Luke 23:47

New King James Version

So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

For Encouragement

His task was straightforward—to oversee the execution of the man they call Jesus. From Pilate’s last word to Calvary, the Roman Centurion received the order for a clinical execution of Jesus’ death sentence by crucifixion.

He had observed the Savior’s trial before Pilate and Herod, and it was a joke—a circus and a publicity stunt. What charges did they proffer against Him that could stand in a serious court of justice? The Roman officer had never seen a defendant facing certain death by crucifixion, as composed as Jesus was. His demeanor and counter-interrogation to Pilate were mesmerizing, gripping, and simply unforgettable. Who is this man? The officer may have pondered.

The scourging in the Praetorium was obnoxiously severe. The soldiers used braided leather thongs with small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones tied at intervals, which tore into His bare body, causing profuse bleeding. These caused deep contusions in his body and tore into the skeletal muscles with the ability to cause circulatory shock. How did Jesus survive such brutal scourging, with His hands and feet strapped to a pole that restrained any movement to give Him a momentary ease?

At Golgotha, the centurion supervised His crucifixion. Every pound of the soldier’s hammer quivered in his stomach. He heard the taunts and jeers of the Jewish officials and passersby and the blasphemy of the criminal on the cross. One of Jesus’ seven sayings occasionally punctuated the constrained air, expressing His agony and suffering. All those made their mark on the man charged to ensure His harsh treatment and cruel death on the cross, but, to his utmost surprise, Jesus forgave all of them. What manner of man is He?

Suddenly, thick darkness, like the type which covered the face of the deep at creation (Gen. 1:2), engulfed the noonday over the entire land. For three hours, no one could see anything as God judged our sins, thrust upon His Son on our behalf, and an eerie silence surrounded Golgotha. The cry of agony when the Father momentarily forsook His Son (Matt. 27:46) was heart-wrenching. The temple curtain that separated us from the holy presence of God was torn in two (Lk. 23:45). Jesus declared His redemption mission accomplished (Jn. 19:30). Finally, He committed His Spirit into the hands of the Father (Lk.24:46).

Make no mistake about this. Nobody took His life from Him. Jesus voluntarily laid it down to pick it up in three days.

The centurion had seen enough, and the evidence was overwhelming for him to make a monumental declaration. He praised God and said,

Certainly this was a righteous Man!

Thank God for Jesus’ perfect righteousness. He qualified as our substitute to atone for our sins on the cross.

He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed (Isa. 53:5).

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Glory to God, we are reading the centurion’s testimony. How about you? How many will hear your testimony as you ponder over these things?

It is Good Friday, indeed!

Happy are you who celebrate it with thanksgiving.

Pray with Me

Lord Jesus, thank you for finishing your Father’s redemption assignment on earth, which culminated on the Cross of Calvary. We rejoice that by your efficacious sacrifice, you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us everlasting righteousness. Receive our praise and worship, now and forever, amen.