“And when the centurion, who stood in front of Jesus, saw how He died, he said “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39 NIV)
Sometimes we aren’t sure about a thing until it’s over. And then it feels too late.
Consider the centurion. He was tasked to guard the death of Jesus Christ. There was no chance of Jesus climbing off the cross apart from divine assistance. The very design of crucifixion insures the victim’s helpless estate. The mob posed a threat, though. They might have interfered with the execution process, so the centurion’s presence at the foot of the cross insisted upon social order. With a hundred soldiers at his disposal, the centurion kept the crowd in check. He also stood witness over all six hours of the Savior’s final travail. I doubt the centurion was a stranger to this type of torture, crucifixion was standard protocol in Roman rule. The centurion had perhaps stood watch over hundreds of occupied crosses, but this death was different. This one blacked out the sun and made the earth quake. (Matthew 27:5) This one tore the Temple curtain from top to bottom. (Mark 15:38) This one broke open tombs and resurrected holy people of days gone past. (Matthew 28:52) In the midst all of this upset, the centurion realized he had attended the death of God.
How did he go home from that moment? How did he sleep at night, knowing he’d guarded the undeserved execution of the Messiah? Thankfully for him (and also for us) the centurion was seen and pursued by a God of second chances.
Being pursued by a God of second chances means we can stand over the death of our dreams and still, God can breathe them back to life. The centurion would have another opportunity after he recognized Christ. Jesus would rise from the dead three days later. Jesus made at least ten documented post-cross appearances, perhaps the centurion got a glimpse of the resurrected Savior? Surely he at least got word of His resurrected state and was amazed by the grace of God over his life. That same grace is offered to the entire human race through the same cross that the centurion watched over.
“Whoever believes and t baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16 NIV)
The centurion believed upon the death of Jesus. What about us? The death of a thing is not necessarily it’s end. Our God of the impossible can resurrect whatever He sees fit. Perhaps the expiration of our thing is for the express purpose of proper identification: we now know what we had and why, we won’t take it for granted if or when God brings it ’round again. In the meantime, we wait for the real resurrection and we give thanks for every day we walk in the bright light of His love and purpose. And we remember, for the believer, death is never the end.
“Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25 NIV)
The only death that is too late for resurrection is our own. If we push off belief until after our last breath, we’ll miss the opportunity to reconcile with Jesus. The gates of heaven are closed to those who reject Him to death. Don’t wait. Stand with the centurion at the foot of the cross today and see Jesus as the Savior He is. Admit your sins. Believe in His sinless life and death. Confess Him as Lord and watch Him resurrect your story starting right here and now.
Lord, we are so grateful for second chances. Forgive us for being stubborn, unseeing people. We recognize You as Lord right now, we align our lives with Your divine agenda and we trust You for the redemption of all things. Have Your way in our story as we set our sights on eternity with You. Amen.