The Crucified King

My first ever encounter with Jesus was in a Mormon church during the most important conference of the year. I was a senior in high school, managing growth spurts and hormonal changes. I think I was finally staring to grown some hair on my chin. Though, I had many accolades and was having fun academically, I was severely depressed. I didn’t have many friends and I didn’t know what my purpose was for my life. At my rock bottom, I ended up at a Mormon church, to which I had no clue what it was, and I remember sitting through those keynote sessions hearing each speaker mention the name Jesus. Something in my heart was different this time. I heard many people say the name before, I probably used it after a cuss word every now and then. As they emphatically declared that name in their speeches, I knew exactly what I needed. Looking back, my heart was desiring salvation and wholeness from God. Unplugged, there is something powerful about that name! Something about the person of Jesus sparks change, and life transformation. Something about the mention of that name either makes demons tremble, atheists offended, and investigators of the faith come home where they belong. This weeks character in our Easter series is the Centurion who was a partaker in the Crucifixion of Jesus. He encountered the God who will forever change his life.

Look at the person sitting next you and say, “There is something about that name.”

Luke 23:44–49 (NRSV)

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,

C- Judgment seems to be taking place right as the darkness could be representative of God’s wrath about to consume the sacrifice for sin.

45 while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

C- There were two curtains in the temple where priests would perform their duties on behalf of the congregation of Jews. Lower ranking priests were allowed to enter the first curtain, but only the High Priest could enter behind the second curtain, and he was not allowed to do so as he pleased.

He was only allowed to enter this curtain once per year, during a feast where God would receive sacrifices for the sins of the people called, “the day of atonement.” God’s presence was considered to dwell behind the curtain in the temple. Only priests were allowed to be in the presence of God on behalf of the people. This access to God was very restricted.

This verse mentioned that Jesus’ sacrifice tore the curtain in two. This signifies that believers in Jesus have direct access to the presence of God as he is not limited to a temple.

Did you know that the presence of God is not constrained by this chapel, or a church building? Did you know that you can worship God freely today, that you can approach God for yourself, and that your relationship with God is not mediated by a chaplain, or a pastor? Did you know that you can approach God at every waking moment of your life and that there are no limits to how many times you can talk to God?

There was a divorced man who had limited visitation rights with his 5 year old son by rule of the judge. He was poor and barely able to pay child support and that’s the reason his ex-wife was limiting his time with his son. She said if you want to see your son more, you need to pay up. The dad was given punch card that limited him to three visits per week. Poor dad was so stressed out because he had to juggle his days to maximize his time with his son that he loves.

Is anybody else as grateful as I am that we do not have limited visits with God? Thank God that he is not constrained by a building, a curtain, or a visitation card.

46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.

49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

There is something about the presence of Jesus that caused this centurion to surrender to the divine reality that Jesus is the Son of God. It is unclear what led the centurion to this conclusion, but the bible provides us some factors that he witnessed which may have influenced this new belief.

The Scripture provides few factors to point out:

1. This Centurion, a Roman Soldier with the rank of an officer, most likely was a pagan worshipper who would never confess that Jesus is the Son of God.

2. Even the second criminal on the cross recognized the divinity of Jesus Luke 23:43 “43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.””

3. The darkness that descended over the land as a result of Jesus’ death. I would assume this was not the typical experience surrounded criminals that were crucified. Luke 23:44 “44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,”

4. Jesus’ dying words was a pleading with The Father to forgive the very people who were putting nails in his hands.

Here is an important contrast that the gospels provide:

I.Roman Soldiers:

1. The Roman soldiers were mocking Jesus and gave him sour wine to drink. This fulfilled Psalm 69:21 “21 They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

2. The Roman Soldiers mocked Jesus just as the Jewish religious leaders did. The king of the Jews can’t save himself? How is this crucified man a king?

II. Centurion:

The Centurion recognized that Jesus’ Messianic authority was exercised as the King of heaven, the son of God whose death was to defeat the rule of sin. He did not follow the crowd.

Application/Challenge:

Will you choose surrender to Jesus even if it means renouncing the ways in which the culture tells you to live? The centurion could have chose to participate in what his battle buddies were doing, yet he recognized the God of the universe and chose Him instead. He was reserved to admit the revelation he had of Jesus for fear of his status. Are you willing to do the same today?

I have one beckoning for us today, that we realize the power in that name. The only name that can save, set free, and deliver us from our bondage to sin. That name that ushers us into a kingdom that will never pass away. A kingdom where there is no more sickness, pain, war, evil, and sin. The centurion heard the promise of paradise that Jesus gave to a criminal dangling beside him on the cross, someone who was actually guilty of a crime, and probably compared the brokenness of earth to this promised place. Seems to me like he said sign me up!

The centurion renounced his pagan faith and culture for Jesus. Someone here today may be saying that you want to give your whole heart to Jesus today, but you are ashamed and afraid. You are far from perfect and you feel like you made too many mistakes. Listen, This centurion was one of the Soldiers escorting Jesus to his death on a cross, yet Jesus cried out to the Father to forgive him, to include the ones that were mocking him. There is nothing that you have done, or ever will do that is more significant than the blood that Jesus shed for you.