UJesu labafundi bakhe badabula esigabeni saseSamariya besuka eJudiya besiya eGalile. Bathi sebediniwe ngokuhamba bafike baphumule eduze ledolobho leSikhari emthonjeni okungenzeka wagejwa nguJakhobe loba wabhadala abantu abathile ukuthi bawugebhe kudaladala. Umthombo lo ulokhu ukhona eduze ledolobho laseNablus.

UJesu esaphumula eduze lomthombo, abafundi bakhe baya edolobheni eliseduze ukuze bayethenga okudliwayo. Kubuya owesifazana ongumSamariya ezokukha amanzi ngesikhathi bengekho. UJesu uthi kuye: “Akunginathise.”​—UJohane 4:7.

AmaJuda lamaSamariya kawadlelani ngenxa yobandlululo olukhulu olukhona phakathi kwawo. Yikho owesifazana uyamangala abesebuza athi: “Mina ngingowesifazana ongumSamariya. Manje ucelelani ukuthi ngikunathise wena ungumJuda?” UJesu uphendula esithi: “Aluba ubusazi isipho samahala esivela kuNkulunkulu lokuthi ngubani othi kuwe, ‘Akunginathise,’ ubuzacela kuye futhi yena ubezakupha amanzi okuphila.” Owesifazana abesesithi: “Mnumzana, awula lamgqomo wokukha amanzi njalo umthombo lo uyatshona. Pho uwathatha ngaphi lawomanzi okuphila? Kambe wena umkhulu kulokhokho wethu uJakhobe owasipha umthombo lo ayenatha kuwo lamadodana akhe kanye lenkomo zakhe?”​—UJohane 4:9-12.

UJesu uthi: “Wonke umuntu onatha amanzi la uzaphinda ome. Kodwa loba ngubani onatha amanzi engizamupha wona kasoze aphinde ome loba sekutheni. Amanzi engizamupha wona azakuba ngumthombo wamanzi ogobhozayo phakathi kwakhe, amnika ukuphila okungapheliyo.” (UJohane 4:13, 14) Lanxa ediniwe, uJesu uzimisele ukutshela owesifazana ongumSamariya amazwi anika ukuphila.

Ngakho owesifazana uthi: “Mnumzana, ngipha lawomanzi ukuze ngingomi futhi ngingabi ngilokhu ngibuya lapha ngizokukha amanzi.” Emazwini kaJesu alandelayo kukhanya usentshintsha ingxoxo ngokuthi: “Hamba uyebiza umkakho, ubuye laye lapha.” Owesifazana uphendula athi: “Angilandoda mina.” Kodwa umangaliswa ngamazwi kaJesu alandelayo ngoba atshengisa ukuthi kunengi akwaziyo ngaye, uthi: “Uqinisile nxa usithi awulayo indoda, ngoba usube lamadoda amahlanu futhi indoda olayo khathesi kayisiyo yakho.”​—UJohane 4:15-18.

Amazwi kaJesu enza owesifazana ananzelele okuthile ngaye, yikho esithi: “Mnumzana, ngiyabona ukuthi ungumphrofethi.” Okulandelayo akutshoyo owesifazana lo kutshengisa ukuthi uyazithanda izindaba eziphathelane lokukhonza, uthi: “Okhokho bethu [amaSamariya] babekhonzela entabeni le [iNtaba iGerizimu, eseduze lowesifazana loJesu], kodwa lina [amaJuda] lithi iJerusalema yiyo indawo abantu okumele bakhonzele kuyo.”​—UJohane 4:19, 20.

Lanxa kunjalo, uJesu utshengisa ukuthi indawo yokukhonzela kayisiyo eqakathekileyo. Uthi:  “Isikhathi siyeza lapho elingasoze likhonzele uBaba entabeni le kumbe eJerusalema.” UJesu uqhubeka esithi: “Isikhathi siyeza futhi sesifikile, lapho abakhonzi beqiniso abazakhonza khona uBaba ngomoya langeqiniso. UBaba udinga abanjalo ukuthi bamkhonze.”​—UJohane 4:21, 23, 24.

UBaba uqakathekisa indlela abantu abamkhonza ngayo hatshi indawo abamkhonzela kuyo. Owesifazana uyathokoza ngalokhu, abesesithi: “Ngiyakwazi ukuthi uMesiya uyeza,  lowo obizwa ngokuthi nguKhristu. Loba nini lapho azafika khona, uzasichasisela zonke izinto.”​—UJohane 4:25.

Ngemva kwalokhu uJesu uveza indaba eqakathekileyo, uthi: “Mina engikhuluma lawe nginguye.” (UJohane 4:26) Akumangalisi yini lokhu? Owesifazana lo ubezozikhela amanzi kodwa khathesi uJesu usemtshengise umusa omkhulu. Umvezele ukuthi unguMesiya, into okungenzeka ubengakayitsheli muntu.

Abafundi bakaJesu bayaphenduka bevela eSikhari bethwele ukudla. Bathola uJesu esemthonjeni kaJakhobe lapho abamtshiye khona kodwa khathesi ulowesifazana ongumSamariya akhuluma laye. Ekufikeni kwabafundi, owesifazana uyasuka atshiye imbiza yakhe yamanzi aye edolobheni.

Owesifazana uthi efika eSikhari alandisele abantu izinto uJesu amtshele zona. Ubatshela engathandabuzi athi: “Buyani lizobona indoda engitshele konke engakwenzayo.” Ngemva kwalokhu utsho amazwi enza abantu bafise ukwazi okunengi, uthi: “Pho kayisuye yini uKhristu?” (UJohane 4:29) Umbuzo lo uphathelane lendaba eqakathekileyo ebisezingqondweni zabantu kusukela ngesikhathi sikaMosi. (UDutheronomi 18:18) Kanti njalo wenza abantu bedolobho lonke baphume bayembona ngawabo uJesu.

Kusenjalo, abafundi bakaJesu bayamkhuthaza ukuthi adle. Kodwa yena uphendula athi: “Ngilokudla elingazi lutho ngakho.” Abafundi bakhe bayabuzana ngakho lokhu, bathi: “Kanti kulomuntu oke wamphathela ukudla?” Ngemva kwalokhu uJesu uyabachazela esitsho amazwi okumele abalandeli bakhe bonke bawaqakathekise, uthi: “Ukudla kwami yikwenza intando yalowo ongithumileyo lokuqeda umsebenzi wakhe.”​—UJohane 4:32-34.

Lapha uJesu kakhulumi ngomsebenzi wokuvuna amabele, osekusele izinyanga ezingaba  zine ukuthi uqalise. Kodwa ukhuluma ngomsebenzi wokwenza abafundi njengoba eqhubeka esithi: “Phakamisani amehlo enu likhangele amasimu, asemhlophe njalo aselindele ukuvunwa. Khathesi ovunayo usesamukela umholo wakhe futhi usebuthelela izithelo zokuphila okungapheliyo ukuze ohlanyelayo lovunayo bathokoze bonke.”​—UJohane 4:35, 36.

Kungenzeka ukuthi uJesu uhle wabona ukuthi ingxoxo abe layo lowesifazana ongumSamariya incedile. Abantu abanengi eSikhari bayakholwa kuye ngenxa yalokhu abakutshelwe ngowesifazana lo ngoba uthi kubo: “Ungitshele zonke izinto engazenzayo.” (UJohane 4:39) Yikho nxa befika emthonjeni bacela uJesu ukuthi ahlale labo ukuze abaxoxele okunengi. UJesu uyavuma abesehlala labo insuku ezimbili.

Njengoba amaSamariya elalela uJesu, kuba lamanengi akholwa kuye. Athi kowesifazana: “Kasisakholwa ngenxa nje yalokho ositshele khona, kodwa sesikholwa ngoba sesizizwele ngezethu. Siyakwazi ukuthi indoda le ingumsindisi womhlaba sibili.” (UJohane 4:42) Okwenziwa ngowesifazana ongumSamariya kuyasifundisa ukuthi lathi nxa sitshumayela ngoKhristu, kumele sifundise ngendlela ezakwenza abantu bafise ukwazi okunengi.

Khathesi sekungaba nguNovember loba uDecember ngoba sekusele izinyanga ezine ukuthi kufike isikhathi sokuvuna, okungenzeka yisikhathi sokuvuna ibhali, evunwa ngentwasa esigabeni lesi. Lokhu kutsho ukuthi ngemva kwePhasika lika-30 C.E., uJesu labafundi bakhe besebelezinyanga ezingaba yisitshiyagalombili betshumayela njalo bebhabhathiza eJudiya. Khathesi sebesiya ngakibo, eGalile. Kuyini okubalindeleyo khonale?