Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 171
171 thy son. " Some people have fallen into an error in respect of Thomas, interpreting that word as twin-brother which would mean that the Messiah had a father. In Hebrew the word Thomas means a foster-brother. It therefore indicates simply that Thomas and Messiah were suckled by one and the same woman or perhaps he was also suckled by Mary and thus became a foster-brother of Jesus. However, in this brief sentence, the Messiah, in a very subtle manner, drew the attention of Thomas to the fact that he hung on the Cross at the moment and though he had faith in the promises of. God, it was possible that he had erred in interpreting the meaning of those promises, he, therefore, was leaving his mother to his care, simultaneously telling his mother to take Thomas for her son. Throughout the New Testament this is the only occasion when the Messiah is said to have shown some affection towards his mother, for, a perusal of the New. Testament gives the impression that he had some sort of grouse against her, there being nowhere any show of affection on his part. In short, the Messiah was in such a state that he some times was conscious and sometimes fell into a swoon. . The centurions appointed by Pilate on the occasion were also his disciples at heart. When they saw that the Messiah could not bear the agony, they quickly dipped a piece of sponge. The New in wine and myrrh and gave it to him to suck. . Testament simply says that the Messiah was given a sponge soaked in vinegar (St. Mark, ch. 15:36), but history confirms that he was given a mixture of wine and myrrh (Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, under the word 'Cross'). . Christians generally labour very much the point that. Jews were so hard on the Messiah that when he was moaning in agony they gave him a sponge soaked in wine and myrrh to