When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:39Mark 15:39
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
39 A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”
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In three of the four gospels, we are given a very brief glimpse of a man who was present while Jesus was hanging from the cross. This man was a Roman centurion who was commander of 100 soldiers in the Roman army. We don’t know very much at all about the man, except that he was probably a hardened soldier and that he was in charge of a detachment of probably Syrian-born soldiers. Most likely he had presided over the crucifixion of hundreds, if not thousands, of men and must have become desensitized to the agony of those he helped execute.
It is likely that this man was present from the time Jesus appeared before Pilate all the way through the crucifixion. He may have been present when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He probably was the one who gave the order for his men to beat Jesus, caring little for who He was, knowing Him only to be another in a long line of people he was ordered to torture. He likely was nearby when his men put a robe on Jesus’ bleeding body, pressed the crown of thorns into His head, and walked him to Golgotha.
Having seen so many crucifixions, the officer surely knew what to expect from the prisoners. Most people who were sentenced to die were thieves, murderers, and guilty criminals. The centurion had undoubtedly heard countless men screaming in anguish as they were being beaten, pleading for their lives. From their crosses, he had heard them shout curses to the people below and to God above.
Surely, as this centurion witnessed first-hand the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, it became glaringly obvious to him that there was something distinctly different about this Man. When most men could be found cursing and swearing, Jesus, with His hands nailed to the cross, was crying out for forgiveness on behalf of His executioners!! The centurion probably overheard the compassion and mercy in Jesus’ voice as He spoke to the penitent thief beside Him that day on Golgotha, promising him that they would soon be in Paradise together. Perhaps he was astounded that during such suffering Jesus looked down from the cross and reassured His mother that her future would be secure when He asked John to take care of her. Certainly the three hours of darkness that accompanied Jesus’ sacrifice would have also marked this crucifixion unlike any other.
We can only offer guesses as to when the centurion began to realize that perhaps, just maybe, this Man was exactly who He claimed to be. But, we do know exactly when he realized it with full certainty!
Just before He died, Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” Immediately after that He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” At that precise moment, Jesus died. And, at that same moment, a violent earthquake shook the land with such force that rocks were split and the veil in the Temple was torn in half. Witnessing all of this, the book of Luke tells us that the Roman captain praised God! He said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” Wow! Just like that, the man who had presided over Jesus’ execution, the man who ordered the nails to be driven into his hands and feet, became the first person to become a believer after Jesus’ death! What a conversion! Jesus’ conduct and testimony throughout the entire agonizing ordeal was so loving, so unique, and so divine, that it won the heart of at least one of His executioners! How incredible!!
This centurion, who as I said earlier is mentioned in three of the four gospel accounts, was not pointed out in Scripture because of his cruelty, ruthlessness, or abilities as a soldier. But rather He went down in the greatest history book of all time for something far more important: a marvelous transformation that occurred in his life at the foot of the cross.
Have you experienced that transformation? Have you declared, “Surely Jesus is the Son of God?”
It was because of our sin that it was necessary for Jesus to go to the cross. And He did it willingly and lovingly for each of us. Have you ever told Him thank you?
Untold millions of people have followed the example of that Roman soldier and become believers in Jesus down through the centuries since His death. I hope you are one of them.
As we continue to celebrate the wonder of Jesus’ sacrifice and the miracle of His resurrection, I can think of no greater expression of gratitude than for all of our hearts to be totally devoted and committed to Him. If you’ve never taken that step, you can do so today by simply admitting to God that your sins were the reason that Jesus needed to go to Calvary. Just tell God you’re sorry. Then you simply need to thank Jesus for the forgiveness He extends to you and accept it as a free gift that you could never earn on your own. Then just ask Jesus to be the leader of your life and commit to follow His plan for your life from here on out. It all begins with those simple steps, and they lead to the greatest adventure of you’ll ever know!
If you’ve made a decision to follow Christ for the first time today, or if you’ve decided to recommit your life to Jesus, please let us know. You can simply respond to this and we’ll be so happy to join in the party that heaven is throwing on behalf of your decision to follow Jesus!
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