“When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39, NASB).
Darkness at midday, a shattering earthquake, uncanny words from the Man on the middle cross audibly committing His life to His Father—“They had it all wrong!” It dawned on that hardened Roman centurion overseeing the death scene: Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees, the crowds screaming “Crucify Him!”—they had it all wrong. Gripped by morbid fear, the centurion exclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
What is your conclusion? Who is He, this Jesus of Nazareth? Prophets of old had proclaimed Him; the angel Gabriel announced to Joseph and Mary that the baby to be born in Bethlehem is the Son of God. John the Baptist declared Him; the Father spoke from heaven to confirm his identity. His disciple, Peter, answered the question, “‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’” by saying, “‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:13, 16). Jesus Christ Himself repeatedly claimed His deity. Heaven and earth and even Satan himself during Jesus’ wilderness temptation acknowledged His deity. Untold millions of truth-seeking hearts throughout the centuries have found Him to be the One He claimed to be. He said, “‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’” (John 14:6).
Many, however, turn aside, refusing to face life’s ultimate question: “Where will I spend eternity?” Scripture says, “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). Yet, because God is not willing that any should perish, Jesus’ death at Golgotha and His resurrection from the dead prove beyond all doubt that He truly is the Son of God. What of those who refuse to examine the evidence, who stubbornly insist that Jesus was just another man? The writer to the Hebrews poses the consummate burning question: “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God …?” (Hebrews 10:29).