A Soldier's View of the Cross
Notes
Transcript
An amazing week was coming to a close, Jesus had taught such a great deal, declared so many amazing things. NOW… it was passover, the greatest of all Jewish Feast and Celebrations!!!
Jesus had celebrated with His disciples this occasion before but He was specially looking forward to this one.
The Meal was prepped, Jesus even washed the feet of His disciples (even Judas who would soon leave to betray Jesus)
Christ words that night around the table broke the normal form, His words seemed to hold implications that no one that night would fully understand until later
Jesus took the BREAD… this is my Body BROKEN for you
Jesus took the CUP… this is the new covenant in my BLOOD
They would then head to the Garden of Gethsemane just outside Jerusalem… NOW fast forward to another place outside the walls of Jerusalem, a public place known as… Golgotha! (the place of the skull) … we read in Mark 15:39
When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
The Soldier Saw
The Soldier Saw
The gospel of Luke records that the Centurion declared that This Jesus was innocent!
What made this Roman Soldier… A Commander of Soldiers say this?
Consider with me briefly some of the things this man (this centurion Roma Soldier) would have seen or observed prior to this moment…
Crowds cheering declaring Him king just days earlier
A donkey?! Really Romans do better so much more splendidly
Odd shift over the week as mood changed
Crowds yelling crucify him crucify him
Did the soldier ponder why? what changed?
The distinct control this man Jesus had through the last hours or so…
Don’t hurt my followers
“I am He” intriguing...
Silent, not irate, not cussing and yelling His innocence
Almost a dignified standing as if He were in control
Not catering to those in power and not shaken
We beat Him and He was silent
We mocked Him and He looked almost to the soul
He observed as his soldiers would put a robe on Him, a crown of thorns, spit on Him, beat His face, pull His beard out
Yet he did not stop the blows, he did not cover his face, he did not curse his abusers
Such control (self control) was foreign even to this veteran soldier
When forced to carry His cross to Golgotha… He did not resist
He was led not driven as if something else compelled Him each step
H saw how he allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross… hands, feet, in agony
He may have recalled looking at the eyes of Jesus...
His eyes full of love and compassion not hate or revenge as he was accustomed to seeing
Scripture says this soldier, this man “saw the way he breathed His last”
Nothing like this Jesus had he seen before
Controlling even when He would let Himself die
As the soldier watched Jesus die it was not a man defeated, no this man was more He was the son of God and bewildered the centurion may have seen victory in the way Jesus gave up His Spirit…
With all the things this mighty soldier had seen, I wonder if it was the things he heard or didn’t hear that shook to his core even more…
The Soldier Heard
The Soldier Heard
As he stood there at the cross he would have heard the conversation between the two criminals on either side of Jesus… Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
What man can guarantee any other man his eternal destination?
That criminal recognized what so many had missed… Jesus was the Christ (the promised King)
This Jesus… the man in the middle said this criminal… a sinner… that he could go to heaven!
The soldier would have heard how Jesus spoke with love and care for His mother, arranging for her care in His absence.
What man cares for others as he is being crucified?
Peter would write of Jesus’ suffering this way… 1 Peter 2:23-24
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Darkness covered the land as even creation mourned its creator for three hours as God poured out His wrath upon His Son for the sin of mankind…
It was about the ninth hour (or 3:00pm) Jesus would speak some final things as His work was near finished...
Jesus would recite the words of the Psalmist… “My God , My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Maybe the soldier knew of this psalm maybe not
This Psalm is a powerful Messianic psalm. It speaks of:
The reproach he would be
The sneering, mocking, shaking the heads
The piercing of hands and feet
The dividing of garments by casting lots
How the Messiah wood commit Himself to the Lord God
What man would draw spectators attention to the scriptures over his own agony?
Up to this point Jesus had refused any wine… His mind had been clear, His words were spoken not out of emotion but with intent… as his lips would be wet and moisture had been applied to the parched throat… The soldier heard words spoken clearly with authority and a tone of VICTORY...Jesus it says CRIED OUT...
“Father, into your hands I commit My spirit!… IT IS FINISHED!”
And Jesus breathed His last breath…
The sun went dark, the earth shook, the rocks split open… at the temple the veil that to the Holy of Holies was ripped top to bottom…
Staring at this man Jesus with the plaque above His head reading “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” this soldier in fear and regret declares:
“He was innocent, surely this was the Son of God”
Forgiven!
Forgiven!
That day this centurion soldier had seen, observed, and heard things and not heard things from this man Jesus…
This soldier just doing his job, had carried out many executions
This soldier had broken more people that he could recall
YET… somehow that day he stood there looking at Jesus and this soldier found himself the one broken
Recalling the words Jesus spoke as he drove the nails into the hands and feet...
Jesus looked at the mocking crowds, Jesus looked at the soldiers maybe right into his eyes and then looking up to heaven said...
“Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Forgiven… looking at Christ did that centurion realize he needed forgiveness?
Sitting here tonight do you realize you need forgiven
I imagine that the soldier would never hear the pounding of the nails into the wood of a cross the same ever again
As we leave tonight… to the sound of the pounding of nails… may it resonate with a clear message that Jesus Christ died that we may be forgiven of our sin!
