Bekungamasa lokha uPitrosi nakaphika uJesu ihlandla lesithathu. Namalunga weSanhedrini aqedile ngomlandwawo wokuhlekisa ngoJesu sekayahlukana. Ekuseni ngeLesihlanu, ayahlangana godu alinga ukufihla umlandu ongasisemthethweni obekwe uJesu ebusuku ngokuthi awenze ubonakale ngathi usemthethweni. UJesu ulethwa phambi kwawo.

Amalunga ayabuyelela godu athi: “Nangabe unguKrestu, sitjela.” UJesu uyaphendula: “Ngitjho nanyana nginganitjela, angekhe nikholwe. Godu nanginganibuza, angekhe niphendule.” Ngesibindi, uJesu uwatjela ngokwatjhiwo ngokubonakala kwakhe okutlolwe kuDanyela 7:13. Uthi: “Kusukela nje iNdodana yomuntu izabe ihlezi esandleni sokudla sakaZimu esinamandla.”—Lukasi 22:67-69; Matewu 26:63.

Ayakatelela athi: “Alo-ke, uyiNdodana kaZimu na?” UJesu uthi kiwo: “Nina ngokwenu niyatjho ukuthi ngingiyo.” Lokhu kuwanikela amandla wokuthi abulale uJesu ngebanga lomlandu abekwe wona wokuhlambalaza. Ayabuza athi: “Sisabutlhogelani obunye ubufakazi?” (Lukasi 22:70, 71; Markosi 14:64) Abopha uJesu amusa emBusini weRoma uPontiyasi Pilatu.

Kungenzeka uJudasi Iskariyodi uyambona uJesu nakasiwa kuPilatu. Nakalemuka ukuthi uJesu uyokubulawa, uzwa ubuhlungu bewuyazisola. Nanyana kunjalo, kunokuthi abawe ukulitjalelwa nguZimu, atjengise ukutjhuguluka kwamambala, uthatha iimpaparwana zesiliva ezima-30 uzibuyisela emva. UJudasi utjela abaphristi abakhulu uthi: “Ngonile ngokuthengisa iingazi ezinganamlandu.” Ufumana ipendulo ebuhlungu ethi: “Alo-ke thina singenaphi lapho? Ziimbonwa nguwe lezo!”—Matewu 27:4.

UJudasi ufuthela iimpaparwana zesilivezo ngethempelini, nakasuka lapho wenza intwembi godu, ulinga ukuzilengisa. Njengombana uJudasi alinga ukuzilengisa, ipande yomuthi alinga ukuzibophelela kiyo iyaphuka. Umzimbakhe ubetheka ematjeni angenzasi uvuleka phakathi.—IzEnzo 1:17, 18.

Kusesesekuseni uJesu nakasiwa esigodlweni  sakaPontiyasi Pilatu. Kodwana amaJuda amusa lapho ayabhala ukungena nabafikako. Acabanga ukuthi ukuzihlanganisa nabantu abangasimaJuda kuzowasilaphaza. Lokho kungawakhandela bona angadli isidlo ngoNisan 15, ilanga lokuthoma loMnyanya weSikwa esinganaSibiliso eliqalwa njengeliyingcenye yePhasika.

UPilatu uphumela ngaphandle uwabuza ukuthi: “Nimbeka muphi umlandu umuntu lo?” Ayamphendula athi: “Ngathana umuntu lo akakenzi okumbi, bengekhe simlethe kuwe.” UPilatu kungenzeka uzizwa ngasuthi alinga ukumgandelela, kungebangelo athi: “Mthatheni nina nimgwebe ngokomthetho wenu.” AmaJuda aveza ihloswawo malungana nokubulala athi: “Akukavumeleki ngathi bona sibulale umuntu.”—Jwanisi 18:29-31.

Kuhlekuhle, amaJuda nawangabulala uJesu ngesikhathi somnyanya wePhasika angabanga itjharagano emphakathini. Kodwana, amaJuda nawangakghona ukunikela amaRoma ibanga elingawenza bona abulale uJesu, ngebanga lokuphula umthetho othileko weRoma, lokho kuzowavikela ekubekweni babantu umlandu wokumbulala.

Abadosiphambili bezekolo abamtjeli uPilatu ukuthi basole uJesu ngokuhlambalaza. Kwanjesi bamthwesa eminye imilandu emamanga bathi: “Sifumene umuntu lo [1] adurhisa isitjhaba sethu, [2] angavumeli ukubhadelwa komthelo kuKhesari, begodu [3] athi yena unguKrestu ikosi.”—Lukasi 23:2.

Njengomjameli weRoma, uPilatu iyamtshwenya indaba le, ufuna ukwazi ibanga elenza uJesu azibize ngokuthi uyikosi. Nje-ke, uPilatu ungena esigodlweni bese ubiza uJesu umbuza uthi: “UyiKosi yamaJuda na?” Ngamanye amezwi uthi: ‘Kghani uphule umthetho wombuso ngokuzibiza ngekosi ephikisana noKhesari?’ Mhlamunye uJesu ufuna ukwazi bona kungangani uPilatu akuzwileko ngaye, uyambuza uthi: “Umbuzo loyo usuka kuwe na, namkha kunabantu abakutjele ngami?”—Jwanisi 18:33, 34.

Avuma ukuthi akanalwazi elinengi ngoJesu kodwana uyafuna ukwazi ngaye, uPilatu umphendula uthi: “AngisimJuda angithi?” Uraga uthi: “Isitjhaba sekhenu nabaphristi abakhulu bakulethe kimi. Wenzeni?”—Jwanisi 18:35.

UJesu akalingi ukuyibalekela indaba esematheni le, yobukhosi. Kodwana indlela aphendula ngayo imrara khulu umBusi uPilatu.