Jesus and the olive press

A revelation of Jesus and the olive press

Like an olive branch, Jesus represents new life. He was crushed in the olive press.

In anticipation of a joyous Easter, Holy Spirit led me to a revealing look into what transpired in the olive garden just hours before that beautiful and dreadful day.

Jesus became the olive branch when the Father extended his grace to us by offering the world new life through Christ. After being crushed in the olive press, Jesus conquered death and made provision for us to spend eternity with Him with profound joy.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

• Christ means – The Anointed One.
• The Garden of Gethsemane represents – The Olive Press.
• Jesus the Anointed One was crushed in the olive Press garden.

SOUR olives were the fruit produced in the garden of Gethsemane, illustrating excruciating pain, heartbreak, and anguish.

In stark contrast are the sweet apples in the Garden of Eden. This garden’s name describes a state of ecstatic joy in God’s presence. It denotes tremendous delight, contentment, and bliss!

Satan came to the first Adam in the Garden of Eden, intent on making him FALL from GRACE and be removed from living forever in paradise. Here again, Satan is discovered in another garden, the garden of Gethsemane. He planned to kill Jesus (the last Adam, 1 Cor. 15:45) before he could provide humanity with the GRACE of salvation.

Crushed in the garden

Traditionally, during the three-week window when olives are in their prime, olive trees are shaken or BEATEN with sticks to make the olives drop to the ground. The purpose of crushing the olive is to tear the FLESH to facilitate the release of the oil from the cells.

Jesus is the olive branch that extends hope, freedom, and salvation to a lost world. He is the pure OIL of the LORD. In the garden, satan delivered a brutal spiritual beating, where Jesus in the olive press was crushed in his soul.

Mark 14:32-42 (TPT) Then Jesus led his disciples to an orchard called “The Olive Press.” He told them, “Sit here while I pray awhile.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. (3 disciples) An INTENSE FEELING of GREAT HORROR PLUNGED HIS SOUL INTO DEEP SORROW AND AGONY. And he said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed with anguish and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying.”

Here, in this passage, what I perceive is a spiritual attack, a crushing from satan, a beating from the inside out. Jesus felt like He was dying because Satan was attempting to kill Him before the appointed time to negate prophecy. This crushing of body, soul, and mind was so intense that Jesus’ blood oozed from his pores, spilling onto the ground.

Can you relate?

Have you ever experienced the hard-pressed, crushing of the enemy? I have. I remember the excruciating pain of a disk blowing out in my back and the nucleus settling on my nerve. Many times, I cried out in agony for God to take that pain from me, but at that point, He did not. When His perfect timing came, and it did, God completely healed me. Praise the Lord!

Luke 22:43 “Jesus called for an angel of glory to strengthen him, and the angel appeared. He prayed even more passionately, like one being sacrificed (physical torture), until he was in such intense agony of spirit that his sweat became drops of blood, dripping onto the ground.”

Note that Jesus summoned an angel to come and help Him. Sometimes we forget to employ this excellent provision that God has for us. When we are experiencing a crushing of the enemy, we can call upon the angels of God to strengthen, comfort, protect, guard, and fight for us.

Luke 22:35 “Stay here and keep watch with me.” He walked a short distance away, and being overcome with grief; he threw himself face down on the ground. He prayed that, if possible, he would not have to experience this hour of suffering. He prayed, “Abba, my Father, all things are possible for you. Please—don’t allow me to drink this cup of suffering! Yet what I want is not important, for I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.”

In this hour of suffering, it appears, to me, (my own perception) that this cup of suffering Jesus spoke of was not about the plan to go to the cross. He didn’t change his mind. He wasn’t looking for a way out or a plan B. I believe Jesus was imploring the Father to remove the premature suffering He was enduring in the olive press garden by the hand of Satan.

Luke 22:37 Then he returned to his three disciples and found them sound asleep. He awakened Peter and said, “Simon, are you asleep? Do you lack the strength to stay awake with me for even just an hour?  Keep alert and pray you’ll be spared from this testing time. For your spirit is eager enough, but your humanity is feeble.” Then he left them a second time and went to pray the same thing.  Afterward, he returned to the disciples and found them sound asleep, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open and didn’t know what to say to him. In comparison, Luke 22:45 says, “Jesus found His disciples FAST ASLEEP, for they were exhausted and overwhelmed with sorrow.”

I wonder if there was a spiritual element affecting His disciples too. Could there have been a demonic presence so strong and oppressing in the olive press garden that these three faithful friends could not stay awake to pray and gain an understanding for even one hour.

Spiritual Sleepiness

Has this ever  happened to you? You sit down to delve into the Word and end up napping instead. Or, delighted to be at church, you take your seat, suddenly your eyelids become heavy, your attention fades, and giving in, you fall fast asleep during the message, only to awaken bouncy and alive when it’s over.

This doesn’t occur because the Scripture or the pastor’s message is boring. This sleeping spirit is a strategy the enemy uses to keep one’s ears and heart DULL. When we recognize this harassing spirit and take authority over it, it will go, and you will be fully present to engage with God and His Word.

Ephesians 5:14 (TPT) “Arise, you sleeper! Rise from the dead, and the Anointed One will shine His light into you!”.

41 After praying for the third time (there’s that #3 again), He returned to his disciples and awoke them again, saying, “Do you plan on sleeping and resting indefinitely? That’s enough sleep! The end has come, and the hour (God’s timing is now) has arrived for the Son of Man to be handed over to the authority of sinful men. Get up, and let’s go. Don’t you see? My betrayer draws near.”
You know the rest of the story; Prophetic Scripture was fulfilled, and Jesus arose from the dead on the 3rd Day!

In Conclusion

 

This Easter, let us rise from places of slumber and awaken to new life. Be sure not to lose sight of the great price Jesus paid for our salvation, freedom, healing, and redemption! Remember sweet Jesus, the olive branch crushed by the olive press, mocked, tormented, and murdered… for you.

I love how the Lord used the number three repeatedly throughout this prophetic release. Three represents divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection.

By the way, I am not an expert in theology. Like you, I’m a regular person spending time with my savior and learning from Him. I would love to hear any additional insight you have on this subject. You can do that in the comments below.

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