Isahluko 124
Uyanikelwa Aze Arholwe Kumkiwe Naye
XA UPILATO, eshukunyiswe yindlela uYesu azole ngayo ngoxa bemthuthumbisa, ezama ukumkhulula kwakhona, ababingeleli abakhulu bacaphuka ngakumbi. Bazimisele ukungavumeli nantoni na iphazamisane nenjongo yabo engendawo. Ngoko baqala phantsi ukunkqangaza besithi: “Mbethelele emthini! Mbethelele emthini!”
UPilato uphendula athi, “Mthabatheni nina nimbethelele emthini.” (Ngokuchasene nezityholo zabo zangaphambilana, amaYuda asenokuba nalo igunya lokuzigwebela ukufa izaphuli-mthetho ngenxa yamatyala anzulu angokonqulo.) Ngoko, ubuncinane okwesihlandlo sesihlanu, uPilato umvakalisa uYesu engenatyala, esithi: “Andifumani tyala kuye.”
AmaYuda, ebona ukuba izityholo zawo ezingokobupolitika aziphumelelanga, abuyela kwisityholo esingokonqulo sokunyelisa abesisebenzisile kwiiyure ezingaphambilana xa ebevavanya ityala likaYesu kwiNtlanganiso Yamatyala. Athi, “Thina sinomthetho, ngomthetho wethu ke ufanele ukufa, ngokuba ezenze unyana kaThixo.”
Esi isityholo uPilato uyaqala ukusiva, yaye simbangela ukuba oyike ngakumbi. Ngoku uyaqonda ukuba uYesu akangomntu nje oqhelekileyo, kwananjengokuba iphupha lomfazi wakhe namandla angummangaliso obuntu bukaYesu ebonisa. Kodwa ngaba ‘unguNyana kaThixo’? UPilato uyazi ukuba uYesu uvela kwelaseGalili. Kanti, ngaba kunokwenzeka ukuba wayekhe waphila ngaphambili? Ebuyela naye kwibhotwe, uPilato uyabuza: “Ungowaphi na wena?”
UYesu akakhuphi nelimdaka. Ngaphambilana ebemxelele uPilato ukuba ungukumkani, kodwa uBukumkani bakhe abuyonxalenye yeli hlabathi. Akukho nkcazelo ngoku ibhekele phaya inokufeza injongo ethile entle. Noko ke, ukungaphenduli kwakhe kumphatha emanyeni uPilato, ibe unyukelana noYesu ngala mazwi: “Akuthethi na kum? Akwazi na ukuba ndinegunya lokukukhulula nokuba ndinegunya lokukubethelela emthini?”
Ebonakalisa intlonelo uYesu uphendula athi, “Unge ungenagunya nakanye kum, ukuba ubungalinikwanga livela phezulu.” Ubhekisela ekuvumeleni kukaThixo abalawuli abangabantu ukuba balawule imicimbi yasemhlabeni. UYesu wongezelela athi: “Ngenxa yoko, ondinikeleyo kuwe unesono esikhulu ngakumbi.” Eneneni, umbingeleli omkhulu uKayafa nabancedisi bakhe noYuda Sikariyoti bonke banetyala elikhulu kunoPilato ngenxa yempatho embi efunyanwa nguYesu.
Echukumiseke ngakumbi nguYesu ibe esoyika ukuba uYesu usenokuba unemvelaphi engokobuthixo, kwakhona uPilato wenza imigudu yokumkhulula. Noko ke, amaYuda ayamgxeka uPilato. Aphinda isityholo sawo esingokobupolitika, ngobuqhophololo egrogrisa esithi: “Ukuba uthe wamkhulula lo, akusihlobo sikaKesare. Bonke abazenza ukumkani bachasa uKesare.”
Phezu kwazo nje ezi zityholo zinzulu, uPilato uphuma noYesu kwakhona. Aze kwakhona ababongoze esithi, “Nanko! uKumkani wenu! ”
“Susa! Susa! Mbethelele emthini!”
Ngelokuncama uPilato ubuza oku, “Ndimbethelele emthini na uKumkani wenu?”
AmaYuda aye atsala nzima phantsi kolawulo lwamaRoma. Enyanisweni, ayalucekisa ulawulo lweRoma! Kanti, ngokuhanahanisa, ababingeleli abakhulu bathi: “Thina asinakumkani ungenguye uKesare.”
Esoyikela isikhundla sakhe sobupolitika nodumo lwakhe, ekugqibeleni uPilato uyanikezela koko kufunwa ngamaYuda ngokungayekeleliyo nangokugrogrisa. Uyamnikela uYesu. Amasoldati amhluba uYesu ingubo ebomvu aze amambathise iingubo zakhe zokwaleka. Njengoko uYesu erholwa ukuya kubethelelwa, uthwaliswa umthi wakhe wentuthumbo.
Ngoku kusebudeni bentsasa yangoLwesihlanu, ngoNisan 14; mhlawumbi sele kuza kuba semini emaqanda. UYesu akakhange alale ukususela ekuseni ngoLwesine, ibe ebengcungcuthekiswa okokoko. Ngesizathu esiqondakalayo, kungekudala uphelelwa ngamandla okuthwala lo mthi unzima. Ngoko umhambi, umntu othile ogama linguSimon waseKirene eAfrika, unyanzelwa ukuba amthwalele wona. Njengoko beqhubeka behamba, kulandela inkitha eninzi yabantu kuquka abafazi abaninzi abambambazelelayo belilela uYesu.
Eguqukela kwabo bafazi, uYesu uthi: “Zintombi zaseYerusalem, musani ukundililela mna; kanye, zilileleni nina, nabantwana benu; ngokuba, yabonani, kuza imihla abaya kuthi ngayo, Banoyolo abaziindlolo, nezizalo ezingazalanga namabele anganyisanga. Oko baya kuqala bathi ezintabeni, Siweleni nasezindulini, Sigubungeleni. Ngokuba ukuba benza ezi zinto komanzi umthi, kuya kuba njani na kowomileyo?”
UYesu ubhekisela kumthi wohlanga lwamaYuda, osenentwana yobomi kuwo ngenxa yokuba uYesu nentsalela ekholelwayo kuye besekho. Kodwa xa bonke aba besusiwe kolo hlanga, kuya kusala kuphela umthi ofileyo ngokomoya, ewe, intlangano yohlanga olungenaziqhamo. Hayi indlela ekuya kubangela isijwili ngayo oku xa imikhosi yamaRoma, esetyenziswa njengabaphumezi bomgwebo kaThixo, iya kuluphanzisa uhlanga lwamaYuda! Yohane 19:6-17, NW; 18:31; Luka 23:24-31; Mateyu 27:31, 32; Marko 15:20, 21.
▪ Sisiphi isityholo iinkokeli zonqulo ezimbeka sona uYesu xa izityholo zazo ezingobupolitika zingaphumeleli?
▪ Yintoni ebangela ukuba uPilato oyike ngakumbi?
▪ Ngoobani abanesono esikhulu ngakumbi ngoko kwenzeka kuYesu?
▪ Ekugqibeleni, baphumelela njani ababingeleli ukwenza uPilato anikele uYesu ukuze abulawe?
▪ UYesu ubaxelela ntoni abafazi abamlilelayo, yaye uthetha ukuthini xa ebhekisela kumthi ‘njengomanzi’ nokuthi “owomileyo”?