Scripture Reading: Matt. 27:34; Luke 23:33-34
When the Lord Jesus was led by man to Golgotha where he was about to be crucified, "They gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall. And when He tasted it, He would not drink" (Matt. 27:34). At that time the punishment of the cross was the most agonizing kind of punishment; therefore, the law in those days permitted giving the one who was going to be crucified wine mingled with gall to drink. Although wine mingled with gall was not as good as the anesthetics that surgeons use today, at that time it was the substance that best alleviated the pain in one's senses.
The Lord Jesus was very distinctive here in that He would not drink wine mingled with gall. When others were crucified, they all wanted to drink wine mingled with gall; only the Lord Jesus would not drink it when He was crucified. There was bitter feeling with the crosses of men, so they all needed wine mingled with gall to remove the pain in their senses. But in the cross of the Lord Jesus, wine mingled with gall was refused. If one is crucified and also drinks wine mingled with gall, then it will be a cross of man and not the cross of our Lord. In the cross of our Lord, there is not such a thing as wine mingled with gall; there was no need for it. Man sent wine mingled with gall to His lips. After tasting it, He also knew that it was wine mingled with gall and that it could alleviate His pain, but He would not drink it.
At this point we should ask the reason for the Lord's refusal. The cross produced a bitter feeling in others, but it did not produce such a feeling in the Lord Jesus. (This does not refer to physical feeling; physically, He also had feeling.) Because others were full of feelings, there was a need for wine mingled with gall. But here was a person who, on the spiritual side, did not harbor any bitter feelings when He was crucified, so He did not need wine mingled with gall.
According to Luke, when the Lord was on the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (23:34). This is what is meant by having no need of wine mingled with gall. Here was a man who was wrongfully accused, afflicted, scourged, shamed, persecuted, rejected, judged, and even condemned by men. He was abused by men to the uttermost, but at this point He lifted up His head and said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He had no feeling of bitterness within, nor the feeling of being wrongfully accused, nor the feeling of being persecuted; therefore, He needed no wine mingled with gall. A person who has no feeling of bitterness within does not need wine mingled with gall to alleviate his pain.
Those who harbor a feeling of bitterness, who need wine mingled with gall, are those who will not bear the cross. Many children of God apparently seem to be bearing the cross but are not doing so in reality. Bearing the cross requires no consolation and joy outside of God. But when many bear the cross, the ones living next door know all about it. If those upstairs bear the cross, the ones living downstairs know about it. When it comes to many people, their countenance, expression, and voice tell people: "Look! I am here bearing the cross." We should realize that if the news of the existence of a cross leaks out, it is not a cross. Whenever the news leaks out, there is no cross. The news that leaks out is wine mingled with gall. Human beings are prone to seek comfort, love, and sympathy from others upon suffering even a little pain. We do not know how innumerable are those who thirst for these things, but this is not the cross. A great problem among God's children is that God is not their joy. Therefore, they seek joy outside of God. God cannot satisfy their heart, and therefore, they need to seek comfort outside of God. This is wine mingled with gall. This is not something that belongs to the cross.
When God's children suffer, there are perhaps three different kinds of feelings. Some react outwardly toward men; some turn inward; and some suppress their feelings. Those who react toward men become angry with others, hate others, and do not forgive them. Those who turn their feelings inward become hurt and pity themselves, supposing that they are following the Lord and that they are suffering very much like the Lord. Those who suppress their feelings become passive. We easily become angry; we easily pity ourselves; and we easily become passive. Some of God's children think that being passive is being victorious. Little do they know that the passive ones, in their feelings, also expect wine mingled with gall. Passivity is another expression of being hurt. Because one is despairing within, he becomes passive; because he expects too much, he becomes passive. Passivity proves that there is no cross; it is only the forcible suppression of one's feelings.
Among God's children, some do suffer, but there are not many who really bear the cross. When they are suffering, they express themselves in a few different ways. Someone may think that since he is a Christian, he is supposed to suffer. Outwardly he says nothing, and he really looks like a cross-bearing Christian, but secretly he is murmuring. Such persons, who murmur a great deal after they have suffered, still do not know what the cross is because inwardly they are filled with bitter feelings; they need wine mingled with gall.
Some people do not murmur when they suffer. There is neither spoken nor silent murmuring. Yet they weep. We must realize that the cross is a place where the blood is shed and the body is sacrificed; the cross is not the place of weeping and self-pity. Those who pity themselves and weep are those who do not know the cross. Weeping means that one is not willing to see himself suffer. Only those at the foot of the cross weep; those who are on the cross have no tears. If a person feels hurt after enduring a little pain or suffers after incuring a little loss, he still does not know what the cross is.
There is also another kind of person who is puffed up with pride and pretends to be an overcomer. This person is not a crucified person either because his kind of reaction is for gaining people's attention. He seems to be saying, "Though I suffer, I can still sing hymns and still give praise; I am a cross-bearer." The purpose of his behavior is to gain man's admiration. This is also wine mingled with gall; this is not bearing the cross either.
Some do not bear the cross in reality but are very capable of talking about the cross. They consider that this encounter is an experience of the cross, and that incidence is also an experience of the cross. This happening is a cross, and that happening is also a cross. What these persons expect is the pity of men. Their heart is grieved only because no one pities them. Their eyes are always looking around them for some to come and pity them. These persons crave wine mingled with gall; they are not crucified.
Then what is the cross?
The cross is not turning one's feelings toward others; it is not turning one's feelings inward or suppressing one's feelings. The cross is a matter of joyful acceptance; it is for a person to thank God saying, "The path that God has chosen for me is all good. I can be glad, I can give thanks, and I have no problems because I receive from God's hand the cross that He has given me."
The cross forgives; it does not pity itself, and it is not passive. The only feeling the cross gives us is a feeling of thanksgiving to the Lord.
The cross is a matter of having a soft heart before God. Whatever God wishes, let it be so. It is a matter of knowing that God is great and that God is also love.
The real bearing of the cross will only result in others' respect; it will not seek man's pity. Whenever one seeks man's pity and whenever one seeks man's comfort, that is only wine mingled with gall and not the cross. Our Lord was crucified on the cross, and therefore the cross becomes a place where we worship the Lord. The Lord's cross was at Golgotha, and therefore Golgotha becomes the center of our praises to the Lord. If a brother is suffering for the Lord on the cross, we will kiss his hands and his feet for the Lord. But he is not a cross-bearer if he expects this and that while enduring the pain of the cross.
Our Lord refused wine mingled with gall for the simple reason that He did not need man's help. He did not need man's help because He already had God's joy in Him. The cross means rejoicing within and being able to praise God within. Therefore, a cross-bearer can comfort others. Paul said, "Who comforts us in all our affliction that we may be able to comfort those who are in every affliction through the comforting with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Cor. 1:4). A person such as Paul is one who can comfort other people because no difficulty can touch him. We have seen that Paul and Silas could pray and sing hymns to praise God in their affliction in Philippi (Acts 16:25). These two men needed no wine mingled with gall; they were men who were really crucified on the cross. Stephen could still ask God to forgive the people when he was being stoned (Acts 7:59-60). He did not feel any pain for himself; he needed no wine mingled with gall. He was really a crucified person. The cross means that no matter what pain or difficulty befalls you, you are not touched by it; on the contrary, you can still praise God. If you are always considering how heavy or difficult a matter is, there is no cross.
May God show us daily what the cross is, and may we know how the cross does not need wine mingled with gall. May God save us from seeking wine mingled with gall and enable us to rejoice and praise on account of Him.
