1Sekusele izinsuku eziyisithupha kube yiPhasika, uJesu waya eBhethaniya lapho kwakuhlala khona uLazaru ayemvuse kwabafileyo.
2Bamenzela ukudla lapho. UMartha waphaka. ULazaru wayengomunye wababehlezi esidlweni.
3UMariya wayesethatha ingxenye yamafutha enadi, enani eliphezulu, wagcoba izinyawo zikaJesu, wazesula ngezinwele zakhe. Iphunga elimnandi lamakha lagcwalisa indlu.
4Kepha uJuda Iskariyothe, omunye wabafundi bakhe owayezakumkhaphela, wathi:
5“Kungani lawa mafutha engathengiswanga ngawodenariyu abangama-300, kwabelwe abampofu na?”
6Lokho wakusho, hhayi ngokuba ekhathalela abampofu, kodwa ngokuba eyisela futhi ephatha isikhwama semali, ayebuye ebe okufakwa kuso.
7Ngakho uJesu wathi: “Myeke, ukuze awalondolozele usuku lokungcwatshwa kwami.
8Ngokuba abampofu ninabo njalo, kodwa Mina aniyukuba nami njalo.”
9Isixuku esikhulu sabaJuda sezwa ukuthi uJesu ulapho. Saya khona, hhayi ngokuba siyakubona uJesu kuphela, kodwa nokuba sibone noLazaru ayemvuse kwabafileyo.
10Kepha abaphristi abakhulu benza uzungu lokuba babulale noLazaru,
11ngokuba ngenxa yakhe, abaningi babaJuda base behlubukile bakholwa kuJesu.
12Ngakusasa abantu abaningi abebeze emkhosini, sebezwile ukuthi uJesu uyeza eJerusalema,
13bathatha amagatsha esundu, baphuma bayomhlangabeza. Bamemeza bathi: “Hosana! Ubusisiwe ozayo egameni leNkosi. Yebo, iNkosi yakwa-Israyeli!”
14UJesu esefumene ithole lembongolo, wagibela kulo, njengalokhu kulotshiwe ukuthi:
15“Ungesabi, ndodakazi yaseZiyoni; inkosi yakho iyeza, igibele ithole lembongolo.”
16Abafundi bakhe abakuqondanga lokhu ekuqaleni, kodwa lapho uJesu esekhazimulisiwe, bakhumbula ukuthi kulotshiwe lokho ngaye, nokuthi lokho babekwenzile kuye.
17Ngakho-ke isixuku esasinaye ngesikhathi ebiza uLazaru ukuba aphume ethuneni, emvusa kwabafileyo, safakaza.
18Yingakho-ke isixuku sahamba samhlangabeza, ngokuba sasizwile ukuthi wenze leso sibonakaliso.
19Ngakho-ke abaFarisi bakhuluma bodwa, bathi: “Niyabona, akukho lutho esingalwenza; izwe lonke liyamlandela.”
20Kwakukhona amaGriki athile kulabo abakhuphukele emkhosini ukuba bayokhonza.
21Laba-ke baya kuFiliphu, waseBhethsayida eGalile, bamcela, bathi: “Mnumzane, sicela ukubona uJesu.”
22UFiliphu waya wabikela u-Andreya, base behamba bobili beyobikela uJesu.
23UJesu wabaphendula, wathi: “Sesifikile isikhathi sokuba iNdodana yomuntu ikhazimuliswe.
24Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile ngithi kini: uma uhlamvu lukakolo luwela emhlabathini, lungafi, luhlala lodwa, kodwa uma lufa, luthela izithelo eziningi.
25Lowo othanda ukuphila kwakhe, ulahlekelwa yikho; nozonda ukuphila kwakhe kulo mhlaba, uyakukulondela ukuphila okuphakade.
26Uma umuntu efuna ukungikhonza, makangilandele; lapho ngikhona Mina, siyakuba khona lapho nesikhonzi sami. Uma umuntu engikhonza, uBaba uyakumazisa.
27“Manje umphefumulo wami ulusizi, ngizakuthini na? Ngithi Baba, ngisindise kulo mzuzu na? Kepha kungenxa yalokhu ngifinyelele kulo mzuzu.
28Baba, khazimulisa igama lakho.” Kwase kufika izwi livela ezulwini, lithi: “Ngilikhazimulisile, futhi ngizobuye ngilikhazimulise.”
29Ngakho-ke abantu ababemile bezwa, bathi: “Beliduma;” abanye bathi: “Ingelosi ikhulume kuye.”
30UJesu waphendula, wathi: “Leli zwi alifikanga ngenxa yami, kodwa ngenxa yenu.
31Manje sekungukwehlulelwa kwalo mhlaba. Manje-ke umbusi walo mhlaba uzakuxoshwa.
32Mina-ke, uma sengiphakanyisiwe emhlabeni, ngiyakudonsela kimi bonke abantu.”
33Wakusho lokhu ekhombisa indlela azakufa ngayo.
34Ngakho isixuku samphendula, sathi: “Sizwile emthethweni ukuthi uKhristu uyakuphila phakade. Pho usho kanjani ukuthi iNdodana yomuntu ifanelwe ukuphakanyiswa na? Ingubani le Ndodana yomuntu na?”
35UJesu wayesethi kubo: “Kuseyisikhashana ukukhanya kukhona phakathi kwenu. Hambani nisenokukhanya, ukuze ningaficwa ngubumnyama. Ohamba ebumnyameni, akazi ukuthi uya kuphi.
36Nisenokukhanya, kholwani ngukukhanya, ukuze nibe ngabantu bokukhanya.” UJesu washo lokhu wamuka kubo, wafihleka kubo.
37Nakuba ayezenzile izibonakaliso eziningi, bezibonela ngawabo, kodwa abakholwanga kuye,
38ukuze kugcwaliseke izwi lika-Isaya, umphrofethi, elithi: “Nkosi, ngubani owakholwa ngumbiko wethu na? Ingalo yeNkosi yambulelwa bani na?”
39Ngalokho-ke kabakwazanga ukukholwa, njengokuba u-Izaya washo futhi, wathi:
40“Uphuphuthekisile amehlo abo, wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yabo, ukuze bangaboni ngamehlo abo, bangaqondi ngenhliziyo yabo, funa baphenduke, ngibaphilise.”
41U-Isaya wakusho lokho ngokuba ebona inkazimulo yeNkosi, futhi wakhuluma ngayo.
42Nokho-ke nakuba kunjalo, ababusi abaningi bakholwa kuye, kodwa ngenxa yabaFarisi abamvumanga esidlangalaleni, funa baxoshwe esinagogeni,
43ngokuba babethanda udumo lwabantu, kunodumo lukaNkulunkulu.
44Kepha uJesu wamemeza, wathi: “Okholwa yimi akakholwa kimi nje, kodwa kulowo ongithumileyo.
45Obona Mina ubona ongithumileyo.
46Ngize emhlabeni njengokukhanya ukuba yilowo nalowo okholwa yimi angahlali ebumnyameni.
47“Uma umuntu ezwa amazwi ami, kodwa engawalondolozi, angimehluleli Mina, ngokuba angizanga ukuba ngehlulele umhlaba, kepha ukuba ngiwusindise.
48Lowo ongalayo, engawemukeli amazwi ami, unomehlulelayo; izwi engalikhulumayo, yilo eliyakumehlulela ngomhla wokuphela.
49Ngokuba angikukhulumanga ngokwami, kodwa uBaba ongithumileyo, nguye onginike umyalo wokuthi ngithini, futhi ngikhulumeni.
50Ngiyazi ukuthi umyalo wakhe ungukuphila okuphakade. Ngakho-ke lokhu engikukhulumayo ngikukhuluma njengalokhu uBaba engitshela khona.”