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!” Mark 15:39 NIV
Let me tell you a little about the preacher. We don’t know his name. We only know that he was a centurion. An experienced, well-trained, very tough Roman soldier who was responsible for a troop of 100 soldiers. He isn’t someone we would ordinarily expect to preach such a sermon. Let’s consider a bit more closely the message the centurion preached when the crucifixion was over. He looked up at Jesus on the cross after He had yielded His spirit to the Father, and declared, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” First he said something about the human nature of our Lord—that He was a Man. Jesus indeed was fully human. He was born into the human family. It was for that reason that He was able to die as a human being for the sins of humanity. The centurion also said something about our Lord’s divine nature. He declared that this Man was no ‘mere’ man only; but that he was “the Son of God”. Jesus was also fully the Son of God. This centurion affirmed the truth of what he preached about Jesus. One thing about this centurion that makes him stand out is he paid special attention to all that happened, in a way that few people do even today. He watched everything that happened very carefully, he had to! He made a careful, intelligent evaluation of what he saw. That’s why his short sermon is so powerful and authoritative. Are we paying attention?
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord Jesus, help us to pay attention so we can declare You as Lord.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, as the centurion paid special attention to all that happened, in a way that few people do even today. As he made a careful, intelligent evaluation of what he saw. Help us to pay attention to what You are doing in our lives. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Matthew 27:32-56
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