Gethsemane: A Poetic Puzzle Piece

Ari Umble

29 Aug 2025 — 5 min read

Looking at the language of the servant in Isaiah, how the idea of being crushed carries weight in Hebrew thought, and how this relates to Jesus as the Servant, the imagery of the olive press, and the resulting anointing for peace reveals an intriguing metaphor.

I. 1. The Servant in Isaiah and the Language of Crushing

The clearest Servant passage with “crushing” is Isaiah 53:4–6, 10:

“He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed (dakaʾ) for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)
“It was the will of the LORD to crush (dakaʾ) Him; He has put Him to grief.” (Isa. 53:10)

The Hebrew verb דָּכָא (dakaʾ) means:

to crush, break into pieces, pulverize, smite.
metaphorically: to oppress, humble, bring low.
In the Psalms, the “contrite” heart is the lev nishbar v’dakaʾ (Ps. 34:18; 51:17)—a heart crushed, humbled before God.

Thus, the Servant is portrayed as the one who willingly bears the crushing weight of sin and divine justice, so that others may be lifted, healed, and given peace.

2. The Olive and the Press

In the ancient Near East, olives had to be crushed in a press (a gat shemanim—literally “oil press”) in order to release their precious oil. Without crushing, no oil could flow.

Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony before His arrest, literally means “oil press.” There He was “pressed” under the weight of sorrow and obedience until His sweat fell like drops of blood (Luke 22:44).
Just as olives yield oil only through crushing, Jesus yields life, anointing, and peace through His crushing.

Oil in Scripture symbolizes:

Anointing for kingship and priesthood (1 Sam. 16:13; Exod. 30:25–30).
The Holy Spirit (Zech. 4:2–6; Acts 10:38).
Healing and blessing (Ps. 23:5; James 5:14).

Thus, through the Servant’s crushing, the “oil” of God’s Spirit is poured out, healing, forgiving sin*, and anointing with the Holy Spirit for priesthood.

*Matt. 9:1-8 - Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to His own town. Some men brought to Him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

3. Jesus as the Servant Who Was Crushed

The New Testament writers explicitly identify Jesus as Isaiah’s Servant:

Matthew 8:17 cites Isa. 53:4—“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Acts 8:32–35 has Philip explain Isa. 53 to the Ethiopian eunuch, showing that Jesus is the Servant.
1 Peter 2:24–25 echoes Isa. 53:5—“by His wounds you have been healed.”

Jesus Himself ties His mission to this image:

John 12:24 – “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.”
Luke 22:42–44 – In Gethsemane (the oil press), Jesus accepts the crushing will of the Father.

Through His obedience unto death, He becomes the Servant who was crushed so that others might be filled.

4. The Crushing as Preparation for Peace

Isaiah 53 links the Servant’s crushing directly to shalom (peace):

“The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him.”

This peace (shalom) is not just absence of conflict—it is wholeness, reconciliation with God, restoration of creation’s order.

Thus:

Jesus, crushed like the olive, becomes the source of the Spirit’s oil.
Humanity, anointed with that oil, is consecrated as priests and kings (Rev. 1:6).
The result is the creation of a people of peace, prepared for the Kingdom.

5. Devotional/Spiritual Reflection

When you look at the Servant being crushed in Isaiah, you see not only judgment but also divine generosity. God’s own Servant is broken so that others may be made whole.

The olive must be crushed for the oil to flow.
Christ was crushed, and the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost (Acts 2).

That oil consecrates us, heals us, and empowers us for God’s mission of peace.

🔥 Summary:
In Isaiah, the Servant is “crushed” (dakaʾ) for the sins of the people. Jesus fulfills this, being pressed like an olive in Gethsemane and crushed on the cross. Out of His crushing flows the anointing oil of the Spirit, bringing peace (shalom), healing, and consecration to mankind. Through His suffering, we are prepared as an anointed people for God’s reign of peace.

II. 1. Israel’s Call: A Nation of Priests

When God redeemed Israel from Egypt, His goal was not simply freedom from slavery but consecration to Himself:

Exodus 19:5–6 – “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
A priestly nation meant:
- Mediating God’s presence to the nations.
- Offering sacrifices of worship to God.
- Living consecrated lives that reflected His holiness and justice.

But Israel continually fell short. Instead of reflecting God, they often mirrored the nations.

2. The Servant as the Faithful Israel

Isaiah’s Servant Songs present the Servant as:

Israel embodied (“You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified” – Isa. 49:3),
yet also Israel’s representative and redeemer (Isa. 49:5–6).

Where the nation failed, the Servant fulfills the priestly vocation:

Bearing sin (Isa. 53:6).
Interceding for transgressors (Isa. 53:12).
Mediating peace (Isa. 53:5).

The Servant is both priest and sacrifice. His being crushed is priestly service—He offers Himself.

3. Jesus: The Crushed Olive, Priest, and Source of Oil

In Gethsemane (oil press), Jesus accepts the crushing that will yield blessing for the world.
On the cross, He is both the offering (the Lamb) and the priest (presenting the offering to God).
Through His crushing, the “oil” of the Spirit is poured out, consecrating a new priesthood.

The result:

Pentecost is like oil poured over the head of a new priestly people (cf. Ps. 133:2).
Believers are anointed with the Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27), making them (as a corporate body) a living temple.

4. The People of the Servant: A Royal Priesthood

The crushing of the Servant was not only substitutionary—it was formative. It creates a new people:

1 Peter 2:9 – “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” (direct echo of Exod. 19).
Revelation 1:6; 5:10 – Christ “made us a kingdom and priests to serve His God.”

The priestly nation becomes possible only because the Servant was crushed.

His blood cleanses (Heb. 9:14).
His Spirit consecrates (Acts 2).
His peace shapes them into a people fit to mediate God’s presence to the world.

5. The Priesthood and Peace

Priests in the Old Testament had three central roles that tie directly into this imagery:

Offering sacrifices → Jesus’ crushing yields the once-for-all sacrifice; our priesthood is to offer “spiritual sacrifices” (1 Pet. 2:5; Rom. 12:1).
Mediating blessing/peace → The Servant’s chastisement brought shalom; priests would bless Israel with peace (Num. 6:26). Now the people of God extend that peace through the gospel.
Bearing God’s presence → Oil anointed priests so they could serve. The Spirit (the oil from Christ’s crushing) anoints us to carry God’s presence into the world.

6. The Whole Picture

The Servant was crushed (dakaʾ) like an olive.
From His crushing flows oil (the Spirit), poured on His people.
That oil consecrates them as priests, fulfilling the covenant call of Exodus 19.
Now, as a priestly nation, the Church extends God’s blessing, anointing, and peace to the nations.

✨ Summary in one line:
The Servant’s crushing (Isa. 53) is the pressing of the olive in Gethsemane, releasing the oil of the Spirit that consecrates God’s people as the long-promised nation of priests, bearers of His peace to the world.