The Mount of Olives
"When he came near the place where the road goes
down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise
God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
(Luke 19:37-38)
The Mount of Olives is actually a ridge of hills running
from north to south for about 4 kilometres to the east of Jerusalem and parallel
to the deep ravine of the Kidron Valley. As the name suggests, the hillsides were
once covered with dense olive groves. To the east lie the villages of Bethpage
and Bethany and beyond them, the Judean wilderness and the Jordan Valley. The
barren hills of Moab and the Dead Sea are also visible from this strategic vantage
point. For this reason it was known as Jerusalem's watchtower.
The northern end became known as Mount Scopus, meaning
"lookout" because the Roman general Titus used it for his headquarters during
the fateful siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Until the time of Christ, the Mount
of Olives had been heavily wooded with many olive trees. These were, however,
cut down and used for battering rams and siege machines by the Romans when they
destroyed the city. At the southern end where the Kidron Valley merges with the
Valley of Hinnon it is called the Mount of Corruption. Here, where previously
the Israelites had worshipped God (2 Samuel 15:30-32), and may have fulfilled
the purification ceremony of the red heifer (Numbers 19), king Solomon built "high
places" for "Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile
god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon." (2
Kings 23:13) These were later desecrated by king Josiah who covered the sites
with human bones and cut down the Asherah poles to purify the religious practices
of Israel (2 Chronicles 34:1-7). Subsequently the Mount of Olives is associated
with the departure of the shekinah glory of God from the Temple as a sign of Israel's
impending exile (Ezekiel 10:18; 11:23)
Parallels between Old and New Testament events which
occurred on the Mount of Olives are significant. In the time of Nehemiah, for
example, following their return from captivity in Babylon, the Israelites probably
gathered branches from the olive trees here, as well as palm branches, to make
booths to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:15). On what became known
as Palm Sunday, the disciples of Jesus similarly gathered branches from the Mount
of Olives with which to greet their king as he entered Jerusalem.
Jesus was not the first king of Israel to weep over
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. When Absalom rebelled against his father David,
the deposed king fled the city, his feet bare and head covered in shame. As he
looked back over Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives he wept (2 Samuel 15:30-32),
even acknowledging that Shimei's curse on him may have been from God (2 Samuel
16:5-10). Centuries later the Lord Jesus would also weep over Jerusalem from this
spot knowing that within days they would call for his crucifixion, rejecting God's
way of peace and reconciliation. Jesus would willingly be cursed in their place
but they refused. In tears, Jesus foretold the consequent destruction of Jerusalem
as the result of God's judgement upon Israel (Luke 19:41-44).
During the last week of his life Jesus spent much time
with his disciples on the Mount of Olives (Mark 13:3-37; Luke 21:37; 22:39). With
its dense foliage and cool evening breezes perhaps it reminded him of Galilee,
providing a welcome retreat from the tension of the overcrowded city. Repudiating
their mistaken belief that he was still going to restore a physical kingdom to
Israel, Jesus commanded them instead to leave Jerusalem and become his witnesses
taking the gospel to the whole world. From the Mount of Olives, the Lord physically
ascended to heaven, angels promising he would return in the same way (Acts 1:6-12).
Zechariah had previously predicted this, indicating that when the Lord Jesus Christ
returns to judge the earth, it will be to the Mount of Olives. This dramatic event
will be marked by a radical change to the topography of the Mount of Olives. "On
that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the
Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley,
with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south" (Zechariah 14:4).
Its easy to be a Christian on Palm Sunday when the sun
is shining and we are surrounded by many others worshipping the Lord. It is not
so easy on Maundy Thursday when it is dark, we are alone or the future uncertain.
Then it is time to remember that it is but a short distance from the Mount of
Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. Before being a place of resurrection and ascension
it was first a place of denial and rejection. Ironically the word "witness" comes
from the same word as "martyr". For many Christians to be a witness for Christ
literally means being a martyr also. Jesus calls us to both (Mark 8:34-38; Acts
1:8-9) and to identify with Paul when he said "for me to live is Christ and
to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21).