The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Mark 15:16-19, 39
Even if the centurion did not join the other soldiers in mocking Jesus, he at least condoned their behavior in not stopping them. However, within a few hours time, he came full circle when he expressed his belief or incredulity by stating, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" If the centurion recognized this truth, certainly the rest of the soldiers present at Jesus' crucifixion must have at least entertained the idea.
I think that God loves irony; the soldiers actually spoke truth when they made fun of Christ by calling out, "Hail, king of the Jews!" God allowed pagan gentiles the honor of acknowledging His Son (even if they did not mean to), when God's own chosen people had rejected Him.
Father, if people who don't believe in You can recognize when You are present, help me to see when You are at work around me and give me the grace to join You in what You are doing.
Also praying for you,
Jim
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The Jews turn Jesus over to the Romans so He can be crucified on a cross. They believe that a person killed on a tree is cursed by God and want the people to also believe that way. The Jews had accused Jesus of so many things that even Pilate was amazed that He did not answer them. Pilate did ask Jesus if He was the King of the Jews and he received a positive answer. For the remainder of the trial Jesus was silent. What a perfect example of the mission of Jesus when Barabbas, a convicted murderer and insurrectionist, was set free. Jesus was his substitute as well as all of us. “Wanting to satisfy the crowd” is a sad comment about one trusted to administer justice. Not only does Jesus want us to be watchful but He also wants us to stand for what is right. The soldiers led Jesus away to be crucified after they ridiculed and mocked Him. Because Jesus was so exhausted after many beatings, a man, Simon form Cyrene, was tasked to help Him carry the cross. Don’t think that this was a happenstance event or the luck of the draw, or being in the wrong place. Through this event we have references that tell us that Simon’s wife and children were instrumental in the young church. Simon had made the journey with his sons to participate in the Passover. Without knowing it he became a chosen part of the preparation event. He probably said, “Why me” as he was forced to carry this heavy load. But later, he probably said again “Why me,” why was I chosen to help my Lord in such a way. This is yet another encouragement for us to be watchful. Many of the events of our life don’t make much sense until way afterwards. Jesus was crucified between two thieves; one who received His offer of salvation and one who rejected His offer. All of us are like these two. The background is mostly the same but the choice is what separates us. Many circled the cross like buzzards and hurled insults at Jesus. Three hours later the earth became dark. This lasted three hours. The only light was artificial and man-made. When Jesus gave up His Spirit, the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom as if God ripped it apart. The centurion, who witnessed the whole crucifixion, proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God. This same centurion had to report
ReplyDeleteJesus’ death to Pilate so that Joseph of Arimathea could take His body and prepare it for burial.
This was a bold, caring and generous move on Joseph’s part. Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus’ mother, and some the of religious leaders also noted where Jesus was buried. Joseph rolled a large stone over the entrance of the grave.
Reflective Question ~ What was there to gain for Joseph of Arimathea by burying the body of Jesus?
The irony is exactly what struck me about this chapter as well:
ReplyDeleteJesus enduring the cross to die for sinners, while a group of those very sinners milled about at the foot shouting at Him to come down from it.
The chief priests and teachers of the law yelling at Him to come down so they would have a reason to believe, yet three days later when given precisely such a reason, discounting it and paying the soldiers to lie about Jesus' missing body.
And, sadly, how I can look at the follies of those present at the crucifixion and feel pretty good about myself, when in truth it was my sin alone that put Jesus on the cross in the first place.
I've been taught (and seen in scripture) that the first Gentile convert was Cornelius the Centurion. But perhaps this Centurion was the first? Regardless, this Centurion praised Jesus, whether he liked it or not, and his proclamation stands forever in God's Word. That is pretty ironic.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the first Centurion didn't make his faith statement before he had the evidence. Cornelius had no doubt, and was such a great example to me when I was a soldier. When I learned the story of his faith, my faith was strengthened.
In fact, I made my profession of faith and walked the aisle at the "Chapel of the Centurion" at Fort Monroe, VA. One year later, Marc received the Lord there, and a year after that we were married there.
God is so good!