The Last Words of Jesus: A Lenten DevotionalSýnishorn

Reflection 2: The Garden of Gethsemane

Read: Luke 22:39-46

Where do you go when you’re overwhelmed and need to talk honestly to God? Is there a particular room in your house or a place in nature where you feel like you can be close to your Creator?

After the Last Supper, Jesus retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. John’s account tells us that this wasn’t a one-off visit and that “Jesus had often gone there with His disciples” (Jn. 18:2, NLT). Jesus’ disciples accompanied Him to the garden one final time, and Jesus gave them clear instructions to keep watch and pray. Then Jesus walked further into the garden to cry out to His Father.

He prayed: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Lk. 22:42, NLT).

Jesus’ soul was overwhelmed, and He was in so much agony that His sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood (Lk. 22:44). But through the pain, He continuously prayed: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matt. 26:39, NLT).

Meanwhile, His disciples kept getting distracted and falling asleep in the garden, even after Jesus woke them up multiple times to issue warnings and to urge them to pray (Lk. 22:46). But by the third time He woke up His disciples, Jesus was resolute. He knew that the time had come to face the path God had laid out before Him.

When we face difficulties and suffering, we might be tempted to halt our prayers. Maybe you’ve even experienced times in your life when you felt like praying was futile. Jesus knew exactly what would happen to Him, but He still begged and pleaded with God to take away suffering. This prayer is an important reminder of how connected Jesus was to His heavenly Father, even when He was wrestling with pain. His prayer in the garden shows us that even though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human (Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:6-8) and struggled with suffering just like we do.

The prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane is also a reminder of how important it is to keep our eyes fixed on God in times of deep struggle. Even though Jesus’ circumstances didn’t change as a result of His prayer, His heart became even more attuned to God’s will.

Soon after, Jesus said to His disciples: “Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” (Mk. 14:42, NLT)

It was time for God’s will to be done, just as Jesus had prayed.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do you have a special place where you feel close to the Lord and go to pray? If so, what about this place makes you feel close to the Lord?
• Jesus asked His disciples to go to the garden and pray with Him. Who would you ask to enter into the garden of your temptation and suffering?
• How do you discern God’s will in your life?