Botanicals of the Bible - Olives

Botanicals of the Bible – Olives
By Jenny Komenda

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Matthew 20:36-39

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The olive tree is one of the most enduring symbols in scripture—long-living, capable of thriving even in the harshest environments, deeply rooted, and ever fruitful. It’s not surprising, then, that the plant that Noah’s dove returned to the ark with, signaling that life was starting again on Earth, was an olive branch. In the Middle East, olives are a source of food, light, healing, and anointing. Olive oil, obtained only by crushing the fruit, was sacred—used in temple worship, in royal and priestly anointings, and to sustain light in holy spaces.

Fittingly, Jesus began His great work of Atonement in a grove of olives—the Mount of Olives, in a garden called Gethsemane, which means ‘oil press’ in Aramaic. There, He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy,” taking upon Himself the weight of all sin, sorrow, and suffering. As olives are pressed to yield life-giving oil, so the Savior was pressed by the infinite burden of our sins and infirmities to give us eternal light and healing. Jeffrey R. Holland has taught, “It is in the agony of Gethsemane that we see the most poignant evidence of how much Jesus loves us.”

Olive trees endure for centuries, even thriving after drought or fire—symbols of resilience and peace. Just as olive oil kept the temple lamps burning, Christ’s atoning sacrifice gives light and hope in our darkest moments. We just need to ensure that there is sufficient oil in our spiritual lamps. When we feel crushed, we can remember the olive: that from the pressing comes light, healing, and redemption through Him who was pressed for us all.

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