A Question That Deserves a closer look and maybe a different perspective
Can we take a closer look at this statement “Did Jesus Try to Avoid the Cross?” I do not remember many sermons from my past but I do remember a message given by a interim pastor Dr John Stepp gave to our little church in Greenville Texas. Dr Stepp, who died in 2001, was a teacher at Dallas Theological Seminary, a state chaplin and a man whose preaching left a deep mark on those who heard him.
Something never set well with me when I would hear the story of the Garden Gethsemane explained in the usual way. This is where Jesus prayed: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me…” Luke 22:42.
At first glance, it sounds like hesitation. But to me, this creates a serious problem. Why would Jesus try to avoid the very mission He came to Fulfill?
Jesus Came to Die for the Sins of the World
Jesus did not stumble into the cross by accident. He came for it on purpose.
He said: “For this purpose I came to this hour.” John 12:27
He also said: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His lfe a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
And He told His disciples plainly what was coming: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered… and they will crucify Him.” Matthew 20: 18-19
Jesus knew the cross was ahead. He spoke of it. He moved toward it. He submitted to it. So I have a hard time believing He suddenly wanted out of it in the garden. That is where Dr Stepp’s message was so powerful. He offered a different perspective. He challenged the common assumption. He suggested that Jesus was not asking to avoid the cross at all. He was asking the Father to let Him live long enough to make it to the cross.
What Happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Jesus said: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Matthew 26:38 That statement matters. Jesus did not say He was merely troubled. He said His sorrow was so deep that it had brought Him to the edge of death.
Then Luke records this: “And being in agony He was praying very fervently:and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” Luke 22:44
Luke also says: “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43
These details matter and deserve attention. Jesus was in agony. His sweat was like drops of blood. And heaven sent strength to help Him.
The Medical Possibility: Hematidrosis
One reason the sermon struck me so deeply is there is an actual medical condition often discussed in connection with Luke 22:44. It is called Hematidrosis or Hematohirosis. Medical literature describes it as a very rare condition which appears in or with sweat, often under extreme emotional stress. Reviews and case reports note that it is rare, stress-related, and not fully understood, but is recognized in medical literature. That matters because Luke was not casually describing a little anxiety. He was describing an ordeal of extreme intensity.
Now, to be careful and honest, the medical sources do not prove exactly what was happening to Jesus in every detail. They do, however show that the kind of event Luke described fits the profile of severe physical and emotional distress. This gives real weight to the idea that Jesus was not simply dreading pain in the general sense, He was already under crushing pressure.
Was Jesus Asking to Avoid the Cross?
This is where I feel many people miss the boat. If Jesus came to die for sinners, why would He ask to avoid the cross? He had already set His face towards Jerusalem. He rebuked Peter for resisting the path of suffering. “Get the behind Me Satan!…you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s.” Matthew 16:23 He had already declared that laying down His life was voluntary. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on my own iniatative.” John 10:18
So what if the prayer in the garden was not, “Father, let Me avaoid the cross”? But was actually “Father, do not let me die before I get to the cross”? That view makes sense of both Christ’s mission and His agony.
The Cup May Have Been the Immediate Crisis , Not the Cross Itself
Many sermons treat “the cup” as if Jesus were asking for another way to save mankind. But scripture shows there was no other way, and Jesus knew that. Instead, Dr. Stepp’s message “Did Jesus Try to Avoid the Cross?” point was to say that Jesus may have been so overwhelmed in the garden that death itself was pressing in before the arrest, before the scourging, and before Calvary. If Dr Stepp is correct then the prayer becomes even more powerful! Jesus was not shrinking back from His purpose. He was fighting to fulfil it. He was not trying to escape the cross. He was asking for the strength to reach it!
Why Did an Angel Strengthen Jesus?
Luke says an angel appeared from heaven and Strengthened Him. That is a remarkable detail. If Jesus was only asking to avoid the cross, why strengthen Him and then send Him to the cross anyway? But if Jesus was in such agony that His human body was near collapse, then strengthening takes on an even greater meaning. The Father did not remove the suffering. He sustained Him through it. Jesus was given the strength to stand, to endure the arrest, face the trials, to bear the beating, and to go all the way to the cross where redemption would be accomplished.
Dr John B. Stepp Jr and Why This Perspective Stayed With Me
Dr John B. Stepp was not famous in the modern sense like on the internet. However, he was the kind of preacher people remember. He was very elderly when he was our interim pastor. He was frail and struggled to get behind the pulpit. We actually moved the pulpit off the stage and placed it in front of the altar to allow him to get behind it easier. But man oh man when he got behind the pulpit… It seemed a gleam and energy and strength overcame him and he would preach.
This particular sermon ” Did Jesus Try to Avoid the Cross” was very impactful to me and has stood to impact my worldview of Jesus. It made Him seem even more resolute not less. This view doesn’t weaken the cross; it magnifies it! It says Jesus was under so much pressure and agony that the potential was there that He would die before He got to the cross. He knew and was willing to press forward because Calvary was the place where the final price for sin would be paid!
So Did Jesus Try to Avoid the Cross? No, He Endured Until the Cross
This is the heart of the matter to me. I serve a Jesus who came to earth for one reason: to provide a way for sinners to be saved and to make a way for us to spend eternity in heaven. He was not trying to avoid the cross. He was determined to reach it. His mission was completed on the cross. The lamb of God shed His blood at the appointed place. The Savior did not die in the garden. He made it all the way to Golgotha and He fulfilled the Father’s will. He accomplished all the He came here to do provide us a path to redemption.
Final Thoughts
So, “Did Jesus Try to Avoid the Cross?” I do not believe so. I believe the agony He was enduring was so great and crushing and beyond what I can imagine. I believe the suffering in Gethsemane was unto the point of literal death. The medical possibility of hermatidrosis adds depth to Luke’s account. I believe that Dr. Stepp opened up my mind to the common teaching of avoidance might not be accurate. That Jesus wasn’t trying to escape His ultimate purpose but that He was asking for the strength to get to fulfil His purpose. I thank God He did!
And for this reason He made it to the cross so sinners like me can be forgiven. Because He finished the work, salvation is offered freely. And Because He endured, heaven is open to ALL who trust Him!
I hope this lets you challenge the notion in your mind that Jesus asked to avoid Calvary but rather embrace that He was enduring everything neccesary to reach Calvary abnd finish the work of salvation.