Gethsemane

Gethsemane
Words of Faith 3-28-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 14
[32] They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

The word Gethsemane means "oil press". The place was a garden where olive trees still adorn the landscape at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Ancient oil presses dating to the first century have been found here. And it was here that Jesus asked his disciples to wait while He prayed.
Oil presses in Israel were made of volcanic stone. With the use of a lever or a screw, an enormous crushing force was applied to the olives. The result was a flow of the precious oil that then would be filtered. The image is a powerful one. This would be an "oil press" for the Lord Jesus as He began the journey, which we call the Passion.
We often think that all of the sufferings of Jesus took place on the cross, but some of the greatest sufferings occurred here. All of the force of His destiny was now beginning to weigh upon him and apply a crushing pressure. Here, Jesus faced that He would leave those so precious to Him. It was here that one would come to betray Him. Another would soon to deny Him.
But it was also here in this crushing place called "oil press" that Jesus surrendered in obedience to the will of the Father, and oil flowed. The Anointed One is never so anointed as in this place. The Anointed One is revealed in this place or not at all. In His obedience here, the oil of anointing flows so richly to begin the healing of broken humanity.
Have you ever found yourself in an "oil press"? The crushing weight of God's destiny can bring out the anointing of Jesus in us. It is not an easy place, but it is a blessed place. It is a place Jesus understands.

Lord, thank You for Gethsemane. Thank You for Your willingness to be crushed for my transgressions, wounded for my healing, and pressed for my salvation. Thank You for Your obedience. Give me the grace to be obedient as well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.