John Calvin Commentary Matthew 27:48

"And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink." — Matthew 27:48 (ASV)

And immediately one ran. As Christ had once refused to drink, it may probably be conjectured that it was repeatedly offered to him for the sake of annoyance; though it is also probable that the vinegar was held out to him in a cup before he was raised aloft, and that a sponge was afterwards applied to his mouth, while he was hanging on the cross.