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Gethsemane – Rekindling Our Worship

Published since 22. May. 2025
Bible passages:
Mt 26:36-47; Mk 14:32-42; Lk 22:39-46

Matthew 26:36-47
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Mark 14:32-42
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Luke 22:39-46
Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

The Lord Jesus and His disciples spent several years of their lives together. The disciples were not always able to follow the Lord Jesus not only outwardly but also "inwardly" and to have real, understanding fellowship with Him. Often, their participation in His life and His suffering seems to be only external; sometimes, it is not there at all.

Shortly before His death, the Lord Jesus expressed on two occasions how important it was to Him (nevertheless) that they were with Him and stood by Him in His suffering. He wanted them to watch with Him in Gethsemane (Mt 26:38).

The same applies to us: the Lord Jesus wants us to live in true fellowship with Him and desires our sympathy, our "co-suffering." He does not just want our sympathy; a purely emotional sympathy is not enough for Him (cf. Lk. 23:48). He wants us to know what He suffered and to know why we worship Him. Therefore, in this article, we want to reflect together on the sublime events in the Garden of Gethsemane. When we look at Gethsemane, we understand and feel better about what happened on the cross. In this way, our appreciation can become richer and more profound.

Empathy is not enough. There is a second reason why we need to understand what happened in Gethsemane and – in general – to understand the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. We are invited to offer sacrifices to God: material sacrifices and, above all, spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5). These are "spiritual" and consist of worship (Heb 13:15). They are "sacrifices" because their object is the Lord Jesus in His offering as a sacrifice to God. They are pleasing to God because – and only because – the Lord Jesus is at the center of God's thoughts (1 Pet. 2:5). If we want to honor God with our worship, it is, therefore, necessary to get to know the Lord Jesus better – especially with regard to His death as the Lamb of God and as a sacrifice for God. Gethsemane can help us here.

The Shadow of the Cross in Gethsemane

The suffering of the Lord Jesus includes, in particular, the judgment of God that He endured on the cross. God has hidden the details of this judgment from us [1], but God's Word tells us something about the feelings of the Lord Jesus in a few places. Both the Gospels and – prophetically or in moral application – the Psalms give us small, limited glimpses into the soul of the Lord Jesus in these hours. As far as the Gospels are concerned, we find only a few direct references. However, events in the run-up to the judgment shed light on it, especially the Lord Jesus' prayer struggle in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36 ff.; Mk. 14:32 ff.; Lk. 22:39 ff.). Here, the Lord fought one last great battle before He went to the cross and into God's judgment. He continued on His way with great determination, at the end of which He was made sin and bore our sins. His purity, holiness, and desire for fellowship with God, on the one hand, and His obedience and determination to fulfill the counsel of God's love, on the other, came together. The cross cast its shadow before Him.

Gethsemane – where the Holy Spirit accomplishes Precious Things

The place Gethsemane refers to a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. In the city, the Lord and His disciples had just celebrated the Passover in the upper room, and the Lord had instituted the "Lord's Supper" in His memory. Now they set out together for Gethsemane.

This place [2] has a twofold, profound meaning, which is already inherent in its name and which is noteworthy for our understanding of the event: Gethsemane means "oil press". At that time, this garden was apparently a place where olives (from the "Mount of Olives") were crushed and processed into oil. From Revelation 14:19 and other passages, we can conclude that the winepress is a symbol of judgment – the Lord would soon enter God's judgment voluntarily [3].

But the winepress also produces good things for God (Ex. 22:29). The olives were processed into oil; the pressed olive oil that is still valuable today [4] was the most precious even then [5]. Since the oil in Scripture is often a reference to the Holy Spirit [6], we can perhaps recognize from the meaning of the name "Gethsemane" and what happened in this place: The Lord lived His life up to the climax of His trials, death, "in the Holy Spirit" [7]. This became visible on the cross in the fact that the Lord was obedient to the utmost, and not out of mere outward fulfillment of duty, but out of an inner drive and out of love for His Father and the lost people. There, the Spirit worked precious things for God in the Lord Jesus. The course for this was already set in the Lord Jesus' prayerful struggle in Gethsemane for God's glory.

Very close to the Lord but asleep

Before we go into the details of the suffering of the Lord Jesus, let us take a brief look at the disciples. As always, they also serve us as an example for good and for bad.

Let their behavior warn us not to fall asleep where it is necessary to be vigilant and to have fellowship with the Lord – both when it comes to His suffering and when His glory is presented (Lk. 9:32)! We should not be lazy when we can learn something about the Lord or even be where He is. We certainly should not fall asleep [8].

On the other hand, let their example spur us on to be as close as possible to the Lord in His suffering! Are we used to being close to Him so that He can introduce us – like the three disciples Peter, John, and James – to His suffering? We cannot and do not want to criticize the eight disciples who remained at a distance because they did so at the Lord's command (Mk. 14:32 f.). But the question for us is: Can the Lord take us with Him (in spirit) into His suffering? Do we follow Him (mentally) as far as possible in order to understand and empathize with what He suffered? Of course, we cannot understand everything down to the last detail; we cannot ultimately share His feelings because they were – at least in part – special and unique. So even these three disciples were left a little way behind, and the Lord walked the last few meters of His prayer struggle alone. But as far as we are concerned, are we content in our worship to realize that His suffering is "too high" for us? Let us allow ourselves to be spurred on to seek communion with Him in His suffering in order to thank Him from the heart and with understanding and to worship Him as appropriately as possible!

When the Lord was afraid and exposed to the power of darkness ...

Let us put ourselves in the place of the disciples who accompanied the Lord out of the city after the Passover. Even earlier, when the Lord went up to Jerusalem with determination, they had been "terrified" and, although they followed the Lord, had been "afraid" (Mk. 10:32). Now they hear Him say in Gethsemane: "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death" (Mt. 26:38).

And it was not only the disciples who felt the impending doom. We now also learn about the Lord Himself and how terrible death was before Him. If it had not been left to us in God's Word, we would hardly dare to attribute fear and inner turmoil to the Lord. But that is how it was: He was "distressed and troubled" (Mt. 26:37); yes, He was "troubled and deeply distressed" (Mk. 14:33). [9] Before He stood the cross on Golgotha, there really was every reason to be afraid and troubled.

Satan and the people he used also played a role in those hours. When the Jews later wanted to arrest the Lord, He stated: "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Lk. 22:53). He would be delivered into the hands of sinners (Mt. 26:45), He would be put on trial, crucified and killed, and He would allow all of this to happen to Him. The power of darkness: The darkness, Satan, and his instruments would have the power.

After the temptations in the desert, at the very beginning of the Lord Jesus' ministry, Satan had "departed from Him for a time" (Lk. 4:13). It is reasonable to assume that Satan, as the one who has the power of death, took the opportunity to confront Him once again when the Lord was in a "wrestling match" and in distress of soul [10]. The Lord knew this beforehand – but He also knew that Satan would find nothing in Him to dissuade Him from the path of obedience (Jn. 14:30).

And the "sinner's hands"? The Lord would be led away (He would not cease to be "Lord" due to what was happening). He would no longer, as in the past when they tried to arrest Him, walk right through them (Lk. 4:30). For a time, nothing more would be seen of the healing and helping Son of God, the light in the darkness, who pushed back Satan's sphere of power everywhere, cast out demons, healed the sick and spread the word of life – no, outwardly the people used by Satan would now be in charge. The darkness would have the power – admittedly only to fulfill God's plans, but here began the hour of sinners and the power of darkness. In Gethsemane, however, the atoning suffering on the part of God stood before our Lord. These moments must have been terrible for Him. So He also prayed that, if possible, this hour might pass by Him (14:35).

... He is in the closest fellowship with God the Father.

In these circumstances, we are touched and impressed by the Lord's deep, close fellowship with His Father. He was always in the closest fellowship with Him, but one has the feeling that their fellowship is particularly beautiful and deeply felt in this extreme situation. The Lord addressed a long prayer to Him, saying just here: "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36) – how closely He clung to Him, how much He leaned on Him! From His hand, He would ultimately take the cup of suffering under the judgment of God (Jn. 18:11).

An extreme request

One of the petitions that the Lord Jesus addresses to the Father attracts our special attention. His words shed a bright light on the abyss that opened up before Him: "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me" (Mk. 14:36).

It is inconceivable that the Lord Jesus would make such a request since He knew that it was God's will and that drinking this cup was an essential part of the fulfillment of God's plan and counsel. How could He ask for the cup to be taken away? He had come into the world to do God's will (Jn. 4:34; Heb. 10:7) and to fulfill His counsel. Nor can we simply ignore this request by pointing out that the Lord immediately said: "... yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mk. 14:36; cf. Mt. 26:39). Rather, let us allow the distress of the Lord Jesus' soul to affect us; He said it this way and meant it this way: the cross with its horrors was so terrible before Him that He asked the Father to let the cup God had intended for Him pass Him by. What prompted Him to make this request? What preciousness for God can we discover in this request in Gethsemane?

Why the cup should pass Him by

  • The Lord was a perfect man, and so death and its terror loomed before the Lord. That the author of life should be killed was terrible for Him and represented part of His suffering. Thus, it says in Hebrews 5:7, no doubt alluding to Gethsemane, that strong crying and tears were offered to Him who "was able to save Him from death" (emphasis added). At the same time, however, Scripture also tells us that He had the power to lay down His life and take it again (Jn. 10:18).
  • The horror emanated especially from the cup; the Lord asked that it pass Him by. This cup speaks of the wrath of God (cf. Isa. 51:17; Rev. 14:10; 16:19), and "it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). Wrath of God – why? Was not the Lord the faithful servant who always acted in accordance with God? Yes, and yet the Lord had to bear God's wrath. Not as a personal punishment for His guilt and sin but as a substitute for the guilt of others. He bore the sins of all those who would believe in Him, and He was made sin in order to bring about atonement for the whole of creation. What was God's wrath? We can answer: The Lord was made sin and bore the punishment we deserved (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). God forsook Him, and that was certainly the worst torment of His life. Why was that?

Psalm 69:2, for example, gives an impression, even if it does not speak of the atoning sufferings of our Lord: How do you feel when you are "sunk in deep mud" and there is "no bottom"?

God was the reason, the foundation of the faithful servant – now He had forsaken Him! Or Psalm 22:10-11: "I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb, you have been My God. Be not far from Me!" Had He ever experienced anything like this? "My eyes fade away, waiting for my God" (Psalm 69:3b). Being forsaken by God was such a contradiction to the nature of the Lord Jesus that even now, in Gethsemane, in the bitter foretaste of being forsaken by God, He was very upset and frightened. "My heart is like wax ... My strength is dried up like a potsherd" (Ps. 22:14). He already had a premonition of this. What other request than "Take this cup away from me!" would be appropriate for the faithful servant who was always in communion with God? What other plea than this would be expected from the pure and holy One who was about to be made sin, burdened with countless sins, and judged for them vicariously?

We continue to sin even after our conversion and, in our weak life of faith, enjoy communion with God only inadequately. Therefore, we do not adequately feel how bad sin is and how it impairs our enjoyment of fellowship with God. We do not realize how the prospect of being made sin and abandoned by God must stand before the soul of the only man who is pure and has constant, undisturbed fellowship with God. God Himself would abandon Him – could He want that?

"Not my will, but yours be done."

Yes, He included this in His will. The Lord Jesus was obedient. What took place here in Gethsemane, as a harbinger of God's judgment on the cross, was an inner conflict between the Lord's purity, His need for unadulterated fellowship with God rooted in heartfelt love on the one hand, and His equally strong, unbroken obedience to the will and plan of God anchored in His being, as well as His love for God and the lost on the other. This desire for the enjoyment of fellowship becomes clear in His request that the cup passes Him by, while His admirable obedience becomes recognizable in words: "Not my will, but yours be done." We understand very well that the Lord Jesus wants us to follow Him mentally into this battle in Gethsemane.

Impulses for our worship

So what do we see with the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane? How can we describe the precious, fine oil that came out of the winepress for God and bring it before Him? For what can we worship the Lord Jesus, and for what can we thank Him?

  • Worthy of worship is the perseverance with which the Lord Jesus remained on His path and continued to walk in the face of all the gravity of God's judgment that stood before His soul.
  • We are touched by the purity and unclouded communion with the Father, from whose hand He took the cup. This contained the greatest – and for us ultimately immeasurable – suffering that the Lord ever experienced and which drove Him to the extreme plea: "Take this cup away from me."
  • His obedience and love, which speak from His answer: "Not my will, but yours be done," are also worthy of worship.

How grateful we can be that He said this and then put it into practice by going to the cross and there to God's judgment. After all, we deserve judgment; His death spares us eternal hell and makes us free to live for Him. And let us also remember: we have contributed to His suffering with every sin we have committed or are committing! Let us, therefore, not only worship Him but honor Him through a life of holiness and faithful discipleship!

 

Footnotes:

[1] In this respect, the three-hour darkness on the cross also seems to have symbolic significance. It is a divine judgment – the number three is often directly associated with God in the Bible.

[2] The places Kidron, Mount of Olives, and Gethsemane and their names are full of symbolism; we will only briefly look at "Gethsemane" here; however, it is also worthwhile pursuing the meaning of the other two places in personal Bible study (on Kidron, see e.g. 1 Ki. 15:13; 2 Ki. 23:4 ff.; Jer. 31:40; 2 Sam. 15:23).

[3] Perhaps the process of pressing and crushing refers to the spiritual pressure under which the Lord was in Gethsemane.

[4] Cold-pressed, "virgin" (i.e., unaltered) olive oil.

[5] "Fine, crushed oil" (Ex. 27:20).

[6] Cf. e.g. Zechariah 4:3, 6.

[7] Cf. the grain offering mixed with oil (Lev. 2:4).

[8] On the other hand, the Lord is merciful. As this incident shows, He knows when we need rest and grants it to us (Mt. 26:45). The disciples had fallen asleep from sadness (Lk. 22:45).

[9] And even in this situation, His feelings were completely pure, free from sin, and therefore very precious to God. The grain offering in Leviticus 2:1 gives us a clue here; "pure fine flour" was used there.

[10] The Lord's battle can certainly not be limited to a spiritual battle against Satan. Rather, the focus is on the inner conflict with regard to atoning suffering, which is expressed in the words "Take this cup away from me" and "Not my will, but yours be done."

 

 

 

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