It is rather remarkable that of the Jews
who had long awaited the Messiah’s coming were, when He came and did what He
came to do, silent. The religious hierarchy orchestrated the crucifixion and
they were tucked in their beds of satisfaction over a job well done in the
elimination of a threat to their leadership. The faithful few followers of
Jesus were scattered and hiding beneath the rocks of anonymity. Standing alone
in the irony of the moment is a gentile Roman soldier.
Each of the synoptic writers record this
event with just a slight difference of perspective. Matthew connects the
response of the centurion most closely to the earthquake and fear generated by
it. Mark and Luke align it more in the proximity of His passing. Matthew and
Mark report that the centurion said, “truly He was a Son of God.” Luke reports
the centurion saying, “certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47).
The fact is that the former (a son of
God) would be the Roman way to express the fact that he was a righteous man. He
certainly did not share the messianic hope of Judaism. And he was not claiming
the deity of Jesus. His statement was one of acknowledgment that this man was
both innocent of wrongdoing and a very special person loved by God.
Remember, these reporters were committed
to report errorlessly what happened. They were not preoccupied with the
exactness of the details with which this was done. The exact words were not
important to them. The acknowledgment was.
Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus met
His disciples on the western shores of the Galilee and offered Peter an
opportunity to reaffirm His love for Him. He would commission the eleven to
preach the gospel “to every nation.” But here, in the shadows of the once
for-all-payment for the sin of mankind, there is a solitary voice in the night
and it runs over gentile vocal chords.
Far more important than the actual
expression verbalized is the reason why it was spoken. For this, we must turn
to Luke who tells us that this leader of one hundred Roman soldiers, “glorified
God” by saying “certainly this was a righteous man. God created for His glory.
We are headed in history for a time when every knee will bow before Jesus
Christ and bring Him glory for the great redemption He has provided.
Here, where the embarrassment of the depth of the wickedness
of sinful humanity is exposed in the rejection of God’s only Son, and the
magnificent and matchless love of God is seen crashing against the very ones He
came to save, there is a tiny voice whispering out from beneath a soldier’s
helmet, “glory to God”. Silenced by pride and self protective fear all voices
are silenced but one … that of the awestruck centurion. May we each continue to
echo his words in our conduct and conversation this week.
Matthew 27:54
I. Why did the centurion glorify
God?
A. Was it because
of
B. Was it because
of
C. Was it because
of
D. Was it because
of
II. What does it mean to be born
again?
A. It means to
B. It means to
C. It means to
D. It means to