Click here for the Luke 23:47-49 PODCAST
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. ~ Luke 23:47-49
We return to Calvary, the site of the cross of the Lord Jesus on that final Friday of His life on this earth. As soon as the Lord Jesus breathed His last, there were certain immediate responses from those who were present that day. One in particular was the unlikely response of one of the Roman centurion soldier. This is the focus of today's text.
In v.47 we read, "The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."'
A Roman centurion was the commander of a hundred men which was called a century. Thus, their commander was a centurion. There were, in the entire Roman army, about twenty-five legions. Each legion was made up of about six thousand men divided into ten units of six hundred men each. A century was the smallest unit in the roman system. Each century was commanded by a centurion. They were on the ground with the troops, had proven themselves, and earned their way to that position because of their effective soldiering. This centurion was a reliable witness.
This particular officer was in charge of the soldiers who were guarding the crucified body of the Lord Jesus. It was these soldiers who mocked the Lord Jesus and gambled for His clothing. Most importantly, they were the ones who witnessed His entire crucifixion from beginning to end.
They had seen crucifixions before, yet they had never seen someone respond as the Lord Jesus did that day. These were hardened men. Yet, they heard the Lord Jesus pray for His killers. They saw the noble way He suffered. They heard His cries to His Father. They heard Him promise paradise to the repentant thief who had been cursing Him just moments before.
And then, they experienced the impossible: darkness in the middle of the day. The skies for three hours dark, then an earthquake violently shook the earth. They could no longer ignore reality. The darkness, the earthquake, and then the final breath of the Lord Jesus spoke a different story from all of the other crucifixions they had witnessed. And, it had an impact on this centurion.
It was at that moment the centurion said, "Surely this was a righteous man." It was at this point the centurion saw the Lord Jesus differently. He realized they had crucified a righteous man. Note, he didn't see Him as innocent, he saw Him as righteous which is to say He only did what was right.
In v.48 we read, "When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away." Here again we see the fickle crowd. Earlier in the week they hailed the Lord Jesus as their King, as their Messiah. This was the hope of their hearts. But now, they were entertained by the Lord Jesus' death and their faulty theology failed them.
They begin this day with screams of “Crucify Him, Crucify Him. We will not have this man to reign over us. His blood be on us and on our children.” This is why many will spend their eternity in hell, they would not allow such a one to rule over them. They experienced a mortal wound to their souls that would not be healed.
In v.49 we read, "But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things." In John 19:25-27 we learn that present at His death was His mother Mary, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. There was also John, "the disciple whom the Lord Jesus loved." They didn’t speak because they were trapped in stunned silence.
John was the only disciple who was at the cross when the Lord Jesus was crucified, all the others had run away, including Peter, the one who said he would die for the Lord Jesus. John was there because he was the only one who reclined against the heart of the Lord Jesus. That moment during the last Passover meal was symbolic. John was the one who was more defined by the Lord Jesus' love for him rather than his love for the Lord Jesus.
