UJesu nabafundi bakhe balele amalanga amathathu eBhethaniya basuka eJerikho. Ekuseni ngoMvulo, ngoNisan 10, batjhinga eJerusalema. UJesu ulambile. Nje-ke nakabona umuthi wamafeyi, utjhinga kiwo. Kghani akhona amafeyi?

Sekusekupheleni kwakaMatjhi, kodwana isikhathi samafeyi sithoma ngoJuni. Nanyana kunjalo, amakari aphumile, ahlume ngaphambi kwesikhathi. Kungebangelo uJesu acabanga ukuthi kunamafeyi. Nokho akawafumani. Amakari enze ngasuthi umuthi lo unamafeyi kanti awekho. Yeke uJesu uthi: “Kungasabi nomuntu odla isithelo kuwe bekube phakade.” (Markosi 11:14) Khonokho umuthi lo uthoma ukutjhwaba. Ukuthi lokho kutjho ukuthini kuzokuhlathululwa ngelanga elilandelako ekuseni.

Kungasikade uJesu nabafundi bakhe bayafika eJerusalema. Utjhinga ethempelini alihlolisise izolo ntambama. Namhlanjesi akagcini ngokulihlolisisa kwaphela; wenza into efana naleya ayenza eminyakeni emithathu edlulileko ngePhasika langomnyaka ka-30. (Jwanisi 2:14-16) Kilokhu uJesu uqotha “abathengisako nabathengako” ethempelini. Godu ugubuda “amatafula wabatjhentjha imali neenhlalo zabathengisa amajuba.” (Markosi 11:15) Akavumeli ngitjho nanyana ngubani ovela kwenye ingcenye yedorobho ophethe into bona afahle ethempelini.

Kubayini uJesu athatha amagadango aqine kangaka malungana nalabo abatjhentjha imali nabathengisa iinlwana ethempelini? Uthi: “Akukatlolwa na ukuthi, ‘Indlwami izokubizwa ngokuthi yindlu yokuthandaza yazo zoke iintjhaba’? Kodwana nina niyenze irholo labadlelezeli.” (Markosi 11:17) Ubiza abantwaba ngokuthi badlelezeli ngombana bazidurisa khulu iinlwana abantu okufuze bazithenge bona benze umhlatjelo. UJesu uqala into abayenzako le njengekohlakalo namkha ukudlelezela.

Njengombana kulindelekile, abaphristi abakhulu, abatloli neenkhulu zesitjhaba, bayezwa ukuthi uJesu wenzeni begodu baluka amano amatjha wokumbulala. Kodwana baqalene nomraro. Abazi ukuthi bangambulala njani, ngombana iinqubuthu zabantu zitjhinga kuye ziyomlalela.

AkusimaJuda wemvelo kwaphela eze ePhasikeni, kodwana kuze nabangasimaJuda abatjhugulukele ekolweni yobuJuda. Phakathi kwabo kunamaGirigi azokulotjha uZimu emnyanyeni lo. Aya kuFlebhe, mhlamunye adoswa kukuthi unebizo lesiGirigi, ayokubawa ukubona uJesu. Kungenzeka uFlebhe akaqiniseki ukuthi into ayibawako le ilungile, nje-ke uyikhuluma no-Andrisi. Ababilaba badlulisela isibawesi kuJesu, okubonakala ngasuthi usesethempelini.

UJesu uyazi ukuthi uzokuhlongakala emalangeni ambalwa azako, nje-ke lesi akusisikhathi sokuzifunela idumo namkha ukwanelisa abantu abanesifiso sokufuna ukwazi. Uphendula abapostoli ababilaba ngomfanekiso, uthi: “Sekusikhathi sokobana iNdodana yomuntu iphazinyuliswe. Ngiqinisile ngithi kini, ngaphandle kokuthi ithoro yekoroyi iwele phasi bese iyafa, ihlala iyithoro yinye; kodwana nayifako, izokuthela iinthelo ezinengi.”—Jwanisi 12:23, 24.

Ithoro yinye yekoroyi ingabonakala ingakaqakatheki kangako. Nokho, nayitjalwa ehlabathini bese “iyafa,” ingamila bese ngokukhamba kwesikhathi ibe sitjalo esineenthoro ezinengi. Ngokufanako, uJesu akanasono. Nanyana kunjalo, ngokuthembeka kwakhe kuZimu bekube sekufeni, uzokuba yindlela yokunikela ukuphila okungapheliko kwabanengi abanommoya wokuzidela njengaye. Ngalokho uJesu uthi: “Nanyana ngubani othanda ukuphila kwakhe uyakutjhabalalisa, kodwana nanyana ngubani ohloya ukuphila kwakhe ephasineli, uzokuvikela ukuze azuze ukuphila okungapheliko.”—Jwanisi 12:25.

UJesu akacabangi ngaye kwaphela, ngombana uthi: “Nangabe umuntu ufuna ukuba sisebenzi sami, akangilandele, begodu lapho ngikhona, kulapho nesisebenzi sami sizokuba khona. Nangabe umuntu ufuna ukuba sisebenzi sami, uBaba uzomdumisa.” (Jwanisi 12:26) Mvuzo omkhulu kwamambala loyo! Labo abadunyiswa nguBaba bazokubusa noKrestu emBusweni kaZimu.

Acabanga ngomtlhago omkhulu nokufa okubuhlungu azokuqalana nakho, uJesu uthi: “Njenganje ngitshwenyekile, kufuze ngithini? Baba, ngisindisa esikhathinesi.” Kodwana uJesu akafuni ukubalekela ukwenza intando kaZimu. Uyanaba uthi: “Nanyana kunjalo, kungebangeli ngize ephasini, ngizele isikhathesi.” (Jwanisi 12:27) UJesu uvumelana nakho koke uZimu akunqophileko, kuhlanganise nokufa kwakhe okumhlatjelo.

KungoMvulo ngoNisan 10, uJesu usethempelini ukhuluma ngokufa kwakhe okutjhidelako. Atshwenyeke ngendlela ibizo lakaZimu elizokuthinteka ngayo, uthi: “Baba, phazimulisa ibizo lakho.” Kuzwakala ilizwi elikhulu livela ezulwini lithi: “Ngiliphazimulisile begodu ngizoliphazimulisa godu.”—Jwanisi 12:27, 28.

Abantu abalapho bayarareka. Abanye bacabanga bona bezwe ukuduma kwezulu. Abanye bathi: “Ingilozi ikhulume naye.” (Jwanisi 12:29) Kodwana nguJehova abasand’ ukumuzwa akhuluma! Akusikokuthoma abantu bezwa ilizwi lakaZimu likhuluma ngoJesu.

Eminyakeni emithathu nesiquntu edlulileko, uJesu nakabhajadiswako, uJwanisi uMbhabhadisi wezwa uZimu athi ngoJesu: “Le yiNdodanami, engiyithandako, engiyamukeleko.” Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi, ngemva kwePhasika langomnyaka ka-32, uJesu watjhuguluka phambi kwakaJakopo, uJwanisi noPitrosi. Amadoda amathathu la ezwa uZimu athi: “Le yiNdodanami, engiyithandako, engiyamukeleko. Yilaleleni.” (Matewu 3:17; 17:5) Kodwana nje, ehlandleni lesithathweli, uJehova nakakhulumako abantu abanengi bayamuzwa.

UJesu uthi: “Ilizweli alikazwakali ngebanga lami, kodwana lizwakele ngebanga lenu.” (Jwanisi 12:30) Lifakazela ukuthi kwamambala uyiNdodana kaZimu, uMesiya owabikezelwako.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, ipilo kaJesu yokuthembeka itjengisa ukuthi abantu kufuze baphile njani begodu iqinisekisa ukuthi uSathana uDeveli, umbusi wephasi, kufuze atjhatjalaliswe. UJesu uthi: “Nje iphaseli liyahlulelwa begodu umbusi wephaseli uzokuqothwa.” Ukufa kwakaJesu okutjhidelako akutjho bona uhluliwe, kunalokho kutjho ukuthumba. Njani? Uyahlathulula: “Nje-ke mina nangiphakanyiswako ephasini, ngizokudosela yoke imihlobo yabantu kimi.” (Jwanisi 12:31, 32) Ngokufela kwakhe esigodweni, uJesu uzokudosela abantu kuye, abavulele indlela yokufumana ukuphila okungapheliko.

Isiqubuthu nasizwa uJesu akhuluma ‘ngokuphakanyiswa,’ sithi: “Sizwile emThethweni ukuthi uKrestu uzokuhlala ngokungapheliko. Utjho njani ukuthi iNdodana yomuntu kufuze iphakanyiswe? Ngubani iNdodana yomuntu le?” (Jwanisi 12:34) Naphezu kwabo boke ubufakazi, kuhlanganise nokuzwa ilizwi lakaZimu, inengi labo alifuni ukwamukela bona uJesu uyiNdodana yomuntu yamambala, uMesiya othenjisiweko.

Njengombana akhe watjho ngaphambilini, uJesu uthi ‘ukukhanya.’ (Jwanisi 8:12; 9:5) UJesu ukhuthaza isiqubuthu uthi: “Ukukhanya kuzokuba phakathi kwenu isikhatjhana. Khambani nisesenokukhanya, ukwenzela bona ubumnyama bunganihluli . . . Njengombana nisesenokukhanya, kholwani ekukhanyeni, bona nibe madodana wokukhanya.” (Jwanisi 12:35, 36) Ngemva kwalokho uJesu uyakhamba, ngombana uNisan 10 akusililanga ekufuze afe ngalo. Kufuze ‘aphakanyiswe’—abethelwe esigodweni—ngePhasika langoNisan 14.—Galatiya 3:13.

Nasicabanga ngomsebenzi kaJesu wephasini, kusemtarini ukuthi lokha amaJuda angafuni ukukholelwa kuye bekuzaliseka isiphorofido. U-Isaya waphorofida ukuthi amehlo wabantu azokuphophazwa, neenhliziyo zabo zizokuthundubazwa ukwenzela bona bangatjhuguluki balatjhwe. (Isaya 6:10; Jwanisi 12:40) Inengi lamaJuda libulandule ngekani ubufakazi bokuthi uJesu uMsindisi wawo othenjisiweko, indlela etjhinga ekuphileni.

UNikhodemusi, uJosefa we-Arimathiya, nabanye ababusi abanengi ‘bayamkholwa’ uJesu. Kodwana bazokwenza na ngokuvumelana nokukholwa kwabo? Namkha bazokufihla na ukukholwa kwabo ngombana basaba ukuqothwa esinagogeni namkha ngombana ‘bathanda iphazimulo yabantu’?—Jwanisi 12:42, 43.

UJesu uhlathulula ukuthi ukukholelwa kuye kubandakanyani, uthi: “Nanyana ngubani okholwa kimi akakholwa kimi kwaphela kodwana nakiloyo ongithumileko; begodu nanyana ngubani ongibonako ubona naloyo ongithumileko.” Amaqiniso uZimu ayale uJesu bona awafundise begodu ekungilawo uJesu awamemezelako aqakatheke kangangobana uthi: “Nanyana ngubani ongangihloniphi begodu angawamukeli amezwami, ukhona ozomahlulela. Ilizwi engilikhulumileko ngilo elizomahlulela ngelanga lamaswaphela.”—Jwanisi 12:44, 45, 48.

UJesu uphetha ngokuthi: “Angikakhulumi ngokuthanda kwami, kodwana uBaba ongithumileko nguye onginikele umyalo wokuthi khuyini ekufuze ngiyitjho begodu ngiyifundise. Ngiyazi nokuthi umyalwakhe utjho ukuphila okungapheliko.” (Jwanisi 12:49, 50) UJesu uyazi ukuthi msinyana uzokuphalaza iingazi zakhe zibe mhlatjelo wabantu abakholwa kuye.—Roma 5:8, 9.