We began our journey on the post-flood peaks of Ararat, and we finish our series on an olive-grove ridge overlooking the city of Jerusalem. While mountain moments like Sinai were defined by roaring fire and terrifying distance, the Mount of Olives was defined by the personal presence of Jesus.
For Jesus, this mountain was a daily refuge from the noise and hostility of the city below. The Gospels tell us that it was his ‘wont’—his habit—to retreat to its quiet slopes to pray:
‘And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.’ Luke 21:39.
Even today, the mountain provides a perspective of the city of Jerusalem while set apart from its noise. From Jesus, we learn that to hear the voice of God clearly, we must find our own ‘Mount of Olives’—a dedicated place where we intentionally step away from the crowd to sit in his presence.
On the lower slopes of the mountain sits the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane literally means ‘oil press’. It was the place where heavy stone wheels would roll over the harvested olives, crushing them until the oil flowed out.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus experienced the ultimate spiritual crushing on this slope. The weight of human sin and the looming agony of the cross pressed down on him so heavily that his sweat became like great drops of blood:
‘And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done ... And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ Luke 22:41-42, 44.
But the story of the Mount of Olives doesn’t end in the shadows of Gethsemane. Forty days after his resurrection, having conquered death and the grave, Jesus brought his disciples back to this familiar ridge for his last moment on earth.
He physically ascended into heaven, leaving his followers with a global mission and a promise:
‘And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight... This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet.’ Acts 1:9, 11-12.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah declared that when the Messiah returns in glory to establish his kingdom, his feet will touch down on this same peak (Zechariah 14:4). The mountain of his deepest agony will become the mountain of his ultimate triumph.
This promise is echoed by Isaiah, who looked forward to a day when God’s presence would be fully revealed to all nations:
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains … and all nations shall flow unto it.’ Isaiah 2:2.
In the meantime, the Mount of Olives reminds us that our relationship with God is not defined by a single, terrifying encounter on a distant peak, but by a daily, habitual walk with him.
Whether we find ourselves resting on the heights of his presence, experiencing the heavy weight of a ‘Gethsemane season’ in our lives, or waiting in anticipation for his promises to be fulfilled, the Mount of Olives gives us hope. The God who met his people on the rugged peaks of old is the same Jesus who walks with us through the valleys today, promising that he will one day return. Then, he’ll share his victory over death, hell and the grave with us—paving the way not only for the salvation of the soul, but for the redemption of our bodies.