“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray’” (Matthew 26:36).
Gethsemane means “oil press.” It was a park or garden shaded with plenty of olive trees, where Jesus liked to pray. He went there with his disciples who were just arguing about who is the greatest, and in the process arguing with Jesus.
The olives from Gethsemane’s trees, when harvested, crushed and pressed, provided life-sustaining olive oil used in cooking, medicines and for lamps to furnish light.
Jesus says to his foolish and fickle friends, “I’ll go, you stay. You sit, I’ll pray.” He leaves the group—yet not far—to do for them what they couldn’t do for themselves. Sacrifice everything for the good of the group.
Jesus said to Peter, James and John, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38).
Jesus was being pressed like olives. Crushed by the weight and guilt of the world’s sins, of his disciples’ sins of superiority, selfishness and solo acts seeking their own stardom. To suffer for it all, he had to become inferior, insignificant, and isolated from all of heaven’s help.
“Overwhelmed,” Jesus took the hit for his team, his disciples, his friends, his people, all of us. A world of sinners. He soon died selflessly, just like an insignificant criminal, and experienced the forsakenness of the Father.
But here, in Gethsemane, as his suffering became heavier than ever before, what is Jesus looking for? “Stay here and keep watch with me.” Jesus is the Holy God Almighty, and Jesus pleads for the companionship of sinners. Why? Because he doesn’t see us as sinners, he forgives us.
So, look around. Look at your Christian family at home. Look at the brothers and sisters in faith all around you at church. They all want to follow Jesus, want to be forgiven. They are forgiven. They do follow Jesus.
This is your group, and Jesus is its leader. Just watch what happens when none of us is superior, but selflessly serves and sacrifices for the group. And for Jesus.
PRAYER: Jesus, please bless the ministry of LifeGroups at CrossLife, and small groups in Christian churches everywhere. I love being in your group, Jesus, by your invitation of mercy, forgiveness and purpose. I think I’ll invite others to join us! Amen.
DIG DEEPER: Why small groups? Here are 6 blessings of small groups that I mention in my sermon The Power of Groups:
- Groups help us avoid a solitary isolation bubble, and the self-delusion of our own flawed thinking.
- Groups help us become aware of tendencies toward self-righteous irritation with others. The patient grace of friends and family fights off pride, eager to fatally crown us king.
- Groups help us become addicted not to things or ourselves but to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The mutual sharing of faith, Bible wisdom, and stories of others make us realize that we aren’t the center of the universe. Jesus is, and always will be no matter what’s going on in the world.
- Groups provide friendly accountability, cheering us on to the best version of ourselves that other usually see better than we can.
- Groups point out blessings we can appreciate, and therefore better enjoy.
- And did you know that God’s gift of “groupness” is one of the blessings of God that people who are looking for a church want to experience the most?
