III. Centurion-did not disbelieve Luke 23:44-49
The order was issued. The governor's hands were washed. The ugly duties of actual crucifixion were turned over to the Roman army.
The commander of one hundred soldiers was called a centurion. It was an important, powerful and prestigious post in the Roman army. Because Israel was such a tough assignment and because crucifixions were painfully common, we may assume that the centurion in Luke 23 was a seasoned and hardened veteran.
I can hardly imagine what it must be like to execute other human beings. It is unimaginable to me that such a practice could ever become routine. Yet, I suppose that the centurions found ways to cope. He had probably seen and heard it all-curses to begging and crying. I suppose he had received threats and been offered bribes. Somehow he insulated himself from it all or he would never have lasted in the job.
Here's what happened: (Luke 23:44-49)
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Mark 15: 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
The unnamed centurion watched Jesus. He heard every word. He was drawn to him. He liked him. He sensed his innocence. He could not help but be impressed when Jesus prayed for God to forgive him for crucifying Jesus. He had never seen anything like Jesus promise of Paradise to the man hanging on the next cross. Perhaps he even heard some of Jesus' teachings from the women and John who stood nearby for the six long hours of crucifixion. Finally, he was amazed as Jesus chose the exact second for his own death and prayed.
When it was all over, the centurion had to say something. He could not remain silent. While others heard it, it seems he spoke it more to the dead Jesus than to any of the other eyewitnesses. "The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, 'Surely this was a righteous man.'"
