Today I invite you to meditate with me on that Thursday night long ago when Jesus struggled with the immense pain of preparing to be separated from the Father.
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Read the whole passage in Matthew 26:36–46.
Michael Card, in his beautiful book, A Violent Grace, explains more:
“Gethsemane, the garden where Jesus’ awful drama played itself out, means ‘place of crushing.’ The name came from the olive press located there. You can imagine how an olive press works: beautiful, ripe olives go in; heavy stones apply irresistible pressure; and the precious oil flows out.. All that remains in the press is unrecognizable pulp.
For just such a crushing, Jesus has come to Gethsemane. Before the night is over, there will be a series of struggles, and in each one, he will be crushed. Two days later, the human form of the son of God will have been beaten and battered beyond recognition. But from his crushing, precious and abundant life will flow for you and me. Without the sorrows of Gethsemane, there will be no salvation at Golgotha.”
Let us join in praise of the king who was crushed that we might be saved!
