The Son of God

“And 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, “Eloi, Eloi, lema 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 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!”” (Mark 15.33-39 ESV)

The familiar words of this centurion strike us all in different ways. Perhaps he was a supervising officer standing in front of Jesus, who oversaw countless crucifixions in his hardened and ruthless role. Yet, when he heard Jesus’ cry and witnessed how he died, something prompted this surprising confession: “Truly this man was the Son of God“

While we may never grasp the centurion’s depth of understanding, Mark implies significance. He begins with it in Mark 1:1, stating, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Now, towards the end, he records the centurion’s proclamation.

At Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:10-11), Mark describes the heavens as “torn open,” and a voice declares, “You are my Son.” Similarly, in Mark 15:38-39, using the same Greek verb, Mark notes the temple curtain “torn in two” at Jesus’ death, followed by the centurion’s voice proclaiming, “Surely this is the Son of God.” Two corresponding events—tearing and voice, divine and human—affirm the exact truth about Jesus.

Throughout his Gospel, Mark emphasizes Jesus as the Son of God, a fact acknowledged only by God and demons until this moment. Mark purposefully highlights that the Roman centurion recognized Jesus’ identity as he witnessed the crucifixion. Mark’s message is clear: to truly understand the Son of God, we must see him on the cross—the servant Son willingly bearing the cost of our salvation. This aligns with John’s purpose, expressed at the end of his Gospel, urging belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, leading to eternal life. From death to life, from darkness to light.

‌~PW 🌮🛶