Soldiers Three
( Matthew 27)
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INTRODUCTION Around the cross there were to be seen
various groups of people
* The
Sorrowful
like Mary, His mother, and John , and those women who had ministered unto Him during His earthly
ministry.
* The Sadistic
who delighted to see the
spectacle of men dying in agony.
* The Satisfied
the gloating religious leaders
who thought this was the last they would ever hear of this trouble maker from
Nazareth.
* The Switched off
those who had no interest
in the crucifixion but simply passed by
wagging their heads. Matthew 27:39)
* The Shattered
those who had expected Jesus to
deliver the nation from the bondage of Rome.
* The Scornful
Those who mocked Him
Come
down from the cross and well believe you are the Son of God, they cried. (
Matthew 27:40) But as another has said,
We believe He was the Son of God because He stayed there !!
But let us focus our attention on three soldiers
and
see into which category you and I fit !
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(1) THE SOLDIER WHO DISPLAYED VIOLENT ANTAGONISM
John 19: 31Now
it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.
Because the Jews did not want the bodies left
on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked
Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies
taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and
broke the legs of the first man who had been
crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.
33But when they came to Jesus and
found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
A crucified person might linger on for two or three days
before death came. Breaking of the legs led to a strained heart and quick
death. And the Jews did not want
crucified men lingering on crosses throughout the forthcoming Passover
due to
commence in three hours.
But the Lord Jesus had already died
and there was no
need to break His legs. Thus was
fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy
.John 19: 36These things happened so that
the scripture would be fulfilled:
"Not one of his bones will be
broken," ( Psalm 34:20)
Had His legs been broken, it would have meant Jesus of
Nazareth was not the promised Messiah !!
More than that, an angry soldier plunges his spear into
the heart of the dead Saviour.
John 19: 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with
a spear, bringing a sudden flow
of blood and water. 35The man who
saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true.
He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so
that you also may believe
Maybe angry because he wanted Jesus to suffer more. Was
not Jesus the reason his leave had been cancelled ? Was not Jesus the reason
why Judea was a hot-bed of insurrection against Rome. Had he, one day, stood at
the rear of the crowd and heard Jesus condemn his life-style ?
He may have plunged his spear in anger into the body of
the Lord Jesus
but little did he know that he, to, was fulfilling Bible
prophecy.
John 19:37
as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have
pierced." (
Zechariah 12:10)
Had the Saviours side not been pierced, we
might well have questioned whether or not Jesus of Nazareth was who He claimed
to be.
.
There are still those antagonistic to the person and
teachings of the Lord Jesus. In Pagan
Rome hundreds of Christians faced the tyrants brandished steel , the
lions gory mane. During the Dark Ages
the Church of Rome was responsible for the martyrdom of tens of thousands who
refused to submit to the authority of the Pope. In countries like Africa and Indonesia today Christians face
persecution and death at the hands of
Islamic extremists.
Antagonism to Christ and His church is still a
very real fact.
..
(2) THE SOLDIERS WHO WERE SADLY APATHETIC.
John 19: 23When
the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four
shares,
one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining.
This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to
bottom.
24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another.
"Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them and cast lots
for my clothing." (Psalm 22:18)
So this is what the soldiers did.
Again we see an Old Testament prophecy come to
fulfilment. Penned 1000 years previous, it now comes amazingly true.
The prophecy stated they would gamble for the Messiahs
vesture !
So it was, at the foot of the cross where a tragedy takes
place that causes the angels to weep, these soldiers simply play a game. They
gamble. The One on the centre cross means nothing to them.
And so it remains to this day. Multitudes sit down to eat, drink and be merry without a
thought for the Lord Jesus
or judgement to come. The Lords Day is turned
into a day of recreation, sport, entertainment, gambling.
.
(3) THE SOLDIER WHO RENDERED HEART-FELT ADORATION.
This Centurion lifted not up an angry spear, or a dice to toss
but a believing heart.
Mark 15: 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his
last.
39And 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 is probable he had been with Jesus since early morn
that very day.
He had heard
Pilates questionings , seen the mockery of the servants
of Herod Antipas
, witnessed the scourging and the frenzy of the mob,
had led the condemned
trio to the place called Calvary ,
had seen
even ordered
his men to drive in the nails.
Yet whilst the
two crucified thieves cursed , this One on the
centre cross
prayed for the Romans ! Forgive them
.
He had seen many a criminal crucified
but never , never,
had he seen one like this !!
And a great
confession bursts from his lips
This was the Son of God !
.
CONCLUSION
That night around a camp-fire the Roman soldiers recount the days
events. One cleans the blood from his spear and tells how glad he is that he
made sure that that Jesus was well and truly dead. Good riddance, he adds !
Another brags about the robe he won
and the days wage
he will get for it from a second-hand dealer.
And the Centurion sits alone and ponders . Was it really true ? But if Jesus was the
Son of God , how come hes dead. He was
there
he saw the tomb sealed and appointed his faithful men to stand guard. Was He really the Son of God or had his mind
played tricks ?
Three days later he knew the answer,
The tomb was empty. His trusted guards assured him no
human had stolen the body or moved the stone.
Jesus had conquered death
and in so doing proved Himself to be the Son
of God. And that Centurion became one
of the first of a great multitude who acknowledged Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
Have you ?
.