Kwakukhona othile ogulayo, uLazaru waseBethaniya umuzi wakubo kaMariya nodadewabo uMarta. UMariya kwakunguye owagcoba iNkosi ngamafutha, wesula izinyawo zayo ngezinwele zakhe, omnewabo uLazaru wayegula. Ngakho-ke odadewabo bathumela kuye, bathi: “Nkosi, bheka, lo omthandayo uyagula.”
UJesu esekuzwile lokho wathi: “Lokhu kugula akusikho okokufa, kodwa kungenxa yenkazimulo kaNkulunkulu ukuba iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ikhazimuliswe ngakho.” Kepha uJesu wayebathanda oMarta nodadewabo noLazaru. Ngakho-ke kwathi ezwa ukuthi uyagula, wahlala futhi izinsuku ezimbili endaweni abe kuyo.
Emva kwalokho wathi kubafundi bakhe: “Asibuye, siye eJudiya.”
Abafundi bathi kuye: “Rabi, abaJuda basand' ukufuna ukukukhanda ngamatshe; usaya futhi khona na?”
UJesu waphendula wathi: “Awakho yini amahora ayishumi nambili emini na? Uma umuntu ehamba emini, akakhubeki, ngokuba ubona ukukhanya kwaleli zwe. Kodwa uma umuntu ehamba ebusuku, uyakhubeka, ngokuba kungekho ukukhanya kuye.”
Wakhuluma lokho; emva kwalokho wathi kubo: “ULazaru umhlobo wethu ulele, kepha ngiyahamba ukuba ngimvuse ebuthongweni.”
Abafundi bakhe base bethi kuye: “Nkosi, uma elele, uyakusinda.” Kepha uJesu wayekhuluma ngokufa kwakhe, kepha bona babethi ukhuluma ngokulala ubuthongo.
Ngakho-ke uJesu wathi kubo ngokuchachileyo: “ULazaru ufile; ngiyathokoza ngenxa yenu ukuthi bengingekho, ukuze nikholwe; kepha asiye kuye.”
Khona uTomase, othiwa uDidimu, wathi kubafundi abakanye naye: “Asihambe nathi, ukuze sife kanye naye.”
Kwathi-ke esefika uJesu, wamfumana esenezinsuku ezine ethuneni. IBethaniya laliseduze neJerusalema, kungaba ngamastadiyu* ayishumi nanhlanu. Abaningi kubaJuda babefikile koMarta noMariya ukubakhuza ngomnewabo. Ngakho uMarta esezwe ukuthi uJesu uyeza, waya ukumhlangabeza, kepha uMariya wahlala endlini.
Wayesethi uMarta kuJesu: “Nkosi, uma ubukhona, umnewethu nga engafanga; kepha ngiyazi nakalokhu ukuthi nokuba yini ongakucela kuNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uzakukunika khona.”
UJesu wathi kuye: “Umnewenu uzakuvuka.”
UMarta wathi kuye: “Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakuvuka ekuvukeni ngosuku lokugcina.”
UJesu wathi kuye: “Mina ngingukuvuka nokuphila; okholwa yimi, noma efa, wophila. Nalowo ophila, akholwe yimi, kasoze afa naphakade. Uyakholwa yilokho na?”
Wathi kuye: “Yebo, Nkosi, ngiyakholwa ukuthi wena unguKristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, obezakuza ezweni.”
Eseshilo lokho wamuka wabiza uMariya udadewabo ngasese, wathi: “UMfundisi ukhona, uyakubiza.” Yena-ke ekuzwa lokho wasuka masinyane, waya kuye. Kepha uJesu wayengakafiki emzini, kodwa wayesekuleyo ndawo uMarta amhlangabeza kuyo. AbaJuda ababesendlini naye bemkhuza, bebona uMariya esuka masinyane ephuma, bamlandela, bathi: “Uya ethuneni ukuba akhale khona.”
UMariya esefike lapho ekhona uJesu, embona, wawa ngasezinyaweni zakhe, wathi: “Nkosi, uma ubukhona, umnewethu nga engafanga.”
Ngakho uJesu embona ekhala, nabaJuda abafika naye bekhala, wabubula emoyeni, wakhathazeka; wathi: “Nimbekephi na?”
Bathi kuye: “Nkosi, woza ubone.”
UJesu wakhala izinyembezi.
Ngakho-ke abaJuda bathi: “Bheka, ukumthanda kwakhe okungaka.”
Kepha abanye kubo bathi: “Lo owavula amehlo empumputhe wayengekwenze yini ukuba yena lo angafi na?”
Ngakho uJesu, ebubula futhi phakathi kwakhe, wafika ethuneni. Lalingumhume, kwakukhona itshe phezu kwawo. Wathi uJesu: “Susani itshe.”
UMarta, udadewabo wofileyo, wathi kuye: “Nkosi, usenuka; ngokuba sezizine.”
UJesu wathi kuye: “Angishongo yini kuwe ukuthi uma ukholwa, uzakubona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu, na?”
Balisusa-ke itshe. Kepha uJesu waphakamisa amehlo, wathi: “Baba, ngiyakubonga ngokuba ungizwile. Bengazi mina ukuthi ungizwa njalo, kodwa ngenxa yesixuku esingiphahlileyo ngishilo lokho, ukuze bakholwe ukuthi nguwena ongithumileyo.”
Esekhulume lokho wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: “Lazaru, phuma.” Waphuma ofileyo eboshwe izinyawo nezandla ngezindwangu, ubuso bakhe bumboziwe ngeduku. UJesu wathi kubo: “Mthukululeni, nimyeke ahambe.”
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