Posted on 04/19/2024 5:03:40 AM PDT by metmom
“Now the centurion, and those who were with him . . . became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).
The testimony of the soldiers after Jesus’ crucifixion demonstrates the sufficiency of His death for all sinners.
Most of the time our daily activities are dictated by the routine responsibilities of our jobs. That’s how it was for the Roman soldiers who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus gave up His life. They were there simply out of duty, to make sure the crucifixion was carried out properly and without interference.
The soldiers probably had little knowledge of Judaism and had not heard of Jesus before, unless it was by hearsay. Therefore, they really had no idea why the Jewish leaders and most of the crowd were so intent on killing Him. To these anonymous soldiers, Christ’s claims to be the Son of God and a king seemed equally ludicrous and harmless.
The darkness and the earthquake, however, radically changed their attitudes. Their emotional fear produced by those events quickly turned to reverential awe for who Jesus was. They sensed that the natural phenomena had a supernatural origin and suddenly realized that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
Jesus’ gracious and profound words, spoken from the cross and before Pilate, and His humble, selfless demeanor worked on the soldiers’ hearts. But it was the ministry of the Holy Spirit that ultimately convinced them to confess Christ’s deity.
The declaration “Truly this was the Son of God!” proclaimed by the centurion (see also Mark 15:39) on behalf of himself and his men, was for the soldiers a profession of faith in Christ. Although that testimony was uttered by someone else after Jesus had died, it became in essence His final testimony from the cross. It also offers us compelling proof that His grace can extend to all sinners, even to those who helped put Him to death. In John 12:32 Jesus announced, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
Suggestions for Prayer
Pray for someone today who needs salvation—perhaps someone whom you quit praying for because you thought it unlikely they would ever respond to the gospel.
For Further Study
Read Mark 10:17-27.
The young man was outwardly a prime candidate for salvation, in contrast to the Roman soldiers. What kept him outside the kingdom?
What do verses 26-27 teach about the nature of salvation?
From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
It must have been pretty powerful to have an impact on a Roman soldier in those days.
Amen.
Prayer For Unbelievers Salvation
Dear Father God, we pray for the salvation of men and women throughout our world that have not come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we know that it is not Your will that any one should perish but that all should come to faith in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
Father, we lift the lost to You and pray that in Your long-suffering mercy, You would draw close to each and every one. We pray that the light of Your love would shine into their hearts, and that the truth of Your Word would convict their inner soul of their need of a Saviour.
Thank You for sending Christ Jesus into the world to be born into the human race and live among us. Thank You, that He was willing to die on the cross for sinners, to give His life as a ransom for many, so as to provide salvation for all who would believe in Him as Saviour.
We plead Your gracious mercy on all unbelievers today and ask that You would snatch them from the jaws of evil and bring them to saving faith in Christ. This we ask in His precious name,
Amen.
Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/prayer/prayer-for-unbelievers-salvation-1421
...and it’s still a phrase that each of us must make ourselves.
Yes, indeed.
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