The Centurion Story

Reverend Mays opens his message by recounting a story of a man and a little boy looking at a painting of the crucifixion; the boy tearfully explains that Jesus died but adds, "He didn't stay dead." The sermon draws from Matthew 27:50-54 and three passages from John 19, which detail the Roman soldiers' role in scourging Jesus, mocking Him with a crown of thorns and purple robe, casting lots for His seamless coat, breaking the legs of the thieves, and piercing His side, from which blood and water flowed. Reverend Mays notes that the centurion—identified by tradition as Longinus—is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke as declaring, "Truly this was the Son of God" and "Certainly this was a righteous man." The message imagines Longinus's perspective: a hardened career soldier who oversaw many crucifixions but was profoundly affected by Jesus. He recalls the arrest in Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, the healing of Malchus's ear, and the brutal flogging. Watching Jesus endure mocking, the crown of thorns, and the cross, Longinus becomes convinced that Jesus suffered for him personally. At the moment of death, when the earth quakes and darkness falls, he proclaims Jesus is the Son of God. After the resurrection, Longinus witnesses the empty tomb, refuses bribes to lie, resigns his commission, and is baptized on the day of Pentecost, becoming a new creature in Christ. The sermon urges hearers to come to the altar to receive the Holy Ghost and experience new life in the risen Savior.