As Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives in the garden called Gethsemane, his Father sent an angel to him to strengthen him. If Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), how can an angel strengthen God? If Jesus had to be strengthened physically, I believe in that context, it makes sense to me, after all, Jesus did say “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death! (Matthew 26:38). As Jesus prayed, his sweat became as drops of blood falling from his face and hands to the ground (Luke 22:44). This condition is known as hematidrosis. It is…
“…associated with a high degree of psychological stress… causing the release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands. As a result, there is a small amount of bleeding into these glands, and the sweat comes out tinged with blood.”[1]
Why was Jesus experiencing such stress? Many scholars assume he was afraid of submitting to the crucifixion, and asked his Father to release him from the task, if only it could be his will (cp. Matthew 26:39). Yet, such an interpretation doesn’t make sense in the light of other scriptures that concern Jesus’ death. For example, Jesus didn’t seem depressed earlier when he claimed: “With desire (longing) I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15; see also John 17:1). Moreover, he seemed to be looking forward to a celebration after his resurrection (Matthew 26:29), and after the supper, he and his disciples sang a hymn before retiring to Mount Olives (Matthew 26:20). Was all this for show, or do the scholars have it wrong?
Something occurred that surprised Jesus between the time he spent in the upper room and his entering the garden of Gethsemane, where he claimed he was “sore amazed” (Mark 14:33). The Greek word here is ekthambeo (G1568) and means “to utterly astonish,” or “greatly amaze.”[2] Jesus was certainly familiar with how the Romans crucified their victims. How could he have been surprised with anything concerning the manner in which he was about to die? Indeed, if Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), how could anything really astonish him? The Greek word is used only four times in the New Covenant text, and only in Mark. Of the four, it is used of Christ only here in Mark 14:33. The word was first used to describe the fear of the people who saw Jesus coming to his disciples (Mark 9:15). It was also used of the women who came to Jesus’ sepulcher and found an angel there (Mark 16:5) and of the angel telling them not to be afraid (Mark 16:6). So was Jesus afraid, and if so, what caused him to fear?
According to the prophet, Isaiah, Israel’s sins had separated them from God (Isaiah 59:2). What would that look like, if Jesus who never sinned (1Peter 2:22; 1John 3:5) was suddenly made a sinner or transgressor (2Corinthians 5:21; cp. Isaiah 53:4)? Would he have been made to bear our separation from God? Would he have had to be “cast out” of the Presence of the Father (cp. Genesis 3:23)? It certainly seems to be so, that somewhere between the upper room and Gethsemane, perhaps at the crossing of the Kidron, all the sins of mankind were suddenly thrust upon Jesus, and he was made to bear apparent separation from the Father for the first time in eternity. What would that have felt like? Would Jesus have suddenly become depressed to the point of physical death (Mark 14:33-34)? Without direct fellowship with his Father, Jesus was brought to the point of death through depression or “exceeding sorrow” (Matthew 26:38).
Therefore, if the above is logical and true, Jesus began bearing our sins as he journeyed from the upper room in Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane on Mt Olives. The cup that Jesus desired his Father to remove wasn’t the cross, but the sudden void of his unawareness of the Presence of his Father in him. I don’t mean to imply that Jesus doubted the presence of his Father (John 16:32), but only that he could no longer sense his Father’s presence. He was made to feel just as alone as we are, when we sin. I believe the pain of the cross was secondary compared to this apparent interruption of Christ’s fellowship with the Father he loved. It was this cup our Savior wished he would not have to endure, but to become a perfect High Priest, it was necessary for him to feel what we as sinners feel (Hebrews 2:17), living as we do apart from an awareness of God because of our sins.[3]
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[1] See: The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel; chapter 11; “The Medical Evidence”, page 195.
[2] See: The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament by Dr. Spiros Zodhiaties.
[3] This study represents a major rewrite of the original. Much of the first study has been eliminated in order to state the theme more clearly. This was completed as of December of 2024.
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