05 — Prayer in the Garden

When: Thursday Evening/Friday Early Morning
Location: Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane

Read: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 15:1-18:1

The account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before being taken away to be crucified is one of the most personal glimpses into the relationship between Jesus and his Father, God. It shows us the close relationship and trust Jesus had with his Father.

We get a glimpse of Jesus as being fully man and fully God. We see his anguish, fear, and dread. He was overwhelmed and sorrowful as he is betrayed and abandoned. Jesus was suffering in his soul as well as in his body. His prayers were so intense, that he “sweat drops of blood’(Luke 22:44). This is a medical condition known as “Hematohidrosis”; a very rare condition in which an individual sweats blood when suffering from extreme levels of stress.

Even when it would cost him his life, Jesus trusted the will of his Father. Although God’s plan was designed before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4–5), we must never forget that its execution came at a great cost. Ultimately, then, we are the ones responsible for the blood that dripped from our Savior as He prayed in the garden. We are the reason Jesus’ soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.