When the Roman soldier who stood facing Him saw how He died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:19, NLT)
It was not the Centurion’s first crucifixion. He’d seen many criminals put to death in the cruelest manner imaginable and he’d hardened his heart to it all: the screams, the blood, the curious onlookers. He was there to keep order, that was all. It was easy enough to do. Generally, only a handful of soldiers were needed to maintain peace and follow out the orders of the Emperor. A soldier’s life made one tough, not given to flights of the imagination. But as he watched the events of the day, he couldn’t help but realize that while he may have been at many crucifixions, this one was different.
Very different.
He’d heard stories of this Galilean, some too incredible to believe, stories of healing and raising of the dead. There was one the Centurion couldn’t get out of his mind, however, and it had to do with a fellow soldier, one who deeply respected the Jewish people and had even financed the construction of a synagogue (Luke 7:5). This soldier was not as hardened as some in the barracks; he had compassion on his fellow man, even a slave of his who was worth very little in the marketplace. The Centurion at the foot of the cross had heard the story from many sources, how the compassionate slave owner had himself approached the Galilean and asked Him to heal his slave. What’s more, he had demonstrated perfect confidence that Jesus could do so (Matthew 8:5-13).
The Centurion looked up at the Man on the cross who was close to death. He was not like the murderers and rapists that were usually hung on the hill of Golgotha. He was just the son of a carpenter, a traveling preacher with a gentle voice. Unlike others who had suffered the torments of execution in the Roman style, this Man did not refile His captors, nor curse them. Instead, He spoke kindly to the thieves hanging on either side of Him, and even arranged for one of His followers, John, to take His mother into his home and care for her (John 19: 25-26). He even forgave His tormentors for the pain they caused Him.
There were other things, too, the Centurion mused. He watched as the Galilean strained against the wooden cross, struggling to breathe. Death by crucifixion was a long and drawn-out affair. The elderly and sick died within six hours, but a healthy young man might take as long as four days to succumb. Yes this Gailiean, in only three hours, was close to death. There would be no need to break his legs to hasten it.
Suddenly, the Centurion was aware that the Galilean was calling out: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” He recognized the Hebrew words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” A learned man, he knew that this Galilean was quoting from Hebrew scriptures. He began to tremble and the sky around him grew dark as night. It stayed dark for three hours, throwing all those on the hill into panic. Astronomers knew that eclipses sometimes happened, but only lasted a few minutes!
And then the condemned man cried out one more time: “It is finished.” (Mark 15:37). The centurion began to tremble and the earth trembled with him.
“Truly,” shouted the soldier, “this man was the Son of God!”
The Power of the Cross had begun.
