshwara dithobane go bontsha maemo a bone a ketapele. Le mo setsong le ngwao ya seAforika, bagolwane ba Setšhaba sa Kikuyu gotswa kwa nageng ya Kenya, ba ne ba rwala dithobane (muthigi) e le letshwao la konokono la boeteledipele mo lekgotleng la setšhaba (Kiama). Mo go Numeri kgotsa buka ya Dipalo kgaolo ya some le bosupa (Numbers 17), Modimo o ne a laela Moshe gore moeteledipele mongwe le mongwe wa lotso (go akaretsa le Arone) a tle le thobane, fela e ne ya nna thobane ya ga Arone fela e e neng ya tlhoga ka kgakgamatso, ya thunya le go ungwa thamane, e leng se se neng se tlhomamisa taolo ya gagwe ya boperesiti le boetapele, sekao ele gore ‘ga se botlhe ba ba rweleng dithobane eleng baetapele, le gore thobane e tlhomologile e bile e boitshepo’. Re ka adima gape mo ngwaong ya Aforika ya go fetela kwa bonneng, bogolosegolo mabapi le dingwao tsa baSotho, amaXhosa le Batswana, gore “kwa bokhutlong jwa thulaganyo le loeto lwa go bolola, monna mongwe le mongwe o tla rwala thobane ya gagwe go ya kwa gae, e e rwalang matla a a rileng ka ntlha ya go bo e baakanyeditswe tiriso ya yona e e rileng ka tsela e e kgethegileng, ke ene fela. E ka bo e baakantswe goya ka dithapelo tsa se kreste kgotsa tse dingwe tsa se Aforika. Bokao le thuto ya e ke gore ‘go gatelelwa ga Baiseraele gore ba nne le thobane mo seatleng fa ba tswa kwa Egepeto go ne go na le dikarolo tse pedi tse dikgolo tse di botlhokwa mo go yone. Ya ntlha ene ele gore ‘Lore e ne e le letshwao la moeng yo o neng a tsamaya’, lwa bodebi ene ele gore ‘e ne e le sesupo se se bonalang sa matla a Modimo ka nako ya khudugo le loeto lwa sekaka’.

 

Mme, go botlhokwa gore thobane e bo e le e e segofaditsweng, e e neelwang moetapele ke ba ba nang le dithata tse di maleba. Fela jaaka mo segonpienong re ka dirisa Lore kgotsa thobane e e neelwang boBishopo kgotsa bangwe ba ba eteletseng dikereke pele. Babishopo le Babishopo ba Bagolo ba newa crozier ka nako ya fa ba tlhomiwa mo bobishopong jaaka letshwao la seabe sa bone jaaka "badisa ba letsomane la Modimo mo loetong jwa botshelo le bodumedi", fela jaaka Dafita a ne a disa letsomane lwa ga rragwe, mme le Keresete yo o disitseng letsomane lwa Modimo. Baitsedikwalo fa ba tlhalosa bokao jwa Lore lwa baBishopo bare “Ntlha e e gokeletsweng ka tlwaelo e diretswe go gogela dinku morago mo lesakeng, šafote e e tlhamaletseng e emela puso e e siameng, mme ntlha e e motsu ke go "tlhoma ba ba okaokang le ba ba botshwakga". Fa Dafita a ya go tlhabana le monna wa mo filisita, mokwadi wa buka ya ga Samuele o re raya are “Go tswa foo o ne a tsaya thobane ya gagwe ka seatla, a tlhopha maje a matlhano a a borethe mo molapong, a a tsenya mo kgetsaneng ya kgetsi ya gagwe ya modisa mme, a tshotse setlhako sa gagwe ka seatla, a atamela Mofilisitia yono” (1 Samuel 17:40).

 

Ka jalo “Lore lo botlhokwa thata mo ketapeleng, ebile go botlwakwa gofeta gore Lore lo o lo abe lo segofaditswe ka thata ya Modimo”, gonne yo o tla lo dirisang o abo a filwe thata ya go etela letsomane lwa Modimo pele, ka matla a a tswang kwa Modimong.  

 

   

When I realized that as the leader of an evangelical organization in the church, the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism guild of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, my job was difficult without a tool, a stick or staff used to guide those we lead. I thought it appropriate to try to explain and teach about the importance and meaning of a Staff in the faith.

 

My view on this study is based heavily on the scriptures and teachings of the Holy Bible and religion, and looks at the meaning of this from an African perspective, especially in terms of leadership in the past and present. The bottom line is, I have been watching closely the way various churches and organizations use sticks and other items which appears to be weapons in one form or another, including sjamboks or whips. The question that arises in the context of the faith is “what do these mean, is it to show that all those who carry them are leaders, or is it to mean that we have come to war or perhaps any other meaning or symbolism”?

 

In my short conversation with one of the prominent authors and expert in African tradition and the Tswana culture Mr. Sethunya Moss Kgafela, we find the answer to the question that says 'does everyone holding sticks mean that everyone is a leader?', in his teaching Mr. Kgafela argues that "there is in fact a difference between a leader and disciples or messengers”, he teaches us that “a disciple or messenger is a person or persons sent to lead a visitor's journey, often a leader or person of high importance” (S.M. Kgafela. 15/12/2025). As a believer in faith, he directs us to an example in the Holy Bible that can be found in the Gospel according to Saint Luke the physician, chapter 10, verse 1, where he tells us, “Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go” (Luke 10:1). Luke also tells us in chapter nine, verse fifty-two that “Jesus sent messengers ahead to enter a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival” (Luke 9:52), we shall call this “the journey of Jesus” and revisit the question of a journey at a later stage. But the doctrine goes on to teach us that “a leader is a person who leads a nation, group or institution”. yes, we can conclude that we in our evangelical organization, it is permissible for brothers to hold sticks and their rods as messengers of God in spreading the Gospel, led by the leader or leaders of the institution or organisation. To this we also borrow from an African wisdom that says “Lore lo ojwa losale metsi”, meaning “a child is taught a law or way at an early age”, this is important in our succession efforts and building of the organisation, building the confidence of those that are in the fold and allowed the space and freedom to grow, the Bible tells us that at age of twelve Jesus the Christ was already leaning the way.

 

We therefore, need to examine the meaning of the Staff (Lore) using history, we will see that 'the use of the rod or Lore as a symbol of power and authority dates back earlier than the strict meaning of Christianity and the faith in general, because religion and Christianity originated after the New Testament, whilst in history many have practiced the use of the rod as a symbol of leadership. In the Hebrew bible, Moses' rod (or "God's rod") was an instrument of divine authority and power used to perform miracles, such as parting the Red Sea and bringing forth water from a rock (Exodus 14:21-7:29 and Exodus 7:29). Aaron's rod was also used as a symbol of his God-appointed leadership. Pharaoh and Egyptian Officials in ancient times, they too used scepters as a symbol of authority and royalty, and their high officials also held scepters to show their position of leadership. Even in African culture and tradition, the elders of the Kikuyu Community from Kenya, carried sticks (muthigi) as the main symbol of leadership in the community council (Kiama). In Numbers chapter 17, God commanded Moses that each tribal leader (including Aaron) bring a rod, but it was only Aaron's rod that miraculously grew, blossomed and produced the first crop. This means that “not all who carry sticks are leaders” and that the rod is unique and sacred. We can also borrow from the African tradition of passage to manhood, particularly in respect of the baSotho, amaXhosa and Batswana traditions, that “at the end of the initiation process, each man will carry home their own stick, which carries particular powers as a result of being uniquely prepared for their specific use, it may be through prayers, praises of African practices of one sort or another”. The meaning and lesson of the story is that ‘the insistence of the Israelites to have a rod in their hand when they left Egypt had two main important aspects to it. The first one was that 'the rod was a sign of the traveler', the second one was that 'it was a visible sign of God's power during the exodus and wilderness journey', in other words “for a journey of faith and life, a special rod that carries the powers of one’s belief is significant.

 

The most important element in all of this is that ‘the scepter is a blessed one, given to the leader by those with the appropriate authority’. Just as today we can use the rod given to Bishops or other church leaders. Bishops and Archbishops are given a crozier at the time of their ordination to the bishopric as a symbol of their role as "shepherds of the flock of God on the journey of life and religion", just as David shepherded his father's flock, and so does Christ who shepherds the flock of God. Explaining the meaning of the Bishop's Rod, scholars say “The attached end is usually used to pull the sheep back into the fold, the straight shaft represents good government, and the pointed end is to appoint the hesitant and lazy”. The Bible tells us that “David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his shepherd’s bag and, with his boot in his hand, approached the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:40).

 

Therefore, “the rod is very important in the faith, and it is more important that the rod that the leader carries is blessed with the power of God, because the one who will use it is given the power to lead God's flock, with the power from God.

Kgosi writes in his capacity as both an individual, a believer and leader in the Church, specifically as the Vice President of the Church guild in question.