NgokukaJohane 12

12 ¹Ezinsukwini eziyisithupha ngaphambi kwePhasika, uJesu wafika eBethaniya, lapho kwakuhlala khona uLazaru, lowo uJesu ayemvuse ekufeni. ²Bamenzela khona isidlo sakusihlwa; uMarta wayephaka, uLazaru wayengomunye walabo ababehlezi naye etafuleni. ³UMariya wathatha amakha enadi acwengekileyo abiza kakhulu, cishe iphayinti, wagcoba izinyawo zikaJesu, wase ewesula ngezinwele zakhe. Indlu yagcwala iphunga elimnandi lawo amakha.

⁴Kodwa uJuda Iskariyothe, omunye wabafundi bakhe, lowo owayezomkhaphela, wathi: ⁵“Kungani la makha engathengiswanga ngemali elingana nomholo wonyaka, yabe isinikwa abampofu na?” ⁶Washo lokhu kungesikho ngokuba enendaba nabampofu, kodwa ngokuba wayeyisela, wayephethe ibhokisi lemali, ethatha okwakufakwa kulo.

⁷Ngakho uJesu wathi: “Myekeni. Ulondolozele lokhu usuku lokungcwatshwa kwami. ⁸Abampofu niyokuba nabo njalo phakathi kwenu, kodwa mina aniyikuba nami njalo.”

⁹Isixuku esikhulu samaJuda sezwa ukuthi uJesu ukhona, saye khona, kungengenxa yakhe yedwa kodwa nokubona uLazaru, ayemvuse kwabafileyo. ¹⁰Ngakho abapristi abakhulu baceba ukubulala noLazaru, ¹¹ngokuba ngenxa yakhe amaJuda amaningi ayesuka ekholwa nguJesu.

INkosi Ifika Igibele

¹²Ngangomuso, isixuku esikhulu esasize emkhosini sezwa ukuthi uJesu uyeza eJerusalema. ¹³Bathatha amagatsha esundu baphuma ukuyomhlangabeza, bememeza bethi: “Hosana! Ubusisiwe lowo oza egameni likaBaba wethu — iNkosi yakwa-Israyeli!” ^a a v13 U-Hosana usho ukuthi “Sindisa manje!” — yisimemezelo sesixuku esivela kumaHubo 118 lapho bamukela uJesu njengeNkosi ebilindelwe isikhathi eside.

¹⁴UJesu wafumana ithole lembongolo, waligibela, njengoba kulotshiwe ukuthi: ¹⁵“Ungesabi, ndodakazi yaseSiyoni; bheka, inkosi yakho iyeza, ihlezi phezu kwethole lembongolo.” ¹⁶Abafundi bakhe abazange bakuqonde lokhu ekuqaleni; kodwa kwathi uJesu esekhazimulisiwe, bakhumbula ukuthi lezi zinto zazilotshiwe ngaye, nokuthi babemenzele lezi zinto. ¹⁷Isixuku esasinaye lapho ebiza uLazaru ethuneni, emvusa kwabafileyo, saqhubeka sifakaza. ¹⁸Isixuku saphuma ukuyomhlangabeza ngokuba sasizwile ukuthi wayenze lesi sibonakaliso. ¹⁹Ngakho abaFarisi bathi omunye komunye: “Niyabona, anizuzi lutho — izwe lonke selimlandele.”

AmaGrikhi Afuna uJesu

²⁰Kwakukhona amaGrikhi athile phakathi kwalabo ababenyukele ukuyokhonza emkhosini. ²¹Laba beza kuFiliphu, owayevela eBhethisayida laseGalile, bamcela bethi: “Nkosi, sifuna ukubona uJesu.” ²²UFiliphu wahamba watshela u-Andreya; base behamba u-Andreya noFiliphu, batshela uJesu.

²³UJesu wabaphendula wathi: “Isikhathi sesifikile sokuba iNdodana yomuntu ikhazimuliswe. ²⁴Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kini: uma uhlamvu lukakolweni lungaweli emhlabathini lufe, luhlala lodwa; kodwa uma lufa, luthela izithelo eziningi. ²⁵Othanda ukuphila kwakhe uyakulahlekelwa yikho; kepha ozonda ukuphila kwakhe kuleli zwe uyokulondela ukuphila okuphakade. ²⁶Okhonza mina makangilandele, ukuze inceku yami ibe lapho ngikhona. Okhonza mina, uBaba uyakumhlonipha.”

²⁷“Manje umphefumulo wami ukhathazekile. Ngithini na — ‘Baba, ngisindise kulesi sikhathi’? Kodwa yingakho ngifikile kulesi sikhathi. Baba, khazimulisa igama lakho.”

²⁸Khona kwavela izwi livela ezulwini, lathi: “Sengilikhazimulisile, futhi ngiyakuphinda ngilikhazimulise.”

²⁹Isixuku esasimi lapho sakuzwa, sathi kwaduma izulu; abanye bathi kukhulume ingelosi kuye.

³⁰UJesu wathi: “Leli zwi lize ngenxa yenu, hhayi ngenxa yami. ³¹Manje sekuyisikhathi sokwahlulelwa kwaleli zwe; manje umbusi waleli zwe uyakuxoshwa. ³²Mina-ke, lapho ngiphakanyiswa emhlabeni, ngiyakudonsela bonke abantu kimi.”

³³Washo lokhu ebonisa ukuthi uyakufa ngukufa olunjani.

³⁴Isixuku samphendula sathi: “Thina sizwile emThethweni ukuthi uKhristu uhlala phakade. Ungasho kanjani ukuthi iNdodana yomuntu imelwe ukuphakanyiswa? Ingubani le Ndodana yomuntu na?”

³⁵Ngakho uJesu wathi: “Ukukhanya kusenani okwesikhashana nje. Hambani nisesenokukhanya, ukuze ubumnyama bunganibambi. Ohamba ebumnyameni akazi lapho aya khona. ³⁶Nisesenokukhanya, kholwani kukho ukukhanya, ukuze nibe ngabantwana bokukhanya.” Eseshilo lokhu, uJesu wamuka wacasha kubo.

Hambani Nisesenokukhanya

³⁷Nakuba wayenze izibonakaliso ezingaka phambi kwabo, nokho babengakholwa nguye,

³⁸ukuze ligcwaliseke izwi lika-Isaya umprofethi, alikhuluma, elithi: “Baba, ngubani okholwe umbiko wethu na? Futhi yembulelwe bani ingalo kaBaba wethu na?”

³⁹Yingakho babengakholwa, ngokuba u-Isaya waphinda wathi: ⁴⁰“Uphuphuthekisile amehlo abo wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yabo, ukuze bangaboni ngamehlo abo, bangaqondi ngenhliziyo yabo, bangaphenduki — ngibe sengibaphilisa.”

⁴¹U-Isaya washo lezi zinto ngokuba wabona inkazimulo kaJesu, wakhuluma ngaye. ^b b v41 UJohane usitshela ngokusobala: lapho u-Isaya ebona isihlalo sobukhosi ethempelini, amaserafi ememeza ethi “Ngcwele, ngcwele, ngcwele,” wayebona inkazimulo kaJesu. ⁴²Nokho, abaningi ngisho nakubabusi bakholwa nguye, kodwa abazange bakuvume ngenxa yabaFarisi, ukuze bangaxoshwa esinagogeni, ⁴³ngokuba babethanda inkazimulo evela ebantwini kunenkazimulo evela kuBaba wethu.

⁴⁴UJesu wamemeza wathi: “Okholwa yimi akakholwa yimi ngedwa, kodwa ukholwa nguye ongithumileyo. ⁴⁵Nobonayo mina ubona yena ongithumileyo. ⁴⁶Mina ngize ezweni ngiwukukhanya, ukuze kungabikho okholwa yimi ohlala ebumnyameni. ⁴⁷Uma umuntu ezwa amazwi ami engawagcini, mina angimahluleli — angizanga ukwahlulela izwe, kodwa ukusindisa izwe. ⁴⁸Ongalayo mina engawamukeli amazwi ami unomahluleli kakade: izwi lami engilikhulumileyo liyakumahlulela ngosuku lokugcina. ⁴⁹Angikhulumanga ngokwami; kodwa uBaba ongithumileyo yena ngokwakhe wangiyala ngalokho okumele ngikusho nokuthi ngikhulume kanjani. ⁵⁰Ngiyazi ukuthi umyalo wakhe uwukuphila okuphakade, ngakho ngikhuluma kuphela lokho uBaba angitshele ukuba ngikusho.”