PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 27:54-56
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)
This centurion was not Jewish, so he did not understand this title the same.
For the Romans, a ‘Son of God’ was someone very closely connected to the gods.
Someone that shared that god’s power and purpose, and was supported by that god.
It was an honour attributed to the the Caesars.
Something struck this centurion as significant, to say this.
Here was a cruficied criminal, beaten by Rome, defeated and dead.
Maybe he marvelled at Jesus’s attitude in dying, or maybe he knew more about Jesus.
Whatever it was, it was definitely the Spirit of God revealing this to Him.
I think about what Jesus said to Peter after his confession of Jesus as God’s Son.
“This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father.” (Matthew 16:17)
Why do I see Jesus as God’s Son, my Saviour and Lord.
It is not just me seeing it, the Father and the Spirit are helping me.
“No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)
A reminder to me that I need to pray for those who do not yet see it!
PRAYER
Lord, there are people I know that I want to be able to see You. Please move in them by Your Spirit so they can say, ‘surely, He is the Son of God!’
This was a totally emotional moment – fear and sadness. The experience struck fear in the soldiers – they had experienced all the darkness and the raw power of the earthquakes that happened the moment Jesus declared it was finished. The women at the distance totally grief stricken and overwhelmed with emotion – observed these things – what did they think? The soldiers concluded that Jesus was not an ordinary man – but some god. When there is mystery – mysterious events happening in our lives – can I see God’s hand in it? Help me to see Jesus – beyond the emotions – to see a God who cares and listens to my prayers and whose HS helps me to see him more clearly each day!
Those guarding Jesus on the cross experienced what was happening and spoke words of truth – truly this was the Son of God. Words they uttered were Spirit driven. Their eyes saw and their mouths expressed what they saw. But the words need to be like the words of Thomas – My Lord and my God – because He is truly the Son of God – not was!
May I go forward walking in that SonShine this day.
Am I a soldier of the Cross—
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?
In the name, the precious name,
Of Him who died for me,
Through grace I’ll win the promised crown,
Whate’er my cross may be.