“The olive press of suffering”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, July 18, 2022

Matthew 26:36-46 (Forward, p. 81) CEV p. 1020

The Garden of Gethsemane was, and still is, known for its olive trees and the production of olive oil. In fact, there was elderly, knarled trees gracing its slopes that are at least as old as the first century, which presumably are still producing olives. And what is even more interesting is that it also features an olive press used for crushing the olives to produce olive oil. That fact is most fitting for the name Gethsemane literally means ‘olive press.’

This is fitting in yet another sense, in that Jesus was undergoing the olive press of His own suffering. As a resident of Galilee and a traveller around the Roman occupied lands, He had no doubt seen first-hand the agony of crucifixion, the shame and humiliation, the loss of blood, the exposure to the elements and pests, and, of course, the slow, agonizing, inevitable death by asphyxiation. No wonder the word ‘excruciating’ was coined to describe its unique agony, and no wonder the Roman Empire eventually outlawed it as too barbaric. But what for Jesus was probably even daunting was the fact that on the Cross, there bearing the accumulated sins of a rebellious humanity, He would be bearing the disgrace and punishment we so richly deserved. And, in so doing, He would, for the first time in His entire life, face the prospect of being separated from God. For us, this is okay, because, by the very nature of our humanity, we are separated from God. But for Jesus, this would be a brand-new experience. Furthermore, He would know and experience first-hand God’s judgment and disapproval.

All of this was still in the future, and yet Jesus had strong forebodings, a strong sense of what it would be like. No wonder He prayed to His Father asking if there was any other way, but agreeing to it nevertheless.

No wonder Jesus wanted company, wanted someone with Him in His intense agony. And what better company that His trusted three, the three men who had accompanied Him on so many epic occasions, Peter, James and John. But, alas, they were not up to the task. Three times Jesus went off by Himself to pray, and three times He returned, only to find them fast asleep. In a sense, they were undergoing the olive press of suffering, only it was somewhat else’s suffering, namely that of Jesus.

But how true this is of us and our frequent failings! We are called to stand alongside other people, to be with them in this sorrow and difficulties, and for all our promises and good intentions, we also fail. We ‘fall asleep’ as it were, perhaps only through our own busyness or preoccupations or personal agendas or issues, or other ‘good’ and understandable reasons, but fail nonetheless. And so, we fail to provide the support and presence that the person so desperately needs.

But Jesus understands. He understood the failings of the three, and our failings as well. And He forgives and frees us ‘to go on’. He loved them, and us, in spite of our collective failings to be there, for Him, or for each other, when it is needed. Thankfully we can go on from there, no matter what. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Forward notes: “Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want’” (verses 38-39).

“I don’t think I’ve ever realized before that this may be the only time any of the gospels record Jesus’s words of private prayer. Prayer is clearly of vital importance to Jesus throughout his ministry; he regularly steps back from the crowds to pray alone. Yet his recorded prayers are often a part of faith teaching among his friends or small groups. Famously, one of the disciples asks Jesus, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ Even in the garden, Jesus teaches us to pray.

“Jesus prays with honesty, emotion, and persistence. He prays with no attempt to hide his fear or his unhappiness with God’s plan, asking again and again that this cup might be passed from him. In prayer, Jesus is deeply connected to God, and from that connection comes a shift to acceptance, and even courage, to face both the present and the future.

“Prayer is not a way to transform outcomes—it is a way to transform ourselves.”

Moving Forward: “Go somewhere new to pray today—in your home, yard, or community.”