The Crushing Of Our Lord

This past week I have been reading and meditating on the suffering of our Lord Jesus.  We usually focus our attention on the suffering of the Cross, but this week my reading has lead me to Gethsemane.  Gethsemane means "The Olive Press."  In that garden there were obviously olive trees, and in the midst of the garden was an olive press.  The press was used to crush the olives under pressure to extract the oil.  In the Isaiah 53 are these haunting words;

“But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,...” 

Isaiah 53:10, NASB

The Father was "pleased, took pleasure in, delighted" to crush His Son for you and me.  This is a verse which brings me to my knees in worship and wonder.  Who am I, who are any of us that God would take pleasure in crushing His precious Son for such as us?  We are so undeserving, but that is the nature and wonder of God's love and grace.  He was pleased to crush His Son for us. That crushing began in earnest at "The Olive Press", Gethsemane.

Read the differing accounts in the Gospels.  In both Matthew and Mark it says that our Lord expressed the agony of this crushing to His disciples.

“Then He *said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.'” 

Matthew 26:38, NASB

It seems by the accounts that indeed our Lord so crushed in His spirit by what He knew He was going to face, and indeed as we can see already was experiencing that He was suffering deeply, as He said, to the point of death.  That seems to be why the heavenly Father provided help in that time as reported by Luke.

“Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.” 

Luke 22:43, NASB

It was after this that Luke the physician reports that the agony of our Lord was so great that;

“And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” 

Luke 22:44, NASB

Why was this time so agonizing?  What was so crushing?  Focusing on our Lord's physical agony can cause us to miss His spiritual agony.  Here at the "Olive Press" our Lord was already experiencing being cut off from the Father.  Three times He prayed asking that the cup might pass from Him if possible.  Three times He prayed, "...yet not My will, but Yours be done."  In that fervent time of prayer there is no indication that He received an answer.  This was something He had not experienced from all eternity.  Our Lord was beginning to experience the aloneness that sin brings; separation from God, also known as Hell.  This was the precursor to the cry from the Cross of "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)  He was beginning to drink the cup of God's wrath upon sin.

Here our Lord began to suffer separation from the Father that you and I might be reconciled.  He was alone that you and I might never be alone.  He was crushed that you and I might be saved.  He began draining the cup of God's wrath to the very last drop for you and me.  In doing so He pleased His Father, who was pleased to crush Him for you and me.

 To See The King Of Heaven Fall (Gethsemane Hymn)

What took Him to this wretched place,
What kept Him on this road?
His love for Adams curséd race,
For every broken soul.
No sin too slight to overlook,
No crime too great to carry,
All mingled in this poisoned cup
And yet He drank it all,
The Savior drank it all,
The Savior drank it all.

All I can do is fall to my knees and declare, "Hallelujah! What a Savior!"