The centurion who was standing there, seeing how Jesus cried out and gave up His spirit, said, “This Man truly was the Son of God”.
The centurion was a Gentile soldier, accustomed to the dreadful scenes of crucifixions, yet in Christ’s death he saw something that went beyond an ordinary death. He noticed not only Jesus’ suffering, but also the majesty and authority with which the Lord cried out and gave up His spirit. His confession, “This man truly was the Son of God,” is a great testimony to the power of the cross. While the religious leaders rejected Christ and mocked Him, the Gentile soldier, before the cross, recognized His greatness. This foreshadows the Gospel being opened also to other nations, since at the moment of Christ’s death one of the first testimonies was heard not from the leaders of Israel, but from the mouth of a Gentile.