UYOSEFU WASEARIMATHIYA wayengazi ukuba usithathe phi isibindi sokuya kwirhuluneli engumRoma. UPontiyo Pilato wayedume ngokuba nenkani. Kodwa ukuze uYesu angcwatywe kakuhle, kwakuza kufuneka kubekho umntu ocela umzimba wakhe kuPilato. Inoba uYosefu wayecinga ukuba uza kumsokolisa, kodwa akazange. Emva kokuba uPilato ebuze kwigosa lakhe ukuba uYesu wayefe nyhani, wavuma ukuba awuthathe umzimba wakhe. Emva koko, uYosefu wabaleka wabuyela kwindawo uYesu awayexhonywe kuyo, esakhathazekile.—Marko 15:42-45.

• Wayengubani lo Yosefu waseArimathiya?

• Wayedityaniswa yintoni noYesu?

• Kutheni ufanele ube nomdla nje kwibali lakhe?

Incwadi kaMarko ithi uYosefu ‘wayelilungu elidumileyo leBhunga.’ Eli Bhunga kuthethwa ngalo limele ukuba laliyinkundla ephakamileyo yeSanhedrin eyayilawula imicimbi yamaYuda. (Marko 15:1, 43) Kuyacaca ukuba uYosefu wayeyinkokeli yabantu, yiloo nto wayekwazi ukuthetha nerhuluneli engumRoma. Siyasibona ke nesizathu sokuba abe sisityebi.—Mat. 27:57.

ISanhedrin yayingafuni nokumbona uYesu. Amalungu ayo ayezama icebo lokumbulala. Kodwa yena uYosefu ubizwa ngokuba ‘yindoda elungileyo nelilungisa.’ (Luka 23:50) Wayengafani noninzi lwamalungu eSanhedrin, enyanisekile, engazenzi izinto ezingafanelekanga kwaye esenza konke okusemandleni akhe ukuze athobele imiyalelo kaThixo. Kuthiwa ‘wayelindele ubukumkani bukaThixo,’ ibe loo nto isenza sibone isizathu sokuba abe ngumfundi kaYesu. (Marko 15:43; Mat. 27:57) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba into eyayimenza awuthande umyalezo kaYesu kukuba wayethanda inyaniso nobulungisa.

UYohane 19:38 uthi uYosefu ‘wayengumfundi kaYesu kodwa engulowo ufihlakeleyo ngenxa yokoyika kwakhe amaYuda.’ Wayesoyika ntoni? Wayesazi ukuba amaYuda ayemdelela uYesu, ibe ayegxotha wonke umntu okholelwa kuye kwizindlu zesikhungu. (Yoh. 7:45-49; 9:22) Xa ugxothwe kwindlu yesikhungu, amaYuda ayehlekisa ngawe kwaye angafuni nto yakwenza nawe. Yiloo nto eyayisenza uYosefu angayithethi into yokuba uyakholelwa kuYesu. Loo nto yayiza kubangela ukuba ahluthwe isikhundla sakhe kwaye angahlonitshwa ngabantu.

Bakho nabanye ababenale ngxaki kaYosefu. UYohane 12:42 usichazela ukuba “abaninzi kwanakubalawuli okunene bakholwa kuye [uYesu], kodwa ngenxa yabaFarisi babengayi kumvuma yena, ukuze bangagxothwa kwindlu yesikhungu.” Omnye wabo yayinguNikodemo, naye owayelilungu leSanhedrin.—Yoh. 3:1-10; 7:50-52.

UYosefu yena wayengumfundi, ntonje engatsho ebantwini. Yayiyingxaki enkulu le, ngokukodwa xa sicinga ngamazwi kaYesu athi: “Wonk’ ubani . . . ovumayo ukuba umanyene nam phambi kwabantu, nam ndiza kuvuma ukuba ndimanyene naye phambi koBawo osemazulwini; kodwa nabani na ondikhanyelayo phambi kwabantu, nam ndiza kumkhanyela phambi koBawo osemazulwini.” (Mat. 10:32, 33) UYosefu akazange ade amkhanyele uYesu, kodwa kwangaxeshanye wayengenaso isibindi sokuchazela abantu ukuba  ungumfundi wakhe. Ngaba wena uyabachazela abantu?

Masimncome uYosefu kuba iBhayibhile ithi akazange alixhase iyelenqe elalisenzelwa uYesu. (Luka 23:51) Kungenzeka ukuba wayengekho nokubakho kwityala likaYesu. Enoba wayekhona okanye wayengekho, kumele ukuba kwamkhathaza kakhulu ukujijwa kwesigwebo ngale ndlela—kodwa ke kwakungekho nto wayenokuyenza!

Kuyabonakala ukuba xa uYesu wayesifa, uYosefu wayengasoyiki ibe wagqiba ekubeni axhase abalandeli bakaYesu. Loo nto siyibona kumazwi akuMarko 15:43, athi: “Waba nesibindi sokungena aye phambi koPilato aze acele umzimba kaYesu.”

Kubonakala ngathi uYosefu wayekho xa uYesu wayesifa. Kaloku wayazi ngaphambi koPilato into yokuba uYesu akasaphili. Yiloo nto xa uYosefu wayecela umzimba, le rhuluneli ‘yazibuza enoba wayesele efile kusini na uYesu.’ (Marko 15:44) Ukuba uYosefu wayezibonele ngamehlo akhe uYesu ebulawa kabuhlungu kwisibonda sentuthumbo, akungebi yiloo nto eyamenza wanesazela waza wagqiba ekubeni abe nomqolo? Mhlawumbi. Kodwa into esiqiniseke ngayo kukuba wazincama. Wayengenakuzifihla ngoku.

Umthetho wamaYuda wawusithi umntu ogwetywe ukufa umele angcwatywe lingekatshoni ilanga. (Dut. 21:22, 23) KumaRoma, imizimba yabantu abaxhonyiweyo  yayiyekwa apho esibondeni de yonakale okanye iphoswe kumqolomba ekungcwatywa kuwo abantu. Kodwa uYosefu wayengafuni ukuba loo nto yenziwe kuYesu. UYosefu wayenomqolomba wokungcwaba kufutshane nendawo uYesu awabulawelwa kuyo. Wawungekasetyenziswa lo mqolomba wokungcwaba intsapho yakhe, ibe loo nto ibonisa ukuba uYosefu wayesandul’ ukufudukela eYerusalem esuka eArimathiya. * (Luka 23:53; Yoh. 19:41) Yayibubuntu into yokuba uYosefu angcwabe uYesu kumqolomba wentsapho yakhe ibe satsho sazaliseka isiprofeto esasisithi uMesiya wayeza kungcwatywa nezityebi.—Isa. 53:5, 8, 9.

Zonke iincwadi zeVangeli zithi emva kokuba uYosefu ewothule umzimba kaYesu esibondeni, wawusongela ngelinen ecikizekileyo waza wawufaka kumqolomba wakhe wokungcwaba. (Mat. 27:59-61; Marko 15:46, 47; Luka 23:53, 55; Yoh. 19:38-40) Ekuphela komntu esimaziyo ukuba wancedisa uYosefu yayinguNikodemo owayeze neziqholo. Ekubeni la madoda mabini ayezizikhulu, asiqondi ukuba awungcwaba ngokwawo umzimba kaYesu. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba asebenzisa izicaka ukuba ziwuthwale ziye kuwungcwaba. Enoba enza njani, yayingekho ncinci le nto yenziwa ngala madoda mabini. Nabani na owayechukumisa isidumbu wayejongwa njengomntu ongahlambulukanga iintsuku ezisixhenxe, nezinto azichukumisayo zaziye zingahlambuluki. (Num. 19:11; Hag. 2:13) Loo nto yayiza kufuna ukuba angadibani namntu ngala veki yePasika aze aphoswe yiyo yonke imithendeleko nemibhiyozo. (Num. 9:6) Ukungcwaba uYesu kwakunokumenza intlekisa uYosefu kumalungu eSanhedrin. Kodwa ngoku wayexolele nantoni na, ezimisele ukungcwaba uYesu ngendlela endilisekileyo nokuyenza icace into yokuba ungumfundi kaKristu.

Emva kokuba iincwadi zeVangeli zithethe ngokungcwatywa kukaYesu, aliphinde livele igama likaYosefu waseArimathiya, ibe loo nto ibangela ukuba kuphakame umbuzo othi: Waphelela phi? Asazi. Kodwa ke, ngenxa yezi zinto zichazwe ngasentla, kubonakala ngathi waye wazichaza ukuba ungumKristu. Waba nesibindi, ukholo lwakhe lwaqina xa ejongene nobunzima. Wayesiza kakuhle.

Nanku ke umbuzo esifanele sizibuze wona sonke emva kokufunda eli bali: Ngaba ikho nantoni na—enoba sisikhundla, ngumsebenzi, zizinto esinazo, zizizalwana, okanye yinkululeko yethu—ebaluleke ngaphezu kokukhonza uYehova?