The Olive Tree Series

March 28, 2024 – Maundy Thursday

Rev. Mary Erickson

Hope Lutheran Church

Mark 14:22-42

The Olive Tree

Good evening, friendly humans. I’m most humbled to be your guest preacher on this very special night of worship. Thank you for the invitation to share a few words with you. In case you haven’t heard who I am, allow me to introduce myself. I am Olive Tree.

You may be wondering why I was asked to preach on this evening of Maundy Thursday. This is the day when you gather to reflect on the events of that fateful day when Jesus was betrayed and arrested. Jesus had gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Jewish festival of the Passover. While they were involved in the Seder meal, Jesus established a new meal. You refer to it as The Lord’s Supper.

When they had first gathered, Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples. He commanded them to love one another as he had loved them. And that’s where you get the name for this evening, MAUNDY Thursday: Christ’s MANDATE to love one another.

Well, you may recall that after their meal was finished, they left that upper room and walked to the nearby Mount of Olives. And here, friends, is where we olive trees come into the story.

The hillside is peppered with olive trees! We grow well on that rocky soil! The Garden of Gethsemane is located partway up the hill. And I believe that the meaning of “Gethsemane” will shed some light on the locale for you. Gethsemane means “oil press.” It was very convenient for those olive growers to have an oil press located there. After harvesting their olives, they didn’t have far to go to process their olive oil.

If you visit there today, you’ll see some remarkably large and old olive trees in the garden area. They’re nearly 1000 years old!

It’s a very peaceful place, that garden. And I think it’s very appropriate that Jesus retreated there, considering all that was about to occur. We olive trees have passed along the story about that evening among ourselves.

Jesus and his disciples (minus Judas) travelled to the garden. Once they got there, Jesus removed himself from his friends so that he could pray. And although his disciples weren’t able to hear his prayers, we olive trees were right there, and we heard every word. Every agonizing word.

And it was agony. That’s why it was so appropriate for him to be in the Garden of the Oil Press. Do you know how they render olive oil? First of all, the olives are placed into a mill, where they’re crushed and ground up into small pieces. Then that olive mush is pressed under a very, very heavy stone until it releases its oil.

Think about that process from the viewpoint of the olives! It’s very torturous and violent. We’re crushed and then squeezed until our life juices are rendered out of us. Whooo! I just shiver at the thought of it!

Well, we trees were right there when Jesus prayed. And, believe me, his prayer came from a tortured soul. It was like he was being crushed and squeezed right there in our midst.

Your Lord knew very well what was about to occur. He knew that one of his closest friends had betrayed him, and even as he knelt there, the gears of injustice were in motion. He was about to be ground up in those gears and he knew it!

So he prayed to God. “If there’s any way for me to avoid this fate, please let it pass!”

But even knowing the dreadful future that awaited him, when all was said and done, he submitted himself to God’s will. “Nevertheless, Father,” he prayed, “this isn’t about my will; let your will be done.”

There was no better place for him on that night than among we olive trees in that garden. He was being crushed under his agony. And very soon, he’d be pressed under the weight of injustice. His life would be squeezed from him.

We olives, we understand the process of being crushed and squeezed. But we’re also grateful to provide the oil you value so highly.

You humans, you associate we olive trees with peace. When you want to reconcile and make peace with someone, you say that you “extend an olive branch.”

Well, I can’t help but think of Jesus as that olive branch! In his dying, he created a bridge between humanity and God. You had become estranged from God. And unfortunately, there was no way for you to fix this problem from your side of the equation. Reconciliation could only be accomplished from the side of divine grace. And so Jesus came and became one of you. He was the olive branch! And in his dying, by being crushed and squeezed, his life was given and shed for you. The olive branch of divine reconciliation finally brought the healing you most needed.