Luke 23:36Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They divided My garments among themselves, and cast lots for My clothing.’ And again, ‘They gave Me gall for My food, and they offered Me vinegar for My thirst.’ Given that you are knowledgeable in the law, or at least believed you were, why have you not investigated the prophecies regarding these events? You should have sought to understand who uttered these words; to whom they reference, I mean, those verses. You have listened to your esteemed leader Moses foretell the gravity of your assaults: he declared that ‘you shall see your life hanging on a tree’: that is to say, you shall witness the Author of life, or rather life itself, hung upon a tree. How have you overlooked the prophecy of Moses, which you take such pride in? After all, we have heard you assert, ‘We are the followers of Moses.’ Pray tell, what do you signify when you shake your head toward Him? Is it the gentle endurance of the Afflicted that you scorn? Or is it to demonstrate the callousness of your heart? Do you wish to subject the Prince of life to corporeal death? Why involve yourself in sacred matters? Why appoint a council that you cannot fulfill? ‘He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall ridicule them,’ as it is written.

The essence of immortality, once reflected in the human frame, finds its restoration in Christ. By drinking the vinegar, He symbolically eradicates the corruption of immortality that originated with Adam, consuming from the reed See: Mark 15:36. As if extracting it from the human form. Let us also cast our sins into Christ, accumulated through the neglect of our souls and bodies, pouring them out in baptism, so that we may be crucified with Christ See: Gal. 2:19; 6:14. Let us release them through repentance, so that in exchange, He may fill us with the pure wine and blood of Heaven.

Yet, deep down, the chief priests harbored a far more significant concern that drove them to join in this lowest form of scorn. It was evident that they were the sole instigators of Jesus' horrific execution, and that Pilate had been reluctant to condemn Him for some time. They needed to vindicate his cruelty in the eyes of the public, ensuring that the foreign Jews who had come from various parts to celebrate the festival would not spread tales of how the Sanhedrin had unjustly condemned a righteous man—one whose claim to be the Messiah was already in question. History shows that even the most honorable figures lose respect when subjected to ridicule. The hypocrites, as per their usual pattern, pretended to be the most devoted servants of the God of Israel, zealously upholding the law, and addressed the crowd: "Look, He saved others, yet He cannot save Himself! Did we not warn you that nothing good could come from this Man? The friend of tax collectors and sinners has shown His true colors among wrongdoers. Our declaration that the desecration of the Sabbath would not go unpunished has been proven right! Some believed that He was holy; now the events reveal whether we spoke truthfully or He did! Who expects the Messiah? We would lay down our lives for His arrival. But are we supposed to believe in a crucified Messiah? What further evidence do we need? If He is indeed the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him right away!" (Mark 15:32). "Indeed," the other elders jeered, "this is not the throne of a king. Now you see the true nature of this Son of God and His miracles. Would the Father forsake His own Son in such a situation? He trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He desires" (Matt. 27:39-43; Mk. 15:29-32; Lk. 23:35). The last taunts mirrored those from the psalm spoken by David, which placed similar words in the mouths of the adversaries of the righteous. The prophecies were fulfilled in the very actions of those who were unaware of their role in their accomplishment. Given the brazen mockery repeated by the Jewish authorities, it is not surprising that even the coarse soldiers on guard called out to Jesus, "If You are the king of the Jews, why do You not save Yourself?" Such ridicule from the Roman soldiers was merely a product of blind imitation. To the Jew, the phrase "King of Israel, why will you not save Yourself?" carried weight, as he perceived the Messiah to be a miracle worker capable of helping Himself in any situation. Conversely, the Gentiles, by referring to the king of the Jews, saw Him merely as an ordinary man, from which it did not follow that He could free Himself from the cross. Yet the coarse soldiers showed no regard for the significance of their words, mindlessly echoing what they had heard from others. St. Luke also notes (Luke 23:36) that the soldiers offered Jesus a sour drink—likely the typical drink they consumed to quench their thirst under the sweltering sun. So, amid their mockery, they also displayed a measure of compassion for the crucified, who must have felt even greater thirst due to His suffering, showcasing the complex mix of good and bad in the hearts of rough men.

Additionally, Luke specifies that beyond the crowds and the officials—who are mentioned in Matthew and Mark—the soldiers also ridiculed Christ. In an attempt to curry favor with the people and their leaders, they offered Him sour wine and taunted Him, saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.’ He further notes that the inscription above the cross was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

Among the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus, Luke uniquely highlights that one of them mocked the Savior, while the other rebuked his fellow criminal and turned to Jesus with a heartfelt request. This latter criminal expressed remarkable faith in Christ as the Messiah and Lord, acknowledging His authority to bring about His kingdom. In response, Jesus assured him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’

We warned the people that the Sabbath violator, the companion of tax collectors and sinners, cannot be the Messiah, the King of Israel. We cautioned them not to be led astray by His miracles, performed through the power of Beelzebub; and yet, many did not heed our words, leading to this moment where He, who claims to be the Son of God, is nailed among criminals! Some suggested our persecution stemmed from personal motives, but are we not all still eagerly anticipating the Messiah, the true King of Israel? Would we not follow Him? Yet, how can we recognize the Messiah in the One hanging on the cross, for the law of Moses states, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’? If He truly is the King of Israel, let Him descend from the cross now, and we will believe in Him. Why doesn’t He come down? He who placed His trust in God and referred to Him as His Father? If He could not save Himself and truly gained God's favor, then may God rescue Him from this disgraceful execution!" These blasphemous utterances seemed to resonate with the crowd; at least Luke notes that the rulers joined in their mockery. Initially, the crowd, struck by Jesus' gentleness and His intercession for His executioners, stood in stunned silence at the horrific scene. However, when the rulers began to ridicule Jesus, the same scorn echoed from the crowd. Those passing by reviled Him, shaking their heads, saying, “You who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself; if You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Were these not the false witnesses who so eagerly testified against Jesus during the Sanhedrin's night session? Their taunts, repeating the promise of destroying the temple and raising it up in three days, seem to confirm their identity. Certainly, their mocking words were echoed by others.

Why did Christ not descend from the cross? If He did, it would have affirmed His divine authority, compelling all to believe in Him. Such questions remain among many nonbelievers today. How do we respond? The One who commanded demons, winds, and the waves to obey Him, who healed all ailments even from a distance, and who raised the dead, certainly could have come down if necessary. Thus, His choice to remain indicates there were profound reasons for it—reasons known only to God. Indeed, we, as sinners, may not grasp them fully. Yet, even without complete understanding, we can derive insights from the Lord's own words. From the Gospel, it is evident that Christ, in His humanity, positioned Himself as the model of attainable perfection; He called upon us to emulate Him and live as He, the Christ-Man, lived. To serve as this pattern of perfection, He must not have exercised His divine power for personal benefit; otherwise, He would present an unattainable standard, making His commandments seem impossible to obey and undermining the purpose of His coming. And we understand that He never leveraged His divine power to alleviate His human weaknesses and suffering. As a Man, He experienced fatigue, needed rest, felt hunger and thirst, expressed joy and sorrow, unable to always suppress His grief, which sometimes manifested in tears. In His humanity, He faced temptation but triumphed, not through His divine nature, but by surrendering to the Father's will, teaching us that such submission is vital for conquering temptations. In Gethsemane, He trembled at the prospect of suffering and sought from the Father a postponement in fulfilling His will, yet overcame this temptation by expressing, "Not My will, but Your will be done" (Luke 22:42). When He submitted to the Father, the agonizing physical pain on the cross brought forth His profound cry: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). This question highlights the mystery of why divine power did not ease His unjust suffering during such an agonizing execution. It seems that had Christ descended from the cross or rendered His execution insensible to Himself, He could not appropriately embody the example we need as genuine humanity—an embodiment of what we ought to be; thus, the purpose of His earthly mission would not have been fulfilled. His effectiveness stemmed precisely from His refusal to employ divine authority to relieve His human suffering and grievances. Indeed, Christ, as a Man, fulfilled all His commandments; He lived as He urged others to live, with His actions always aligning with His words. He did not leverage His divine power to lessen the weight of His commandments, establishing Him as a binding example for us; we are called to live as He lived, and by God’s grace, we can!