John Calvin Commentary Matthew 27:34

"they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink." — Matthew 27:34 (ASV)

And they gave Him vinegar. Although the Evangelists are not so precise in placing each matter in its proper order as to enable us to determine the exact moment at which the events occurred, I consider it a probable conjecture that, before our Lord was lifted up on the cross, wine mingled with myrrh, or some other mixture apparently compounded of gall and vinegar, was offered to Him in a cup, according to custom.

It is sufficiently agreed, indeed, among nearly all interpreters, that this drink was different from that which is mentioned by John (John 14:29), and of which we will speak very soon. I only add that I consider the cup to have been offered to our Lord when He was about to be crucified; but after the cross was lifted up, a sponge was then dipped and given to Him.

I am not very anxious to inquire at what time He began to ask for something to drink. However, when we compare all the circumstances, it is not unreasonable to suppose that, after He had refused that bitter mixture, it was frequently presented to His lips in derision. For we will find Matthew later adding that the soldiers, while they were giving Him to drink, taunted Him for not being able to rescue Himself from death. Hence we infer that, while the remedy was offered, they ridiculed the weakness of Christ, because He had complained that He was forsaken by God (Matthew 27:49).

Regarding the Evangelist John’s narrative, it is only necessary to understand that Christ requested that some ordinary beverage might be given Him to quench His thirst, but that vinegar, mingled with myrrh and gall, was attempted to be forced upon Him to hasten His death. But He patiently bore His torments, so that the lingering pain did not lead Him to desire that His death should be hastened; for even this was a part of His sacrifice and obedience: to endure the lingering exhaustion to the very end.

In my opinion, they are mistaken who consider the vinegar as one of the torments cruelly inflicted on the Son of God. There is greater probability in the conjecture of those who think that this kind of beverage tended to promote the evacuation of blood, and for this reason it was usually given to criminals to accelerate their death. Accordingly, Mark calls it wine mingled with myrrh.

Now Christ, as I have just hinted, was not led to refuse the wine or vinegar so much by a dislike of its bitterness, as by a desire to show that He advanced calmly to death, according to the command of the Father, and that He did not rush on recklessly from a lack of patience to endure pain.

Nor is this inconsistent with what John says, that the Scripture was fulfilled, In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. For the two accounts perfectly agree with each other: that a remedy was given to Him to end the torments of a lingering death, and yet Christ was in every respect treated with harshness, so that the very alleviation was a part, or rather an intensification, of His pain.