Why did Jesus sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane?
The Bible Answer
The following scripture is referring to Jesus as he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is just before he was to be crucified the next day. Sweating blood is obviously not a very common occurrence, so the question many would want to ask is, “How could Jesus sweat blood?” Is it even possible for the human body to do this?
(Luke 22:44) And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
It Is Possible To Sweat Blood
While sweating blood is not something that happens very often, it is possible. The condition is called hematidrosis. Extreme physical or emotional stress causes blood vessels that surround the sweat glands to rupture. This results in blood being lost through the sweat glands.
It is interesting to note that medically speaking, Jesus was described as being in just the kind of anguish that would have caused his body to sweat blood.
Also interesting is the fact Luke was the only one of the writers of the Gospels to mention Jesus experiencing sweat like drops of blood. With Luke being a physician, a medical condition such as this would no doubt have been of great interest to our doctor friend.
Jesus Sweat His Blood Willingly
(Luke 22:43) An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
In the book of Luke we read about an angel appearing to Jesus to strengthen him. Jesus was fully God and fully man. As God he had full knowledge of what he was going to have to endure as a human.
As a human he had an angel that strengthened him and he prayed in anguish. This willingness to pray until he was actually sweating drops of blood speaks of the great love that Jesus has for mankind!
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