When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
Jesus,
Surely You are the Son of God!Thank You for the wonders and signs of the Cross that crushed the Roman centurion's immovable heart of stone and caused him to tremble.
On an ordinary day, there was nothing unusual or upsetting about his assignment. He had overseen executions many times before. Unconcerned with the merits of the case, he was only worried about watching and controlling the unruly mob that morning when the whole land was suddenly wrapped in an unnatural midday midnight.
Unable to see anything, he could only hear the voices of the angry bewildered masses, along with the agonizing cries from the accused. But from You, instead of cursing, he heard words that were peculiarly kind and considerate, as You miraculously focused on the needs of others during Your final horrific hours. You took the suffering that was inflicted on You calmly and quietly, baffling him.
After three frightening hours of midday darkness, the earth unexpectedly and violently quaked with a thunderous roar, shaking the very depths of his sin-scorched soul. He watched while the curtain of the temple was aggressively torn in two, the door to heaven was flung wide open, and cadavers mysteriously arose from their tombs. Woe!
The centurion and those with him certainly noticed something drastically different about Your execution. Something significant and magnificent had happened. Shocked by the wonders he had witnessed, he realized that You were no ordinary man and he was full of terror, awe, alarm, and reverence. Convinced in His heart that You were innocent, He opened His mouth and confessed, "Surely, He was the Son of God."
The lesson in it for me is to not become so complacent with my service that I don't notice who I'm serving. Please give me a desire to know You more passionately, personally and powerfully. Open the eyes of my heart to see You for Who You are: The Son of God. Trembling with fear, awe, alarm and reverence, I will fall down, open my mouth and worship You, praising and glorifying Your Holy Name. Amen.
Have you come to the place where you have a deep heartfelt respect and reverence for Jesus Christ? Do you realize that this One who died on Calvary did so for YOU? Has this filled you with awe? Has this fact alarmed you?
The centurion moved from being complacent through becoming concerned to become committed. This is the process that you must pass through on your journey to faith in Jesus Christ. You may have heard much about Him, but do not really KNOW Him. As you witness the wonders and signs of the cross, you too may become concerned about entering the gates of heaven. Don't stop short - put your faith in the One who endured all this for YOU. Will you commit your entire life to Him?
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