Daily Devotions
The Centurion at the Cross
Reading for January 12: Genesis 39-41
Weekly reading for January 7-13: Matthew 5-9
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
Matthew 5:43-44
The Romans used soldiers at crucifixions to not only carry out the crucifixion but to keep friends or family members from rescuing the victim from their cross. That means the centurion was at the cross of Jesus for all of the events that took place.
The centurion was there with three other soldiers (John 19:23). He would have witnessed dozens and perhaps hundreds of crucifixions by this point in his career. There wouldn't be much to surprise or shock him. He had seen everything.
But he had never crucified a man quite like this. Oh, if we could only have seen the crucifixion through the eyes of the centurion! He saw Jesus up close and personal. He was there when the soldiers put a crown of thorns on Jesus, when he was scourged, when his clothes were divided, and when the soldiers mocked him (Luke 23:36; John 19:1-3, 23-24). He not only saw these events, but likely participated in much of this.
The centurion would not appear to be at all sympathetic to Jesus, yet Luke closes his account of the crucifixion with these words from the centurion:
"Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, 'Certainly this man was innocent!'" (Luke 23:47)
Why the change of heart? It could be the miraculous events that took place: the earthquake, the darkness, the resurrection of dead saints (Matthew 27:45, 51-52). Or it could be because of the way he saw Jesus meekly endure his sufferings (Isaiah 53:7), or the way Jesus lovingly spoke to his mother (John 19:26-27), or the way he mercifully reached out to the thief hanging next to him (Luke 23:39-43).
But it could simply be that the centurion was touched by Jesus' prayer for him personally. We don't know when Jesus prayed this, whether it was before or after the centurion nailed his hands and feet, but at some point Jesus prayed for him and for the others, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Father God, give us a heart to love our enemies and to pray for them like Jesus did!
