Here’s a glimpse inside this sacred garden.
An article in the June issue of For the Strength of Youth magazine talks about the spiritual significance of the garden of Gethsemane, where the Savior suffered all of our pains and sorrows.
But what about the place itself? What kind of “garden” was it? Here are some facts:
- “Gethsemane” is Aramaic for “oil-press,” usually referring to olive oil specifically.
- The garden had olive trees and probably a press for getting oil from them (hence the name).
- Some of the olive trees that are in Gethsemane today are over 900 years old!
- Gethsemane is east of Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
- It’s next to a brook or stream called Kedron (see John 18:1).
- The only time Gethsemane is mentioned in the Bible is when Jesus goes there to pray the night before He is crucified (see Matthew 26:36 and Mark 14:32). But Luke says that Jesus was “wont” (meaning “accustomed”) to going there (Luke 22:39), so it was apparently a place He visited regularly.
Your Sacred Place
Is there a place you go for quiet, sacred moments? What special experiences have you had there? This would be great to add to your journal.
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