What About the Centurion?

This post waited until 3 PM (EST) for a reason.

It was at the ninth hour that Jesus died.
It was the ninth hour that the earth quaked violently.
It was the ninth hour that the Roman Centurion at the foot of the cross said, "Truly, this man was the son of God."

We know very little about him. In fact, he is only given two short mentions throughout Mark’s entire Story of Jesus. He was the man who stood there, nailing Jesus to the cross. Most would simply just glance over the detail, but he’s there – a minor character in the plot who plays a major role.

We can only assume, from a historical perspective, that this centurion would have had the same attitude towards Jesus as he would during any crucifixion. This would have been a sport to him, more than just a simple game though – this was his life. He was the power of the sword for the governor of Judea at the time. He brought the greatest punishment that Rome used in those days for a political revolutionary. He probably didn't have any feelings of remorse for what he was doing – he couldn't. His job dictated that he couldn't have emotions that would stop him from accomplishing the task laid before him.

The story goes as any crucifixion does – this Jesus whom he nailed to the cross three hours later cried out in a loud voice, breathed His last and then died. The centurion knew he finished his job. Then, the temple veil was torn in two and the ground shook with a great earthquake – that’s when the Roman centurion shifted. He made the same great confession that Peter made just seven chapters earlier, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The second mention made of the centurion is in Mark 15:44, just a few verses after this great confession.  We know it must be the same centurion that Mark just mentioned, or else it would have been crazy for Mark to use a definite article to describe him as “the centurion” (τὸν κεντυρίωνα). It is no mistake that Mark would set him as the one summoned by Pilate to confirm the death of Jesus Christ on the cross – after all, he was there.  We can only assume that the centurion would have been there when Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus off the cross. And we can only imagine what was going through the head of the man who nailed the Son of God to a tree.

One can only imagine if he became a Christian after hearing of the resurrected Christ. One can only imagine if he gave up the life he was living as a member of the Roman military – one who was called upon to execute rebels. We are left wondering what ever happened to this man who nailed Jesus to the tree.

Today, on Good Friday, we remember Jesus who died, but also we remember the Centurion, who figuratively represented all of mankind as he nailed Jesus to the tree. We remember that... the Centurion is no different than us.

We remember his great confession and we say it ourselves, "Truly, this man is the Son of God!"

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Thomas Montgomery
 
resides in Joplin, Missouri where he studies Psychology and Counseling at Ozark Christian College. His hobbies include hiking, cooking, reading, eating Chick-Fil-A, growing his beard, and talking to people about the person of Jesus Christ. He loves people, evidenced by his service to the church and those who do not yet know Christ. Thomas, who was an EMT for some time, wants to counsel firefighters and paramedics in the future.