Thoughts about Gethsemane: the Place of Preparation, and some photos from our 2019 trip to Israel
Gethsemane is the place where Jesus went to pray. He asked the disciples to keep watch. Why did he do that? I believe Jesus wanted time with the Father to prepare for what was to happen next. Jesus was aware of what was before him. The task coming next was monumental. It was a task that Jesus did not want. In his humanness, Jesus asked the Father three times if He would take this cup from him. However, also, in his humanness, he said, “not my will, but thine be done.“
Squeezing and Crushing
Gethsemane was a place of preparation for Jesus. Gethsemane means “olive press,” the place where olives are squeezed to produce fine oil. It was the place where Jesus went to the Father to seek, ask, and then submit to the Father’s will. We may ask, and seek, but we leave the decision to Him. That Jesus prayed in Gethsemane was symbolic of his fate. He would be squeezed and crushed. We too are often squeezed or crushed, but the Father knows all about it.
The Place of Strength
We, too, must go to the Father in prayer. In the place of prayer, we receive the strength we need. We may wrestle with God in that place of prayer. We may say, Lord take this from me, I don’t want it, and that’s OK. But before we leave that place of prayer, we must say as Jesus did, “Not my will but thine be done.” It is in the place of prayer that the Father gives us strength to do His will. God’s will often involves squeezing and crushing.
Are You Prepared?
What has the Lord called you to? Whether it is something in our private or professional lives, Gethsemane is the place where God prepares us. It was necessary for Christ to spend time with the Father be ready for what was waiting for Him. The time with the Father at Gethsemane prepared Christ to complete the Father’s will. Are you prepared? When have you last visited Gethsemane?
The Agony
Gethsemane prepared Jesus for the Agony- the intense suffering he was about to endure being betrayed, arrested, unjustly tried, stripped, pierced, spat upon, struck, mocked, insulted, and then, crucified. This is the agony that was both willed and allowed by the Father. Jesus felt forsaken, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV, Matt 27:46).
Why Should We Be Any Different?
Why do we often think we should not experience agony, when our Lord experienced it in far greater measure? Our agony will always be lesser than Christ’s, but we often consider it absurd or abnormal to experience suffering. Suffering produces something in us that cannot be obtained in any other way. Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character. Character produces hope (NIV, Rom. 5:3-4).
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
The Apostle Paul, NIV, Romans 5:3-4
Remember
Remember, especially during this Holy Week, whatever you are facing or will face in the future, the Lord will give you the strength to bear it. Prayer is the preparation. Jesus understands the future and the trials we will face. He shows us the way: Spend time with the Lord in prayer, and you will receive the strength you need. Notice, Jesus went three times. He was purposeful in seeking the Father. He sought the Father. He spoke to Him. He listened. Although Jesus went through the agony (for the sins of humanity- for us) Jesus was not forsaken. The Lord raised Him up! The Lord will raise you up also.
How can I pray for you?
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Maria and Tom Donnelly- Chaplains to the Forgotten 
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