On the Cross

Mark establishes the time Jesus went to the cross as 9:00 a.m. (the third hour, counting from 6:00 a.m.) He marks the crucifixion at the point of sentencing. We don’t know how long it took to get to Golgotha, but if it were just outside the Damascus Gate, which was the major traffic artery into the city, it would have been only a few blocks. No matter how short, it would have been a slow trip, considering the crowd and Jesus’s fatigue.

Some have seen a contradiction between Matthew and Mark over what Jesus drank. The KVJ and others translate Matthew as vinegar and Mark as wine. It’s the same word in the Greek and was probably a wine that was turning to vinegar. As to the addition, the “gall” mentioned by Matthew was probably the myrrh mentioned by Mark.

This drink was an act of kindness often given to the condemned as a narcotic to lessen the agony of the ensuing death. Though initially offered in kindness, the soldiers later used it to taunt Jesus.