What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?

Answer

The garden at Gethsemane, a place whose name literally means “oil press,” is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. A garden of ancient olive trees stands there to this day. Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray “And Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus often went there with his disciples.”, (John 18:2). The most famous events at Gethsemane occurred on the night before His crucifixion when Jesus was betrayed. Each of the Gospel writers describes the events of that night with slight variations, so reading the four accounts (Matthew 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:40-53 and John 18:1-11) will give an accurate picture of that momentous night in its entirety.

As the evening began, after Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover, they came to the garden. At some point, Jesus took three of them—Peter, James, and John— to a place separated from the rest. Here Jesus asked them to watch with Him and pray so they would not fall into temptation “Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”, (Matthew 26:41), but they fell asleep. Twice, Jesus had to wake them and remind them to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. This was especially poignant because Peter did indeed fall into temptation later that very night when three times he denied even knowing Jesus. Jesus moved a little way from the three men to pray, and twice He asked His Father to remove the cup of wrath He was about to drink, but each time He submitted to the Father.

Jesus was deeply anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the point of feeling sorrowful unto death. However, God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him «And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. », (Luke 22:43).

Following this, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, came with a group of soldiers, high priests, Pharisees, and servants to apprehend Jesus. Judas identified Him with a kiss as a prearranged signal. In an attempt to defend Jesus, Peter drew a sword and struck Malchus, the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus reproached Peter and miraculously healed the man’s ear. It is remarkable that witnessing this incredible healing miracle had no impact on the group. They were not moved by His remarkable demonstration of power as recounted in John 18:5-6, where they fell to the ground like dead men, either from the majesty of His appearance, the power of His words, or both. Nevertheless, they seized Him and brought Him to Pontius Pilate, while the disciples dispersed in fear for their safety.

The events in the Garden of Gethsemane have echoed through the ages. The intense emotion Jesus exhibited on that significant night has been portrayed in music, literature, and cinema for generations. From the 16th century, when Bach composed two magnificent oratorios based on the gospel narratives of Matthew and John, to the present day with the movie The Passion of the Christ, the tale of this remarkable night has been retold time and again. Even our language has been influenced by these events, giving us expressions like “he who lives by the sword dies by the sword” «Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. », (Matthew 26:52); “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” «Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter intotemptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” , (Mark 14:38); and “sweating drops of blood” “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” , (Luke 22:44). Of course, the most significant impact of this night was the willingness of our Savior to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. God “made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” , (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.