Atachoka ku Pereya, Yesu anafika kufupi ndi mudzi wa Betaniya womwe unali pamtunda wa makilomita atatu chakum’mawa kwa Yerusalemu. Pa nthawiyi Mariya ndi Marita, omwe anali azichemwali ake a Lazaro, anali akulirabe maliro a mchimwene wawo ndipo kunyumba kwawo kunabwera anthu ambiri kudzawapepesa.

Kenako munthu wina anauza Marita kuti Yesu akubwera ndipo Marita anathamanga kuti akakumane naye. N’kutheka kuti Marita atakumana ndi Yesu anafotokoza zimene iyeyo komanso Mariya ankaganiza kwa masiku 4 amene Lazaro anali atamwalira. Iye anati: “Ambuye, mukanakhala kuno mlongo wanga sakanamwalira.” Koma zimenezi sizikusonyeza kuti Marita analibe chikhulupiriro chifukwa ananena kuti: “Ndikudziwa kuti zilizonse zimene mungapemphe Mulungu, Mulungu adzakupatsani zonsezo.” (Yohane 11:21, 22) Marita ankadziwa kuti Yesu anali ndi mphamvu zoti akanatha kuthandizabe mchimwene wakeyo.

Yesu anamuyankha kuti: “Mlongo wako adzauka.” Marita atamva zimenezi anaganiza kuti Yesu ankanena za nthawi imene anthu adzaukitsidwe padziko lapansi. Zimenezi ndi zimene Abulahamu komanso anthu ena ankakhulupirira. Kenako Marita posonyeza kuti ankakhulupirira kuti zimene Yesu ananena zidzachitikadi, ananena kuti: “Ndikudziwa kuti adzauka pa kuuka kwa akufa m’tsiku lomaliza.”—Yohane 11:23, 24.

Komabe, kodi Yesu akanathadi kuthandiza Lazaro pa nthawi imeneyi? Yesu anakumbutsa Marita kuti Mulungu anamupatsa mphamvu zoukitsira akufa. Anamuuza kuti: “Aliyense wokhulupirira mwa ine, ngakhale amwalire, adzakhalanso ndi moyo. Ndipo aliyense amene ali moyo ndi kukhulupirira mwa ine sadzafa ayi.”—Yohane 11:25, 26.

Yesu sankatanthauza kuti ophunzira ake amene anali ndi moyo pa nthawi imeneyo sadzafa. Ndipotu mogwirizana ndi zimene anauza atumwi ake, iyeyonso ankayembekezera kufa. (Mateyu 16:21; 17:22, 23) Iye ankatanthauza kuti ngati anthu atamukhulupirira akhoza kudzapeza moyo wosatha. Ndipotu anthu ambiri amene adzapeze moyo umenewu adzachita kuukitsidwa. Koma anthu ena okhulupirika amene adzakhale ndi moyo pa nthawi ya mapeto a dziko loipali sadzafa. Kaya zinthu zidzakhala bwanji, komabe mfundo ndi yakuti, aliyense amene amakhulupirira Yesu ayenera kukhulupirira kuti sadzafa mpaka kalekale.

Koma kodi Yesu amene anali atangonena kuti, “Ine ndine kuuka ndi moyo,” akanaukitsa Lazaro amene anali atamwalira kwa masiku angapo? Yesu anafunsa Marita kuti: “Kodi ukukhulupirira zimenezi?” Marita anayankha kuti: “Inde, Ambuye. Ndimakhulupirira kuti ndinu Khristu Mwana wa Mulungu, Amene dziko linali kuyembekezera kubwera kwake.” Marita ankakhulupirira kuti Yesu akhoza kuchita chinachake tsiku lomwelo, moti anathamangira kunyumba kumene kunali Mariya n’kukamuuza ali paokha kuti: “Mphunzitsi ali pano ndipo akukuitana.” (Yohane 11:25-28) Nthawi yomweyo Mariya anachoka kunyumbako ndipo anthu ena anamutsatira chifukwa ankaganiza kuti akupita kumanda a Lazaro.

Koma Mariya ankapita kwa Yesu ndipo atafika, anagwada pa mapazi a Yesu n’kubwereza zimene mchemwali wake ananena kuti: “Ambuye, mukanakhala kuno mlongo wanga sakanamwalira.” Yesu ataona kuti Mariya komanso gulu la anthu likulira, anavutika mumtima ndipo anamva chisoni kwambiri moti nayenso analira. Anthu amene anaona Yesu akulira anadabwa kwambiri pomwe ena ankafunsana kuti: ‘Ngati iyeyu, anakwanitsa kuchiritsa munthu yemwe anabadwa wakhungu uja, kodi sakanatha kuchitapo kanthu kuti mnzakeyu asamwalire?’—Yohane 11:32, 37.