When most people think of the suffering Jesus Christ endured to save humanity from the power and penalty of sin, they focus mostly on His scourging, the carrying of the cross, and the Crucifixion. In other words, they focus on the physical suffering, pain, and torment the Lord endured for the redemption of the souls of man.
But Christ's suffering didn't actually begin there. It started when He entered the Garden of Gethsemane, accompanied by the disciples who formed His inner circle: Peter, James, and John. Before the cat-o'-nine tails, whips with bits of bone and glass tied into them, ripped the flesh from His bones, before the crown of thorns pierced our sweet Savior's head, or the nails pierced His wrists and feet, the weight of our sin fell upon His shoulders and shattered His heart into pieces.
Since Jesus is both God and man, two distinct natures united in one person, He could see every single sin human beings would ever commit throughout time. Past, present, and future all came together the moment Christ set foot in the garden. Along with that came the horrifying reality of the physical pain and suffering He would have to endure, including death, in order to redeem mankind.
As the heavy burden of redemption pressed down on Him, Jesus became so distressed, so emotionally and spiritually traumatized, that the capillaries beneath His skin began to burst, mingling blood with the sweat that poured from His body. Yes, Jesus first shed His blood for sin in the garden.
This condition is an actual medical phenomenon known as hematidrosis. When an individual experiences extreme psychological stress or fear, especially when anticipating intense suffering or death, the body can produce bloody sweat. That is exactly what happened to Jesus.
Just picture this for a moment. Every single time we've broken the law of God. Every inappropriate video, every lustful thought, every hateful and cruel word, murders, rapes, incidents of child abuse — Jesus saw all of it in that moment. And He knew that the Father's plan required Him to endure the most barbaric torture and form of execution known at the time in order to provide humanity with salvation.
All of that drove the Lord to His knees, where He asked His Father if some other way existed to pay the debt for mankind's sins. Nonetheless, He accepted the Father's will, even knowing soldiers would mercilessly beat Him, whip Him, and nail Him to a cross, where He would die a criminal's death despite being the only perfect human being to walk the earth.
One of the endless applications of this truth that the Gospels detail for us is the seriousness of sin. While the Catholic Church teaches distinctions between mortal sins, which cut one off from a state of grace and union with God, and venial sins, which do not, that does not mean "big" sins and "little sins" exist. All sin grieves our Heavenly Father.
Christ endured these horrors for all sin. Even the "smallest" venial sin required Jesus to walk through this gauntlet of misery. We as believers should reflect on that reality often and ingrain it deeply into our thinking. Doing so will help us resist temptations from the devil, the world, and our own flesh. Are you about to click to watch that video you know you shouldn't watch? Think about the price Jesus paid for that sin and see if it doesn't weaken your desire for sinful gratification.
Picture Jesus falling to His knees, praying to be spared from indescribable pain, mockery, and torture, rejected by the very people He came to save. Drops of bloody sweat fell to the ground beneath Him. Think about how the Lord still submitted to the will of God and accepted His mission despite the fear and anxiety He felt about what awaited Him.
His "yes" in the garden displays the enormity of the love He has for you and me. Fear did not dissuade Him from fulfilling the will of God and offering up His very life for those He came to save. He loved us so much that He willingly said yes to crucifixion.
The question I'll leave you with is this: how far are you willing to go for the Lord who endured all of this pain in mind, body, and spirit for you?
