Gethsemane 

The Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed and agonized about his passion, and where he was arrested after Judas betrayed him, sits outside of Jerusalem across a small valley. The Mount of Olives stretches as a ridgeline opposite the Temple; the garden was on this hillside (see it on a map here).

Walking through the garden was a common route for Jesus—he often stayed with his good friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany, which is just a short distance beyond the Mount of Olives, which held a large cemetery from ancient times. In his traveling to and from the Temple, he would have passed this way many times.

In his guidebook to the Holy Land, Jerome Murphy O’Connor sets the scene in the garden at the start of Jesus’ passion well:

“Having eaten the Paschal meal somewhere in the city (Lk 22:10), Jesus ‘went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden’ (Jn 18:1) on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane (Mk 14:26, 32). The place was known to Judas, ‘for Jesus often met there with his disciples’ (Jn 18:2), perhaps to take a rest (while reflecting on the experiences of the day) before starting the climb up the steep slopes en route to Bethany. Jesus knew his life to be in danger (Jn 11:8, 16); he suspected Judas of treachery (Mk 14:17-21). On his way up the Kidron valley he could not have avoided seeing the tombs in the bright moonlight. Awareness of the imminence of death struck him with great force; he had to stop and be alone for a moment because a decision had to be made. His enemies would come from the city, but ten minutes’ fast walking would bring him to the top of the Mount of Olives with the open desert before him. Escape would be easy; he could postpone the inevitable. Only in prayer could he find the answer to the agonizing question of whether to stand or retreat.”

We know that Jesus decided to choose faithfulness to his mission, and put his trust in God. While his body was crucified on the cross, his will was crucified in the garden when he prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” (Mt 26:42).

We can’t be absolutely certain where Jesus prayed in the garden that night, but there is a prominent rock outcropping in the area that has been venerated by Christians for many centuries. In the fourth century, a church was built over it, and a newer one was built on the site in 1924. (Note the chalice-shaped base of the altar.) It is known as the Church of All Nations because 12 different countries contributed to its construction.

The church is wrapped in darkness to capture the moment when the Light of the world was at his darkest moment. The ceiling is a mosaic of stars and the night sky, and the windows are made of alabaster, so only shaded purple light comes in.

Visitors find it easy to enter into Jesus’ solitude and grief here. Everyone observes a solemn silence as they share this darkness with Jesus. The church invites us to join our wills to his, to seek the same sacrificial obedience he demonstrated.

A garden stands outside of the church with ancient olive trees. These trees would not have been alive at the time of Jesus, but they give a sense of what a garden might have looked like in this location.

There is an interesting connection between Gethsemane and Jesus’ experience here. In Hebrew, the name Gethsemane is comprised of the words for “press” and “oil”—it was a place where olive oil was produced.

In the ancient process, olives were gathered into tightly woven baskets and pressed three times—the husks of the olives remained in the basket and the oil seeped out. In the story of Jesus’ agony in the garden, he also prays three times, and his anxiety caused him to sweat blood.

The details call to mind the prophet Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed” (53:5).

In the video below, a group of Notre Dame pilgrims listens to the Gospel account of Jesus’ agony in the garden just outside of this church, where it took place; Father Joe Corpora, CSC, proclaims it. The video also shows scenes from the nearby garden.