Gethsemane’s Two Olives: The Divine and the Suffering Tree ๐ณ
The name Gethsemane means “oil press,” but the profound detail lies in the dual nature of the Hebrew words for the very tree from which the garden derived its name. This duality speaks directly to the essence of the Savior’s dual nature under divine pressure.
1. The Common Olive: Zayit (ืึทืึดืช)
- Meaning: This is the common, generic Hebrew word for the olive tree or the olive fruit itself. It is the practical, physical tree used for oil, food, and common commerce.
- Theological Focus: Zayit represents Christ’s full humanityโthe physical nature that could be pressed, suffer, and die. Jesus was physically present in the “press” (Gethsemane), bearing the full weight of human anguish.
2. The Lustrous Olive: Shemen (ืฉึถืืึถื)
- Meaning: This word primarily means “fat,” “oil,” or “richness,” but it also refers to the olive tree in its state of abundance and anointing. It represents the finest, richest, and most sacred oil used for anointing priests and kings.
- Theological Focus: Shemen represents Christ’s divine nature and his anointing as Messiah. The very purpose of the olive press was to extract the Shemenโthe divine anointingโthrough the process of crushing. The crushing of His humanity (Zayit) brought forth the ultimate anointing (Shemen).
The Shocking Synthesis in the Press
The ultimate shock of Gethsemane is that both aspects of Christ were in the press:
- The Man (Zayit) was crushed by the burden of the world’s sin and fear, causing Him to sweat blood.
- The Messiah (Shemen) was simultaneously perfected by that crushing, bringing forth the final, ultimate anointing (the oil) necessary for the sacrifice.
The prayer in Gethsemane (“Not My will, but Yours be done”) was the Zayit submitting to the press so that the full richness of the Shemen could be releasedโthe anointing that secures the final redemption.
The Return Question
If Gethsemane represents the crushing of the common nature (Zayit) to release the richness of the anointing (Shemen), what area of your life are you resisting the ‘press’ of sanctification, preventing the fullness of your divine anointing from being released to serve the King?