What does Matthew 27:48 mean?

Three hours of unexplained darkness have passed (Matthew 27:45–47). Jesus has cried out with a loud voice to God the Father. He cited the words of Psalm 22:1, seemingly mourning the feeling that God had abandoned Him. Some nearby misunderstood and thought Jesus was calling for the prophet Elijah to save Him.

Now someone fills a sponge with sour wine and puts it on a reed to hold it up to Jesus to drink. It's not completely clear from the context why they do this. It may have been given in mockery to torment the prisoner more (Luke 23:36). In the immediate context, it's possible that this is offered to try to revive Jesus or help dull His pain. Jesus refused a mixture of wine and gall earlier after tasting it (Matthew 27:34). His initial refusal was likely a deliberate choice to keep His senses, despite the pain. This offering might also be another attempt at ridicule.

There is no explicit indication from Matthew that Jesus drinks the sour wine this time. John, however, indicates that Jesus "receives" it, partly in fulfillment of more prophecies (John 19:28–30; Psalm 69:21). As this happened in the moments prior to His death, Jesus would have had been at no risk of becoming intoxicated.