Gethsemane

Biblical Text

The name "Gethsemane" appears only in Matthew 26:36 and Mark 14:32. Luke 22:39 refers to the same place as "the mount of Olives," and John 18:1 describes it as a "garden" located "over the brook Cedron."

After the Last Supper, Jesus Christ went there with his disciples. Taking Peter, James, and John with him, he went a little farther and prayed. In this prayer Jesus said, "Let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Mark 14:36 records that Jesus addressed God as "Abba, Father." Meanwhile, the disciples had fallen asleep (for details, see Prayer in Gethsemane). Then Judas Iscariot arrived leading a crowd and identified Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus was arrested on the spot. All the disciples fled.

Name and Location

The name "Gethsemane" is generally thought to derive from an Aramaic or Hebrew expression meaning "oil press." A facility for pressing olive oil probably stood at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where olive trees were plentiful. John 18:2 reports that Jesus often met there with his disciples, so Judas also knew the place. Today a traditional commemorative site and a church stand at the foot of the Mount of Olives, but the exact location to which the text refers has not been determined.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament, the "cup" serves as a metaphor for God's wrath and judgment (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15). Accordingly, many interpreters understand the "cup" of Gethsemane as the suffering and death that Jesus was to bear. The supplications offered "with strong crying and tears" described in Hebrews 5:7–9 are also commonly associated with this scene. In addition, a long-standing interpretive tradition contrasts the Garden of Eden, where disobedience occurred, with the garden of Gethsemane, where obedience was fulfilled (Romans 5:18–19).

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The question of two wills: The prayer "not as I will" served as an important proof text in the seventh-century controversy over the will of Christ. This controversy led to the confession that both a divine will and a human will are present in Christ (Christology).
• Sweat like drops of blood: Luke 22:44 records that his sweat was "as it were great drops of blood." Sermons often claim that he literally sweated blood, but the text uses a simile. In addition, verses 43–44 are absent from some ancient manuscripts, and some translations note this in a footnote.
• The young man who fled naked: One tradition identifies the young man of Mark 14:51–52 as Mark himself, but the text does not say who he was.
• The disciple who cut off an ear: The Gospel of John identifies the disciple who cut off the ear of the high priest's servant with a sword as Peter and gives the servant's name as Malchus. Only the Gospel of Luke records the healing of the ear.

In the Korean Church

This passage is frequently preached during Holy Week and at special early-morning prayer meetings. In particular, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41) is widely cited as an exhortation to prayer. Gethsemane is also one of the principal sites visited on pilgrimages to Israel.