They gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink, and when he tasted it, he did not want to drink it.
This verse shows how, even in the moment of suffering, Jesus remains fully conscious and sovereign in the course of offering Himself as a sacrifice. In those times, wine mixed with gall was given to those who were being tormented by pain, to lessen the pain, but Jesus refused to drink it, so that He would bear the suffering of the cross without relief, fully aware of the depth of His sacrifice. This refusal became an expression of humility and love. He did not want to flee from pain, because through that pain came the salvation of humanity. The gall symbolizes the bitterness of sin, which He accepted by tasting, but did not drink, showing that He does not partake in sin. This episode testifies to the perfect awareness with which Christ surrendered Himself to death, without human weakness.