Why Olives?
“But I am like a green olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.” Psalm 52:8
I bought my daughter an olive tree several years ago. Last year it produced its first fruit. It was one single olive, just like the picture above, but her reaction to finding that drupe on her tree she had cared for was priceless.
We hope the many days of freezing weather from this past winter did not thwart the fruiting of this tree, but we can only wait to see. I have thought about the joy this one little fruit brought to both of us and how precious was the gift of this lone fruit. Because of this, I began to study and journal about the olive and its importance in the Bible.
The amount of symbolism for this one small fruit is extensive. I cannot possibly impart all I have learned about the olive, but because it is so significant in the hours before our Lord, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice on the cursed tree of the Crucifixion Cross, I want to help you appreciate what I have learned.
Old Testament
The first mention of an olive is found in the story of Noah when after the flood, he released a dove, and it brought back an olive branch signifying it was time to exit the Ark. Both the dove and olive branch became a symbol of peace after evil had been washed from the earth.
David thought about olive trees when he wrote Psalm 52. At the time, he was being hounded by Saul (symbolic of evil). Although running for his life, he still realized he was “like a green olive tree in the House of God.” Trusting in God, he could remain firm, confident, and at peace.
This is a picture of God’s desire for us. He works to teach us eternal truths, and deep things, all the while refining our minds and hearts. Jesus described this as “abiding” or “remaining” in Him. David vowed to remain in God’s will no matter the pressure he had to face in this life.
These examples of why olives are very compelling, but the most exciting example is what we know about the Passover night before Jesus’ work on the Cross of Calvary. That time He spent on the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane, which is literally the “olive press.”
Refining Process
The refining process that the olive fruit must be subjected to is the most symbolic of our spiritual refining to produce the Godly character for which a Christian should be known. The olive tree is shaken and beaten to release the fruit. The fruit then must be harvested, thoroughly washed, and crushed to yield the oil that is of great value. The oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit that abides in us.
In the midst of the garden was a device used to squeeze the olives until they yielded the valued oil. The base of an olive press is a huge stone basin. An enormous millstone fits in that bowl. A system of ropes and wood poles allows the user to roll the stone around the basin. When the great rock bowl gets filled with olives, the grinding stone is rolled
over them, crushing the olives with such weight that the oil seeps out. The meat and skins of the olives get totally pulverized to release every drop of the oil. It normally took at least an hour of this grinding to complete the extraction process.
Our Savior
In Gethsemane, Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to “remain here,and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Of course, each time he returned, Jesus found them asleep. How they must have felt guilt later when they remembered the words of Jesus, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40)
Luke, the physician, describes the physical effects of Jesus’s suffering as He struggles to accept the cup obediently.
“Being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Here we may encounter what came to be called hematidrosis, a rare but documented physical reaction to extreme stress: the bursting of the capillaries under the skin so that blood comes through the pores. Jesus was in extreme psychological contradiction. His sinless soul was being asked to accept as His own the full extent of human sin.
No man alive has ever faced such pressure and torrential pain and suffering. It was as if the olive press was squeezing Jesus by the weight of all of the sins of humanity that have ever been committed or ever will be. My sins and yours were pressing in on Him that night!
Redemption is Near
What had been a place of sweet communion with His Father, the Garden, had now become the place of the greatest betrayal in human history. The Mount of Olives was where His redemption for humanity began to unfold. The Garden of Eden was our Fall, and the Garden of Gethsemane reminds us that Jesus Christ paid the price for our reconciliation with The Father, which once again allowed us direct communication as it was with Adam and Eve.
Jesus Christ was beaten and crushed on the Cross so that His life would satisfy the sacrificial offering for all sin. The Serpent was crushing His heel at Gethsemane. Jesus was in the process of fulfilling the Scripture of crushing the Head of the Serpent (Gen.3:15). When He called out, “It is finished,” death was defeated, and sin no longer had to be atoned for through the blood of an animal sacrifice. His blood, His suffering, and His agony set us free to eternal life. Hallelujah!
Why olives? God created this tree, this fruit for our use as food, medicine, lamp oil, anointing oil, beautiful wood, and many spiritual lessons. I have only discussed a few of the ones I discovered. We are blessed to be considered a “green olive in the house of God.”
My Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for willingly going to Gethsemane. Thank you, Jesus, for completing our salvation. Thank you for entering the olive press and allowing Yourself to be pressed and squeezed and taking on the weight of the world’s sin upon You as our Messiah.
I know that Your own soul was crushed by the burden of my sin. Thank you, Jesus, for making the deliberate choice to move into the darkness, despair, and death of enduring the separation from the Father.
Thank you for remaining faithful to the mission, for accepting being pressed down unto death on the cross. Thank You for allowing Your blood to be squeezed from You to redeem me and all who profess You as Savior and Lord. Thank you for making a place for me in Your House. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Conclusion
What are the trials, troubles, and tribulations you face? No matter what is going on in your life or in the world around you, you can face them like a green olive tree in the house of God. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, focus on God and not your circumstances. Live with assurance that God is obviously present, actively in-charge,
and enthusiastically at work for you.
Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#rebekahmarshblogs