The Centurion At The Cross

April 20, 2026

MATTHEW 27:54 NKJV – (54) So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew 27:45–56 describes the climactic moment when Jesus dies on the cross. Darkness falls over Israel as Jesus hangs near death. Jesus cries out the words of Psalm 22:1, which mean “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In the city of Jerusalem there was a soldier named Marcus. He was a Roman centurion serving in the army that occupied Judea at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Marcus had seen and participated in many executions throughout his career, but what he witnessed on that fateful day would change his life forever. It was a dark and somber Friday morning when Marcus was assigned to guard the crucifixion site on a hill called Golgotha as he stood near the Cross. He noticed a man hanging there. His body battered. It was Jesus of Nazareth.

The earth quaked, rocks split apart. Then the thick temple curtain tore in two from top to bottom. Marcus was filled with terror. He fell to his knees realizing that this man hanging on the cross was indeed the Son of God. Touched by a profound sense of repentance and belief, Marcus cried out “Truly this man was the Son of God.”

In that instant he experienced that deep transformation. The sight of Jesus’s sacrificial death pierced his heart and he recognized his need for forgiveness and salvation. From that day forward, Marcus devoted his life to following Jesus. He left the Roman army and became a passionate proclaimer of the gospel. He shared his firsthand account of witnessing Jesus’s crucifixion and testified to the power of Christ’s love and redemption.

SCRIPTURE READING

ACTS 16:29-30

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Eyes are open when you see it for yourself.