UYesu ebenceda abapostile bakhe ukuba balungele ukumka kwakhe kuba ebathanda kakhulu. Ngoku ujonga ezulwini aze athandaze kuTata wakhe athi: “Mzukise unyana wakho, ukuze naye akuzukise. Wonke umntu umbeke phantsi kolawulo lwakhe, ibe yena uza kubanika ubomi obungunaphakade bonke abo umnike bona.”​—Yohane 17:1, 2.

Uyayazi ukuba eyona nto ibalulekileyo kukuzukisa uThixo. Kodwa iyasithuthuzela nento athetha ngayo, ubomi obungunaphakade. Ekubeni wonke umntu ‘ephantsi kolawulo lwakhe,’ uYesu unokunika bonke abantu ubomi obungunaphakade. Kodwa bambalwa abaza kusikelelwa. Iza kuba ngabo benza le nto ayithethayo ngoku. Uthi: “Ukuze abantu bafumane ubomi obungunaphakade, kufuneka bakwazi kakuhle wena okuphela koThixo wokwenene, nalowo umthumileyo, uYesu Kristu.”​—Yohane 17:3.

Ukuze umntu afumane ubomi obungunaphakade, kufuneka amazi kakuhle uTata noNyana, abe ngumhlobo wabo osondeleyo. Kufuneka azijonge ngendlela abazijonga ngayo izinto. Enye into, kufuneka azame ukulinganisa iimpawu zikaTata nezoNyana, kwindlela abaphatha ngayo abanye abantu. Ayixabise nento yokuba ukuzukiswa kukaThixo kubaluleke ngaphezu kokufumana kwabantu ubomi obungunaphakade. Ngoku uYesu ubuyela kweyona nto athetha ngayo uthi:

“Ndikuzukisile emhlabeni, ndawugqiba nomsebenzi obundinike wona. Ngoko ke Tata, ndizukise ecaleni kwakho ngozuko endandinalo ecaleni kwakho phambi kokuba ihlabathi libekho.” (Yohane 17:4, 5) UYesu ufuna ukubuyela kuzuko lwasezulwini, into eza kwenzeka xa evuswa.

Kodwa ke akayilibelanga into ukushumayela kwakhe okuyenzileyo. Uthandaza athi: “Ndilazisile igama lakho kubantu ondinike bona, ubathatha ehlabathini. Babengabakho, wena wabanika mna, baza bathobela ilizwi lakho.” (Yohane 17:6) UYesu khange afundise nje abantu ukuba igama likaThixo nguYehova. Uncede abapostile bakhe bazi ukuba limela ntoni, bazi iimpawu zakhe kunye nendlela abaphatha ngayo abantu.

Abapostile baye bamazi kakuhle uYehova, isizathu sokuba uYesu eze emhlabeni, nezinto azifundisileyo. UYesu uyazithoba aze athi: “Ndibaxelele izinto endizive ngawe, ibe bazamkele baza baqiniseka ukuba ndingummeli wakho, ndithunywe nguwe.”​—Yohane 17:8.

Emva koko uchaza umahluko phakathi kwabalandeli bakhe kunye nabantu behlabathi. Uthi: “Andiceleli hlabathi, kodwa ndicelela abo undinike bona, kuba ngabakho . . . Tata Ongcwele, ndicela ubagade ngenxa yegama lakho ondinike lona, ukuze babe banye njengokuba nathi sibanye. . . . Ndiye ndabakhusela, akwatshabalala namnye kubo ngaphandle konyana wentshabalalo,” uYudas Skariyoti ozimisele ukujikela uYesu.​—Yohane 17:9-12.

UYesu uqhubeka ethandaza, athi: “Ihlabathi liye labacaphukela. . . . Andiceli ukuba ubasuse ehlabathini, kodwa ndicela ukuba ubakhusele kuSathana. Abangabo abehlabathi, njengokuba nam ndingenguye owehlabathi.” (Yohane 17:14-16) Abapostile kunye nabanye abafundi baphila ehlabathini elilawulwa nguSathana, kodwa kufuneka bazahlule kulo, nakwizinto ezimbi elizenzayo. Njani?

Kufuneka bahlale bengcwele, bezigcinele ukukhonza uThixo. Ukuze babe njalo kufuneka bazenze izinto abazifunda kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere kunye nezinto abazifundiswa nguYesu.  Uthandaza athi: “Benze babe ngcwele ngenyaniso; ilizwi lakho liyinyaniso.” (Yohane 17:17) Ekuhambeni kwexesha abanye abapostile baza kubhala iincwadi eziza kuphefumlelwa neziza kuba ‘yinyaniso’ eza kunceda umntu abe ngcwele.

Kusekho nabanye abaseza kuyamkela ‘inyaniso,’ ngenxa yaloo nto uYesu akathandazeli ‘aba bodwa, aba bammameleyo, kodwa ucelela nabo baza kuzikholelwa izinto abazifundisayo ngaye.’ Yintoni abacelela yona? Uthi: “Ukuze bonke babe banye, njengokuba nawe Tata umanyene nam, nam ndimanyene nawe, baze nabo bamanyane nathi.” (Yohane 17:20, 21) UYesu noTata wakhe abangomntu mnye. Bamanyene kuba bavumelana kwinto yonke. Uthandazela ukuba nabalandeli bakhe babe njalo.

UYesu ebesandokuxelela uPetros nabanye ukuba uza kuhamba ayokubalungiselela indawo. Le ndawo athetha ngayo kusezulwini. (Yohane 14:2, 3) Nangoku uphinda athethe into enjalo. Uthi: “Tata, ndifuna abo undinike bona, babe kunye nam apho ndikhoyo, ukuze balubone uzuko ondinike lona, kuba wandithanda ngaphambi kokusekwa kwehlabathi.” (Yohane 17:24) Le nto ayithethayo ingqina ukuba, kwakudala, ngaphambi kokuba uAdam noEva babe nabantwana, uThixo wayemthanda uNyana wakhe ekuphela kwamzeleyo.

UYesu uwugqibezela umthandazo wakhe ngokuphinda abethelele igama likaTata wakhe, indlela uThixo abathanda ngayo abapostile nabantu abaseza kuyamkela ‘inyaniso.’ Uthi: “Ndibafundisile ngegama lakho, ibe ndiza kuqhubeka ndibafundisa, ukuze bathande abanye abantu ngendlela wena ondithanda ngayo, ndize ndimanyane nabo.”​—Yohane 17:26.