UPilatu wayesemthatha uJesu, wambhaxabula. Amabutho ayeluke umqhele wameva, awufaka ekhanda lakhe, amembathisa ingubo ebukhwebezane, aya kuye, athi: “Bayede, nkosi yabaJuda!”
Ammukula. UPilatu waphuma futhi, wathi kubo: “Niyabona-ke, ngimnikela kini, ukuba nazi ukuthi mina angifumananga cala kuye.”
Wayesephumela ngaphandle uJesu ethwele umqhele wameva, embethe nengubo ebukhwebezane. Wayesethi kubo: “Nangu-ke lo muntu!”
Kwathi ukuba abaphristi abakhulu nezikhonzi bambone, bamemeza, bathi: “Mbethele, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
UPilatu wathi kubo: “Mthatheni nina, nimbethele esiphambanweni, ngokuba mina angifumani cala kuye.”
AbaJuda bamphendula, bathi: “Sinomthetho thina; ngokwalo mthetho ufanele ukuba afe, ngokuba uzenze iNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
Kuthe lapho uPilatu ezwa leli lizwi, wesaba kakhulu, wabuye wangena endlini yokwehlulela, wathi kuJesu: “Ungowaphi wena na?”
Kepha uJesu akamphendulanga. UPilatu wayesethi kuye: “Kungani ungakhulumi nami na? Awazi yini ukuthi mina nginegunya lokukukhulula, negunya lokukubethela esiphambanweni na?”
UJesu waphendula, wathi: “Ngabe awunalo igunya phezu kwami, ukuba awulinikwanga ngaphezulu. Ngakho-ke onginikele kuwe, nguyena onesono esikhulu.”
Ngenxa yalokhu, uPilatu wayefuna ukumkhulula, kodwa abaJuda bamemeza, bathi: “Uma umkhulula lo muntu, awusiye umngani kaKhesari. Noma ngubani ozenza inkosi, umelene noKhesari.”
Ngakho-ke uPilatu esezwile lawo mazwi, wamkhiphela ngaphandle uJesu. Wahlala esihlalweni sokwehlulela endaweni okuthiwa: “EGandaywe Ngamatshe,” ngesiHebheru okuthiwa iGabhatha. Kwakulusuku lokulungiselela iPhasika, cishe sekuyihora lesithupha. UPilatu wathi kubaJuda: “Nansi-ke, inkosi yenu.”
Kepha bamemeza, bathi: “Msuse, msuse, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Ngibethele inkosi yenu na?”
Abaphristi abakhulu baphendula, bathi: “Asinayo inkosi, kuphela uKhesari.”
Wayesemnikela kubo ukuba abethelwe esiphambanweni.
Bamthatha-ke, bahamba naye. Ezithwalele isiphambano, bahamba naye, baya endaweni okuthiwa iNdawo Yekhanda, ngesiHebheru okuthiwa iGolgotha. Bambethela lapho nabanye ababili ababemphahlile uJesu.
UPilatu waloba isaziso, sashayelelwa esiphambanweni. Kwakulotshwe ukuthi: UJESU WASENAZARETHA, INKOSI YABAJUDA. AbaJuda abaningi basifunda lesi saziso, ngokuba indawo lapho ayebethelwe khona uJesu yayiseduze nomuzi. Kwakulotshwe ngesiHebheru, ngesiRoma, nangesiGriki. Abaphristi abakhulu babaJuda bathi kuPilatu: “Ungabhali ukuthi: ‘Inkosi yabaJuda,’ kodwa ukuthi Yena wathi: ‘Ngiyinkosi yabaJuda.’ ”
UPilatu waphendula, wathi: “Esengikulobile, ngikulobile.”
Kuthe amabutho esembethele uJesu esiphambanweni, ayesethatha izingubo zakhe, azehlukanisa amaqoqo amane, kwaba yilelo nalelo butho laba nesabelo, neyembe futhi. Kepha iyembe lalingenamthungo, lalukiwe lonke kusukela phezulu. Ngakho-ke abonisana odwa athi ngalo: “Asingalidabuli, kodwa asenze unkatho, ukuze kubonakale ukuthi lizakuba ngelikabani.”
Ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Babelana ngezingubo zami,
benza unkatho ngesembatho sami.”
Amabutho akwenza-ke lokho.
Ngasesiphambanweni sikaJesu kwakumi unina, udadewabo kanina, uMariya umkaKleyophase, noMariya Magdalena. Kuthe uJesu embona unina nomfundi amthandayo bemi ngalapho, wathi kunina: “Mame, bheka indodana yakho.”
Wayesethi kumfundi: “Bheka unyoko.”
Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, lowo mfundi wamthatha uMariya, wamnakekela.
Emva kwalokho, uJesu azi ukuthi konke sekuphelelisiwe, ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo, wathi: “Ngomile.”
Kwakubekiwe lapho isitsha esigcwele iwayini elixutshwe noviniga; base bechoma ilula othini lwehisophi ligcwele uviniga, baliyisa emlonyeni wakhe. Kwathi ukuba uJesu awemukele uviniga, wayesethi: “Kufeziwe;” wagebisa ikhanda, wafa.
Ngakho-ke abaJuda, lokhu kwakulusuku lokulungisela, nokuba izidumbu zingahlali esiphambanweni ngesabatha, ngenxa yokuba isabatha kwakulusuku olukhulu, bacela kuPilatu ukuba kwephulwe imilenze yababethelweyo, bese besuswa. Ayeseza-ke amabutho, ayaphula imilenze yowokuqala neyomunye owayebethelwe naye. Kuthe lapho efika kuJesu, abona ukuthi usefile, awayephulanga imilenze yakhe. Kepha elinye lamabutho lamgwaza ngomkhonto ohlangothini, kwaphuma igazi namanzi ngokushesha. Lowo obonileyo ufakazile futhi ubufakazi bakhe buqinisile, futhi lowo uyazi ukuthi ukhuluma iqiniso, ukuze nani nikholwe. Ngokuba lokhu kwenzeka ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Akuyukwaphulwa thambo lakhe.”
Kukhona nomunye umbhalo othi: “Bayakumbheka abamgwazileyo.”
Kuthe sekwenzekile lokho, uJosefa wase-Arimatheya, owayengomunye wabafundi bakaJesu owayengazivezi ngenxa yokwesaba abaJuda, wahamba wayocela ukuba asisuse isidumbu sikaJesu. UPilatu wamvumela, wayesehamba, wasisusa isidumbu sikaJesu. Kwafika noNikhodemu, owake wafika kuJesu ebusuku, yena-ke wayelethe ingxube yemure nenhlaba okungaba ngamalitha ayikhulu. Base besithatha isidumbu sikaJesu, basisonga ngezindwangu zelineni, basigquma ngamakha njengokosiko lwabaJuda lokungcwaba. Ngakuleyo ndawo ayebethelwe khona kwakunensimu, kukhona ithuna elisha kuyo, okungakaze kubekwe muntu kulo. Ngakho-ke ngenxa yokuthi kwakulusuku lwabaJuda lokulungisela iSabatha, bambeka kulelo thuna uJesu ngoba laliseduze.
Uhlelo Lokusebenza lweBhayibheli
Uhlelo Lokusebenza LweBhayibheli yezingane
