UPilatu wayesemthatha uJesu, wamshaya. Amabutho aluka umqhele wameva awufaka ekhanda lakhe, amembathisa ingubo ebubende; aya kuye, athi: “Bayede, nkosi yabaJuda!” Ammukula.
UPilatu wabuye waphuma, wathi kubo: “Bhekani, ngimkhiphela kini, ukuze nazi ukuba angifumani cala kuye.” Wayesephuma uJesu ethwele umqhele wameva nengubo ebubende. Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Bhekani lo muntu!”
Bathi bembona abapristi abakhulu nezikhonzi, bamemeza bathi: “Mbethele, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
UPilatu wathi kubo: “Mthatheni nina, nimbethele esiphambanweni, ngokuba angifumani cala kuye.”
Kepha abaJuda bamphendula bathi: “Sinomthetho thina; ngalo mthetho ufanele ukufa, ngokuba ezenzile iNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
Kuthe uPilatu ezwa lelo zwi, kwayikhona esaba kakhulu, wabuye wangena enqabeni, wathi kuJesu: “Ungowaphi wena na?” Kepha uJesu kamphendulanga. Khona wathi uPilatu kuye: “Awukhulumi kimi na? Awazi ukuthi nginamandla okukukhulula, nginamandla futhi okukubethela esiphambanweni na?”
UJesu waphendula wathi: “Ngabe awunamandla neze phezu kwami, ukuba awuwanikwanga ngaphezulu. Ngalokho-ke onginikele kuwe unesono esikhulu.”
Ngalokho uPilatu wayefuna ukumkhulula. Kepha abaJuda bamemeza bathi: “Uma ukhulula lona, awusiye umhlobo kaKesari; osuka ezenza inkosi, umelene noKesari.”
Kuthe uPilatu esezwa lawo mazwi wamkhiphela ngaphandle uJesu; wahlala esihlalweni sokwahlulela endaweni ethiwa eGandaywe ngamatshe kodwa ngesiHeberu iGabatha. Kwakungolokulungisela iPhasika kungathi ihora lesithupha. Wathi kubaJuda: “Bhekani inkosi yenu.”
Ngakho bamemeza bathi: “Susa, susa, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Ngibethele inkosi yenu na?”
Abapristi abakhulu baphendula bathi: “Asinankosi, uKesari kuphela.”
Wayesemnikela kubo ukuba abethelwe esiphambanweni.
Bamthatha-ke uJesu, bahamba naye. Waphuma ezithwalele isiphambano, waya endaweni ethiwa iNdawo Yekhanda, ethiwa ngesiHeberu iGolgotha. Bambethela khona nabanye ababili kanye naye ngalapha nangalapha, uJesu ephakathi.
Kepha uPilatu waloba isaziso, wasibeka esiphambanweni. Kwakulotshiwe ukuthi: UJESU WASENAZARETHA, INKOSI YABAJUDA. Khona abaningi babaJuda bafunda leso saziso; ngokuba indawo leyo, lapho uJesu wabethelwa khona esiphambanweni, yayiseduze nomuzi. Kwakulotshiwe ngesiHeberu, nangesiRoma, nangesiGreki. Base bethi abapristi abakhulu babaJuda kuPilatu: “Ungalobi ukuthi: ‘Inkosi yabaJuda,’ kepha ukuba yena wathi: ‘NgiyiNkosi yabaJuda.’ ”
UPilatu waphendula wathi: “Engikulobile ngikulobile.”
Kuthe amabutho esembethele uJesu esiphambanweni, athatha izingubo zakhe, azenza izabelo ezine, kwaba yilelo nalelo butho laba nesabelo, neyembe futhi. Kepha iyembe lalingenamthungo, lalukiwe lonke kusukela phezulu.
Ngakho-ke akhuluma odwa, athi: “Asingalidabuli, kodwa asilenzele inkatho yokuthi liyakuba ngelikabani,” ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Babelana izingubo zami,
benzelana inkatho ngesambatho sami.”
Lokho-ke akwenza amabutho.
Kepha kwakumi ngasesiphambanweni sikaJesu unina kanye nodadewabo kanina, uMariya umkaKleyophase, noMariya Magdalena. Kuthe uJesu ebona unina nomfundi amthandayo bemi ngakhona, wathi kunina: “Mame, bheka indodana yakho.” Wayesethi kumfundi: “Bheka unyoko.” Kusukela kuleso sikhathi umfundi lowo wamyisa kwakhe.
Emva kwalokho uJesu, ekwazi ukuthi konke sekuphelelisiwe ukuba umbhalo ugcwaliseke, wathi: “Ngomile.” Kwakubekiwe khona isitsha sigcwele uviniga; khona bachoma ilula ligcwele uviniga othini lwehisopi,* baliyisa emlonyeni wakhe. Kwathi ukuba uJesu ewamukele uviniga, wathi: “Kufeziwe;” wagebisa ikhanda, wafa.
Khona abaJuda, ngokuba kwakungolokulungisela, ukuze izidumbu zingahlali esiphambanweni ngesabatha, ngokuba lolo suku lwesabatha lwalulukhulu, banxusa uPilatu ukuba yaphulwe imilenze yabo, basuswe. Ayeseza-ke amabutho, ayaphula imilenze yowokuqala neyomunye owayebethelwe naye. Esefika kuJesu, ebona ukuthi usefile, kawayaphulanga imilenze yakhe; kodwa elinye lamabutho lamgwaza ohlangothini ngomkhonto, kwaphuma masinyane igazi namanzi. Obonileyo ufakazile, ubufakazi bakhe buqinisile; yena-ke uyazi ukuthi ukhuluma iqiniso, ukuze nikholwe nani. Ngokuba lokho kwenzeka ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi: “Akuyikwaphulwa thambo lakhe.” Futhi omunye umbhalo uthi: “Bayakumbheka abamgwazileyo.”
Emva kwalokho uJosefa wase-Arimatheya, engumfundi kaJesu kepha ekufihla ngokwesaba abaJuda, wacela kuPilatu ukuba asuse isidumbu sikaJesu; uPilatu wavuma-ke. Wayesefika, wasisusa isidumbu sikaJesu. Kweza noNikodemu owafika kuye kuqala ebusuku, waletha ixube lenhlaka nomhlaba kungathi amalitra* ayikhulu. Ngakho base besithatha isidumbu sikaJesu, basisonga ngezindwangu zelineni kanye namakha njengesiko labaJuda lokumbela. Khona ngakuleyo ndawo, lapho wayebethelwe khona esiphambanweni, kwakukhona insimu, nasensimini kukhona ithuna elisha okwakungazange kubekwe muntu kulo. Bambeka lapho-ke uJesu ngenxa yolokulungisela lwabaJuda, ngokuba ithuna laliseduze.
Uhlelo Lokusebenza lweBhayibheli
Uhlelo Lokusebenza LweBhayibheli yezingane
