45 At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 47 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. 49 The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.
51 Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. 52 The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.
54 An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. 56 Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Read Matthew 27:45-56 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Of all the people in the gospel record, one non-Jewish person who witnesses Jesus’ death seems to stand out in the gospels. This individual is mentioned in three of the four gospels, and he is known specifically for his reaction to how Jesus died.
If we are reading through the gospels in the order they are found in most Bibles, we first read about this individual in Matthew: “An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, ‘Certainly, this was the Son of God!’” (v. 54)
That is a pretty significant statement coming from a Roman soldier – someone who was very familiar with death and crucifixion.
Next we come to the gospel of Mark, and he quotes a slightly different statement here: “When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, ‘Certainly, this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39)
Mark’s quote is similar to Matthew’s, but it emphasizes the human-nature of Jesus. Mark doesn’t tell us about the earthquake, but he does draw our attention to the army officer realizing that Jesus was different.
Lastly, we come to Luke’s gospel, and while he tells us a very different statement, it also points us to an important truth: “When an army officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly, this man was innocent!’” (Luke 23:47)
Luke’s quote doesn’t emphasize Jesus’ divinity or His humanity – it emphasizes His innocence. This is incredibly important because this is what our salvation hinges on. A “guilty” Jesus could not be a pure sacrifice for us, but an innocent Jesus, who died the death He didn’t deserve, could pay for our sins.
In these three unique statements from a Roman soldier, we see a picture of someone who had a very pagan worldview realizing Jesus was both God and human, and that He was innocent. This is probably one of the strongest testimonies we could find in the Bible about who Jesus was.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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