Gethsemane
Gethsemane (Greek: Γεθσημανῆ)[1] is a garden located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, near the Kidron Valley to the east of Jerusalem’s Old City.[2] It is the place where Jesus Christ, after observing the Passover (the Last Passover) in the upper room of Mark, prayed earnestly through the night before His crucifixion, until He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and handed over to the crowd sent by the high priest.
Origin of the Name
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The name Gethsemane comes from the Aramaic phrase Gat Shemane, meaning “oil press.” The garden received this name because it contained an oil press used to extract olive oil.[3]
Gethsemane in the Bible
In the Bible, the Garden of Gethsemane is remembered as the place where Jesus offered His final prayer before facing the suffering of the cross. It is also where Judas Iscariot betrayed Him by identifying Him to the group sent by the high priest, leading to His arrest. The final moments of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane are as follows:
Jesus’ Final Prayer
Gethsemane was a place where Jesus often went to pray[4] and sometimes gathered with His disciples.[5]
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus celebrated the New Covenant Passover with His twelve disciples in the Upper Room of Mark.[6] During the Passover ceremony, He foretold Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. After receiving a piece of bread from Jesus, Judas immediately left.[7] That same night, Jesus took Peter and the sons of Zebedee—James and John—and went to the Garden of Gethsemane. He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” As He faced His imminent suffering, He was deeply distressed and sorrowful, urging them to stay awake and keep watch. Then Jesus went a little farther, knelt down, and began to pray:[8]
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
As Jesus prayed earnestly, sweat like drops of blood formed on His forehead and fell to the ground.[9] Pausing His prayer, He went to His disciples and found them asleep. Grieved, He said to them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Jesus then returned to pray two more times, and each time He came back, He found the disciples still sleeping.[10]
The Betrayal by Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot, who had sold Jesus for thirty silver coins, was familiar with the Garden of Gethsemane. He arrived at the place where Jesus was offering His final prayer, leading a crowd sent by the chief priests. They came carrying torches and weapons—swords and clubs. Judas identified Jesus to them by greeting Him with a kiss. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came for.” Following Judas’s signal, the crowd seized and bound Jesus.[11] This event is recorded consistently in all four Gospels.
Jesus Is Arrested as Foretold
When the crowd came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, Caiaphas, cutting off the servant Malchus’s right ear. But Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “Put your sword back in its place. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”[12][13]
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” . . . “But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Jesus then touched Malchus’s ear and healed him.[14] After that, He allowed Himself to be arrested without resistance. Like “a lamb led to the slaughter” and “a sheep before its shearers is silent,”[15] Jesus was taken away meekly, without protest. At that moment, all the disciples deserted Him and fled.[16]
See also
Related videos
- Sermon: The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Suffering
- Sermon: The Life of Prayer and Repentance
References
- ↑ Strong's Greek: 1068. Γεθσημανῆ, Bible Hub
- ↑ "John 18:1".
- ↑ Gethsemane, Britannica
- ↑ "Luke 22:39".
- ↑ "John 18:2".
- ↑ "Luke 22:7–22".
- ↑ "John 13:21-30".
- ↑ "Matthew 26:36–39".
- ↑ "Luke 22:44".
- ↑ "Mark 14:37–40".
- ↑ "Matthew 26:47-57".
- ↑ "John 18:10–11".
- ↑ "Luke 22:49–50".
- ↑ "Luke 22:51".
- ↑ "Isaiah 53:7".
- ↑ "Mark 14:48–50".