After 2000 years it is still a well kept and highly visited historical garden.
The garden at Gethsemane is still a garden you can visit in Israel; 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.
Garden of Gethsemane Today (Anchint Olive Trees continue to grow)
The most notable events at the Garden of Gethsemane occurred on the night before His crucifixion when Jesus was betrayed.
Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover, they came to the Garden. Jesus took three of them—Peter, James and John— to a place separate from the rest. Here Jesus asked them to watch with Him and pray so they would not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41), but they fell asleep. Two times 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’s will. He was “exceedingly sorrowful unto death,” but God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
Depiction of Christ praying in the Garden just before the soldiers arrived.
Afterward Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, arrived witha “multitude” of soldiers, high priests, Pharisees, and servants to arrest Jesus. Judas identified Him by the prearranged signal of a kiss which he gave to Jesus. Trying to protect Jesus, Peter took a sword and attacked a man named Malthus, the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Jesus rebuked Peter and miraculously healed the man’s ear. Surprisingly the witnessing this amazing miracle of healing had no effect on the multitude. Neither were they shaken by His awesome display of power as described in John 18:5-6, where either at the majesty of His looks, or at the power of His words, or both, they became like dead men, falling to the ground. Nevertheless, they arrested Him and took Him to Pontius Pilate, while the disciples scattered in fear for their lives.
The events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane have reverberated down through the centuries. The passion Jesus displayed on that momentous night has been depicted in music, books, and films for centuries. From the 16th century, when Bach wrote two magnificent oratorios based on the gospel accounts of Matthew and John, to the present day with the film “The Passion of the Christ,” the story of this extraordinary night has been told again and again.
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Nice post. The story that took place in that garden was the beginning of a series of events that would turn out to be the most unjust day in the history of the world.
And by grace, three days later Jesus rose from the grave, thereby displaying more mercy than ever before in history.
Excellent reminder!
Looks amazing, the Olive trees are quite a sight.
Happy Easter.
thanks for the kind words, i’m going to link to your blog on mine.
Had the honor and privilige of standing in the Garden of Gethsemane in February. A truly amazing experience.