Luke (23:47) adds, “When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’” In Matthew and Luke, we’re told that, at the crucifixion of Jesus, “When the centurion and others keeping watch over Jesus saw … what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” ( Matthew 27:54). Given the time, place, and Cornelius’s position, this was truly radical!Įven more radical, though, is that I believe Cornelius is the same man referred to either as “a centurion” or “the centurion” whom we’ve met elsewhere in the Gospels. We’re also told that he lives in Caesaria, was part of the Italian regiment, and that his entire “household” – kinfolk, friends, and servants – worshiped God. We’re told that he even built a synagogue for the Jews. He’s described as “God-fearing,” someone who loves the Lord, prays regularly, and one who helps the poor. Think about how that statement challenges and undermines our tendency to confine God to the comfortable categories of our own “religion” or religious beliefs.Ĭonsider Cornelius: Why might God have chosen him and his household to be the first gentile converts to Christianity?įrom Scriptural accounts, we know that he’s a centurion, a notable leader of Roman soldiers. Through his encounter with Cornelius, Peter comes to realize that “God shows no partiality” … but in every nation (be that geographical, cultural, or social), anyone who fears God and does what is right is accepted by God. That Jesus is the King of the Jews and the Son of God is officially and spontaneously acknowledged by Gentiles, even if the meaning is not fully understood.In Acts 10:34-43, Peter announces that God’s amazing grace is on the move, breaking down traditional boundaries (and barriers) between the Jews and the nations (gentiles). In whatever way the centurion means his statement, he echoes Pilate's inadvertent validation of Jesus' identity in the form of the sign on the cross. Or, as a polytheistic Roman, he may believe Jesus is the literal son of one of the many gods. In Roman culture, the emperor is considered the son of the gods, and the centurion may be saying Jesus is more divine than the emperor. Another is that he really does think Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Jewish God. Scholars debate what the centurion means by calling Jesus "the Son of God." One possibility is that he can tell Jesus is accepting His fate as a servant of the deity He serves. If not at this moment then shortly after, he likely will have heard of the veil in the temple ripping from the top down, and the bodies of the Christ-followers who had died coming back to life (Matthew 27:51–53). He then witnesses the three hours of darkness (Mark 15:33) and the earthquake upon His death. The centurion knows Pilate believes Jesus to be innocent. When the soldier later pierces Jesus' side with a spear, blood and water come out (John 19:34), indicating Jesus died from some form of hemothorax or a pleural effusion, both of which can be brought on by hypovolemic shock, or blood loss. ![]() ![]() Medical experts note that Jesus' cry at the end is not characteristic of someone who is dying of asphyxiation, which is the normal way crucifixion victims die. ![]() Some translations in Mark say the centurion noticed how Jesus' last breath included the loud cry. Matthew adds that the centurion is also influenced by a sudden earthquake (Matthew 27:54) while Luke says the centurion "praised God, saying, 'Certainly this man was innocent!'" (Luke 23:47). This man is probably the senior officer at the crucifixion site, most likely the one responsible for supervising the event. Centurions rank much higher than common foot soldiers.
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