Wine & Gall
Matthew 27:33-34

In this verse of Matthew, it says of the impending crucifixion: "When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink."

All my life I've wondered why they would give Jesus wine to drink with gall. The name itself sounds nasty! I wouldn't drink it either. I always thought this was just another way the Romans harassed those who were crucified, but that's not the case at all.

First, myrrh was used not gall, as was vinegar not wine. The mixture was a narcotic, which sympathetic Jewish noblewomen of Jerusalem used to offer the condemned to diminish their sufferings, as recorded in the Talmud.

This puts a whole new perspective on the suffering of Christ. He could have lessened His pain that was to come, but rejected the narcotic in order to truly suffer for OUR SINS!

Bless You, Jesus! We praise You, Lord!

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