Homeland of Jesus

- 17 - Through the Homeland of Jesus Fr Joseph Kappil Gethsemane Moistened with the Blood of Jesus

We have been wending our way through the holy places in Jerusalem which served as the venue for the salvific events of the last days of Jesus' life beginning from Palm Sunday. Our pilgrimage has come to a halt at the Cenacle wherein took place the Last Supper of Jesus. In the last issue we were with Jesus who was partaking of the paschal meal in the company of his beloved apostles in the upper room situated on an elevated site to the west of the city of Jerusalem.

Let us now accompany Jesus during his journey after the Last Supper. We will now trace our steps through the places and paths sanctified by the blood of Jesus. It was in Gethsemane that he shed blood in great anguish of spirit and entered into his passion. Its culmination was the crucifixion on Calvary. Let us follow Jesus sharing his thoughts and his feelings.

St Mark the evangelist says, "When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives "(14:26). "They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray "(14:32). The paschal meal eaten in the evening was the most celebrated event of the paschal festival of the Jews. This meal which had to be eaten with prescribed ceremonies, by all the family members was a great celebration and would be prolonged for hours. The meal would be concluded with a psalm of praise. As the evangelist relates, after the hymn was sung, Jesus with his disciples went out of the upper room.

The touching last discourse that Jesus gave to his disciples is described in St John's Gospel, in chapter 13 to 17. St John goes on to say, "After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered"(18:1). Jesus, who went out of the upper room, passed through the gate on the south east corner of the lower part of the city, walked along the Kidron valley and entered the garden lying across. There is a distance of about one kilo metre between the Cenacle and Gethsemane. This route which Jesus took from the Cenacle to Gethsemane along with his disciples is marked (3) in the map.

Gethsemane is one of the sacred places of the Holy Land-the place where on the night of Holy Thursday, Jesus, in a great agony, his soul sorrowful unto death, lay prostrate as if totally exhausted, sweated blood and prayed to the Father. Jesus, who received the kiss of the grossest betrayal by one of his own disciples, was arrested in Gethsemane and captured by his enemies.

The garden of Gethsemane lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives, situated on the opposite side of the Kidron valley, lying adjacent to the eastern wall of the city of Jerusalem. One who goes out by the gate in the middle of the wall to the east of Jerusalem, descends into the Kidron valley and goes across to ascend the Mount of Olives. Where the ascent to the Mount of Olives begins, in a cluster of olive trees lies Gethsemane.

It is commonly believed that Gethsemane is derived from the Hebrew 'Gatshemenie,' that means 'olive oil press' or 'olive oil vessel'. It is held that this name came to be coined because of the olive-press used to extract oil from olives and was in vogue in this part of Jerusalem.

The garden of Gethsemane is today in the hands of Franciscan friars. All over this place olive trees grow abundantly even today. Eighteen olive trees, huge, though not very tall, apparently very ancient and growing luxuriantly can be seen in the garden. According to the findings of researchers, these eight olive trees were existing here during the time of Jesus. These are carefully tended by Franciscan friars even today. They bear seasonal fruit abundantly. Every pilgrim's heart's desire is to possess a few leaves or fruits of these trees.

In the garden of Gethsemane there are two places which attract the attention of the visitors.

1. The grotto where Jesus with his disciples assembled. It was here in this grotto where Jesus returned after his prayers, that Judas gave him the kiss of betrayal. It was here that the soldiers captured him.

2 The spot, a little away from this grotto, where Jesus prostrated himself, sweated blood and prayed. On the spot is a rock of hard lime stone. Enclosing this rock stands a magnificent basilica.

Jesus, in the company of his disciples reached this grotto. On previous occasions when he came to Jerusalem, very often he had prayed and spent the night here with his disciples, This grotto was a natural cave in the rock, very convenient to remain in peace, pray and rest at night. In St Luke's gospel, we read, "Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called"(21:37). This grotto, close to Jerusalem, was the resting place for Jesus at night. A shapeless cave, it was about 17 m long 9 m wide and 3 1/2 m high. In the gospel of St John we read, "Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples "(18:2).Judas, having left the upper room during the last supper, received the thirty silver coins in order to betray Jesus into the hands of his enemies and arrived with the chief priests, Scribes, and soldiers here in this grotto. He knew that Jesus would come to this grotto to rest and to pray after his supper. That was why he came straight to this cave in Gethsemane.

When Jesus reached this grotto, he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me"(Mt 26:36-38).

After telling them to be seated in the grotto, he called three of them and went ahead a little. He then directed them to remain there while he went a little farther. It was here that he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want"(Mt 26:39). In the midst of the most excruciating pain and sorrow, Jesus approached his disciples during his prayer quite a few times for the sake of a little consolation. They were on all those occasions fast asleep. In his extreme agony he sweated blood which fell in drops in Gethsemane. When the appointed time came, Judas and the soldiery arrived and took him prisoner.

There is no pilgrim who remains untouched or unmoved when he gazes at the rock rendered sacred by the blood-drops of Jesus in his acute agony and prayer, the basilica that encloses it and the garden of Gethsemane wherein it is situated. He cannot but shed some tears that fall on the same rock when he traces his steps through the garden of Gethsemane, enters the basilica and falls prostrate on the rock, kisses it and pours out his heart to Jesus. It is the experience of partaking in the mental anguish and grief of Jesus that he goes through. When he reads the relevant gospel passage, seated in that peaceful atmosphere, he is lost in meditation and time flies unawares. In comparison with the other sacred places in Jerusalem, it is Gethsemane that is most charged with the spirit of prayer, tranquillity and silence. The whole day long a string of pilgrims comes to Gethsemane and spends long hours of prayer. At the main altar of the Basilica erected in front of the rock on which Jesus agonized and prayed, there can be seen people offering the Eucharist in groups. Every Holy Thursday all night long, the whole of Gethsemane throngs with people lost in prayer and contemplation. We can see multitudes spending the entire night in prayer and silence.

The first basilica enclosing the blood-drenched rock was built in the 4th century. It was destroyed in AD 614 by the Persians. During the 12th century, it was rebuilt by the Crusaders but was destroyed again. The one we see today was constructed in 1919-24. As contributions to meet the expenses were made by several nations, it is called "The Church of all Nations." Franciscan friars are its caretakers. It is one of the most magnificent churches of the Holy Land.

In the next issue we will follow Jesus who is led handcuffed to the palace of Caiphas.