YOZEFU WO MURI ARIMATAYA na we ubwe ntiyari azi ko yagira ubutwari bwo kujya imbere ya guverineri w’Umuroma witwaga Pontiyo Pilato. Abantu bose bari bazi ko Pilato atava ku izima. Icyakora hagombaga kuboneka umuntu ujya gusaba Pilato kumanura umurambo wa Yesu, kugira ngo ahambwe mu cyubahiro. Igihe Yozefu yavuganaga na Pilato, byagenze neza kuruta uko yabitekerezaga. Pilato yabajije umutware w’abasirikare niba koko Yesu yari yamaze gupfa, hanyuma yemera ibyo Yozefu yasabaga. Yozefu yahise ajya aho bari bamanitse Yesu ababaye cyane.—Mar 15:42-45.

• Yozefu wo muri Arimataya yari muntu ki?

• Ni iyihe sano yari afitanye na Yesu?

• Kuki inkuru ye yagombye kugushishikaza?

Ivanjiri ya Mariko ivuga ko Yozefu yari “umwe mu bagize Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwa Kiyahudi” wubahwaga (Mar 15:1, 43). Ubwo rero, Yozefu yari umwe bayobozi b’Abayahudi, akaba ari yo mpamvu yashoboraga kujya kwa guverineri w’Umuroma. Nanone birumvikana ko Yozefu yari umukire.—Mat 27:57.

Muri rusange, abari bagize Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwa Kiyahudi bangaga Yesu cyane, kandi bacuze umugambi wo kumwica. Icyakora Bibiliya ivuga ko Yozefu we yari “umuntu mwiza kandi w’umukiranutsi” (Luka 23:50). Yari atandukanye n’abandi bari bagize urwo rukiko, kuko yari inyangamugayo, akirinda ubwiyandarike, kandi yihatiraga gukurikiza amategeko y’Imana. Nanone ‘yategerezaga ubwami bw’Imana,’ bikaba bishoboka ko ari byo byatumye aba umwigishwa wa Yesu (Mar 15:43; Mat 27:57). Yakundaga ukuri n’ubutabera, bikaba wenda ari byo byatumye akunda ubutumwa bwa Yesu.

Muri Yohana 19:38 havuga ko Yozefu ‘yari umwigishwa wa Yesu, ariko mu ibanga kuko yatinyaga Abayahudi.’ Kuki yabatinyaga? Yari azi ukuntu Abayahudi basuzuguraga cyane Yesu kandi ko birukanaga mu isinagogi umuntu wese wamwizeraga (Yoh 7:45-49; 9:22). Umuntu wirukanwaga mu isinagogi, yabaga ahindutse ikivume, akaba igicibwa, kandi Abayahudi bose bakamuha akato. Ni yo mpamvu Yozefu yatinyaga kuvuga yeruye ko yizeraga Yesu. Iyo abikora byari gutuma atakaza umwanya we w’icyubahiro.

Yozefu si we wenyine wari umwigishwa wa Yesu mu ibanga. Muri Yohana 12:42 hagira hati: ‘no mu batware harimo benshi bizeye [Yesu], ariko kubera Abafarisayo, ntiberura ko bamwizera, kugira ngo batirukanwa mu isinagogi.’ Undi muntu wizeraga Yesu mu ibanga ni Nikodemu, na we wari mu bagize Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwa Kiyahudi.—Yoh 3:1-10; 7:50-52.

Yozefu we yari umwigishwa wa Yesu, ariko ntiyashoboraga kwerura ngo abivuge. Icyo cyari ikibazo kitoroshye bitewe n’uko Yesu yavuze ati: “Umuntu wese wemerera imbere y’abantu ko yunze ubumwe nanjye, nanjye nzemerera imbere ya Data uri mu ijuru ko nunze ubumwe na we. Ariko umuntu wese unyihakanira imbere y’abantu, nanjye nzamwihakanira imbere ya Data uri mu ijuru” (Mat 10:32, 33). Yozefu ntiyigeze yihakana Yesu, ariko ntiyagize ubutwari bwo kugaragaza ko amwemera. Ese wowe ubwo butwari urabufite?

Bibiliya ivuga ko atigeze ashyigikira umugambi w’abari bagize Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwa Kiyahudi wo kwica Yesu (Luka  23:51). Hari abavuga ko Yozefu ashobora kuba atari ahari igihe Yesu yacirwaga urubanza. Uko byaba byaragenze kose, Yozefu agomba kuba yarababajwe cyane n’ako karengane, ariko nta cyo yari kubikoraho.

Uko bigaragara, igihe Yesu yapfaga Yozefu yikuyemo ubwoba, afata ikemezo cyo gushyigikira abigishwa ba Yesu. Ibyo bigaragazwa n’amagambo ari muri Mariko 15:43 agira ati: “Agira ubutwari bwo kujya imbere ya Pilato amusaba umurambo wa Yesu.”

Igihe Yesu yapfaga, Yozefu ashobora kuba yari ahari, kuko yamenye ko Yesu yapfuye mbere y’uko Pilato abimenya. Igihe yamusabaga umurambo wa Yesu, Pilato ‘yibajije niba koko [Yesu] yari yamaze gupfa’ (Mar 15:44). Niba Yozefu yariboneye uko Yesu yapfuye urupfu rw’agashinyaguro, birashoboka ko ari byo byatumye yisuzuma, maze akiyemeza gushyigikira ukuri. Icyo gihe noneho yagize icyo akora. Yiyemeje kudakomeza kuba umwigishwa wa Yesu mu ibanga.

Amategeko y’Abayahudi yasabaga ko abantu bishwe bahambwa izuba ritararenga (Guteg 21:22, 23). Abaroma bo barekeraga imirambo y’abagizi ba nabi ku giti, ikaboreraho cyangwa bakayijugunya mu cyobo rusange. Ariko ibyo si byo Yozefu yifurizaga Yesu. Hafi y’aho Yesu yiciwe, Yozefu yari ahafite imva nshya yari yarakorogoshowe  mu rutare. Kuba iyo mva yari itarakoreshwa, bigaragaza ko Yozefu yari amaze igihe gito yimukiye i Yerusalemu avuye muri Arimataya, * akaba yarateganyaga kuzajya ahambamo abagize umuryango we (Luka 23:53; Yoh 19:41). Yozefu yagize ubuntu ahamba Yesu mu mva ye bwite, kandi ibyo byashohoje ubuhanuzi bwavugaga ko Mesiya yari ‘kuzahambanwa n’abakire.’—Yes 53:5, 8, 9.

Amavanjiri yose uko ari ane avuga ko Yozefu amaze kumanura umurambo wa Yesu yawuzingiye mu mwenda mwiza cyane, akawushyira mu mva ye nshya (Mat 27:59-61; Mar 15:46, 47; Luka 23:53, 55; Yoh 19:38-40). Umuntu umwe gusa uvugwaho ko yafashije Yozefu, ni Nikodemu wazanye imibavu yo kosa umurambo wa Yesu. Kubera ko abo bagabo bari bakomeye, birashoboka ko atari bo ubwabo bateruye umurambo wa Yesu. Birashoboka cyane ko bategetse abagaragu babo bakaba ari bo bamuterura bakamuhamba. Ariko nubwo abo bagabo bombi baba barakoresheje abagaragu, ibyo bakoze ntibyari byoroheje. Umuntu wese wakoraga ku ntumbi, yagombaga kumara iminsi irindwi ahumanye, n’ikintu cyose akozeho kigahumana (Kub 19:11; Hag 2:13). Ibyo byari gutuma muri icyo cyumweru cyose cya Pasika batagera aho abandi bari, ntibagire uruhare urwo ari rwo rwose mu birori byo kuyizihiza (Kub 9:6). Nanone Yozefu yiyemeje guhamba Yesu, nubwo yari azi ko bagenzi be bashoboraga kumunnyega. Yari yamaze gufata umwanzuro wo kwemera ingaruka zari kumugeraho bitewe n’uko yari yahambye Yesu mu cyubahiro kandi yari yiyemeje kugaragaza mu ruhame ko yari umwigishwa wa Kristo.

Yozefu wo muri Arimataya avugwa mu nkuru z’Amavanjiri zivuga uko Yesu yahambwe, ariko nta handi hantu avugwa muri Bibiliya. Ibyo bituma twibaza tuti: “Amaherezo ye yabaye ayahe?” Ntitubizi. Icyakora dukurikije ibyo twasuzumye, birashoboka cyane ko yeruye akavuga ko ari Umukristo. Ibigeragezo yanyuzemo ntibyamuciye intege, ahubwo byatumye arushaho kugira ukwizera gukomeye n’ubushizi bw’amanga.

Iyi nkuru ituma twese twibaza tuti: “Ese hari ikintu icyo ari cyo cyose, cyaba umwanya w’icyubahiro, akazi, ubutunzi, umuryango, cyangwa umudendezo, duha agaciro kuruta ubucuti dufitanye na Yehova?”