Matthew 26:36 (ESV)
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and
he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
Do we know where Gethsemane is located? Is it reliable to
know where Jesus spent one of the most important nights in human history? The
answer to both of these questions is: yes!
In Matthew, Mark and Luke we only know the disciples went
to a place called Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane literally means “oil press.”
Many oil presses were in caves. The temperature in caves allowed for better
olive oil production. Caves also provided great natural protection from the
elements.
There is only one cave in the area where people have said
for 2,000 years Jesus prayed on that amazing evening before he went to the
cross. The cave of Gethsemane is large. Excavations in 1956-1957 revealed the
mouth of the cave was over 16 feet wide. They also found evidence as many as
three olive presses were operating inside the cave.
We also know from the Bible that it was a cold night when
Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. Mark 14 and John 18 say Peter was warming himself
next to a fire later that night. This is important because the disciples likely
did not lay down to sleep out in the open under the stars on that night. It
gets pretty cold at night in Jerusalem and there’s usually a heavy dew. Having
Jesus and the disciples initially laying down to rest inside the cave of
Gethsemane makes much more sense.
Next to the cave, however, the garden of Gethsemane has
been growing Olive Trees for as long as anyone can remember. Some of the trees
in the garden today are among the oldest living things on planet earth. Many of
the trees are hollow so they are unable to reliably date the older core of the
tree, but they still date to well over a thousand years old!
It is likely Jesus left the disciples sleeping in the cave
and then ventured out into the garden of olive trees to pray that the cup would
pass from him. These are sacred places on planet earth where you can go and
realize the important events of that night which lead to our soul freedom today
through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Dear Lord, we are reminded again how important prayer is in
our life through Your example. Help us to take the time to pray each day. In
the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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