By Rachel Mason

“‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:42-44 NIV

Romans 3:23 reminds us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Because of this, we deserve eternal separation from Him. There must be justice for what we’ve done against God, and this includes blood being shed. But what if the blood that was shed wasn’t yours? What if, while you were on death row awaiting execution, someone stepped in and took your place?

God saw our inability to save ourselves and sent Jesus—the only one whose blood could stand in place of ours—to Earth as a human to pay the debt we could never repay. In these verses, He was bearing the weight of the world’s sins, praying in anguish until His sweat fell like blood. This condition, called hematidrosis, occurs under extreme anguish, showing the depth of His suffering.

When I think about this scene, I imagine myself hiding in a bush nearby, feeling the full weight of guilt as I watch Jesus carry my sin. Yet even after all I’ve done, He looks at me with a soft smile and stands, walking toward the cross. What a love.

Knowing I deserve hell for even one sin, I can only enter Heaven because Jesus paid my price. If God asked me at the gates why I should be let in, my answer would be: “I don’t deserve it, but the blood of Jesus has paid my debt.” This is the only answer that would be worthy of an entrance into heaven. When we start understanding that we could never be worthy of entering heaven, we become much more grateful for the cost that Jesus paid.