The Centurion And The Christ

Hasten the Surrender

39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Bishop Latimer once preached a sermon before King Henry VIII that greatly offended his royal auditor by its plainness. The King ordered him to preach again the next Sunday and to make public apology for his offense.

The bishop ascended the pulpit and read his text, and thus began his sermon: “Hugh Latimer, dost thou know before whom thou art this day to speak? To the high and mighty Monarch, the King’s most excellent Majesty, who can take away thy life if thou offendest. Therefore take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease. But then, consider well, Hugh! Dost thou not know from whom thou comest—upon whose message thou art sent? Even by the great and mighty God, who is all-present and beholdeth all thy ways, and who is able to cast thy soul into hell! Therefore take care that thou deliverest thy message faithfully.” And so beginning, he preached over again, but with increased energy, the selfsame sermon he had preached the week before. The fear of God delivered him from the fear of man. (Illustrations of Bible Truths # 523)

The centurion and those with him (Matt 27:54) were very important or pivotal to the Easter narrative. The last breath, gasp or cry of Jesus on earth was set to be a Great Commission transition. The centurion was undeniably a Gentile who witnessed how Jesus died and declared Him to be the Son of God, to correspond with Mark’s very account and attempt from the start (Mark 1:1). Unlike other centurions in the Bible, Mark uses the Greek transliteration “kenturion” from the Latin “centurio,” giving it a more international flavor, with both Greek and Latin feel.

Previously the disciples (John 1:49, Matt 14:33, John 20:31), an angel (Luke 1:35), the gospel writers (Mark 1:1, Luke 3:38, ), John the Baptist (John 1:34) and Martha (John 11:24) testified that Jesus was the Son of God, but none of them was a Gentile. The centurion’s exclamation was similar and no different to that of the disciples (Matt 14:33). His confession and conversion before those with him (Matt 27:54) was in word and deed. Next, when asked by Pilate if Jesus were already dead, the centurion affirmed His death so that Pilate could assuredly hand over the body to Joseph who asked for the body of Jesus.

The centurion, or anyone else, had never seen a dying man spoke in “loud voice” once, let alone twice. The shrill and sound shocked, scared and shook the earth, according to Matthew (Matt 27:51). Matthew also added that they “feared greatly” (Matt 27:54), not unlike the only other instance in the Bible when the disciples who “feared greatly” when they heard a voice from out of the cloud (Matt 17:6). The previous darkness (Mark 15:33) was succeeded by His loud voice (Mark 15:37) to be followed by a great earthquake (Matt 27:51). The flying rocks, fallen skies and frightening darkness were more than enough to turn an atheist into an advocate, a skeptic into a supporter, a blasphemer into a believer, a Gentile into a God-fearer, a doubter into a disciple.