MARIKO yanditse kimwe mu bitabo bine byo muri Bibiliya bivuga ibirebana n’ubuzima bwa Yesu. Ni cyo gitabo gito kandi gikoresha imvugo yoroheje kurusha ibyo bindi. Mariko yari muntu ki? None se urumva yari azi Yesu?— * Reka turebe ibigeragezo bikomeye Mariko yahuye na byo, n’impamvu atigeze acogora ngo areke kuba Umukristo.

Izina rya Mariko rivugwa ku ncuro ya mbere muri Bibiliya, igihe Umwami Herode Agiripa yafungishaga intumwa Petero. Umunsi umwe ari nijoro, umumarayika yafunguye Petero. Akimara gufungurwa yahise ajya kwa Mariya nyina wa Mariko wari utuye i Yerusalemu. Petero yafunguwe nyuma y’imyaka igera ku icumi Yesu yishwe. Yesu yishwe kuri Pasika yo mu mwaka wa 33.—Ibyakozwe 12:1-5, 11-17.

Ese waba uzi impamvu Petero yagiye kwa Mariya?—Birashoboka ko byatewe n’uko yari aziranye n’abari bagize umuryango wa Mariya. Nanone, birashoboka ko Petero yari azi ko abigishwa ba Yesu bateraniraga kwa Mariya. Mubyara wa Mariko witwaga Barinaba yari amaze igihe kirekire ari umwigishwa, guhera nibura ku munsi Mukuru wa Pentekote yo mu mwaka wa 33. Bibiliya ivuga ko icyo gihe yagiriraga ubuntu abigishwa bashya. Ku bw’ibyo, Yesu ashobora kuba yari azi Barinaba, nyirasenge ari we Mariya na Mariko umuhungu wa Mariya.—Ibyakozwe 4:36, 37; Abakolosayi 4:10.

Mu Ivanjiri Mariko yanditse, yavuze ko mu ijoro Yesu yafashwemo hari umusore wari wambaye umwenda wonyine “ku mubiri we” wari aho ngaho. Mariko yanditse ko igihe abanzi bafataga Yesu, uwo musore yahunze. Urumva uwo musore ashobora kuba yari nde?—Ni byo koko, ashobora kuba yari Mariko. Ku bw’ibyo, igihe Yesu n’intumwa ze bavaga aho bari bari muri iryo joro, uko bigaragara Mariko yahise yambara umwenda, arabakurikira.—Mariko 14:51, 52.

Mu by’ukuri, Mariko yabonaga uburyo bwinshi bwo kwifatanya n’abagaragu b’Imana. Nanone kandi yiboneye ibintu by’ingenzi bifitanye isano n’umugambi w’Imana. Igihe umwuka wera wasukwaga ku bigishwa kuri Pentekote yo mu mwaka wa 33, ashobora kuba yari ahari; kandi yakundaga kugirana imishyikirano ya bugufi n’abagaragu b’Imana, urugero nka Petero. Yanajyanye na mubyara we Barinaba wafashije Sawuli amumenyekanisha kuri Petero, imyaka itatu nyuma y’aho Yesu yari amaze kubonekera Sawuli. Hashize igihe, Barinaba yagiye i Taruso kugira ngo  ashakeyo Sawuli.—Ibyakozwe 9:1-15, 27; 11:22-26; 12:25; Abagalatiya 1:18, 19.

Mu mwaka wa 47, Barinaba na Sawuli batoranyirijwe gukora umurimo w’ubumisiyonari. Bajyanye na Mariko, ariko kubera impamvu zitavuzwe, nyuma yaho Mariko yarabataye yigarukira iwabo i Yerusalemu. Sawuli waje kwitwa izina ry’Iriroma rya Pawulo, yararakaye. Kandi ntiyirengagije icyo yumvaga ko ari ikosa rikomeye ryakozwe na Mariko.—Ibyakozwe 13:1-3, 9, 13.

Pawulo na Barinaba bavuye mu rugendo rwabo rw’ubumisiyonari, bavuze ibintu bitangaje bagezeho (Ibyakozwe 14:24-28). Nyuma y’amezi runaka, bombi bashyizeho gahunda yo gusubira gusura abigishwa bashya b’aho bari barabwirije. Barinaba yashakaga kujyana na Mariko. Ariko se, uzi icyo Pawulo we yabitekerezagaho?— “Yabonaga bidakwiriye” kubera ko mbere yaho Mariko yari yarabataye akisubirira iwabo. Nta gushidikanya ko ibyabaye nyuma yaho byababaje Mariko.

Pawulo na Barinaba bagize umujinya, ‘bararakaranya cyane’ ku buryo batandukanye. Barinaba yafashe Mariko bajyana kubwiriza muri Shipure, naho Pawulo atoranya Sila basubira gusura ba bigishwa bashya nk’uko byari biteganyijwe. Mariko agomba kuba yarababajwe cyane no kuba yarateranyije Pawulo na Barinaba.—Ibyakozwe 15:36-41.

Ntituzi icyari cyatumye Mariko asubira iwabo mbere yaho. Uko bigaragara, yumvaga afite impamvu yumvikana yo gusubirayo. Uko byaba byaragenze kose, Barinaba yari yizeye neza ko ibyo bitari kuzongera kubaho. Kandi koko, ni ko byaje kugenda. Mariko ntiyigeze acogora. Nyuma yaho yakoranye umurimo w’ubumisiyonari  na Petero i Babuloni kure y’iwabo. Aho ni ho Petero yoherereje intashyo bagenzi be, maze yongeraho ati “umwana wanjye Mariko na we arabatashya.”—1 Petero 5:13.

Petero na Mariko bari bafitanye imishyikirano myiza bitewe n’uko bakoranaga umurimo w’Imana. Ibyo tubibona iyo dusomye Ivanjiri yanditswe na Mariko. Ibyo Mariko yanditse muri iyo Vanjiri yabibwiwe na Petero wabyiboneye. Urugero, gereranya inkuru zivuga ibirebana n’inkubi y’umuyaga mu Nyanja ya Galilaya. Mariko yatanze ibisobanuro birambuye kuri iyo nkuru, avuga aho Yesu yari aryamye n’icyo yari aryamyeho. Ibyo bintu ntibyari kwisoba Petero wari umurobyi. Reka dusome uko byagenze, maze tugereranye uko abanditsi ba Bibiliya bagiye bavuga iyo nkuru muri Matayo 8:24; Mariko 4:37, 38; no muri Luka 8:23.

Nyuma yaho igihe Pawulo yari afungiye i Roma, yashimiye Mariko kubera ukuntu yamushyigikiye mu budahemuka (Abakolosayi 4:10, 11). Kandi igihe Pawulo yongeraga gufungirwa i Roma, yandikiye Timoteyo anamusaba kuzana na Mariko, agira ati “angirira umumaro mu murimo” (2 Timoteyo 4:11). Mu by’ukuri, Mariko yabashije gukorera Imana mu buryo bwihariye kubera ko atigeze acogora.