Vinegar Mingled with Gall - Matthew 27:34

Matthew the apostle wrote how Pilate's soldiers took Jesus, “unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse thirty-four of his book, Matthew wrote how the soldiers gave Jesus, “vinegar to drink mingled with gall” where we read:

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

The verse reads, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: Matthew began words, “they gave him” which means “the soldiers granted, supplied, furnished and delivered to Jesus” “vinegar” or “a mixture of sour wine or vinegar and water which the Roman soldiers were accustomed to drink” “to drink” which means “to imbibe” “mingled with gall” or “mixed with bile, wormwood or possibly myrrh”. Matthew shared how the soldiers offered to Jesus a bitter wine which was mixed with “bile, wormwood or myrrh”.

The verse continues, “and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.” Matthew added the words, “and when” or “and at the time and moment” “he had tasted thereof” which means “Jesus tasted the vinegar mixed with gall”, “he would not drink” or “Jesus would not consume or imbibe it”. Matthew shared how Jesus “tasted” the “wine mixed with bile, wormwood or myrrh” and would not drink it.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we may be reminded of the verse, “give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts” (Proverbs 31:6) because people who were about to suffer death were given “strong drink” to ease their suffering. Jesus would not drink the “wine” offered to Him, and therefore He endured the full brunt of His pain. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16), and He willingly permitted Himself to go through this “suffering” because He desired to provide “everlasting life” to all who believe and trust in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Matthew wrote how the governor's soldiers, “crucified him, and parted his garments”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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