UJesu uselande uMkhosi Wokunikela Ithempeli (loba iHanukkah) eJerusalema. Umkhosi lo ngowokuthakazelela ukunikelwa kutsha kwethempeli. Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-100 eyadlulayo, inkosi yaseSiriya u-Antiochus IV Epiphanes yakha elinye i-alithare phezu kwe-alithare elikhulu elisethempelini likaNkulunkulu. Ngemva kwesikhathi amadodana omphristi ongumJuda athumba iJerusalema asenikela kutsha ithempeli kuJehova. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuthakazelelwa ilanga lelo minyaka yonke ngenyanga kaKhisilevu mhlaka 25. Inyanga le iqalisa ekupheleni kukaNovember isiya ekuqaliseni kukaDecember.

Khathesi kusebusika njalo yisikhathi somqando. UJesu usethempelini futhi uhamba ngendlela okuthiwa ngekaSolomoni. AmaJuda ayambuthanela abesesithi kuye: “Kuzaze kube nini usitshiya silenga? Nxa kunguwe uKhristu sitshele kucace.” (UJohane 10:22-24) UJesu uwaphendula esithini? Uthi: “Ngilitshelile kodwa kalikholwa.” UJesu kazange athi bhadla kumaJuda la ukuthi unguKhristu ngendlela enza ngayo kowesifazana ongumSamariya emthonjeni. (UJohane 4:25, 26) Kodwa uke wakuveza ukuthi ungubani ngesikhathi esithi: “Ngiqinisile sibili ngithi kini, ngasengikhona u-Abrahama engakabi khona.”​—UJohane 8:58.

UJesu ufuna abantu bazibonele ukuthi nguye uKhristu nxa beqathanisa akwenzayo lalokho okwakuthiwe uKhristu uzakwenza. Yikho ngezinye izikhathi wayesithi abafundi bakhe bangatsheli muntu ukuthi unguMesiya. Kodwa khathesi uwatshela engawabhodi amaJuda la angamkholwayo, uthi: “Imisebenzi engiyenza ngebizo likaBaba iyafakaza ngami. Kodwa lina kalikholwa.”​—UJohane 10:25, 26.

Kungani abantu laba bengakholwa ukuthi uJesu nguKhristu? Uthi: “Lina kalikholwa ngoba kalisizozimvu zami. Izimvu zami ziyalilalela ilizwi lami, ngiyazazi njalo ziyangilandela. Ngizinika ukuphila okungapheliyo. Kazisoze zibhujiswe loba sekutheni futhi kakho ozazihluthuna esandleni sami. Lokho uBaba angiphe khona kuqakatheke kulazo zonke izinto njalo kakho ongahluthuna izimvu esandleni sikaBaba.” Uphinda atsho amazwi atshengisa ukuthi yena loYise bayazwanana. Uthi: “Mina loBaba simunye.” (UJohane 10:26-30) Njengoba uJesu elapha emhlabeni futhi uYise esezulwini, ukuba munye loYise kutsho ukuthi banhlosonye futhi bamanyene.

AmaJuda ayazonda kakhulu esizwa amazwi kaJesu futhi ayaphinda ukudobha amatshe ukuze ambulale. Kodwa lokhu kakumethusi uJesu. Uthi: “Ngilitshengisile imisebenzi kaBaba eminengi emihle. Yiwuphi phakathi kwayo elifuna ukungitshayela wona ngamatshe?” AmaJuda amphendula athi: “Kasikutshayeli umsebenzi omuhle, sikutshayela ukuthuka uNkulunkulu ngoba uzenza unkulunkulu.” (UJohane 10:31-33) Kungani amaJuda emangalela uJesu ngalokhu yena engazange azithi ungunkulunkulu?

AmaJuda acabanga ukuthi amandla uJesu athi ulawo ngeke abe ngawomuntu kodwa ngakaNkulunkulu kuphela. Ngokwesibonelo wakhuluma ‘ngezimvu’ esithi: “Ngizinika ukuphila okungapheliyo.” Kakho ongakwenza lokhu. (UJohane 10:28) UJesu uwacacisele amaJuda ukuthi amandla alawo uwaphiwe nguYise kodwa wona kawazihluphi ngalokho.

UJesu kavumelani lalokho amaJuda ammangalela ngakho. Uwabuza athi: “Akubhalwanga yini eMthethweni wenu [kuHubo 82:6] ukuthi, ‘Ngathi: “Lingonkulunkulu”’? UNkulunkulu wababiza ngokuthi ‘bangonkulunkulu’ labo ilizwi lakhe elabasolayo . . . Pho kungani lisithi mina engangcweliswa nguBaba ngasengithunywa  emhlabeni ngithuka uNkulunkulu ngenxa yokuthi ngithe, ‘NgiyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu’?”​—UJohane 10:34-36.

IMibhalo iyakutsho sibili ukuthi abahluleli abangalunganga ‘bangonkulunkulu,’ yikho kuyamangalisa ukuthi amaJuda acabanga ukuthi uJesu uyaphambanisa nxa esithi: “NgiyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.” Uwatshela okunye okumele kuwenze amkholwe. Uthi: “Nxa ngingenzi imisebenzi kaBaba, lingaze langikholwa. Kodwa nxa ngisenza yona, yikholweni lanxa mina lingangikholwa, ukuze lazi njalo liqhubeke lisazi ukuthi uBaba munye lami, lami ngimunye loBaba.”​—UJohane 10:37, 38.

AmaJuda athi esizwa lokho azame ukumbamba, kodwa yena uyabaleka futhi. Uyasuka eJerusalema aye ngaphetsheya koMfula uJodani endaweni lapho uJohane aqalisa khona ukubhabhathiza eminyakeni engaba mine edlulileyo. Kukhanya indawo le iseduze lecele eliseningizimu koLwandle LwaseGalile.

Amaxuku ayamlanda uJesu futhi athi: “UJohane kazange enze ngitsho lesimangaliso esisodwa, kodwa zonke izinto uJohane azikhulumayo ngendoda le zaziliqiniso.” (UJohane 10:41) Yikho-ke amaJuda amanengi ayakholwa kuye.