Gethsemane Gethsemane was the name of a garden on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, just outside Jerusalem. Jesus went there frequently with his disciples (Luke 22:39; John 1:18-2) and prayed there in great agony the night before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:30,Matthew 26:36-45). The victory he won through that time of prayer enabled him to meet with confidence those who had come to the garden to arrest him (Matthew 1:26-56; John 1:18-12). (Concerning the Mount of Olives See Jerusalem, sub-heading ‘Mountains and hills’.)