Ngemva kokuba uJesu ehlangane noMarta noMariya eduze kwaseBhethaniya, baya ethuneni likaLazaru. Liwumhume livalwe ngetshe. UJesu uthi kubo: “Susani itshe.” UMarta uyakhathazeka, engaqondi ukuthi uJesu ufuna ukwenzani. Uthi: “Nkosi, kumelwe ukuba manje useyanuka, ngoba sekuyizinsuku ezine.” Kodwa uJesu uthi kuye: “Angikutshelanga yini ukuthi uma ungase ukholwe, uzobona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu?”—Johane 11:39, 40.

Ngakho liyasuswa itshe. UJesu ubheka phezulu bese ethandaza athi: “Baba, ngiyakubonga ngoba ungizwile. Yiqiniso, bengazi ukuthi uyangizwa ngaso sonke isikhathi; kodwa ngikhulume ngenxa yalesi sixuku esimi lapha, ukuze sikholwe ukuthi wena ungithumile.” Umthandazo kaJesu ubonisa labo ababukele ukuthi amandla alokhu azokwenza avela kuNkulunkulu. UJesu ube esememeza ngezwi elikhulu athi: “Lazaru, phuma!” Nangempela uLazaru uyaphuma, izandla zakhe  nezinyawo ziboshwe ngendlela okusongwa ngayo umuntu ofile futhi ubuso bakhe bumbozwe ngendwangu. UJesu uthi: “Mqaqeni nimyeke ahambe.”—Johane 11:41-44.

AmaJuda amaningi abezoduduza uMariya noMarta, ayasibona lesi simangaliso bese eba nokholo kuJesu. Kodwa abanye bayahamba bayotshela abaFarisi ngalokho uJesu akwenzile. AbaFarisi nabapristi abakhulu babamba umhlangano enkantolo ephakeme yamaJuda, iSanhedrini. Kulowo mhlangano, kukhona nompristi ophakeme, uKayafase. Abanye kubo bayakhala bathi: “Sizokwenzenjani, ngoba lo muntu wenza izibonakaliso eziningi? Uma simyeka aqhubeke enza ngale ndlela, bonke bazokholwa nguye, amaRoma azofika athathe indawo yethu nesizwe sethu.” (Johane 11:47, 48) Nakuba ezizwele ngezawo kofakazi bokuzibonela ukuthi uJesu “wenza izibonakaliso eziningi,” la madoda awajabuli ngalokho uNkulunkulu akwenzayo esebenzisa uJesu. Into akhathazeke ngayo kakhulu izikhundla zawo nokuba negunya phezu kwabantu.

Ukuvuswa kukaLazaru kwabagqema engeqiwa ntwala abaSadusi abangakholelwa ovukweni. UKayafase, ongumSadusi, obelokhu ethule, uyakhuluma athi: “Nina anazi lutho, futhi anicabangi ukuthi kuzuzisa nina ukuba umuntu oyedwa afe ngenxa yabantu, kunokuba kubhujiswe sonke isizwe.”—Johane 11:49, 50; IzEnzo 5:17; 23:8.

Ebheka isikhundla sikaKayafase njengesingcwele, uNkulunkulu umbangela ukuba asho lokhu—‘akakusho ngokuzisukela kuye.’ UKayafase uqonde ukuthi uJesu kufanele abulawe ukuze avinjwe ekuqhubekeni ebukela phansi igunya nethonya labaholi benkolo abangamaJuda. Isiprofetho sikaKayafase siveza iqiniso lokuthi ngokufa kwakhe, uJesu wayeyoba yisihlengo, hhayi nje samaJuda kuphela kodwa sabo bonke “abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abahlakazekile.”—Johane 11:51, 52.

UKayafase uyaphumelela ekuthonyeni iSanhedrini ukuba yenze amacebo okubulala uJesu. UNikhodemu, oyilungu leSanhedrini futhi osondelene noJesu, uzomtshela yini ukuthi bafuna ukumbulala? Kunoma ngabe yikuphi, uJesu uhamba ngokushesha eJerusalema, ngaleyo ndlela agweme ukubulawa singakafiki isikhathi esimiswe uNkulunkulu.