Twelve Days of Christmas Reflections - Day 12

And when the centurion,who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,he said, 

“Surely this man was the Son of God!”     Mark 15:39

On the last day of Christmas, I am reflecting on the end of Jesus' life. I am looking again at what another person says about Jesus. This time though it is not an angel, God or even a disciple. The man was a centurion, a leader in the Roman army. His title tells us that he commanded 100 soldiers, so he was an important soldier standing guard at Jesus' crucifixion. He had probably witnessed hundreds of crucifixions during his life, I envision him almost being bored by the whole procedure. Then Jesus dies and the centurion declares, “Surely, this man was the Son of God.” 

I wonder what it was about His death that was so different than all the others. Since the Jews standing there didn't understand Jesus' last words I doubt the centurion understood Him. I'm not sure that the cry of "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" would lead the centurion to decide that Jesus was the Son of God even if he had understood. I imagine many people let out one last final cry just before death. So what was it that made the centurion see Jesus as the Son of God? And why was he the only one to see this? Would I have noticed?

I think that I am more like the bystanders who waited for Jesus to come down off the cross; that would have been a miracle. That would have proved He is the Son of God! But that isn't what happened and it was a Roman Soldier who understood, not the leaders of the Jewish community, not Caesar or Pilate. I wonder how often I miss Jesus when He is right in front of me. Perhaps I don’t see Him because I don’t like the message; sometimes the truth hurts. Maybe I don’t see Him because I'm looking for the big miracle. Maybe I don't see Him because I want the situation to change, but He is there to help me get through the storm not make it disappear. I have found that it is often the atheist friend or the person I think that would be least likely to notice Jesus who, like the centurion, points to a situation or person and says there is the Son of God. 

As the Christmas season draws to a close and we prepare for Epiphany, the visit of the Magi from the East to the Christ Child, I would like to share the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) as it appears in the Compline service of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (page 135).  

     Lord, you now have set your servant free

          to go in peace as you have promised;
     For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
          whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
     A light to enlighten the nations,
          and the glory of your people Israel.

Let us be like the centurion and Simeon and notice the presence of Jesus in our lives. Amen.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to find the true Christ this Christmas!