The centurion was a career Roman soldier whose rank usually made him commander over one hundred men. He was the most experienced, best informed, and least likely to react to a situation. As the backbone of the Army, he was responsible for military discipline and efficiency. The man who spoke this last word to the cross was probably the one who was in charge of the scourging and crucifixion of Christ. When Jesus began his ministry, the first Gentile to respond was a centurion. Now at the end of his ministry, a second centurion was the last to respond even with an inaccurate understanding of the person of Jesus. He showed that we must conform to the truth that everyone must make some decision about Jesus. If that decision leads to salvation, what are the common factors of such a response?
The centurion was the only one who made such a statement. This indicates that a response to Jesus must be personal. That observation says that Christ was perfect yet was murdered. The centurion came to the conclusion on his own observation that Christ was the Son of God. He made this confession of belief even before the half-brothers of Jesus believed. There are so many extensive implications of the Sonship of Jesus that declares our Lord has no limitations. In the same way the centurion came to his own personal conclusions about Jesus, so must we also individually and separately answer the question if Christ is our Savior.
The centurion’s observation about Jesus means that such a response must be practical. That is because death is man’s greatest enemy. In Jesus we can live, die, and live again. Not only do we live again but we live for all eternity. The reason for this is that our approach to God is also spiritual. Our deepest longings and most significant emptiness that dwells in a person’s heart without Christ leaves a spiritual hunger unsatisfied. That soldier did not just verbalize his observation of Christ. He internalized who Jesus was. Even though the centurion was a man in position and responsibility, he like all of us had specific needs whether we consider the material or the physical or the spiritual.
The centurion’s response to the cross was public in the same way each of us must make an overt confession of who Jesus is. We cannot call ourselves Christians if we do not verbalize his divinity, his eternal reality, his Lordship, and that Jesus is the only one who can save us from our sin. We must believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is the Savior if it is to be worthwhile. For one to say he has convictions about Christ without any actions, his stance is without merit. By telling other people that Jesus is our Savior that belief is demonstrated as being effective within our minds and spirit. Jesus did not die in secret. Therefore, we cannot live for him in secret. We must make a public witness. We must verify our relationship with Christ in the same way we interact with earth, sky, law, and even the unseen world. Without such a confession there is no way that our new spiritual birth can truly be enjoyed.
Christian Writer 