The Centurion's Conclusion

In the bible, we often read of men who had various responsibilities within an army. One that is often mentioned, is a Centurion. What is a centurion and what does he do? A Centurion is an officer who takes charge of about 100 soldiers. He is a man of authority and is known for his good conduct and trustworthiness.

In Mark 15, we read about a centurion who witnessed the most remarkable day in history. Let us look through the eyes of the centurion and picture what he might have seen that day.

The day began with a scene in a court room where a man was being put on trial. Many accusations were brought upon this man but none were true. However surprisingly, not a word was answered by this man. Children, do you remember a situation where you were blamed for something you didn’t do? How did you react? Scripture says that “He was brought like a lamb before the slaughter and like a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”

This man had done no wrong but still the crowd hated him and began to cry out, “Crucify Him, Crucify him”. A crucifixion was the worst death sentence anyone could have in those days. The centurion was then given instructions to take him away. On the way, he was cruelly treated by the crowd. They made a crown of thorns and placed it upon his head. They teased and made fun him, pretending to worship him. They even hit him and spat on him. Finally he was taken to a place called Golgotha and there they crucified him on a cross between 2 thieves. Nails were pierced through his hands and feet and he was left there hanging on the cross for all to see.

Not long after, the whole place was covered in darkness. It lasted for 3 hours. Then a voice was suddenly heard crying out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Later there was a very loud cry and then the man on the middle cross died.

Who was this man? Why was he put to death when he did nothing wrong? Why did he not tell them he was innocent? This man was called Jesus. He was no ordinary man because he was also the Son of God. He was born into this world with a work to do and that was to allow cruel men to crucify Him on the cross. He did it so that our sins could be forgiven. He did not do it for himself or for his own sin because he had none. He was perfect. He did it all for you and me. Did you know that we are all sinners and we need our sins forgiven? Romans 3 v 23 says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Only the Lord Jesus can forgive your sins. He had to suffer the cruelty of man and be put to death so that you can have your sins forgiven and be accepted by God.

The centurion observing this from the base of the cross concluded by saying, “Surely, this was the Son of God”. Children, what is your conclusion of Jesus Christ today? You have just read what He did and why He did it. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for you?

Activity

Answer the questions below from Mark 15 to reveal some of the things the centurion saw the day the Lord Jesus was crucified.

1. At the end of the trial, in the courtroom, the crowd cried  ________ ___ . (v 13)
2. The sky was darkened for ________ hours. (v 33)
3. The Lord Jesus was crucified with 2 thieves. One on his right and one on his left. This fulfilled the scripture  & he was ___________ with the transgressors . (v 28)
4. A crown of ________ was placed on His head. (v 17)
5. They put on Him a ________ robe. (v 17)
6. Finally, they nailed his hands and feet and crucified Him on a ______.
7. They gave him ________ to drink. (v 36)
8. The place where they crucified Him was called _________. (v 22)
9. In the courtroom, when they accused Him of many things, he answered _________. (v 3)