It’s Time to Rise: The Mountain of Surrender

The Bible is full of mountains—places of divine encounter, transformation, and revelation. Over the past weeks, we've journeyed through some of the most significant biblical mountains: the Mountain of Sacrifice with Abraham and Isaac, Mount Sinai with Moses, Mount Carmel with Elijah, and the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. Each mountain carried a lesson, a challenge, and an invitation to rise. Today, we come to the final mountain in our series: The Mount of Olives, the Mountain of Surrender.

The Mount of Olives, located just outside Jerusalem, has a rich biblical history. It was a place of refuge for King David in his sorrow, a place of compromise for Solomon, and a place of prophecy for Zechariah, who foretold that the Messiah would one day stand upon it. But for Jesus, the Mount of Olives was a place of prayer, preparation, and ultimately, surrender. It was here, in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Jesus wrestled with the greatest weight of all—the coming cross.

The Garden of Crushing

Luke 22:39-46 recounts this moment of deep anguish and ultimate submission. After the Last Supper, Jesus led His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means "oil press." It was here that olives were crushed to produce oil, and it was here that Jesus was crushed under the weight of what was to come.

Jesus told His disciples, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He knew that the coming hours would be a test not just for Him, but for His followers. Would they stand firm, or would they give in to fear?

Jesus went a little further, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42). This was the defining moment of surrender. The "cup" represented the full wrath of God against sin, the suffering and separation Jesus would endure for humanity's redemption. This was no small thing—it was the weight of the world.

In this moment, Jesus models what true surrender looks like. It is not a passive resignation but an active yielding to God's will. It is the willingness to say, "Not my will, but Yours." It is choosing obedience over comfort, sacrifice over self-preservation, and trust over control.

The Crushing Before the Victory

Luke tells us that "being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44). This medical phenomenon, known as hematidrosis, occurs under extreme stress. Jesus' suffering had already begun—not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally. He bore the crushing weight of what was ahead, knowing that the cross was inevitable.

Yet, in His moment of deepest agony, Jesus turned to the Father. His response to suffering was not to run, but to pray. He didn't allow the crushing to break Him; He allowed it to produce surrender.

This moment in the garden is a reminder that before resurrection, there is suffering. Before victory, there is surrender. Before the crown, there is a cross. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed a moment of surrender in His darkest hour, how much more do we?

Our Own Mount of Olives

Do you have a Mount of Olives? A place where you meet with God, wrestle in prayer, and surrender your will to His? The truth is, we all face our own Gethsemanes. We all have moments when we must decide: will we surrender to God’s plan, or will we hold on to our own? Will we trust Him in the crushing, or will we try to escape it?

The Mount of Olives teaches us that surrender is not weakness; it is strength. It is not defeat; it is the path to victory. It is not losing; it is gaining something far greater. When we lay down our will, we open ourselves to God’s perfect plan. When we trust Him in the pressing, He produces the oil of anointing in our lives.

Jesus walked the road of surrender so that we could walk in freedom. His "yes" in Gethsemane led to the cross, and the cross led to the empty tomb. Because of His surrender, we have salvation, hope, and eternal life.

Application: Questions for Reflection

1. Where is your Mount of Olives? Do you have a place where you regularly go to seek God, pray, and surrender to His will?
2. What is your cup of suffering? What difficult situation are you facing that requires you to say, "Not my will, but Yours be done"?
3. How do you respond to life's crushing moments? Do you turn to prayer like Jesus did, or do you try to escape the pressure?
4. Who is praying with you? Jesus asked His disciples to pray with Him. Who in your life is standing with you in prayer?
5. What would it look like to fully surrender to God today? What areas of your life are you still holding onto that need to be placed in His hands?

As we reflect on the Mount of Olives, let us rise to the challenge of surrender. Let us follow Jesus' example and trust that in the crushing, God is producing something beautiful. It’s time to rise. It’s time to surrender.