Q. Why did Jesus refuse to drink the wine that had been mixed with gall when he was on the cross? Is there any spiritual meaning to that? (Submitted by: Jensen ) A. First, lets take a look at the two scriptures that bear on your question: "They gave him vinegar (wine) to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would not drink." (Matthew 27:34) "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) It appears that Christ refused the wine mixed with gall, whereas, he might have taken the vinegar. First of all the word gall comes from the Greek word χολή or chole which means poison, and is very bitter. As an ex-chemistry teacher, I used to teach that all poisons are bitter but acids are sour. Christ refused the gall, knowing the bitter taste was a poison, and He did not want to die from poisoning, but by His shed blood. To become the supreme sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, His blood had to be shed. As John 19:34 states, a soldier pierced His side with a spear and blood and water came out. This is what actually killed Christ. It was not the crucifixion, nor the poison, nor the beatings he took, it was that spear that penetrated His side that killed Him. By taste, the vinegar was acceptable for his thirst because it had a sour taste, and Christ knew that it was not poisonous. Perhaps the person that mixed the gall with the wine was trying to end Christ's suffering prematurely--- it doesn't say for sure. But Christ knew that His blood would have to be shed in order for Him to become the supreme sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, and He refused to take the easy way out of it. | 