An Eyewitness Account

Well, good morning, everyone.

Could I welcome you to this service of worship

and to any who may be joining the service

through the YouTube link.

Let us worship God by singing to his praise

from Psalm 99A, page 130 of the Psalter.

The Lord reigns from his throne on high.

Let all the nations quake.

He sits between the cherubim.

So let the whole earth shake.

Great is the Lord on Zion Hill, exalted over all.

Upon his great and holy name, let all the nations call.

The King loves truth and equity, established by his might.

In Jacob, you have done for us all that is just and right.

Exalt the Lord our God with us.

Let all the world abroad before his footstool worship him.

For holy is the Lord.

Let us sing these verses.

The Lord reigns from his throne on high.

The Lord reigns from his throne on high.

Let all the nations quake.

He sits between the cherubim.

So let the whole earth shake.

Great is the Lord on Zion Hill, exalted over all.

Upon his great and holy name.

Upon his great and holy name.

Let all the nations call.

The King loves truth and equity, established by his might.

In Jacob, you have done for us all that is just and right.

Exalt the Lord our God with us.

Let all the world abroad before his footstool worship him.

For holy is the Lord.

Let us engage in prayer.

Almighty God, we thank thee for the opening words of the psalm that we have newly sung.

Let us pray.

Words that remind us that thou art a sovereign God.

That thou art a sovereign king.

The Lord reigns.

And that thou art a holy king.

Holy with a transcendent holiness.

Holy in your righteousness.

Holy in your righteousness.

Holy in your grace.

Holy in your righteousness.

Holy in your grace.

Holy in your grace.

Oh, may we be found today acknowledging and bowing down before the holiness of our sovereign God.

It prompted praise on the part of the seraphim.

Who beheld the holiness of almighty God.

As they went to and fro proclaiming.

That God is indeed holy.

Holy, holy, holy.

That your holiness sets you apart from all your creatures.

Grant, O Lord, that we may come into thy presence today with that sense of awe and reverential fear.

In the knowledge that we are in the presence of our trice holy God.

May we come upon the knees of our heart.

Lord, that we are in the presence of our heart before thee.

Acknowledging with thy servant of old.

That we are of unclean lips.

Just as thy servant felt.

When he came before the holiness of God.

In the vision that was granted to him.

When he saw the Lord high and lifted up in the temple.

O Lord, we thank thee.

That with a holy God there is forgiveness.

That with a holy God there is cleansing.

That thou hast made provision.

For sinners to draw near to thee.

Grant thy blessing upon us as we reflect on a part of thy truth today.

Blessed richly to our hearts.

May it reach into our innermost being.

And may our lives be gripped by the power of the truth.

So that we come in truth to serve the Christ of God.

To be joyous subjects of the sovereign king.

Who reigns supremely over the affairs of men.

Although there may be much.

In a world that is beyond our understanding.

Much that we find deeply mysterious.

Yet, O Lord, we draw comfort from this fact.

That the Lord reigns.

Grant most gracious God.

That our hope and confidence.

Might be placed today and every day.

In the Lord who reigns.

So that as we come before thee today.

We may not be despondent or downcast.

But uplifted by the thought.

That thou art reigning.

And that thy will.

Is being performed.

And that nothing but nothing can thwart.

The will of the reigning sovereign king.

That your will will always win out.

Despite every.

Every hostility and enmity.

That is aroused by the forces of darkness.

In seeking to thwart the will.

Of the reigning sovereign king.

We bless thy name that this is so.

Grant thy blessing.

We pray thee on each home and family.

As we are found before thee today.

Thou knowest the needs of each and all.

Thou knowest those who may be here.

With heavy burdens.

With crushing burdens.

Thou knowest those who may be here today.

Looking for a token for good.

That they belong to those.

Those who are indeed the subjects of the sovereign king.

And who rejoice in his reign.

Grant thy blessing upon them.

We pray for any who may be mourning the loss of loved ones.

And to her today.

The burden of sorrow.

The burden of sorrow.

As they mourn the passing of those dear to them.

We know of some.

Who have that burden.

Some who came face to face.

Unexpectedly with that.

With that burden of sorrow.

With that burden of sorrow.

As they came face to face.

With what?

Perhaps they didn't want to hear.

As those whom they loved in life.

Were taken unexpectedly from them.

With that burden of sorrow.

Comfort them.

We pray thee.

With the comfort.

That alone is able.

To reach into distraught hearts and lives.

When death removes.

A member of a family.

Unexpectedly.

As often death comes.

We pray thy blessing.

For those who may be under thine hand in illness.

Confined to their homes.

Or in hospital care.

Or in residential care.

Grant, O Lord, thy blessing on each and all.

According to their needs.

And bless those who are providing care for them.

We give thee thanks.

For all who are involved in the care system.

Doctors and nurses.

Care assistants.

All who provide.

For those unable to provide for themselves.

O grant, O Lord.

That we be mindful.

Of those who are involved.

In the care system.

The burdens that they bear.

The duties that evolve upon them.

The responsibilities that are theirs.

Help them to fulfill these responsibilities.

As they daily carry out their tasks.

Help us now as we turn to thy truth.

Bless the other section of the congregation.

And thy servant.

As he engages in the act of worship.

In the Gaelic language.

Grant thy blessing upon them.

Uphold and sustain them.

We pray thee.

In the duties that evolve upon them.

Bless all who go forth in thy name.

And to the ends of the earth.

Bless, we pray thee.

The Slavic Gospel members.

Who are carrying out deputation work.

We give thee thanks for their commitment.

For their zeal.

For their enthusiasm.

And for the encouraging reports.

That they have brought to us.

We pray that thou wouldst bless them today.

In the particular duties that evolve upon them.

Wherever they are preaching.

The unsearchable riches of Christ.

Cleanse in the blood.

In Jesus name we ask it with forgiveness of sin.

Amen.

Let us now read from the New Testament.

From the Gospel according to Mark.

Mark 15 · chapter mention

Chapter 15.

And at verse 21.

And they compelled a passerby.

Simon of Cyrene.

Who was coming in from the country.

The father of Alexander and Rufus.

To carry his cross.

And they brought him to the place called Golgotha.

Which means place of a skull.

And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh.

But he did not take it.

And they crucified him.

And divided his garments among them.

Casting lots for them.

To decide what it should take.

And it was the third hour.

When they crucified him.

And the inscription of the charge against him.

Read.

The king of the Jews.

And with him they crucified two robbers.

One on his right.

And one on his left.

And those who passed by derided him.

Waking their heads.

And saying.

And saying.

Aha.

You who would destroy the temple.

And rebuild it in three days.

Save yourself.

And come down from the cross.

So also the chief priests with the scribes.

Mocked him to one another.

And saying.

He saved others.

He cannot save himself.

Let the Christ.

The king of Israel.

Come down now from the cross.

That we may see and believe.

Those who were crucified with him.

Also reviled him.

When the sixth hour had come.

There was darkness over the whole land.

Until the ninth hour.

And at the ninth hour.

Jesus cried with a loud voice.

Eli.

Eli lama sabachthani.

Which means.

My God.

My God.

Why have you forsaken me?

And some of the bystanders.

Hearing it said.

Behold.

He is calling Elijah.

And someone ran.

And filled a sponge.

With sour wine.

Put it on a reed.

And gave it to him to drink.

Saying.

Wait.

Let us see.

Whether Elijah will come.

To take him down.

And Jesus uttered.

A loud cry.

And breathed.

And breathed his last.

And the curtain of the temple.

Was torn in two.

From top to bottom.

And when the centurion.

Who stood facing him.

Saw that in this way.

He breathed his last.

He said.

Truly.

This man.

Was the son of God.

There were also women.

Looking on from a distance.

The Christians.

Among whom were.

Mary Magdalene.

And Mary.

The mother of James.

The younger.

And of.

Joseph.

And Salome.

When he was in Galilee.

They followed him.

And ministered to him.

And there were also.

Many other women.

Who came up with him.

To Jerusalem.

Amen.

And may he bless to us.

That reading.

From his truth.

Let us further sing to his praise.

From.

Psalm 22.

Page 26.

Of the.

Psalter.

At verse 14.

Page 26.

Of the.

Psalter.

At verse 14.

And the tune is.

Rockingham.

Apologies to the presenter.

I forgot to.

Mention the tune.

For the first song.

Psalm 22.

Page 26.

At verse 14.

Like water.

I am emptied out.

And all my bones.

Are torn apart.

My inmost being.

Melts away.

And into wax.

Is turned my heart.

My strength.

Is like.

Shattered clay.

And these verses.

Apply particularly.

To the Lord Jesus.

On the cross.

And as I fight.

To draw my breath.

My tongue.

Is sticking.

To my jaws.

You lay me.

In the dust of death.

A pack of dogs.

Encloses me.

Their circle.

Round me.

Is complete.

I am beset.

By evil men.

And they have pierced.

My hands.

And feet.

I count the number.

Of my bones.

With gloating eyes.

The people.

Stir.

They throw the dice.

To get my coat.

Among themselves.

My clothes.

They share.

Let us sing these verses.

Like water.

I am emptied out.

Like water.

I am emptied out.

And all my bones are torn apart.

Like water I am emptied out, and all my bones are torn apart.

My inmost being melts away, and into wax is darn my heart.

My strength is dried like shattered clay, and as I fight to throw my breath,

My tongue is sticking to my jaws.

You lay me in the dust of death.

A pack of dogs encloses me, their circle round me is complete.

I am beset by evil men, and they have pierced my hands and feet.

I count the number on my board.

With floating eyes the people stare.

They throw the dice to get my coat.

Among themselves my close they share.

Let us now turn to the part of Scripture that we read.

Gospel according to Mark, chapter 15.

Mark 15 · chapter mention

And we may read again at verse 39.

And when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his lust,

he said, truly, this man was the Son of God.

The gospel accounts tell us of very strange happenings which coincided with the death of Christ.

And one of these that are mentioned is the tearing of the temple veil in two from top to bottom.

Three of the gospel writers refer to it, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Both Matthew and Mark associate the tearing of the curtain with the loud voice cry of the Lord Jesus on the cross and his final breath.

Some query which temple curtain was torn.

But I think it is safe to assume that it was the curtain or the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place of the temple.

You may remember that the holy place was frequented on a daily basis by the duty priests who ministered there.

The most holy place was only entered once a year by the high priest on the great day of atonement.

How do we explain the phenomenon that this curtain was torn from the top to the bottom?

No one, no gospel writer, refers to anyone with a knife or a scissor trying to tear it in two.

It was apparently made of very thick material, not easily torn.

And the gospel writers record that it was torn simultaneously with the moment of the death of Christ at three in the afternoon.

On our timekeeping, in Jewish timekeeping, that is the ninth hour, the equivalent of three o'clock in the afternoon.

That is when the duty priests would be offering the daily evening sacrifice.

And for those ministering priests, it must have been a startling and surprising phenomenon to witness this taking place.

Given their familiarity with the Old Testament teaching, it may have even filled them with fear.

And the thought of death, now that the most holy place was exposed to their gaze.

I doubt that they understood the significance of the event then.

But they could not doubt that it was not attributable to anything natural.

For those with the benefit of New Testament teaching, it was very significant that the temple curtain was torn in two.

It signified the new order being ushered in.

No longer was there an impediment.

In drawing near to God, a new and living way had been opened up through the one sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

A sacrifice that satisfied the demands and full of divine justice.

On the writer in the letter to the Hebrews writes,

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

by a new and living way which he consecrated for us,

through the veil that is his flesh.

Now, this strange phenomenon could only be verified by a limited number of people initially,

the duty priests of that day.

And no doubt, word would have spread quickly of what took place.

There were also other accompanying events of which many were witnesses.

There was, we are told, an earthquake.

That certainly could be verified by a greater number of people.

It took place during the afternoon.

Many would probably be aware of the tremor.

No information is given as to the severity of that tremor.

We're not told if houses were destroyed.

But what we are told by Matthew in his account is that the earthquake and the rocks were split.

The tearing of the curtain is not attributed to the force of the earthquake by any of the gospel writers.

They speak first of the tearing of the curtain,

and then they speak of the earthquake,

and they tell that the rocks were split.

Interestingly, in the original language,

the same root word is used to speak of the veil being torn and of the rocks being split.

The same power that tore the veil or the curtain,

thick as it was in the temple,

was also the power that split the rocks.

They were torn asunder,

and the impression that you get is that they were torn like someone might tear a piece of paper.

There was also another unusual occurrence.

Matthew writes,

and the graves were opened,

and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,

and coming out of the graves after his resurrection,

they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So you could say that these three events were not everyday occurrences.

They weren't events that you could shut your eyes to

and pretend that they did not happen.

The earth quaked,

the rocks were split,

the graves were opened,

and bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep.

Notice,

not all the bodies,

bodies of those saints.

And notice also

the way in which the writers

describe death

for those who had been saints.

They had fallen asleep,

and how very

suggestive that is.

And that is how the Bible frequently speaks

of the death of those who die in Christ.

They sleep in Christ,

and it is most suggestive.

Now,

all of these occurrences

were designed, I believe,

to catch the attention

of people at that time.

We are told

how all these combined events,

including the way in which Christ died,

affected some.

And Mark,

in this passage that we read,

tells us

of one particular individual

who I wish to focus on

this morning in our reflection.

An army officer,

a Roman centurion.

Mark records for us

the assessment

that this man made,

and his assessment

is an eyewitness statement

or account.

So,

who gave

this account?

What did he see?

Secondly,

what did he see and hear?

Thirdly,

what did he say?

And fourthly,

how does this account

speak to us?

Who gave it?

And the answer to the question is,

I don't know.

Because the gospel writers

do not see fit

to disclose his name,

to furnish us with details

of his background.

Obviously,

the gospel writers,

the Holy Spirit,

influencing the gospel writers,

didn't consider

that that information

was really important.

And so,

what we are told about this man

is really minimal.

He was an army officer

in the service of the Roman Empire,

probably a Gentile.

The fact that he is called

a centurion

indicates

that he was responsible

for a hundred soldiers.

That's

about the total

of the scant information

that we are given.

So,

he remains unnamed.

All we know is

that he appears

to be in charge

of the execution squad,

overseeing

the crucifixion

of Jesus

and remember

two others

who were crucified

alongside Jesus.

And Mark

portrays him

as

watching

proceedings.

Mark tells us

he stood

opposite Jesus.

In other words,

he was able

to observe

minutely

what was taking place,

possibly

doing so

to ensure

that no one

would seek

to intervene

and remove

Jesus from the cross.

I suppose

you could say

that was part

of his duty

as an officer

on guard duty.

But

in the overriding

mysterious

providence

of God,

he was appointed

to this duty.

And

it seems to me

you cannot

but marvel

at how

the Lord

uses

steps

in our

providence

for our

spiritual

good

without us

being aware

of how

our steps

are being

directed

in a

particular

way.

And I hope

we can see

that in the

life of this

man

as I

develop

the lecture.

Certainly

God moves

in mysterious

ways.

his wonders

to perform.

Here is a man

fulfilling orders

from his

superiors

and through

the instructions

that are given

to him

and the duties

entrusted

to him,

he comes

to formulate

a very

different

opinion

of Jesus

Christ.

not just

a different

opinion

as to the

fact that

he is on

the cross

but a

different

opinion

as to

the identity

of this

person

Jesus

Christ.

Christ.

So who

gave

this

account?

An unnamed

Gentile,

centurion,

obeying

instructions

and on

duty

at the

cross.

Secondly,

what did he

see and

hear?

And the

impression is

created by

all the

gospel writers

who make

mention of

this man

is that

what he

saw and

heard

is linked

to his

testimony.

And it

seems to me

that there

are two

aspects

to what

he saw

and heard.

First,

there is

clear

indisputable

evidence

for some

of the

things that

he saw

and heard.

But secondly,

there are

also things

that we

may speculate

he saw

and heard,

but of

which I

cannot give

clear proof

from the

Bible that

he did.

And I'd

like to

deal with

a second

of these

first.

John's

gospel

tells us

that when

Jesus was

arrested

in

Gethsemane,

that Judas

came

along

with

accompanied

by a

detachment

of

troops

and

also

others.

Then Judas

having received

a detachment

of troops

and officers

from the

chief priests

and Pharisees

came there.

And the

word

translated

detachment

is the

word for

a unit

of soldiers

which

could

consist

of up

to 600

soldiers.

commentators

are of

the view

that

the number

present

when Jesus

was arrested

was not

that many

but that

there could

be

up to

200.

Was there

even that

many?

It's not

easy to

determine

from what

is written.

But when

they were

asked the

question,

whom are you

seeking?

And they

responded,

Jesus of

Nazareth,

John writes,

now when

he said

to them,

I am

he,

they drew

back and

fell to

the ground.

And the

thrust of

the Bible

with the

life of

Jesus

indicates

that he

veiled his

glory when

he appeared

in this

world in

true human

nature.

But in

that particular

context,

there is,

as it

were,

a glimpse

of his

glory shines

through the

veil of

his

humanity.

And even

such a

brief glimpse

of his

glory is

enough to

floor the

arresting

party.

It's as

if they

were paralyzed.

And the

question I'd

like to

pose is

this,

was this

centurion

among them?

Was he

struck by

the air

of authority

that

emanated

from this

person

whom they

had been

sent to

arrest?

And I

don't

discount the

possibility,

but I

cannot prove,

on the other

hand,

that he was

there.

Jesus

permitted them

to arrest

him.

He was

taken to

Annas,

the high

priest,

to Pilate,

to Herod,

and back

again to

Pilate.

and you

know the

story.

His

accuser

stating that

he claimed

to be the

Son of

God.

And from

their

mockery,

they are

in total

denial as

to the

identity of

this person.

They are

stating,

by the way

they treat

Jesus,

they do

not believe

for one

moment that

he is the

Son of

God.

did this

centurion,

did he

agree with

that initial

assessment?

And again,

I have to

say,

probably,

but I

cannot prove

it.

Jesus was

mocked.

He was

assaulted.

They beat

him.

John writes

of how

Jesus was

ill-treated

by the

soldiers and

how they

mocked his

claims.

The

soldiers

twisted a

crown of

thorns and

put it on

his head.

They put

on him a

purple robe.

Then they

said,

Hail,

King of

the Jews.

And they

struck him

with their

hands.

Was the

centurion

part of

this group?

It is

possible

that he

witnessed

all of

these events,

but I

cannot

produce

the

evidence

from the

Bible

that he

did.

So,

that's

the

second

thing.

We may

speculate

about that.

But the

first thing

is this.

There is

clear,

indisputable

evidence for

some of

the things

that he

saw and

heard.

Matthew in

his gospel

narrative

relates,

the earthquake,

the rocks

were split,

and the

graves were

opened,

and many

bodies of

the saints

who had

fallen asleep

were raised

and coming

out of the

graves after

resurrection.

They went

into the

holy city

and appeared

to many.

So,

when the

centurion

and those

with him

who were

guarding

Jesus

saw the

earthquake

and the

things that

had happened,

they feared

greatly.

So,

these were

some things

that he

saw and

heard,

and they

resulted in

producing

fear in

the life

of this

man.

did that

indicate

that he

was fearful

of the

consequences

of what

he had

done in

carrying out

his orders?

Because it

is more than

likely that

he was

responsible for

issuing the

command to

nail Jesus

to the

cross.

He would

have witnessed

the meek

submission of

Jesus to

this most

inhumane

action.

There is no

evidence of

resistance or

struggle to

escape on

the part of

Jesus.

There is no

verbal abuse

aimed at the

soldiers who

carried out

the act of

nailing him

to the

cross.

Because this

is one of

whom the

prophet Isaiah

could write

hundreds of

years beforehand

as he spoke

of the

suffering servant

of Jehovah.

He was

oppressed and

he was

afflicted,

yet he

opened not

his marks.

He was

led as

a lamb

to the

slaughter.

And as a

sheep before

his shearer

was silent,

so he

opened not

his mouth.

So there

is Isaiah

predicting

with the

spirit of

prophecy the

silence of

the Lamb

of God

as he

comes before

those who

are sitting

in judgment

on him

and who

are ill

treating

him.

the

centurion

could not

but fail

to notice

the calm

demeanor

of Christ

in the

face of

such

provocation.

He would

have heard

the mocking

taunts

of those

who surrounded

the cross.

He would

have heard

the mocking

and the

initial

remonstration

of both

of the

men who

were crucified

on either

side of

Jesus

because both

of them

mocked

Jesus

initially

and the

centurion

would be

aware

of

the

character

of these

two men

and their

reputation.

Did

the

centurion

hear

the message

of

marvelous

grace

addressed

to one

of the

dying

thieves?

You

remember

what Jesus

said to

him.

Remember

he had

pleaded

with

Christ

Lord

remember

me.

It's

such

an

impressive

prayer

and it's

a prayer

that

fits

every one

of us.

Lord

remember

me.

And

you

remember

the

response

of

Christ.

Assuredly

I say

to you

today

you

will

be

with

me

in

paradise.

did

Jesus

speak

it

loudly

enough

for

the

centurion

to

hear?

It's

possible.

The

centurion

would also

have seen

the thick

judgmental

darkness

that

covered

the

sight

from

midday

until

3pm.

He

must have

wondered

about

that.

he

would

have

heard

the

cry

of

dereliction

that

pierced

the

thick

darkness

when

Christ

cried

out

my

God

my

God

why

have

you

forsaken

me?

And

Mark

in this

particular

context

especially

links

the

testimony

of the

centurion

to

his

observation

of the

manner

in

which

Christ

died.

Mark

writes

and

Jesus

cried

out

with

a

loud

voice

and

breathed

his

last.

And

then

in

our

text

he

goes

on

to

write

so

when

the

centurion

who

stood

opposite

him

saw

that

he

cried

out

like

this

and

breathed

his

last

he

said

truly

this

man

was

the

son

of

God.

Now

we

know

that

people

respond

to

the

death

of

Christ

on

the

cross

in

different

ways.

If

you

in

your

life

that

the

death

of

Christ

means

that

you

are

forever

thanking

the

Lord

that

Christ

Jesus

came

into

the

world

to

seek

and

to

save

that

which

was

lost.

It

is

obvious

then

that

the

manner

of

Christ

dying

had

a

profound

effect

on

the

opinion

of

this

man

as

to

the

identity

of

Jesus

of

Nazareth.

He

heard

him

cry

with

a

loud

voice

and

he

saw

him

breathe

his

last.

Remember

Jesus

had

been

hanging

on

the

cross

for

six

hours

the

third

hour

to

the

ninth

hour

on

our

clock

nine

in the

morning

till

three

in the

afternoon.

He

heard

Jesus

cry

with

a

loud

voice

and

John

in

his

gospel

tells

us

that

Jesus

cried

out

it

is

finished.

In

the

Greek

it's

just

one

word

tetelestai.

Did

the

centurion

understand

the

significance

of what

Christ

said?

I

can't

be

sure

about

that.

But

I

think

he

would

certainly

have

found

it

peculiar

that

a

weakened

dying

person

should

have

the

energy

to

shout

with

a

loud

voice.

It's

not

what

you

normally

associate

with

the

act

of

dying.

John

tells

us

that

Jesus

bowing

his

head

gave

up

his

spirit

and

it's

as

if

John

is

telling

us

that

this

was

a

regal

act

on

the

part

of

Jesus

as

he

gave

himself

to

death.

Unlike

you

or

I

when

our

time

to

die

has

come

we

will

be

conquered

by

the

power

of

death.

Oh

yes

we

will

fight

it

as

long

as

we

are

able.

We

will

struggle

against

the

onset

of

death

but

the

power

of

death

will

conquer

you

and

me.

Christ

doesn't

come

first.

And

you

know

we

don't

know

when

that

will

be

or

where

it

will

be

do

we?

We

may

think

we

know

but

we

don't.

Just

in the

last

few

days

there

was

a

car

accident

in

the

Isle

of

Sky

the

parents

of

the

man

who

was

killed

in

that

accident

were

in

my

first

congregation

they're

not

alive

anymore

going

to

work

in

his

car

he

never

reaches

the

office

you

know

and

these

things

are

all

food

for

thought

we

don't

know

when

that

moment

is

going

to

come

abound

in

your

life

or

in

mine

but

here

Jesus

gives

himself

to

death

so

there's

a

world

of

a

difference

between

my

dying

your

dying

and

the

death

of

Christ

the

centurion

saw

and

heard

what

transpired

at

the

cross

he

may

have

even

seen

and

heard

what

took

place

from

the

moment

of

Jesus

arrest

in

Gethsemane

right up

to the

cross

and

beyond

I

cannot

prove

that

part

but

what

he

saw

and

heard

had

a

profound

effect

on

his

assessment

of

this

person

Jesus

of

Nazareth

what

did

he

see

and

hear

who

gave

this

account

thirdly

what

did

he

say

and

the

question

takes

us

right

into

the

heart

of

our

text

in

the

light

of

what

he

heard

and

saw

under

the

influence

of

the

Holy

Spirit

he

speaks

in

glowing

terms

of

the

identity

of

Jesus

of

Nazareth

you

know

many

saw

and

heard

what

the

centurion

saw

but

it

didn't

have

this

effect

on

them

many

people

hear

of

Jesus

Christ

and

you

may

be

even

here

this

morning

but

until

now

Jesus

Christ

has

not

had

a

transforming

effect

on

your

life

Luke

in

his

account

tells

us

so

when

the

centurion

saw

what

had

happened

he

glorified

God

saying

certainly

this

was

a

righteous

man

now

Luke's

record

suggests

the

centurion

was

expressing

words

that

exonerate

the

character

of

Jesus