Burn, Baby, Burn!
- Pastor Jay Christianson
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
“We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
“You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually.” (Exodus 27:20)
The rabbis have an interesting take on the olive oil used for the Menorah that was set up in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle and Temple.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Tabernacle and Temple and their furnishings, let me describe the Menorah. At the Lord’s direction, Moses’ craftsmen created the Holy Place’s Menorah by hammering out and shaping a massive, seventy-five-pound gold ingot into a six-branched candelabra (Exodus 25:31-40). At the end of each branch was a cup that held oil for the lamp with a twisted piece of linen laid into the cup for a wick. Just imagine the incredible skill and strength it took to craft that masterpiece. Take a moment to do a quick internet search of “Temple Menorah” to get some idea of what I’m talking about.
Not only did the Lord command the Menorah’s design and function, He also commanded that only the purest olive oil be used as the Menorah’s fuel.
The purest olive oil? How did the priests obtain that? The same way we get olive oil today—by squeezing olives. Olive oil production involved crushing the fruit, then loading the mass into cloth bags. The bags were then placed under a stone at one end of a large, inclined beam. Four stone weights were then hung on the other end of the lever, one after the other, creating four distinct “pressings.” The first pressing is the purest oil, that is, with the least amount of olive “flesh” in it. That purity was vital since debris build-up during burning would inhibit the flame.
Since the Holy Place Menorah was so important as the single source of illumination in the Holy Place, only the finest, the most extremely pure olive oil was required. Israel’s sages record how they produced it in Jesus’ day, and likely earlier. They recount that individual olives were pressed by hand, ever so gently, until one drop of oil dripped out. Only one drop. The goal was to have oil in which there was “no flesh.”
None.
This exquisitely pure olive oil was the only oil allowed to illuminate the room on the opposite side of the curtain between the Holy Place where the priests served God daily, and the Holy of Holies, God’s residence on earth at the time. It was the priests’ duty to keep the lamp burning 24/7. “You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually” (Exodus 27:20, italics author).
In other words, the priests’ service was performed exclusively in the light of God’s constant illumination without the interference of the flesh.
And so, it is with us Christians today. We’re called to serve our High Priest as priests unto Him (Revelation 1:6). The Holy Spirit, likened to oil, is within us. As we serve our God, the Holy Spirit intends to drip from us and ignite to spread the illuminating revelation of God “in the flesh,” i.e., us, to a world that is utterly in the dark about our Heavenly Father.
So, how does our Father get the purest oil, the clearest work of the Holy Spirit, out of us? The same way the Menorah’s oil was obtained.
Pressure.
A gentle squeeze from the Father produces the purest work of the Holy Spirit through us if we surrender to His touch.
Remember, the goal is to get the purest oil with no flesh at all. Our Father’s goal is to produce the purest work of His Spirit through us with the purest of intentions, motivations, and desires from us.
“But, dude, it’s impossible for us to be absolutely pure right now. I’m still fighting my flesh, my desires and urges to satisfy myself and not the Lord. It’s tough.” Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know all too well. While we’re not expected to be perfect this side of eternal life, we are expected to strive for perfection by surrendering our entire being to the Lord. “But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
And yes, it’s tough, especially in difficult times, which we all face daily. That said, with the right attitude, we can still produce the fuel to reveal God’s glory. Paul is our example. “We are pressured in every way but not crushed…We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
Pressure reveals God in and through us.
The epitome of this was Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Gath Shǝmānim, gaht-sheh-meh-neem’, “olive press”), the place where He was “pressed into service,” where He began the hours leading up to the greatest crushing and pressing of all time—His death. Is it any surprise, Jesus’ greatest work of revealing God to the world began under pressure? And when Jesus proclaimed, “nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42), He allowed the full pressure of His Father’s will to squeeze Him with none of His fleshly will interfering.
Furthermore, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled not one “menorah,” but thousands, as He filled the first believers, ignited them, and sent them out to be the Father’s “light of the world” as they submitted to His will as well. That light has been burning continually for the last two thousand years.
God’s light burns brightest with the purest oil.
Are you pressed right now? Don’t fret. Accept it. Surrender to the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit flow out of you, ignite, and light up the world around you. You may be the only revelation of God some people will ever see, and it may be the illumination that light’s their way back to the Father’s arms.
Burn, baby, burn!
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Shining the Light of God’s Truth on the Road Ahead
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts