Untitled Sermon

What’s Grief

- Disciples Exceedingly Sorrowful

Matthew 26:22 exceedingly - greatly, rapidly, terrified, extremely; sorrowful - saddened, outraged, grieved, hurt, distressed

Matthew 26:37 sorrowful - sorrowful - saddened, outraged, grieved, hurt, distressed

- Jesus’ - Exceedingly Sorrowful

Matthew 26:37 exceedingly - very sad, deeply grieved; sorrowful - overwhelmed with sorrow, greatly distressed, sorrow, sad; very heavy - distressed, troubled, be in anxiety

King James Version Chapter 26

All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

In a moments thought it is easier to die for Christ and it be done than to live a live a dedicated life for Him. Peter was willing to die to protect Jesus, while in his presence but willing to deny him to save his life and not be ridiculed by the crowd in his absence.

Gethsemane: “an oil press”

Olive to Oil Process - shaking, beating, pressing; 3 stages to make the oil flow.

In Matthew’s account of Jesus communion with the disciples before his tract to the cross, we find our Savior, Peter and the (2) son’s of Zebedee in Gethsemane. Gethsemane means “ an oil press” and according to John this was a garden or olive grove. I find it remarkable that Jesus, the Son of God, the one who heals, the bread of life , the lamp unto my feet , goes to a place that is so symbolic of not only whom he is but how synonymous this time of prayer would be as it relates to the stages an olive experiences... to go from fruit to its ability to be used…as a healing agent, oil for a lamp or an ingredient for baking bread (The olive tree, is a tree that we as Christians can learn from )and

First the shaking. The climate around these trees make it hard for even the toughest of vegetation to grow. With diligent care most trees take at least 7-8 years to even produce fruit worth harvesting. In order for an olive tree to yield fruit it must be firmly rooted. If these trees had shallow roots they would simply wither and die. The harsh environment they grow in is not advantageous for most fruit bearing trees. So when we find Jesus exceedingly sorrowful and very heavy to the point of death. I can’t help but think about the shaking of the olive tree. In these verses Jesus tells the rest of his disciples to hang back while He, Peter and the 2 brothers head to pray in “an oil press”. Jesus tells the 3 to stay, keep watch and pray as He leaves to pray. In this moment, I am thinking. These must have been his prayer warriors, God made flesh is asking these disciples to intercede on His behalf. The distress that Jesus must have felt to ask for intercession is arguably one of the deepest moments we experience Jesus’ need for God. If we liking this to the olive oil, we see the shaking. In Jekalyn Carr’s song Greater is Coming she says “ If it had not been for the shaking, I would have never been ready for the making” Harvesters would gather the fruit on the lower branches by shaking them to the ground for picking