Isaiah 53:7
Yet the Lord was [d]willing
To crush Him, [e]causing Him
to suffer; If [f]He would give
Himself as a guilt offering
[an atonement for sin], He shall
see His [spiritual] offspring, He
shall prolong His days, And the will
(good pleasure) of the Lord shall
succeed and prosper in His hand.
– AMP

In my previous post on His Obedience, I highlighted the fact that, Jesus Christ came to this earth to accomplish the purpose of dying on the cross to save us from our sins. His obedience to His Father has granted us access to The Almighty Father while making us joint-heirs with Him in His kingdom. This next piece will look closely at the strategic and carefully planned out suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. After the last supper, The Lord Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. That garden is referred to as the olive grove. A grove according to the Cambridge online dictionary is a group of trees planted close together. Which means that the garden consisted of different olive trees planted close together. So why did Jesus choose the Olive grove? What’s the olive tree?

The Olive Tree

The olive tree according to research and reading is a huge tree, which is known for its strength and deep roots even after the trunk is cut down. The olive tree is one of the oldest and well-known trees with its vast uses. Its known to have lived for more than 2,000 years hence it is able to RESIST DROUGHT, DISEASES, and FIRE because its roots redevelop or restores even after the ground is destroyed. The Hebrew word for the olive tree is es shemen, which means ‘tree of oil’ while the Hebrew word for olive is zayith, meaning ‘yielding illuminating oil’. The olive oil was used in the Old Testament for various things, which included anointing of God’s people as kings on earth.

1 Samuel 10:1
“Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil
and poured it over Saul’s head. He
kissed Saul and said, “I am doing
this because the Lord has appointed
you to be the ruler over Israel, his
special possession.”
– NLT

But then how do we get the olive oil that we use? The process is very intense and requires a lot of crushing, extraction, and beating. This helps to remove all the contamination and impurities during the crushing process before the fine oil is ready for use. The oil plays a significant role in the lives of Christians because the oil represents Jesus Christ. The olive tree was the symbol that the dove brought to Noah after the storm was clear.

Genesis 8:11
“This time the dove returned
to him in the evening with a
fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then
Noah knew that the floodwaters
were almost gone”
– NLT

Just like in Noah’s story, the olive tree in its beak symbolized the end of the storm that they had experienced. Why did the dove find the branch of the olive tree and not any other branch? This is because the roots of the olive tree never dies and can go as deep as 20 feet according to research. Therefore the olive tree was able to withstand all the discomfort and changes that it went through during the storm.

Revelation

On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was a symbol of the olive fruit being crushed and beaten in order for the entire blemishes on this earth to be washed away. He was crushed and bruised for our iniquities on that day:

Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with
his stripes we are healed”.
– KJV

He reminds us of the process He was going to go through by being in the Garden of Gethsemane (the olive grove). This was where it was all beginning and He went in there to prepare himself for that moment. That same garden restored us back to our proper place with Our Almighty Father. He needed to go through that so that we could come out as pure and refined without blemish.

He was crushed with the crown of thorns on his head, he was beaten for our sake, He fell and was stepped and spat on just so that YOU and I could come out WITHOUT ANY CONTAMINATION. He was the Olive, which needed to be crushed so that the Oil could be used. The Zayith (Yielding Illuminating Oil) explains exactly what He did for us. He YIELDED HIMSELF to the cross so that you and I could be that ILLUMINATING OIL OR LIGHT to the rest of the world. He became that fresh oil that we all needed to gain access, into the throne room. That oil (which also represents the Holy Spirit) was given to us when He was leaving the earth to be with His Father in Heaven. And in the baptism of Jesus that same Holy Spirit in the form of a dove came upon Him to announce the beginning of His ministry.

Matthew 3:16
“After his baptism, as Jesus
came up out of the water, the
heavens were opened and he
saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and settling on him”.
– NLT

That dove represents the PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

That Garden was chosen because He had to serve a particular purpose and He needed for us to know why He went to there to spend time to prepare himself. Jesus is that big Olive tree now and we are the olives on that tree. He has ONE PURPOSE for us all and that is for us TO BE A LIGHT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE. All the olives know that they will be crushed for oil and hence they are prepared for it. But Christians now do not want to be the light to the rest of the world. We do not want to be crushed so that we can come out as fine oil for the use by the Master Jesus. We have become ‘comfortable’ Christians and seem to like how things are going. But then Jesus Christ sacrificed himself to be crushed and beaten for our sake just so we could be this illuminating light in this dark world.

Isaiah 53:6
“All of us, like sheep, have
strayed away. We have left
God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the
sins of us all.”
– NLT

He became sin so that we might have eternal life and be the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him who had
no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become
the righteousness of God.”
– NLT

Good Friday will forever be written down in history in the life of every Christian because HE PAID THAT PRICE FOR YOU AND I TO BE SAVED!!! The PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST has already paid that price. He already carried all our burdens and sins upon himself. Just like how the olive tree is known to bear so much fruits and some even fall on the ground, that’s the same way he carried every single BURDEN AND SIN to be crushed away. Yours is to walk in that salvation. However, how much of that sacrifice are you giving for someone else to come into this illuminating light we find ourselves in? How willing are you allowing yourself to be crushed for that purpose? How prepared are you for that purpose?

Think deeply about it and if you find yourself wanting, then that GRACE is already available.

2 Corinthians 12:9
“but He has said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you [My lovingkindness
and My mercy are more than enough
—always available—regardless of the
situation]; for [My] power is being
perfected [and is completed and shows
itself most effectively] in [your]
weakness. ”Therefore, I will all the
more gladly boast in my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ [may
completely enfold me and] may dwell
in me.”
– AMP

His Grace is really enough because we are covered in His blood just as the words in Chris Tomlin’s song (Your Grace is enough) says. He’s made everything available to us today and even in eternity; all we need to do is to walk in that path and assurance. That Grace includes OUR WONDERFUL HOLY SPIRIT who is always willing and ready to help us with the process just like He did for Jesus before He started His ministry.

However, if you do not know this man Jesus that I speak about, it’s not too late to know him. He loves you and needs you more than you can imagine, but He needs you to confess and invite Him into your life. That’s the first step to knowing him then after you have said this prayer, find a bible believing church near you so you can grow more in him.

Prayer:
Father Lord, I thank you for this day and for the love you have for me. Lord Jesus, I thank you for coming to the earth to die and save me. I thank you that you still love me despite all the wrongs I have done. Today, I confess that I am sinner and humbly come before you asking for forgiveness of sins. Please wash me clean of every iniquity and filth. I am asking that you come and stay in my heart and be King over my life. Come and take control over my life because I cannot do anything without you. Please write my name in the book of Life so that I may enter into your Holy Kingdom. Thank you for coming to stay in my heart. In Jesus’ name I have prayed. Amen!!!

Once you have said this prayer and believe in your heart that He has come to stay, He will then begin to do His Good works through and in you. God loves you very much and He needs you to extend that love to others as well.

…Inspired by the Holy Spirit

Image: Wikipedia