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by Alistair Begg
And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.
Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. -
Luke 22:44
The mental pressure arising from our Lord's struggle with temptation so forced
his frame to an unnatural excitement that his pores sent forth, as it were,
great drops of blood, which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous
must have been the weight of sin, that it was able to crush the Savior to this
extent! This demonstrates the mighty power of His love.
It is a very helpful observation that the sap, which exudes from the tree
without it being cut, is always the best. This precious camphor tree yielded
sweet spices when it was wounded by the whips and pierced by the nails on the
cross; but consider how it produces its best spice when there is no whip, no
nail, no wound.
This presents the voluntariness of Christ's sufferings, since without a lance
the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech or apply the knife; it
flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, "Spring up, O well"; of
itself it flows in crimson torrents. When men suffer great pain of mind, the
blood apparently rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes
on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing
through its trial. But look at Christ in His agony; he is so utterly oblivious
of self that instead of His agony driving His blood to the heart to nourish
Himself, it drives it outward falling to the ground. The agony of Christ,
inasmuch as it pours Him out upon the ground, pictures the fullness of the
offering that He made for men.
Can we fathom how intense the wrestling must have been through which he passed,
and will we not hear its voice to us? "In your struggle against sin you have not
yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."1 Behold the great Apostle and
High Priest of our profession, and sweat even to blood rather than yield to the
great tempter of your souls.
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Source: Truth For Life Daily Devotional by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. Crossway Books
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