And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39, ESV).
Many people played a part in Jesus’ journey to the cross…
Judas–he betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Roman soldiers.
The Jewish religious leaders–they tried to convict Jesus of a crime so they could get rid of Him.
Pilate–he could’ve freed Jesus, but instead he released Barabbas, a murderer.
The Jewish people–they shouted “Crucify Him!” when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus.
The Roman guards–they beat and whipped Jesus mercilessly before nailing Him to the cross, taunting Him the whole time.
But here’s the deal: None of these people ultimately were responsible for Jesus’ death.
Jesus chose to die. He gave His life willingly; He could easily have backed out if He’d wanted to. The characters above may have played various roles in God’s plan, but in the end, it was Jesus’ choice. He is, after all, the Son of God.
The Roman officer who saw Jesus die came to that conclusion–that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. He saw something in Jesus’ death that convinced him. He believed–and if his faith in Jesus was sincere, he went to heaven after his own death.
You know, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never thought much of Jesus in the past, or even if you’ve been hostile toward Him or His followers. If you believe today that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and place your faith in Him, you’re in. You get to go to heaven and live forever.
So–who do you say that Jesus is?
