THE UPPER ROOM OR CENACULUM
The
ordeal began in an upper room of a house at what we now call the Last
Supper, where Jesus, in giving the first communion, predicted that His
body and blood would be given.
JESUS AT GETHESEMANE (The Oil Press)
Luke 22:44: "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
From the upper room, Jesus went outside of the city
walls where he spent time in prayer at the Garden of
Gethesemane.
It
was here that Jesus agonized in prayer over what was to occur. Jesus
agonizes over what He is to go through, feeling that He is at the point
of death.(Mark14:34).
Of
medical significance, Luke mentions Him as having sweat like blood. The
medical term for this is "HEMOHIDROSIS" or "HEMATIDROSIS". This has
been seen in patients who have experienced extreme stress or shock to
their systems. The capillaries around the sweat pores become fragile and
leak blood into the sweat.
A
case history is recorded in which a young girl who had a fear of air
raids in WW1 developed the condition after a gas explosion occurred in
the house next door. Another report mentions a nun who, as she was
threatened with death by the swords of the enemy soldiers, "was so
terrified that she bled from every part of her body and died of
hemorrhage in the sight of her assailants."
While
in Gethesemane, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Jews.
His disciples all desert Him, and ran away (Mark 14:51-52). He is bound
(John 18:12) then brought back to the city to the court of the High Priest, which is located near the Upper room.
THE HEALTH OF JESUS AND DEMANDS OF THE ORDEAL
It
is reasonable to assume that Jesus was in good health prior to the
ordeal that He faced in the hours before His death. Having been a
carpenter and traveling throughout the land during His ministry would
have required that He would be in good physical condition.
But
before the crucifixion, however, He was forced to walk 2.5 miles over a
sleepless night, during which He suffered great anguish through His six
trials, was mocked, ridiculed and severely beaten, and was abandoned by
His friends.
For the beginning and concluding part of this update, read HERE