Through my trips to Israel, I have gained a whole new appreciation for the Garden of Gethsemane
— and what was actually happening there.
The very location itself is a vivid illustration of Who Christ is... and what He was doing there the night before His death.
The Garden of Gethsemane is located on the Mount of Olives — which is exactly that... a mount full of olive trees! Seeing the trees and learning how they actually grow, caused me to comprehend in a fresh new way Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Christ in Isaiah 11:1: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” The way olive trees grow — is that there are branches that shoot forth out of the base of the tree coming forth out of its roots, that actually becomes a part of the tree’s trunk. The olive tree is a perfect visible illustration of the family line through which the Messiah would come.
Next, the process through which the valuable oil of the fruit of the olive trees is extracted is through a threefold process through what is called an “olive press.” Interestingly enough, the word “Gethsemane” means “oil press,” and it was here where our Lord Jesus Christ was “pressed” beyond measure — even specifically telling His disciples that (ahem!!!)... three times! (Matt. 26:36–46)
And interestingly enough, it will be this very location (Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives) where our Lord’s feet will first touch down at His second coming! Isaiah goes on to say in Isaiah 11:10-11: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left...” and Zechariah says in Zechariah 14:4: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof (I.e. split in two!) toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
All I can say, y’all, is the Bible is an amazing book! Ain’t nothin’ random in it!