painting depicting a pot decorated with a row of leaves in the middle, birds on the ground and stars, moon and sun in the sky.Previous Image: Before WorkNext Image: We Thank Thee, O God, for Our Prophets

Gethsemane Grove

Derek J. Hegsted (1965– )

Medium

United States
ca. 2009
Oil

"During a trip to Israel, I found a grove of olive trees that left me pondering why Christ “oft-times resorted” to Gethsemane (John 18:2). I imagined springtime in March and the purity of color in the freshly grown flowers. I thought, “What an ideal place to teach others the gospel.” I remembered that Christ created this earth. Perhaps he inspired men to plant the trees in special places, moved the wind to carry the flower seeds and deposit them just right. Even the walls were built with great care. All forms of life having a connection with the Great Creator loved Him and wished only to serve Him. The sorrow of His absence must have been overwhelming to all the living things in Gethsemane. Through this painting, it seems only right to pay tribute to everything that bore witness of His divinity."