Re: Verse reading–Mark 15:33-41; 16:1-8 (day one)
“And when the centurion. . . heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely, this man was the Son of God.’ “–v 15:39.
I like this centurion. I am grateful for his story.
For the last hours of his life, Jesus was SURROUNDED by clueless people. When the Lord cried out, “Eloi, Eloi” (God, God) they thought he was calling for Elijah. To the very last, they were blinded by their own expectations of spectacle and Jewish vindication.
The centurion had clearer eyes. He could see a deeper story, that Jesus was innocent (Luke 23). Matthew says the earthquake convinced him. (Matthew 27) Mark puts the emphasis on the Lord’s loud, triumphant last cry. Either way, this man came to a correct and courageous conclusion that GOD was involved in the death (and the life) of Christ.
It is the grace of God that gives us eyes to see what HE is doing in the world.
