ReAD Hebrews 5:7 and Luke 22:39-46
My husband Nick and I buy a lot of olive oil. I love it for cooking, putting on salads, even slathering on my cauliflower crust pizza. Think of how olive oil is made. To harvest olives, the olive trees have to be shaken so that olives, leaves and twigs all fall to the ground on a catcher. The olives have to be separated from leaves and twigs, go through a major cleaning, get crushed into a pulp, and then the pulp has to be pressed hard in order to extract the pure oil. Today this extraction from the pulp is done with a decanter, but in Jesus’ day it was pressed out between heavy stones.
How appropriate it is that after the Lord’s Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Mount of Olives to a place on the lower slopes called the Garden of Gethsemane. “Gethsemane” is Hebrew for “oil press.” There would have been at least one oil press in the garden. Certainly there were many olive trees. Ponder this metaphor: In the garden, Jesus went through the ultimate crushing and pressing. He felt the weight of the task before Him. He fell to the ground and cried loudly, with tears that wracked His whole being. The Father’s will was for Him to die, publicly, on the Cross with the weight of all human sin on Him. This was God’s plan to save humanity. Ironically, Satan’s will was also that Jesus would die, publicly, on the Cross. Satan thought it would humiliate and defeat God. Here in Gethsemane was the cosmic struggle of all time. It is no wonder that Jesus fell to the ground and cried in anguish from the depth of His being.
This was Jesus’ “dark night of the soul.” He could still have gotten out of the crucifixion. But as much as He dreaded carrying all of our sin, being completely cut off from the Father, and the confrontation ahead with Satan, He cared more about obeying the Father.
I challenge you, the next time you use olive oil, to think of how Jesus prayed in utter anguish in the “Oil Press” (Gethsemane), knowing He would be crushed for our iniquities. He truly laid down His life for us.
For Reflection:
- Each Sunday we include discussion questions on the sermon insert that can be used for deeper reflection and/or small group discussions. You can find a digital version online at eastbrook.org/tearsofJesus.
By Pastor Ruth Carver
Family Talk: Week 5
Object Lesson: Draw a sad or scared face on a big piece of paper
- Young children: How does seeing this make you feel? What words can you use to describe it? What would cause you to make a face like this?
- Older kids: What emotions do you feel when you see someone sad or scared? Who do you most want to talk to when you are sad or scared?
Say
All of us experience times of sadness or moments that make us scared. In our story, we will learn how Jesus prayed to God when He faced those emotions. This passage shows us that Jesus understands how it feels to be sad and afraid. It teaches us that we can talk to God when we are hurting. God listens, cares for us and gives us strength.
Read
Luke 22:39-46 or read the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in a story Bible.
Connect
This passage takes place near the end of Jesus’ life. Jesus was about to be arrested and die on a cross. He knew this would be very painful and didn’t want to have to endure that pain if He didn’t have to. He went to a quiet place to pray with His closest friends, His disciples, because He knew He needed God’s help to face what was coming. In Jesus’ prayer, He asked God if there were any other way He could accomplish what needed to be done. Jesus felt anguish over what He knew was going to happen.
The Bible says Jesus prayed so hard that His sweat fell like drops of blood to the ground! How does it make you feel to know Jesus was sad and scared at times? Why do you think Jesus prayed to God when He was afraid?
Family Storytelling:
- Parents: Share about a time when you were sad or scared because you knew something challenging was about to happen (ie: surgery, moving away from family, etc.). What did you do in that situation to cope?
- Kids: Think of a time you felt scared. Who did you talk to? How might Jesus’ way of facing fear help you next time? How can we support friends who feel afraid, using what Jesus shows us? When you feel scared or sad again, place your hands on your heart, pray, and remember—God is with you.