Mwana-Kondoo wa Mungu: Mashtaka, Msalaba, na KaburiThe Lamb of God: Trial, Cross, and Tomb
Mashtaka, Kusulibiwa, Maneno Saba, Kifo, na KuzikwaThe Trials, the Crucifixion, the Seven Words, the Death, and the Burial
1. Mashtaka1. The Trials
Walimpeleka kwanza kwa makuhani wakuu, Anasi kisha Kayafa, na baraza likatafuta ushahidi ili wamwue, lakini likapata mashahidi wa uongo tu waliopingana wao kwa wao. Mwishowe kuhani mkuu alidai, "Wewe ndiwe Kristo, Mwana wa Aliyehimidiwa?" Naye Yesu akajibu waziwazi, "Mimi ndiye; nanyi mtamwona Mwana wa Adamu... akija pamoja na mawingu ya mbinguni" (Marko 14:61–62). Kuhani mkuu akararua nguo zake akapaza sauti, "Amekufuru!" Wakamhukumu kuwa amestahili kufa, kisha wakamtemea mate, wakampiga, na kumdhihaki.They led Him first to the high priests, Annas and then Caiaphas, and the council sought testimony to put Him to death but found only false and conflicting witnesses. At last the high priest demanded, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus answered plainly, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man... coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:61–62). The high priest tore his clothes and cried, "He has spoken blasphemy!" They judged Him worthy of death, then spat on Him, struck Him, and mocked Him.
Nje uani ile ahadi ya ujasiri ya usiku uliopita ilivunjika. Mara tatu Petro aliulizwa kama alimjua Mtu yule, na mara tatu alikana, mara ya mwisho kwa viapo. Kisha jogoo akawika, naye Bwana akageuka akamtazama Petro; Petro akalikumbuka lile neno, akatoka nje, "akalia kwa majonzi" (Luka 22:61–62).Outside in the courtyard the brave promise of the night before collapsed. Three times Peter was asked if he knew the Man, and three times he denied it, the last with oaths. Then the rooster crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word, went out, and "wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61–62).
Kulipopambazuka walimkabidhi kwa Pilato. "Wewe ndiwe mfalme wa Wayahudi?" Pilato alimchunguza akatangaza, "Sioni kosa lo lote katika mtu huyu" (Luka 23:4). Hata mke wa Pilato alimpelekea habari, "Usiwe na neno na yule mtu wa haki; kwa maana nimeteswa mambo mengi leo katika ndoto kwa ajili yake" (Mathayo 27:19); na Yesu aliponena habari ya kuishuhudia kweli, Pilato aliinua mabega tu, "Kweli ni nini?" (Yohana 18:38) — wakati Kweli yenyewe ilisimama mbele yake ikiwa imefungwa. Alimpeleka kwa Herode, aliyemdhihaki na kumrudisha. Akitaka kumfungua, Pilato aliupa umati uchaguzi kati ya Yesu na mwuaji mmoja aitwaye Baraba; lakini wakuu wa makuhani waliwachochea watu, nao wakapiga kelele, "Baraba!" na "Msulibishe!" Pilato alinawa mikono yake mbele yao, "Mimi sina hatia katika damu ya mtu huyu wa haki," nao watu wakajibu, "Damu yake na iwe juu yetu, na juu ya watoto wetu" (Mathayo 27:24–25). Kisha akaamuru Yesu apigwe mijeledi. Askari wakasokota taji ya miiba kwa ajili ya kichwa chake, wakamvika vazi la zambarau, wakamdhihaki, "Salamu, Mfalme wa Wayahudi!" huku wakimpiga; naye Pilato akamtoa nje, "Tazama, mtu huyu!" (Yohana 19:5). Pilato alipojivuna kwa mamlaka yake, Yesu alijibu, "Wewe hungekuwa na mamlaka yo yote juu yangu, kama usingepewa kutoka juu" (Yohana 19:11); na hatimaye Pilato akamtoa ili asulibiwe.At dawn they handed Him to Pilate. "Are You the King of the Jews?" Pilate examined Him and declared, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4). Even Pilate's wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things... in a dream because of Him" (Matthew 27:19); and when Jesus spoke of bearing witness to the truth, Pilate only shrugged, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) — truth itself standing bound before him. He sent Him to Herod, who mocked Him and sent Him back. Seeking to release Him, Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Jesus and a murderer named Barabbas; but the chief priests stirred the people, who cried, "Barabbas!" and "Crucify Him!" Pilate washed his hands before them, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person," and the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matthew 27:24–25). Then he had Jesus scourged. The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns for His head, threw a purple robe on Him, and mocked, "Hail, King of the Jews!" striking Him; and Pilate brought Him out, "Behold the Man!" (John 19:5). When Pilate boasted of his authority, Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:11); and at last Pilate yielded Him up to be crucified.
2. Kusulibiwa2. The Crucifixion
Walimtoa nje wakampeleka Golgotha, mahali pa Fuvu la Kichwa. Akiwa amedhoofika kwa mapigo ya mijeledi, hakuweza tena kuubeba msalaba, kwa hiyo askari walimlazimisha Simoni Mkirene auchukue nyuma yake. Kundi la wanawake lilimfuata wakilia, naye akawageukia: "Enyi binti za Yerusalemu, msinililie mimi, bali jililieni nafsi zenu na watoto wenu" (Luka 23:28), kwa maana aliiona hukumu iliyokuwa ikiujia mji.They led Him out to Golgotha, the place of a skull. Worn from the scourging, He could no longer carry the cross, so the soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to bear it behind Him. A crowd of women followed, weeping, and He turned to them: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" (Luke 23:28), for He saw the judgment coming on the city.
Huko wakamsulibisha, na pamoja naye wanyang'anyi wawili, mmoja upande wa kuume na mmoja upande wa kushoto. Juu ya kichwa chake waliweka shtaka lake lililoandikwa, "HUYU NI YESU, MFALME WA WAYAHUDI." Na askari walizitwaa nguo zake na kulipigia kura vazi lake, wakilitimiza neno la zamani, "Wanagawanya nguo zangu, na vazi langu wanalipigia kura" (Zaburi 22:18).There they crucified Him, and with Him two robbers, one on the right and one on the left. Over His head they fixed the written charge, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." And the soldiers took His garments and cast lots for His robe, fulfilling the ancient word, "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:18).
Wale waliokuwa wakipita walimdhihaki, wakitikisa vichwa vyao: "Aliokoa wengine; hawezi kujiokoa mwenyewe. Yeye ni mfalme wa Israeli; na ashuke sasa msalabani, nasi tutamwamini" (Mathayo 27:42). Hata wale wanyang'anyi wawili walimtukana mwanzoni; lakini mmoja wao, akiwa ametundikwa pale katika uchungu wake mwenyewe, alizinduka akamgeukia yule Mfalme aliyekuwa akifa kando yake.Those who passed by mocked Him, wagging their heads: "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him" (Matthew 27:42). Even the two robbers reviled Him at first; but one of them, hanging there in his own agony, came to his senses and turned to the dying King beside him.
3. Maneno Saba Kutoka Msalabani3. The Seven Words from the Cross
Kutoka msalabani alinena mara saba, na kila neno ni dirisha la kuutazama moyo wake.From the cross He spoke seven times, and each word is a window into His heart.
Kwanza, kwa ajili ya wale waliomsulibisha: "Baba, uwasamehe, kwa kuwa hawajui watendalo" (Luka 23:34). Pili, kwa yule mwizi aliyekuwa akifa, aliyemkemea mwenzake — "tunapokea malipo tuliyostahili kwa matendo yetu; bali huyu hakutenda lo lote lisilofaa" — kisha akamgeukia Kristo, "Bwana, unikumbuke utakapokuja katika ufalme wako," aliahidi, "Amin, nakuambia, Leo hivi utakuwa pamoja nami peponi" (Luka 23:43) — siku ile ile, katika furaha ya ufahamu kamili, pamoja na Kristo. Tatu, alipomwona mama yake na yule mwanafunzi Yohana, alimkabidhi kwa uangalizi wa Yohana: "Mama, tazama, mwanao!... Tazama, mama yako!" (Yohana 19:26–27).First, for His executioners: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). Second, to the dying thief who rebuked the other — "we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this Man has done nothing wrong" — and then turned to Christ, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom," He promised, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43) — that very day, in conscious joy, with Christ. Third, seeing His mother and the disciple John, He gave her into John's care: "Woman, behold your son!... Behold your mother!" (John 19:26–27).
Kisha, tangu adhuhuri, giza lilifunika nchi, na kutoka gizani likaja neno la nne, kilio cha kuachwa: "Mungu wangu, Mungu wangu, mbona umeniacha?" (Mathayo 27:46), mwanzo wa Zaburi 22. Katika saa ile alibeba hukumu ambayo dhambi zetu zilistahili, akikinywa hadi tone la mwisho kile kuachwa kilichokuwa chetu, ili sisi tusiachwe kamwe. Haikuwa kwamba Baba alikuwa ameacha kumpenda Mwana; bali Mwana, akiibeba dhambi yetu, alionja mahali petu kule kuachwa ambako dhambi inastahili. Tano, "Naona kiu" (Yohana 19:28) — uchungu halisi wa kibinadamu, na Maandiko yakatimizwa. Sita likaja kilio cha ushindi: "Imekwisha" (Yohana 19:30) — neno moja tu katika Kigiriki, tetelestai. Na saba, kwa kujitoa kwa hiari: "Baba, mikononi mwako naiweka roho yangu" (Luka 23:46); na alipokwisha kusema hayo, akakata roho. Hakuna mtu aliyeuchukua uhai wake; aliutoa mwenyewe. Hata katika kufa kwake alikuwa Bwana wa kifo chake mwenyewe.Then, from noon, darkness covered the land, and out of it came the fourth word, the cry of dereliction: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46), the opening of Psalm 22. In that hour He bore the judgment our sin deserved, drinking to the dregs the forsaking that was ours, that we might never be forsaken. It was not that the Father had ceased to love the Son; it was that the Son, bearing our sin, tasted in our place the abandonment that sin deserves. Fifth, "I thirst" (John 19:28) — true human anguish, and Scripture fulfilled. Sixth came the cry of triumph: "It is finished" (John 19:30) — a single word in the Greek, tetelestai. And seventh, in willing surrender: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46); and having said this, He gave up His spirit. No man took His life; He laid it down. Even in His dying He was Lord of His own death.
Katika masoko ya zamani deni lililolipwa lilipigwa muhuri kwa neno moja — tetelestai, "imelipwa kikamilifu." Hilo ndilo neno ambalo Yesu alipaza sauti kutoka msalabani. Deni la dhambi zetu halikupunguzwa, wala halikupangiwa upya muda wa kulipa, wala halikulipwa sehemu tu; lililipwa, kikamilifu, milele.In the old markets a paid debt was stamped with one word — tetelestai, "paid in full." That is the word Jesus cried from the cross. The debt of our sin was not reduced, nor rescheduled, nor partly covered; it was paid, in full, forever.
4. Kifo na Ishara Zake4. The Death and Its Signs
Kifo cha Mwana wa Mungu kilitikisa mbingu na nchi. Pazia la hekalu, lile pazia zito lililozuia njia ya kuingia Patakatifu pa Patakatifu, lilipasuka vipande viwili "toka juu hata chini" (Mathayo 27:51) — likipasuliwa kutoka mbinguni kwenda chini, bila mkono wa mwanadamu, kwa kuwa njia ya kuingia mbele za Mungu sasa ilikuwa imefunguliwa kwa damu yake. Nyuma ya pazia lile palikuwa na Patakatifu pa Patakatifu, ambapo kuhani mkuu peke yake angeweza kuingia, tena mara moja tu kwa mwaka, wala kamwe pasipo damu. Sasa lilining'inia likiwa wazi toka juu hata chini: kifo cha Mwana-Kondoo kilikuwa kimefungua njia mpya iliyo hai kwa kila mwamini kumkaribia Mungu. Nchi ikatetemeka na miamba ikapasuka. Na yule akida wa Kirumi aliyesimama akilinda, alipoona jinsi alivyokufa, alikiri, "Hakika huyu alikuwa Mwana wa Mungu!" (Mathayo 27:54) — askari mpagani akisema kile ambacho baraza lilikuwa limekikana.The death of the Son of God shook heaven and earth. The veil of the temple, the heavy curtain that barred the way into the Most Holy Place, was torn in two "from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51) — torn from heaven downward, by no human hand, for the way into God's presence was now opened through His blood. Behind that veil had stood the Most Holy Place, where only the high priest could enter, and only once a year, and never without blood. Now it hung open from top to bottom: the death of the Lamb had opened a new and living way for every believer to draw near to God. The earth quaked and the rocks split. And the Roman centurion who stood watch, seeing how He died, confessed, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54) — a pagan soldier saying what the council had denied.
Na kuna ajabu jingine lililofichwa katika pazia lile lililopasuka. Kufikia wakati wa hekalu la Herode, Patakatifu pa Patakatifu palikuwa tupu — sanduku la agano, pamoja na kiti chake cha rehema, lilikuwa limetoweka karne nyingi kabla, likapotea Babeli walipoliharibu hekalu la kwanza, na utukufu wa Mungu ulikuwa umeondoka zamani (Ezekieli 10–11). Kwa karibu miaka mia sita kuhani mkuu alikuwa akiingia mara moja kwa mwaka katika chumba kitupu kisicho na kitu ila jiwe moja. Kwa hiyo pazia lilipopasuka toka juu hata chini, lilifunguka kuelekea chumba kitupu — kwa sababu mahali pa kukutana kati ya Mungu na mwanadamu hapakuwa pale tena. Palikuwa pamehamia msalabani. Paulo anamwita Kristo aliyesulibiwa "upatanisho" wetu (Warumi 3:25) — neno lile lile ambalo Agano la Kale la Kigiriki lililitumia kwa kiti cha rehema. Kiti cha Rehema cha kweli hakikuwa tena kimefichwa nyuma ya pazia katika chumba kitupu; kiliinuliwa juu ya kilima, kikinyunyiziwa si damu ya mafahali na mbuzi bali damu ya Mwana. Mungu alilipasua pazia ili kusema: acheni kukitafuta chumba kitupu — hapa, ndani ya Mwanangu, ndipo mbingu na nchi zinapokutana sasa.And there is a further wonder hidden in that torn curtain. By the time of Herod's temple the Most Holy Place stood empty — the ark of the covenant, with its mercy seat, had vanished centuries before, lost when Babylon destroyed the first temple, and the glory of God had long since departed (Ezekiel 10–11). For nearly six hundred years the high priest had entered once a year into a bare room that held only a stone. So when the veil was torn from top to bottom, it opened upon an empty chamber — because the meeting place between God and man was no longer there. It had moved to the cross. Paul calls the crucified Christ our "propitiation" (Romans 3:25) — the very word the Greek Old Testament used for the mercy seat. The true Mercy Seat was no longer hidden behind a curtain in an empty room; it was lifted up on a hill, sprinkled not with the blood of bulls and goats but with the blood of the Son. God tore the veil to say: stop searching the empty room — here, in My Son, is where heaven and earth now meet.
Ili kuhakikisha kwamba amekufa, askari mmoja alimchoma ubavu wake kwa mkuki, na "mara ikatoka damu na maji" (Yohana 19:34): alikuwa amekufa kweli kweli, kikamilifu. Lakini hawakumvunja miguu kama walivyowavunja wale wengine, na hivyo Andiko jingine likatimizwa: "Hapana mfupa wake utakaovunjwa" (Yohana 19:36) — kwa maana Yeye ndiye Mwana-Kondoo wa kweli wa Pasaka, ambaye mifupa yake haikupaswa kuvunjwa kamwe.To make certain He was dead, a soldier pierced His side with a spear, and "immediately blood and water came out" (John 19:34): He was truly, fully dead. Yet they did not break His legs as they broke the others', and so another Scripture was fulfilled: "Not one of His bones shall be broken" (John 19:36) — for He is the true Passover Lamb, whose bones were never to be broken.
5. Kuzikwa na Maana ya Msalaba5. The Burial and the Meaning of the Cross
Kisha Yusufu wa Arimathaya, mwanafunzi aliyekuwa akimfuata kwa siri, alijipa moyo akamwomba Pilato mwili wake. Pamoja na Nikodemo, aliyeleta mchanganyiko wa manemane na udi kama ratli mia, aliufunga katika sanda ya kitani pamoja na manukato, akauweka katika kaburi lake jipya lililochongwa mwambani, ambalo hakuna mtu aliyewahi kulazwa ndani yake, akavingirisha jiwe kubwa mlangoni (Yohana 19:38–42). Hivyo alikuwa "pamoja na matajiri katika kufa kwake," kama nabii alivyotabiri (Isaya 53:9). Wanawake waliangalia mahali alipolazwa. Na wakuu wa makuhani, wakiwa bado na hofu, waliweka walinzi na kulitia lile jiwe muhuri (Mathayo 27:62–66).Then Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple who had followed in secret, took courage and asked Pilate for the body. With Nicodemus, who brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes, he wrapped it in linen with the spices and laid it in his own new tomb, cut from the rock, where no one had yet lain, and rolled a great stone across the door (John 19:38–42). So He was "with the rich in His death," as the prophet had foretold (Isaiah 53:9). The women watched where He was laid. And the chief priests, still afraid, set a guard and sealed the stone (Matthew 27:62–66).
Basi, msalaba una maana gani? Mwana-Kondoo wa Mungu alichinjwa mahali petu. "Imekwisha" inatangaza kwamba gharama ya dhambi imelipwa kikamilifu; pazia lililopasuka linatangaza kwamba njia ya kumwendea Mungu imefunguliwa wazi; kilio cha kuachwa kinatuambia kwamba alibeba hukumu tuliyostahili, ili wote wanaomtumaini wasiachwe kamwe. Hiki ndicho kiini cha injili: alikufa kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu, mwenye haki kwa ajili yao wasio haki, ili atulete kwa Mungu. Baraba ndiye aliyelionja jambo hili kwanza katika mwili wake mwenyewe: mtu mwenye hatia aliondoka huru kwa sababu Mwingine aliuchukua msalaba uliokuwa wake. Ndivyo ilivyo kwa kila mwenye dhambi anayemtumaini — asiye na hatia alikufa, na wenye hatia wanaondoka huru. Hii ndiyo neema: kifo chake kinahesabiwa kuwa chetu, na haki yake tunapewa sisi kwa kubadilishana.What, then, does the cross mean? The Lamb of God was slain in our place. "It is finished" declares the price of sin paid in full; the torn veil declares the way to God thrown open; the forsaken cry tells us He bore the judgment we deserved, so that all who trust Him will never be forsaken. This is the heart of the gospel: He died for our sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. Barabbas had felt it first in his own flesh: the guilty man walked free because Another took the cross that was his. So it is for every sinner who trusts Him — the innocent died, and the guilty go free. This is grace: His death counted as ours, and His righteousness given to us in exchange.
Na Uungu na ubinadamu vinasimama pamoja hadi mwisho kabisa. Mwana wa milele alikufa kama mwanadamu, akiikabidhi roho yake kwa Baba; Bwana wa utukufu alifungwa katika sanda ya kitani na kulazwa katika kaburi la kuazima. Kifo kilikuwa halisi, gharama ililipwa, na Mwana-Kondoo alichinjwa. Jiwe lilivingirishwa, muhuri ulitiwa, walinzi waliwekwa — na yote hayo, katika siku tatu, yangetanguka. Kwa maana kaburi lililompokea Mwana-Kondoo wa Mungu halikuweza kumshikilia.And the divine and human stand together to the last. The eternal Son died as a man, commending His spirit to the Father; the Lord of glory was wrapped in linen and laid in a borrowed grave. The death was real, the price was paid, and the Lamb was slain. The stone was rolled, the seal was set, the guard was posted — and all of it, in three days, would be undone. For the grave that received the Lamb of God could not be its keeper.