Word@Work Luke348 - Luke 23:47
Published: Tue, 05/03/11
Word@Work from BeaconLight
CHARACTER VINDICATED
Luke 23:47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." (NIV)
It is not uncommon for people to be slandered, libelled, falsely accused or made to suffer from malicious gossip. But it was unique for the righteous Son of God to be punished brutally for sins He had never committed. The centurion, an officer in charge of crucifixions that day, saw it all: the way Jesus submitted His hands and feet to cruel nails, and did not shout back at those who mocked Him ... but prayed for their forgiveness instead. After the soldier saw the light drain from the sky for three hours and witnessed Christ's last words to Father God, he was compelled to make a public statement.
His comment could have got him into trouble with Pilate, or his immediate commander. But it was spontaneous and real. Although he was a Gentile, he uttered praises to the God of the Jews. Something about Jesus had captured his military attention ... it was obvious that He was doing His duty with extreme courage. Like soldiers who lay down their lives for their brothers-in-arms, Jesus had done a righteous and noble thing. The centurion may not have understood just how amazingly righteous or noble Christ's sacrifice was; but he knew enough. Jesus was not a sinner ... and according to the Jews, the only sinless person is God Himself.
Yet the executioner's statement was only a foretaste of the final vindication of Jesus. The full exoneration of His character will be seen when He comes again in obvious splendour and authority (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). Until then, all who believe in Him as the Righteous One of God have the responsibility to vindicate His character by living for Him: demonstrating that His life is in them. And the workplace, with all its stresses, is an ideal place to do that; and to answer the inevitable follow-on questions about the basis for your lifestyle (1 Peter 3:15). So, even for those who shy away from controversy, it is certainly wrong even to passively support the slander which is thrown at Jesus by the world today. All this demands a clear and objective understanding of the events around the dying Jesus, and the centurion-like courage to present them to a confused world.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for the many accounts in Scripture which prove the humility and righteousness of Your Son, Jesus, as He died to save me from my sins. Please forgive me when I have failed to be courageous in standing up for Jesus and speaking out about Him. Please help me to have a fresh appreciation of His extreme sacrifice for me and that I will learn to live a courageous life of demonstrating and explaining what a wonderful Saviour He is. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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It is not uncommon for people to be slandered, libelled, falsely accused or made to suffer from malicious gossip. But it was unique for the righteous Son of God to be punished brutally for sins He had never committed. The centurion, an officer in charge of crucifixions that day, saw it all: the way Jesus submitted His hands and feet to cruel nails, and did not shout back at those who mocked Him ... but prayed for their forgiveness instead. After the soldier saw the light drain from the sky for three hours and witnessed Christ's last words to Father God, he was compelled to make a public statement.
His comment could have got him into trouble with Pilate, or his immediate commander. But it was spontaneous and real. Although he was a Gentile, he uttered praises to the God of the Jews. Something about Jesus had captured his military attention ... it was obvious that He was doing His duty with extreme courage. Like soldiers who lay down their lives for their brothers-in-arms, Jesus had done a righteous and noble thing. The centurion may not have understood just how amazingly righteous or noble Christ's sacrifice was; but he knew enough. Jesus was not a sinner ... and according to the Jews, the only sinless person is God Himself.
Yet the executioner's statement was only a foretaste of the final vindication of Jesus. The full exoneration of His character will be seen when He comes again in obvious splendour and authority (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). Until then, all who believe in Him as the Righteous One of God have the responsibility to vindicate His character by living for Him: demonstrating that His life is in them. And the workplace, with all its stresses, is an ideal place to do that; and to answer the inevitable follow-on questions about the basis for your lifestyle (1 Peter 3:15). So, even for those who shy away from controversy, it is certainly wrong even to passively support the slander which is thrown at Jesus by the world today. All this demands a clear and objective understanding of the events around the dying Jesus, and the centurion-like courage to present them to a confused world.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for the many accounts in Scripture which prove the humility and righteousness of Your Son, Jesus, as He died to save me from my sins. Please forgive me when I have failed to be courageous in standing up for Jesus and speaking out about Him. Please help me to have a fresh appreciation of His extreme sacrifice for me and that I will learn to live a courageous life of demonstrating and explaining what a wonderful Saviour He is. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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