The Night in Gethsemane

September 1, 2020
A psychoanalyst puts Jesus and his apostles on the couch regarding the pivotal moment between the Last Supper and the crucifixion. Recalcati is a prominent Italian psychotherapist; his translator, Goldstein, is a prominent literary translator, most notably of Elena Ferrante's novels. So in terms of both the contents and provenance, this brief but insightful book evokes the religious-literary secular writings of Marilynne Robinson or Geraldine Brooks. Recalcati argues that the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was betrayed by both Judas and Peter, is central to a story not just about the Messiah, but the nature of man: "his frailty, his lack, his torments." Because the setting provides a backdrop to Jesus' anticipated death, it is a window into suffering, and because the ways Judas and Peter betrayed him are divergent, the Gethsemane story reveals the different ways mankind is consumed by fear. Recalcati notes that Judas' betrayal was stoked, ironically enough, by a sense of righteousness; he thought it was wasteful for Jesus to allow himself to be anointed with costly oil in Bethany. Judas' decision to reveal Jesus to the Romans was motivated not solely by money, but the woundedness of "a man in love with his teacher" who resented that his love was not returned. Peter's three betrayals, by contrast, reveal the fragility of that love, how "we are not always consistent with our desire." As the author writes, God's silence in this particular moment underscores the anxiety and humility of the human condition, leaving all three of the scene's central players--and by extension, humanity--forced to reckon with an inherent isolation and uncertainty. Neither homily nor academic study but inspired by both, the narrative thoughtfully explores how we tangle with faith, fear, and suffering. An elegant, provocative meditation on one of the Gospels' most emotionally complex moments.

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