Meditation at the Place of the Skull

Have you ever noticed how centurions come off looking good in the NT? There was the centurion in Matthew 8 whose servant was paralyzed. And Jesus said of him “I have not found anyone in Israel with such faith.”

In Acts 10, we read the story of Cornelius, a god-fearing, devout centurion who, along with his family heard and believed the Gospel under the preaching of Peter.

In Acts 27, we read of Julius, a centurion who treated the Apostle Paul with kindness and respect even as he guarded him as a prisoner.

Centurions were the heart and soul of the Roman Army - something similar to the NCO’s of the U.S. Army. The Roman Army was made up of 28 Legions, each having 5,000 men.

Each legion was divided up into 10 cohorts and each cohort was divided up into 6 centuries of about 80–100 men. Each century was commanded by a centurion.

A centurion was responsible to drill and train his men, to inspect their weapons and equipment, and to lead them in battle. He was the key link between the officer corps and the fighting troops of the Roman Army.

Usually, a centurion was a tough, battle-seasoned veteran. He attained the rank of centurion on the basis of his courage, integrity, and the respect with which he was regarded by his fellow soldiers.

In the 1st century AD, one of the least appealing duty postings for a centurion was to be stationed in the province of Judea at the Eastern end of the Mediterranean. Judea was a turbulent land full of religious fanatics who were always chafing under the yoke of Rome. Garrison duty there for a Roman soldier was certainly no picnic. It was downright dangerous. There sure wasn’t much glory in it.

Whatever his own personal feelings, the centurion who was on duty that day at Golgotha was simply following orders as he supervised the execution of three Jewish criminals the day before Passover.

But it soon became apparent that this was no ordinary execution. The man on the middle cross seemed to arouse the intense hatred of many of the onlookers.

“Well that’s a switch,” thought the centurion. “Usually the hatred is directed at me and my men on such occasions.” But here was the crowd, mocking and spitting at the man on the center cross, not at the soldiers.

And the way that this man was handling it was highly unusual too. The centurion couldn’t help noticing that in spite of the intense pain this man was going through, he said some of the strangest things.

He said “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” He spoke tenderly to his mother and asked one of his friends to look after her.

As the day wore on and the centurion reflected on these things, the sky began to grow dark, even though it was high noon and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. This eerie darkness lasted from noon to three o’clock. During this time, the man on the center cross cried out “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

Then he cried “It is finished” and with a loud voice rather than a final gasp of pain he said “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”

At that moment, the ground began to shake and there was a tremendous earthquake. The rocks split. Tombs and graves nearby were opened. In Jerusalem, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

And this battle-seasoned veteran of many campaigns was terrified. They had seen many men die, because they had served on many execution details. But never one like this!

And when the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry and saw how he died, he said “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

It was at the cross that this Roman centurion first understood who Jesus really was. Ancient tradition says that this man became a Christian.

And we learn who Jesus Christ really is not so much by looking at his life—as powerful a testimony as that is—but by seeing how he died. Jesus himself said that it was at the foot of the cross, at the Place of the Skull, that we would really get to know him. In John 12:32 he said “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

Jesus died on the cross with his arms outstretched in invitation to us to come and know him. Know him as our Savior and know him as our Lord.

So if you really want to know Jesus, you don’t go to Cana, where he turned the water into wine. You don’t go to Capernaum where he healed the sick. And you don’t go to Bethany where he raised the dead.

You go to Golgotha—the Place of the Skull—where Jesus died for you and me.

Have you stood in the centurion’s sandals at the foot of the cross?

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We have been looking at some of the events of Good Friday. It was a day of sorrow and treachery and fear. That dark day ended with Jesus in the grave. But he didn’t stay there, did he?

As grim as Friday got, Sunday was just around the corner. And it may be Friday in your life today. Pain, problems, fear, sorrow. But if you know Jesus, Sunday’s coming.

Let’s listen to the children sing about Sunday.