Mark 14:32-42

Mark 14:32-42 … The place was Gethsemane (which means “oil press”) and you could go there today. It’s so well preserved that there are actually several producing olive trees there that are at least 2000 years old and that were very likely there during Christ’s visits to the garden. Gethsemane is in the small valley area just after you cross the Kidron Brook. Facing east, you have the Mount of Olives in front of you and the Temple Mount behind you. It would take less than 30 minutes to walk from the Temple Mount to Gethsemane. It was here that Jesus prayed His great prayer of intercession (John 17) and here He submits to the will of the Father concerning His crucifixion. You might note the double address of God the Father in verse 36, “Abba, Father.” The name “Abba” is an untranslated Aramaic name used by children for their fathers; it’s a word of intimacy and relationship that some commentators even reverently refer to as “my Daddy” to convey (in English) the intimacy intended. The term only appears in two other places of Scripture (Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6), both of which refer to the intimate relationship we have with God the Father because of our adoption into the family of God. This is a truly somber and holy passage of Scripture.