Luke 22:39–46 (ESV)
And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Two things in this passage show striking agreement with modern medicine.
First, sweating blood is very rare but quite real. Clinically, it’s known as “hematidrosis”.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8982961
http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/121/9/1493.full
But there’s a twist to this that makes the passage especially powerful. Hematidrosis isn’t triggered by tension; it’s triggered by relief from the tension. Notice the timing. The blood broke through from Jesus’ capillaries to His sweat glands right after there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
There were just a few dozen known cases of hematidrosis in the twentieth century. The population in the first century was a fraction of what it is now. Even as a physician, Luke couldn’t have been familiar with it, and even if he was, he wouldn’t have known the microscopic mechanism involved. Yet, he describes the result precisely.
Secondly, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow. Sleeping for sorrow? The New King James says, “sleeping from sorrow.” Drowsiness is a classic symptom of depression.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm
After the last supper, there’s no way the disciples were still clueless about what was coming. Their drowsiness is described here as from the emotional weight they were now bearing.
Do you know someone whose emotional weight has gotten out of hand? Everyone has struggles, but sometimes those struggles seem to take over. If you have a friend who’s losing that battle, lift them up today. Ask the Lord to comfort them and to give them His peace.
And give them a call while you’re at it. Note: this may not be someone with the greatest struggles. Big struggles are often reserved for big saints; they may be handling it well. Pray for them, of course, but be on the lookout for someone less obvious who could use a lift.
Ask God to open your eyes to the need.
