Prayer in Gethsemane

Biblical Text and Content

The prayer in Gethsemane is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46. John 18:1 states only that Jesus went to a garden across the brook Kidron and does not record the content of the prayer.

After the Last Supper, Jesus, taking Peter, James, and John with him, went on a little farther. Jesus said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38), and then fell on his face and prayed. The heart of the prayer is "let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Matthew and Mark relate that the disciples fell asleep while Jesus prayed three times. Jesus told the disciples, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). When the prayer was over, Judas Iscariot arrived leading a crowd, and Jesus was arrested.

Background

The name Gethsemane is generally understood to mean "oil press." It appears to have been a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, though its exact location cannot be determined with certainty. Mark preserves the Aramaic word "Abba" with which Jesus addressed God (Mark 14:36; the New Korean Revised Version renders it "Appa"). This form of address is treated separately in the article Abba, Father. In the Old Testament, "cup" is also used as an image of God's wrath and judgment (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15).

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

This prayer is the starting point of the Passion narrative, which continues through the trial of Jesus and the crucifixion. The words of Hebrews 5:7-9, "when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears," are commonly read in connection with this scene. Jesus' surrender to the Father's will in this prayer is often mentioned together with the petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Interpretations and Debates

• The two wills of Christ: In the seventh century some held that Christ had only one will (Monothelitism). In the controversy over this teaching, this passage served as a key proof text. In 681 the Third Council of Constantinople, building on the Council of Chalcedon's confession of two natures, confessed that Christ possesses both a divine will and a human will. Mainstream Protestant denominations have also inherited this Christology and read the scene as one that reveals Jesus' true humanity.
• The meaning of the cup: The Reformed tradition strongly tends to read the cup as the wrath of God borne in the place of sinners. Other interpreters also emphasize human fear in the face of death or the agony of separation from God.
• Textual issues: Luke 22:43-44, which tells of an angel strengthening Jesus and of his sweat being "as it were great drops of blood," is absent from some early manuscripts. Scholars are therefore divided over whether it belongs to the original text. Interpreters also differ on whether it means that Jesus actually sweated blood or is a figurative expression.
• Added imagery: The image of Jesus praying while leaning on a rock became widespread in later art and tradition. The text states only that Jesus prayed after falling to the ground (Matthew and Mark) or kneeling (Luke).

In the Korean Church

This passage is frequently the subject of meditation in Holy Week services and at special dawn prayer meetings. The words "not as I will, but as thou wilt" are preached as a model of obedient prayer. The question "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40) is often quoted to encourage participation in prayer meetings. Some prayer retreat centers and prayer rooms also bear the name "Gethsemane."