The 2,000 year -old trees in the Garden of Gethsemane still produce fruit.
The Garden of Gethsemane
The Hebrew meaning for Gethsemane is “oil press.” The Garden of Gethsemane is located in the Mount of Olives. This same oil was used in the lighting of the Temple lamps and for the anointing of kings. Jesus was called the Messiah, which means “the anointed one.”
In order to extract the olive oil from the pulp, it must be crushed three times. As Jesus goes into the garden to pray, He asked His disciples to stay awake and pray. Three times He found them sleeping. Jesus knew what He had to face: the agony in the garden. There He would be crushed like the olives for the weight of the sins of the world. In Jesus’ case, He was crushed until His sweat turned into blood.
Luke 22:44 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
44 He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.
The Church of All Nations
I have visited the Garden of Gethsemane many, many times. With each visit I have received new revelation. This magnificent church is also referred to as the Basilica of the Agony. With the help of twelve nations, this church was reconstructed from 1920 to 1924. Of course the United States had a hand in this because we are truly a benevolent nation. The other countries donating funds were Argentina, Brazil, Chili, Mexico, Italy, France, Spain, England, Belgium, Canada and Germany. The Church of All Nations was built with 12 nations and, like the 12 apostles, the number 12 represents completion.
Walking past the olive trees is one of my favorite sites to visit. There are eight olive trees growing in the Garden of Gethsemane. Every year the extra virgin oil produced by the 2,000 year-old trees is blessed at the Church of The Holy Sepulcher. An interesting fact about an olive tree is that when cut, it will continue to grow. These century-old olive trees are still producing olives. From there the oil is distributed to local Catholic parishes.
As you walk into the small basilica, the focus is on the huge boulder located at the altar. This stone is believed to be where Jesus wept. To be at the same site that our Lord wept blood and to be able to pray and weep at the same spot is truly joyful.
I made my first trip to the Holy Land in April 2000. Walking down the path along the historical Mount of Olives Cemetery leads you to the The Garden of Gethsemane. Twenty-five years later, the walk would be a bit challenging. The world was a better place 25 years ago, and I always felt safe and comfortable traveling to the Holy Land. Our group would never miss visiting this holy site. I can remember spending so much time there in prayer. The Rock of Agony is surrounded by a crown of thorns made of wrought iron. Depending on who is guarding the rock, we could usually enter through the gates to kneel and pray. I could spend hours interceding for others; but sometimes, to allow others an opportunity to do the same, we were ushered out.
Olive Branches
Like all Catholic churches in the Holy Land, they are under the custodianship of the Franciscan order. The Franciscans will give you branches from the olive trees for the asking. I always remembered to ask for branches and shared them with whoever was traveling with us.
Our Agony
We go through the agony in the garden when we suffer a great loss, sickness, a child who has lost their way, divorce, loneliness or financial difficulties. At times we feel the same abandonment that Jesus suffered. Jesus needed to separate himself from His disciples to go to His Father. We, too, need to separate ourselves from the world to go deeper into our Garden of Gethsemane to be alone with Our Heavenly Father. We need to shut the world out in order to hear His voice. To me there is nothing more rewarding than answered prayer. This is when the reality of faith and prayer join together in unison and the outcome is praise and glory to God.
After much prayer, we see things much clearer. Suddenly that fear is lifted, and we can pick ourselves up, knowing that we trust Him for all of our needs.
Our Plum Tree
The plum tree in the backyard of our Santa Barbara home is bursting with fruit. The tree is withered and suffering from some type of fungus. Our renters propped up the tree with a piece of wood in order to hold up the branches. Our tree never received the memo that because it was old and diseased it could no longer produce fruit. Instead, it’s not only producing a bounty of fruit, the plums are delicious! Our house is currently being renovated; before that it was a rental property. So I never got to reap the benefit of the harvest. We will do whatever needs to be done to save the old girl but, in the meantime, we are enjoying the fruit.
My 73rd birthday is next week. Like the old plum tree, I continue to pray and produce fruit. Nothing is going to stop this old girl from growing closer to the Lord. God has opened so many holy doors for me to enter, and I know that there are many more to be discovered. I will remain a prayer warrior until my dying breath. Perhaps, like my plum tree, I will need to be propped up but no illness or violent spiritual storm will keep me down. And when I am ambushed by the Enemy, I will fight to the end. I know who my God is, and the victory always belongs to Him.
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray for all those who are stuck in their Garden of Gethsemane. If they are too weak to pray, Lord, give them a sign of assurance that You are at their side. Lord, if they have not developed a relationship with You, appear to them in dreams and visions. Bring others alongside them to prop them up so that they can see Your beautiful face. Amen.
