UJOSEFA WE-ARIMATHIYA, bekangazi ukuthi asithathephi isibindi sokujamelana nombusi weRoma. UPilatu bekaziwa ngokuba nekani kwakhe. Ngitjho nanyana kunjalo uJesu nakazakubulungwa ngokuhloniphekileko bekufuze kube nomuntu okhuluma noPilatu ambawe bona atjhaphulule isidumbu sakhe. UJosefa wabona ukuthi ukukhuluma nomuntu ubuso nobuso akusiyinto ebulula. Ngemva kobana umphathimabutho amqinisekise ukuthi uJesu ufile, wathi uJosefa akawuthathe umzimbakhe. Yeke wagijimela ngalapho uJesu abulawela khona.​—Mar. 15:42-45.

• Kanti ngubani uJosefa we-Arimathiya?

• Yini ebeyimhlanganisa noJesu?

• Kubayini sifunda ngendabakhe?

Ivangeli lakaMarkosi eliphefumulelweko nalibiza uJosefa lithi ‘ulilunga elidumileko lomKhandlu.’ Ngokwendaba le umKhandlu utjho iSanhedrini, ikhotho ephakemeko yamaJuda. (Mar. 15:1, 43) Yeke uJosefa yena bekangomunye wabarholi, lokho-ke kuhlathulula ukuthi kubayini aba nomhlangano nombusi weRoma. Kuyatjho ukuthi uJosefa bekaregile.​—Mat. 27:57.

ISanhendrini akhenge imphathe kuhle uJesu. Angitjho phela amalungu wayo ngiwo athi akabulawe. Kodwana uJosefa bekabizwa ngokuthi yindoda “elungileko neqotho.” (Luk. 23:50) Yena-ke bekangafani nabantu abanengi asebenza nabo, bekathembekile, anemikghwa emihle begodu enza koke okusemandlenakhe bona aphile ngemithetho kaZimu. Naye bekangomunye wabalindele ‘umBuso kaZimu,’ lokho kuyatjho ukuthi kubayini abamlandeli kaJesu. (Mar. 15:43; Mat. 27:57) Kungenzeka ukuthi umlayezo kaJesu wamkara ngebanga lokuthi bekathanda iqiniso nobulungisa.

UJwanisi 19:38 uthi uJosefa “gade amlandeli kaJesu ngasese ngombana esaba amaJuda.” Kanti uJosefa lo bekasabani? Bekazi indlela abeJuda ebebanyenya ngayo uJesu, bekazi nokuthi bazimisele kangangani ukuqotha esinagogini nanyana ngubani othi batjho ukholwa kuJesu. (Jwa. 7:45-49; 9:22) Ukuqothwa ebandleni bekutjho ukukokomejwa, ukungatjhejwa nokungafunwa beJuda bekhenu. Lokho kwenza uJosefa wasaba ukutjho ukuthi yena uyakholwa kuJesu. Khibe wavuma ukukholwa kwakhe, bekungenzeka alahlekelwe sikhundla nehlonipho abantu ebebamnikela yona.

Bekungasi nguJosefa yedwa obekasebujamweni obunjalo. Ngokuya ngokomtlolo kaJwanisi 12:42 “abanengi ngitjho neemphathimandla zakholwa kuJesu. Kodwana ngebanga labaFarisi azange bakhulume ngaye ngombana bebasaba bonyana bebangaqothwa ngesinagogini.” Omunye obekasebujamweni obufana nebakaJosefa nguNikhodemusi, naye bekalilunga leSanhedrini.​—Jwa. 3:1-10; 7:50-52.

UJosefa bekamlandeli kaJesu kodwana bekakufihla lokho. Leyo bekuyikinga ekulu, khulukhulu nawuqala amezwi kaJesu athi, “Ngiloyo naloyo ongivumako phambi kwabantu, nami ngizomvuma phambi koBaba osezulwini. Kodwana ongiphikako phambi kwabantu, nami ngizomphika phambi koBaba osezulwini.” (Mat. 10:32, 33) UJosefa akhenge aphike begodu akhenge abe nesibindi sokumvuma. Inga-kghani unjalo nawe?

UJosefa wenza kuhle ngombana akhenge avumelane nesiqunto seSanhedrini sokubulala  uJesu. (Luk. 23:51) Mhlamunye kunjengombana abanye nabatjho ukuthi uJosefa bekangekho nakudenjwa umlando kaJesu. Nanyana kungaba yini eyenzekako, uJosefa kufuze ukuthi yamphatha kumbi indaba yokungabi nobulungiswa kweSanhedrini, nokuthi ayikho into angayenza ukukujamisa lokho.

Ngesikhathi uJesu ahlongakala, uJosefa besele akuhlulile ukusaba kwakhe, kubonakala kwanga waqunta ukusekela uJesu. Isiquntweso sisibone kuMarkosi 15:43: “Wanqopha kuPilatu ngesibindi wayokukhombela umzimba kaJesu.”

Kubonakala kwanga uJosefa bekakhona uJesu nakafako. Wazi ukuthi uJesu ufile ngaphambi kobana uPilatu azi. Ngesikhathi abawa isidumbu sakaJesu umbusi “wamangala ukuzwa bona uJesu sele ahlongakele.” (Mar. 15:44) Ukubona uJesu abulawa kungenzeka kwathinta isazela sakaJosefa, kwamenza waba nesibindi sokuvuma ebantwini ukuthi naye umlandeli kaJesu. Ekugcineni uJosefa watjhukumiseleka esenzweni. Nje bekangekhe asaba mlandeli kaJesu wemsithelweni.

Umthetho wabeJuda bewuthi abantu abagwetjelwe ukufa kufuze babulungwe ngaphambi kokutjhinga kwelanga. (Dut. 21:22, 23) Ngokomthetho wabeRoma iindumbu zabantu abalelesileko beziliswa esigodweni bona zibolele lapho namkha zise ziphoswe ethuneni elivamileko.  Kodwana lokho akusiyinto uJosefa ebekayifunela uJesu. UJosefa bekabeke ilitje elitjha ebekubulungelwa kilo hlanu kwalapha uJesu abulawelwe khona. Ngebanga lokuthi akhenge asebenzise ilitje lakhe elibumbeke sabubhlorho kutjengisa ukuthi kungenzeka bekasanda ukufuduka asuka e-Arimathiya * afudukele eJerusalema begodu bekazokusebenzisa ilitjeli ukubulunga umndenakhe. (Luk. 23:53; Jwa. 19:41) Ukubulunga uJesu elitjeni lakhe ebekangabulunga umndenakhe kilo bekusisenzo somusa begodu kuzalisa isiphorofido sokuthi uMesiya ‘bekazokuba neenjinga ekufeni kwakhe.’​—Isa. 53:5, 8, 9.

AmaVangeli amane atlolwa ngemva kobana uJesu sele asusiwe esigodweni, uJosefa waphuthela isidumbu ngetjhila elihlanzekileko wasifaka ngethuneni lakhe elitjha aligobhodlha edwaleni. (Mat. 27:59-61; Mar. 15:46, 47; Luk. 23:53, 55; Jwa. 19:38-40) Okukuphela komuntu owasiza uJosefa nguNikhodemusi, yena-ke wathenga iinongo ebekubulungwa ngazo kade. Nasikhumbula iinkhundla zamadoda amabili la kungenzeka ukuthi asusa isidumbu sakaJesu womabili kwaphela. Kungenzeka kwaba nabantu ababaqatjha bona baguge bebabulunge uJesu. Ngitjho nanyana kungenzeka ukuthi basebenzisa abantu ababaqatjhileko, amadoda amabili la bewumkhulu umsebenzi awenzako. Nanyana ngubani obekabone isidumbu bekuthiwa akakahlanzeki bekube malanga alikhomba begodu koke abakuthintako bekuba ngokungakahlanzeki nakho. (Num. 19:11; Hag. 2:13) Lokho bekukukosa bona ungabi hlangana nabantu evekeni yePhasika. (Num. 9:6) Ngokuthi ahlele ukubulunga uJesu, uJosefa wadela ukudelelwa babantu asebenza nabo. Kodwana nje bekazimisele ukudela koke bona anikela uJesu isithunzi esimfaneleko nokuthi aziveze phambi kwabantu ukuthi yena umlandeli kaKrestu.

Ngaphandle kwevangeli elikhuluma ngokubekwa kwakaJesu, iBhayibheli alisakhulumi ngoJosefa we-Arimathiya, umbuzo olandelako ngothi: Waphelelaphi? Iqiniso kukuthi asazi. Ukuya ngalokho esele sicoce ngakho, kungenzeka ukuthi waziveza ebantwini ukuthi umKrestu. Ngaphezu kwakho koke, ngesikhathi sevivinyo ukukholwa nesibindi sakhe bekukhula kunokuthi kwehle. Kuhle kwamambala lokho.

Indaba le iveza imibuzo esenza kuhle ukuzibuza yona: Ikhona na into, kungaba sikhundla, ibizelo, iphahla, ukuthanda umndeni, namkha ikululeko esiyiqala njengeqakatheke ukudlula itjhebiswano lethu noJehova?