The Cave of Gethsemane

(Click here for information on the : Garden of Gethsemane , - this blog is the cave that most of the disciples were in.)

The front of the cave. The red and gold curtain covered the opening for an olive press, which was a common installation in caves during that time period.

I've seen a zillion pictures of the roomy cave holding 20-odd chairs, and - being an inexperienced cave-explorer- assumed it was a simple hole in the Mt. of Olives. Yet all my research said they went there 'to keep warm,' and may have spent many nights there on their various trips to Jerusalem. But, despite all my information and much puzzling, I couldn't picture it being much warmer. Cozier perhaps, and out of a harsh wind - but warmer?

Turns out it's an underground cave, protected from the frigid air . Early April evenings are chilly in Jerusalem (trust me), so they were probably praying in the back corner, behind the stairs, coats wrapped closely around their bodies. Did they doze off like the trio in the olive grove? It was warmer in the cave, they were 'exhausted with sorrow,' and it had been an intense holiday replete with food and wine. Or did they keep each other awake, huddled in a group, praying, sharing fears, struggling to make sense of all He had told them that night?

Anyhow, so I'm picturing the dejected disciples in the cave fighting sleep, and the trio shivering in a wild olive grove, picturing Roman soldiers marching from the Antonia fortress behind the holy Temple, down the grassy slopes and over the Kidron Valley bridge. On and on they marched, 50 rows of 12 men*, stumbling in the moonlight, tripping on the rocks.

Ceiling design enhancements by medieval pilgrims.


By my calculations, they would have come across this hill. The Antonia fortress was to the right of that wall (i.e., go left at the corner), and back a bit. The soldiers probably came from the Antonia, across the Kidron bridge and into Gethsemane - which is probably a route similar to what Jesus and the disciples had taken many times.

*Approximate, probably or I'm guessing at the numbers and formation.

A Spiritual Experience
Etienne de Villiers, administrator of the site world-sos.net, e-mailed me a revelation experienced by his friend, Mrs. Wil Laponder:

"Filled with respect, I took your name which was the most beautiful for me: 'Christus.'* My pencil moved around your name, and what was the result? A flower with eight petals and the `IS' in the middle**! That is just like You are, in the smallest flower and in all; in the large and in the smallest, You are everywhere.

The IS flower drawn by Mrs. Wil Laponder. 'Christus' means Christ in Afrikaans, and 'IS' means 'am,' as in God's name 'I Am Who I Am.'

You probably taught that to Your disciples. At Gethsemane, I asked You where the real Gethsemane was. As always, you instructed me in images. We had to walk straight ahead, over stones and walls. You showed us the Mount of Olives, and the place where You were during the last hour, alone with Your great sorrow, because people did not understand You and therefore judged You. You said: 'Here, My struggle was the most difficult.' I sensed Your presence at that special place in the field with enormous awe and reverence.

Later, at the church dedicated to Mary, You asked me to cross the bridge, and You lead us to a cave-door with the name 'Gethsemane' above it. Inside, drawn on the walls of the cave, were several 'IS'- flowers, exactly as You made me draw them! Later, back at the bridge, the radiance of Your Light was intense above the cave. Oh Father, how can we ever thank You enough for the revelation of the 'IS'- flower and the truth it holds; as only You, the I AM in all, 'IS' truth.

*’Christus’ is Afrikaans for Christ
**God's name, `I AM WHO I AM', is `EK IS WIE EK IS' in Afrikaans

I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3:14).
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you (John 14:20).

May His I AM live in you eternally."

Note: While I think it's a wonderful experience to have and don't doubt that God sometimes gives His followers such divine revelations, please don't read this and think God will speak to you in a similar way. He grants different experiences to different people.