OPEN: Years ago when I was in Bible college, a movie premiered in the movie theatres that some friends of mine and I wanted to attend. What struck me as I watched, were the powerful images of Christianity in the movie.
The movie? It was called "The Poseidon Adventure." How many of you have seen it? (about 2/3’s raised their hands).
For those of you that have not seen it, "The Poseidon Adventure" was the fictional story of a group of passengers aboard a cruise ship which had turned upside down in a terrible storm. The movie followed the efforts of a handful of those passengers seeking to find their way to safety through the bottom of the boat.
Like I said the Christian symbolism was powerful and unmistakable:
– Their world was upside down
– They were led to salvation by a clergyman who, in turn, was listening to the advice of young 12 year old (or so) boy who said he knew the way out
– But, no one would listen to them (especially offended that a child of that age would know anything) preferring instead the expertise of professionals who actually were as lost as they were.
– Their way to safety was the exact opposite of what was accepted by all of the other passengers
– They clambered to safety by climbing out of a ballroom up (of all things) a Christmas tree - the eternal symbol of the season celebrating Christ’s birth.
– And ULTIMATELY their adult leader (Gene Hackman) who was the “man of God” in the movie, died toward the end of the movie giving his life (just like Christ did) to save the lives of his followers.
As I said, the Christian symbolism was phenomenal.
However, I have since rented this movie and been embarrassed by all the profanity that the characters used. In fact, the clergyman (Gene Hackman) died cursing God.
But I didn’t see that the 1st time I visited the theatre. All I saw was Christ. In fact, after the movie, I went into the bathroom and overheard a couple of men talking about the movie. One of them said to the other: "I need to change my life!"
APPLY: Now, if men could be effected for God by an imperfect movie, filled with cursing and self-righteousness and blasphemy of God, how much more do you think a soldier who stood at the foot of the cross, seeing all that took place that day have been effected.
The Centurion is so moved by what takes place, that he utters the powerful words: "Surely, this was the Son of God."
A question: what had this Centurion observed this day that changed his heart?
I. To understand what took place that day, we need to revisit the scene:
Jesus has been nailed to cross 6 hours earlier by this centurion and his soldiers. It has been this Centurion’s job to crucify Jesus. And over the hours, he has watched as Jesus has been abused and mistreated
* by the crowds passing by
* by the chief priests & teachers of the law
* by the thieves on either side
* by his own soldiers
* And … perhaps he, himself, has joined in on the ridicule
More than likely this Centurion has heard of Jesus before. Judea is not a large country, and the Roman soldiers were not totally isolated from what took place in the nation they were to watch over.
The practice of Rome seems to have been to station a legion of troops in any country they had under their control. Roman Legions normally consisted of about 5000 men. Amongst those 5000 soldiers there were commanders called centurions - leaders of a hundred men. So, in this legion there would have been about 50 Centurions. That would be a very choice and exclusive club. These 50 men would know each other and probably share many of their stories with each other.
One of these Centurions has seen Jesus before and encountered the power God had displayed not more than a couple of years earlier. Matthew 8 tells us his story:
"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ’Lord,’ he said, ’my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.’
Jesus said to him, ’I will go and heal him.’
The centurion replied, ’Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ’I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Then Jesus said to the centurion, ’Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)
There are some who believe that that Centurion - mentioned in Matthew 8 - was the same one who stood at the foot of the cross. And he may have been… but the Bible doesn’t tell us that.
BUT they were both Centurions AND is extremely likely (if they weren’t the same man) they at least knew each other, and that this story about Jesus’ healing the servant was well known in their small circle of officers.
Whoever this centurion was… right now he is standing at the foot of the cross. And he is seeing and hearing all sorts of things.
Now, it’s not like he has not experienced crucifixions before. He has probably overseen a number of them. And he has watched other men die before. But there are a few things that were probably different.
For example: he has seen the sign posted above Jesus head: The King of the Jews
He has heard those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:39-40) Probably the first time that he has heard Jesus called "the Son of God."
He’s heard “the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’" (Matthew 27:41-43)
He sees it all. He hears it all. And, though this may not be his first crucifixion, this one quickly becomes different than any that he has ever overseen before. You can almost sense his awe as he watches Jesus die and then utters those powerful words… “Surely, this was the son of God!”
II. What changed? What caused him to turn from a callous Roman Centurion into a worshipper of Christ?
Mark 15:39 tell us “…when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!”
In other words, it was what he SAW and HEARD that changed his heart. Well – what did he see… what did he hear?
According to Matthew 27, this centurion saw a couple of things things:
"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land…. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment… the earth shook and the rocks split…. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ’Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:45, 50-51, and 54)
In other words, when their lives became dark, and their world became unsteady under their feet, they become terrified and they look with fear at the possibility of God’s judgment.
ILLUS: In Reader’s Digest (May of 1996) a man related this story of the fear a storm created in a friend: “We were approaching the 4th hole on the golf course one afternoon. Suddenly the sky turned ominous, and it began to rain amid claps of thunder. We rushed to shelter in a gazebo near a metal fence. As the storm grew in intensity, a bolt of lightning hit the long, link fence and lit it up like a neon sign. It was a while before any of us could speak.
Then one player turned to his opponent and said, ‘You know that 5 I had on the first hole - it really was a seven.’”
Now, the man on the golf course might have been joking… but it’s intriguing that the first thought that came to his mind when he saw the power of God in nature was the potential of judgment.
Matthew 27 tells us that the Centurion AND his soldiers were shaken by the darkness and the earthquake so that they were ALL terrified and cried out that this was the son of God…
In other words…
ALL the soldiers, including the Centurion declared that Jesus was the Son of God
ALL the soldiers, including the Centurion were shaking in fear from what they’d seen
III. But Mark doesn’t tell us about ALL the soldiers… just the Centurion…
Look again with me to Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Did you catch that?
This Centurion heard something the other soldiers ignored
This Centurion saw something the overlooked
This Centurion heard Jesus’ cry and he saw how Jesus died
The darkness & the earthquake definitely effected him… but it was actually something about Jesus that changed his heart.
There’s a difference in how this Centurion responds to Jesus that isn’t seen in the other soldiers.
The other soldiers see their world become dark and shaken – and they are terrified.
But Luke 23:47 tells us that the centurion’s response was different. We’re told there that when the Centurion saw “what had happened, PRAISED God…”
IV. What made the difference? Why would the other soldiers respond in fear while the Centurion responded with praise?
I believe the difference lay in what they were "looking at" on that Friday Afternoon.
The other soldiers were “looking at” the darkness and the earthquake - and what they saw was the judgment of God.
But Mark 15:39 tells us “ when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’”
When the day was done… what the Centurion was “looking at” wasn’t judgment
He was looking at God’s mercy
He was looking at God’s love
He was looking at Jesus
He didn’t need to hear John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He had watched how Jesus died on the cross and what He said…
o Unlike other victims he’d seen die, this Jesus never cursed
o He never retaliated against those who mocked & taunted Him
o In fact, by contrast to the evil words of the passers-by who ridiculed and belittled Him… Jesus had responded: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
The entire message this Centurion saw in the cross that day from Jesus on the Cross was forgiveness. That was because, unlike the other soldiers that day, the Centurion was "looking at" Jesus on the cross.
CLOSE: In the 1976 film "Jesus of Nazareth," directed by Franco Zeffirelli, an eight-hour miniseries that is still shown on television every year around Easter time. Jesus was played by the fine British actor Robert Powell; Olivia Hussey portrayed Mary, his mother; Anne Bancroft was Mary Magdalene; and Borgnine had a small but crucial role as the centurion whose servant Jesus healed and who was later present at the crucifixion. As Borgnine tells it:
When it came time for my scene during the crucifixion, the weather was chill and gray. The camera was to be focused on me at the foot of the cross, and so it was not necessary for Robert Powell, the actor who portrayed Jesus, to be there. Instead, Zeffirelli put a chalk mark on a piece of scenery beside the cameraman. "I want you to look up at that mark," he told me, "as if you were looking at Jesus."
I hesitated. Somehow I wasn’t ready. I was uneasy.
"Do you think it would be possible for somebody to read from the Bible the words Jesus said as He hung on the cross?" I asked.
I knew the words well from the days of my childhood in an Italian-American family in Connecticut, and I’d read them in preparation for the film. Even so, I wanted to hear them now.
"I will do it myself," Zeffirelli said. He found a Bible, opened it to the Book of Luke, and signaled for the camera to start rolling.
As Zeffirelli began reading Christ’s words aloud, I stared up at that chalk mark, thinking what might have gone through the centurion’s mind.
That poor Man up there, I thought. I met Him when He healed my servant who is like a son to me. Jesus says He is the Son of God, an unfortunate claim during these perilous times. But I know he is innocent of any crime.
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." The voice was Zeffirelli’s, but the words burned into me -- the words of Jesus. (Luke 23:34-46)
Forgive me, Father, for even being here, was the centurion’s prayer that formed in my thoughts. I am so ashamed, so ashamed.
"Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise," said Jesus to the thief hanging next to Him.
If Jesus can forgive that criminal, then He will forgive me, I thought. I will lay down my sword and retire to my little farm outside of Rome.
Then it happened.
As I stared upward, instead of the chalk mark, I suddenly saw the face of Jesus Christ, lifelike and clear. It was not the face of Robert Powell I was used to seeing, but the most beautiful, gentle visage I have ever known. Pain-seared, sweat-stained, with blood flowing down from thorns pressed deep, His face was still filled with compassion. He looked down at me through tragic, sorrowful eyes with an expression of love beyond description.
Then His cry rose against the desert wind. Not the voice of Zeffirelli, reading from the Bible, but the voice of Jesus Himself: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
In awe I watched Jesus’ head slump to one side. I knew He was dead. A terrible grief welled within me, and completely oblivious of the camera, I started sobbing uncontrollably.
"Cut!" yelled Zeffirelli. Olivia Hussey and Anne Bancroft were crying, too. I wiped my eyes and looked up again to where I had seen Jesus. He was gone.
Whether I saw a vision of Jesus that windswept day or whether it was only something in my mind, I do not know. It doesn’t matter. For I do know that it was a profound spiritual experience and that I have not been quite the same person since. I believe that I take my faith more seriously. I like to think that I’m more forgiving than I used to be. As that centurion learned two thousand years ago, I too have found that you simply cannot come close to Jesus without being changed.*
Now, my question for you this morning is this: When your life fills with darkness, when the foundations of your world begin to tremble & shake. What do you find yourself looking at?
Do you find yourself seeing your life being judged and punished…
OR do you see God reaching down in mercy and forgiveness?
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Don’t Take With Broccoli – John 11:33
The Question That Condemned Jesus – Matthew 26:57
The Moment Of Truth – John 18:28
His Blood Be Upon Us – Matthew 27:16
Hail, King of The Jews – Mark 15:15
Guilty Of Innocent Blood – Matthew 27:1
Remember Me – Luke 23:38
Let Him Save Himself – Matthew 27:39
Surely This Was The Son Of God – Mark 15:33
