As we celebrate Easter I am continually reminded the importance of knowing Jewish culture in order to understand the Bible. Just this week I was listening to a brief excerpt about the Garden of Gethsemane. I was unaware that the word “gethsemane” means olive press. I have always pictured in my mind the Garden of Gethsemane being a lush garden with flowers and trees, much like what we have here on the east coast. The truth is that the Garden of Gethsemane was located on the side of the Mount of Olives - good clue there for us - it wasn’t called the Mount of Olives because it was full of fig trees!
Olives, but most especially their oil, were a prized commodity in Jesus’ day. The oil of the olive was used for many purposes including cooking, medicine for wounds and anointing. It’s uses were diverse and varied so anyone who owned olives, but more importantly an olive press or “gethsemane” was typically wealthy.
Extraction was an arduous process. The olives were first cleaned and then mashed into a paste. From there, they were placed on the press. The press consisted of a circular stone basin with a flat top where the paste was spread out. Then a large stone, fashioned to look like a wheel, was rolled over the paste to press out the oil. The stone created intense pressure in order to extract the precious oil.
Jesus prayed in the garden of the “olive press” the night before He died. Do you think there was any coincidence that the most intense prayer He had ever prayed was in this place? Jesus was so pressed by the weight of the cup of God’s wrath that He poured drops of blood from His brow. When I think of how God put all of this together I realize He leaves nothing to spare. There is no randomness with our God. Even the place where Jesus prayed was named appropriately.
How much more can we draw from Jesus being poured out for us! I can’t help but think that just as olive oil is used for food, how much more is He the Bread of Life? Just as the oil is used for medicinal purposes, how much more is He our Healer? Just as olive oil is used for anointing, how much more is the anointing from the Holy Spirit of our God and King?
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was CRUSHED for our iniquities and the WEIGHT of our sin fell upon Him and by His stripes we are HEALED” (Isaiah 53:5)! When Jesus breathed His last He had emptied Himself completely, there was nothing left He could have given. He cried, “It is finished!” and indeed it was. For thirty-three years He had given all of Himself to fulfill His Father’s perfect will and He fulfilled it perfectly! He spared no expense in pouring His entire life out for the purpose of bringing redemption to all mankind. With every miracle, every word, every step He gave His full effort and when He finally made His way to the cross there was no exception. He laid down His life to the fullest, He bore my sin with everything that was in Him and when He died He was empty. No stone left unturned, no word left unspoken, no miracle left unperformed and no energy left unspent. He gave ALL!
Thank you Jesus that you lived and died to the fullest! Thank you that you did everything in obedience to your Father’s will and that you humbled yourself even unto death so that I might live! Thank you for the “gethsemane” of Golgotha that was the sweetest oil of grace poured out for undeserving sinners such as I!
“There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me! For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ!”
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