The Centurion At The Feet Of Jesus Series

This Centurion had seen all that. And at the cross, he was in command as his soldiers drove the nails thru Jesus’ feet and hands. He was there when they lifted the cross bar and dropped it into place and he watched as Jesus’ body sagged against the nails that held Him in place. And as the Centurion watched all of this he knew it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. It shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have happened to normal innocent man … but this Jesus wasn’t a normal man (and this Centurion knew it).

This Centurion had heard stories about this Jesus. About how Jesus had been kind to the weak. How He’d fed 1000s of people with just a little bit of fish and bread. How He’d had healed sick and the lame. And how it was said He‘d even raised the dead to life.

But then we read this from Mark “And when the sixth hour had come (Noon), there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 pm). And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"…

And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" Mark 16:33-34; 37-39

There was something about the way Jesus breathed His last that SHOOK this Centurion. He’d seen other men die… but no mortal man had ever died like this!

This story of the centurion at the foot of the cross was mentioned in 3 of the Gospels. There was something about this story of a pagan Roman soldier’s reaction that God wanted us to see. God wanted us to see the impact Christ’s death had on this Centurion that would lead him to recognize the truth about Christ: “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

CLOSE: I want to close with this true story. Back in 1976, there was an 8 hr. TV mini-series entitled “Jesus of Nazareth” (it’s shown many times around Easter). It starred Robert Powell as Jesus, Olivia Hussey as His mother Mary, and Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene.

For the role of the Centurion they picked a seasoned actor named Ernest Borgnine (http://take2newsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/ernest-borgnine-1917-2012.html). Borgnine was a highly respected at the time, having acted in both comedies and dramas - and he took THIS role seriously. He said that the weather for filming that day was chilly and gray, and since the camera was to be focused on Borgnine at foot of the cross it wasn’t necessary for Robert Powell (who portrayed Jesus) to be there.

To help focus him for the role, the director placed an “X” on some scenery beside the cameraman and told Borgnine to focus on THAT as if he was looking on Christ. Borgnine said that for some reason he was nervous and uneasy that day, and he asked “for somebody to read from the Bible the words Jesus said as He hung on the cross.”

The director found a Bible, opened it to the Book of Luke signaled for the camera to start rolling as he began to read the text. Borgnine said he stared up at that chalk mark, trying to think about what might have gone through the centurion's mind that fateful day. He said that as he heard the words of Jesus to the one thief: "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise," he visualized the centurion thinking “If Jesus can forgive that criminal, then He will forgive me. I will lay down my sword and retire to my little farm outside of Rome.”