“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” (Matthew 26:36 (ESV)
“And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” (Mark 14:32 (ESV)
“39And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:39–40 (ESV)
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.” (John 18:1 ESV)
Gethsemane was the place where Jesus and his disciples walked after they gathered in the upper room to observe the Passover. In Gethsemane, Jesus underwent great inner turmoil realizing the hour of his betrayal was at hand (Matt. 26:36–56; Mark 14:32–50; Luke 22:39–53). Gethsemane was/is an olive orchard on the west side base of the Mt. of Olives and near the Kidron Valley.
“The name Gethsemane, used only in the Gospels of Matthew (26:36) and Mark (14:32), means “oil press,” suggesting the presence of an olive grove. The use of the Greek word “place” in the Gospel accounts indicates that Gethsemane was an enclosed piece of ground. It may be that the grove was privately owned and that Jesus and his disciples had special permission to enter,” explains the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
“Though the Gospels of Luke and John do not mention the word Gethsemane, they both record Jesus’ agony before his betrayal. Luke says the location was on the “Mount of Olives” (Luke 22:39). John describes the area as “across the Kidron Valley” (John 18:1); John’s is the only Gospel to call the spot a garden. From those accounts it is also evident that Jesus and his disciples gathered in Gethsemane often for fellowship and prayer (Luke 22:39; John 18:2). The Gospel narratives indicate that the garden was large enough for the group to separate into different parts of it.”
It was in Gethsemane Jesus prayed in great agony in submitting to God the Father’s will. It would not be an easy prayer, but it was an obedient prayer. In your life, have you ever had a Gethsemane moment or experience? Every believer in does. The question is whether our prayers to God the Father mirror Jesus’ prayer?
In the garden he went to pray
When it seemed hope was gone
He prayed with a broken heart
He prayed all alone.
Have you had a Gethsemane?
Have you prayed in despair?
In the dark of those weary hours
Did the Lord meet you there?
Have you had a Gethsemane?
Have you prayed the night through?
Have you shed tears in agony
When no hope was in you?
Have you prayed, “If it be Thy will”?
May this cup pass from me?
But if it’s thy will, dear Lord
I will bear it for Thee.
Have you had a Gethsemane?
Have you prayed the night through?
Have you shed tears in agony
When no hope was in you?
Have you prayed, “If it be Thy will”?
May this cup pass from me?
But if it’s thy will, dear Lord
I will bear it for Thee. – Bill and Gloria Gaither
Soli deo Gloria!
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