"They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it." (Mark 15:23)
St Mark records this detail of Jesus refusing wine mixed with myrrh before his crucifixion. This drink was a rudimentary painkiller and so the fact it was offered to Jesus implies an act of mercy to one about to undergo horrific pain. So why did Jesus refuse it?
One possible reason is that he had made an oath at the Last Supper: "I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God (Mark 14:25)."
St Matthew adds that he would drink it "new" and "with " (Matthew 26:29). This is a mysterious oath, but it appears to look forward to the banquet of heaven itself, when he would be re-united with his disciples and the wine would be gloriously "new".
But why was it so important to keep this oath, to the extent that he refused to drink a wine-based painkiller kindly offered to him?
