08/24/2026
So far, we’ve learned about the importance of bread, fish, and salt as it relates to Biblical times as well as for us today regarding our health/wellbeing. Today, let’s continue with another significant resource - olives & olive oil.
In Jesus’ time, olive oil was a vital commodity used daily for cooking, fuel in lamps, medicine, hygiene, and sacred religious ceremonies. Did you know that olive oil is mentioned around 160 times in Scripture? It can symbolize divine blessing, consecration (being set apart for God), healing, joy and restoration, as well as the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In Scripture, we see the first reference to an olive tree in Genesis 8:11 when a dove returns to Noah with an olive leaf indicating to Noah that habitable land and living plants had returned to the earth after The Flood, signaling hope and a renewed start for humanity. This is where we get the expression, “extend an olive branch” to someone we haven’t gotten along with, meaning to make a good-faith offer of peace and reconciliation (used also in ancient Greek & Roman times).
Later in the Bible, we see Jesus standing literally surrounded by olive trees, on the location called the Mount of Olives, sharing His message referred to as the Olivet Discourse. This was His final major teaching before His crucifixion. And then, in the Garden of Gethsemane (which means "olive press" in Aramaic and Hebrew) located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, is the site where Jesus prayed in deep agony and surrendered to God's will on the night before His crucifixion. Just as a heavy stone (up to 4 tons) pressed olives to release pure oil, Jesus was pressed to the point of sweating drops of blood under intense spiritual and emotional pressure as He prepared Himself to be crushed by the weight of humanity’s sins (Luke 22:44).
For this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. -Matthew 26:28 NLT
Olive oil as it relates to our diet is rich in healthy fats and has powerful antioxidants that help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce chronic inflammation, and support overall brain and digestive health. Opt for extra virgin olive oil and use it in cooking, salad dressings, or even taking ½ tablespoon daily to help prevent chronic diseases.
And for spiritual health, olive oil can still be used in prayer to anoint ourselves, others, our homes, and additional spaces where we seek God’s protection and presence in.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. -James 5:14 ESV
