They came to the garden called Gethsemane. He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I pray.”
Gethsemane becomes the place of Christ’s spiritual struggle. Its name is connected with an olive press and, in a symbolic way, reminds us that here the Savior was to be crushed in spirit under the weight of our salvation. He leaves the disciples nearby, but He Himself goes to pray. In the hour of suffering Christ turns to the Father. This teaches the believer that in the most severe trials the first refuge is prayer. Although Christ is the Son of God, in His human nature He receives the path of sufferings through prayer and fully submits to the Father’s will.