Jesus prayed this prayer before being crucified, “Father, if it is Your will, TAKE THIS CUP away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And BEING IN AGONY, He prayed more earnestly.” (Luke 22:42-44) Why did Jesus ask His Father to “take this cup” from Him? Because Jesus was going to take all the sin of mankind on Himself so He, along with mankind’s sin, would go to the cross and sins dominion would be done away with. “sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you, for you are under grace.” (Rom. 6:14) The crucification would mean that God the Father would temporarily turn away from the God the Son!!! An unthinkable occurrence. This spiritual forsakenness, spiritual wrath from the Father, occurs deep down in the very godhead itself. The crucifixion torn in the very fabric of the relationship between Father and Son. This was so devastating, “Then His sweat became like GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:42-44) Jesus Christ experienced hematohidrosis while praying in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucification as mentioned in the Defenders Bible by Physician Luke. This condition results in the excretion of blood or blood pigment in the sweat. Under conditions of great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can rupture, thus mixing blood with perspiration. This was an extreme event that had to take place to free man, to live for God, the way He intended from the beginning.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED US with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…” (Eph. 1:3-4) This is what Christ’s motivation was, His great love for us from the beginning of creation. So, now Jesus could tell us, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU TO MYSELF (paralambanō: to take to one’s self); that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
-Bill Stockham