What Happened to the Soldiers Who Killed Jesus?

Those who haven’t experienced combat can’t understand what soldiers go through in the line of duty.

To always live with the reality of death, and to know you are an agent of death—even for a just cause—is a difficult thing. The life of a soldier is not an easy life. It isn’t now, and it wasn’t two thousand years ago. Yet, even soldiers hardened by the heat of battles and the struggles of military service can receive the hope and peace of God’s salvation.

Let’s look at this salvation in the life of one soldier—the Centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Crucifixion was a method of execution where criminals were nailed to cross of wood, and then left to die. Yet it is through this cruel execution that God offers all of us peace, hope and security—through the death of His Son, Jesus.

A Centurion’s Life

Our oldest son has been in the army for several years. We have been reminded that soldiers are committed to putting the mission and their orders before comfort, and their comrades before themselves. It is a lifestyle of discipline, structure and teamwork. This was the same for Centurions.

A Centurion was a Roman officer in command of a hundred men. In the Roman army, the office of centurion was the highest rank a soldier could achieve.

Just as in the military today, Centurions were promoted as they moved onto higher positions of responsibility. It was a position of great honour. A soldier’s promotion to Centurion was almost always based on his good conduct and ability.

Centurions would always lead the charge into battle. And away from the battlefield, Centurions kept good discipline in the ranks, provided security and protection, led police actions in occupied areas and oversaw executions.

Centurions were not mates with the Jews in Israel. They were professional soldiers keeping the law of Rome in occupied Israel. The hated Roman conquerors were brutal in their approach to any and all problems.

Centurions were notable not just for their daring courage, but also for their intelligence and loyalty. It has been said that Centurions were the finest men in the Roman army.

The Centurion at the Cross

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’) . . .

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They . . . appeared to many people.

When the Centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’ (MATT. 27:45-54 NIV).

“Surely he was the Son of God!” What a statement! These were not fearful words from a frightened new recruit. This was the decision of a seasoned veteran who had been watching men die horrible deaths for years.

The Centurion was commanded to execute Jesus by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Yet in his statement, the Centurion disagrees with the authorities that Jesus deserved death, and instead agrees that Jesus is indeed God.

Why? We must remember that this soldier had probably seen many crucifixions. Yet there was something different about this execution. What did he see? There are several events from the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus that convinced the Centurion.

What the Centurion Saw

So what exactly did the Centurion see? What was it that made him disagree with the rulers and honour instead the man he put to death?

Jesus’ response to His horrific treatment at the hands of the Roman soldiers and His own countrymen:

[When he was arrested by a mob], Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.’ Then all [his followers] deserted him and fled. (MATT. 26:55-56, EMPHASIS ADDED)

Then the governor’s soldiers . . . twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. They spat on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. (27:27-31).

Jesus’ mercy towards the mob and the soldiers, including the Centurion. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them!” (LUKE 23:34). As they sat down to gamble (MATT. 27:35-36) for His few possessions and watch Him die, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness, not His own escape. That is amazing!

Creation’s response to the Creator’s death. Witnesses “saw the earthquake and the things that were happening” (Matt. 27:54). They saw the sun go dark, they felt the power of the earth moving under their feet—and they saw these supernatural events suddenly end when Jesus gave loud shout and died.

This Centurion was understandably shocked by the events that surrounded the death of Christ. He had never seen such things before; he and his troops “were terrified”. The Centurion and his group of battle-hardened soldiers had learned to cope with fear, but now they experienced terror. They had reason to be terrified, because there was nothing ordinary about the events they were experiencing.

No ordinary execution. The darkness, the earthquake and the shout from Christ convinced the soldiers that this was no ordinary execution. The events terrified them and made them realise they were seeing God die. What a realisation! They had put to death God’s Son!

No ordinary power. They did not come to this conclusion because of some ‘explanation’. Their conclusion came only from seeing the power of God on display in Jesus’ responses and in nature (the earthquake and dark sky).

No ordinary confession. The Centurion’s confession tells us something important: Jesus is revealed as our Saviour and God most clearly in His death.

Matthew Henry wrote that we should respond like the Centurion did: “Let us, with an eye of faith, [see] Christ and Him crucified, and be [moved by] that great love with which He loved us.” Why? Because what we see on the cross, as the Centurion did, is the perfect Son of God dying a terrible death for us. The death He died we deserve because we reject and ignore our Creator (which is what ‘sin’ is). When Jesus hung on the cross, He was receiving all God’s anger towards us for how we have lived, so that He might bring us to God. Let us give ourselves willingly to Him.

What Next?

The people who witnessed the death and resurrection of Christ saw more than words can ever express. They heard things that we can only imagine. But what they saw, we can also ‘see’ in the Bible. Though we may not have seen Jesus physically, we can see Him through the pages of God’s Word, finding solid ground for believing in Him as God’s Son. The book of Romans explains it this way: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (10:17). This means that we find strong reason for trusting Christ by reading the accounts in the Bible of His life and death (the “Word of Christ”). We don’t need to have been there at the time to be certain of what He did.

The way we live, ignoring our Creator and living without Him, deserves His right anger and judgement. That judgement can only result in our death. But on the cross, Jesus, the perfect Son of God, took on all the anger of God for us, freeing us from judgement. When we trust Him, we give our lives to Him and belong to Him forever.

All who are saved are saved because of the death of Jesus on the cross. Including battle-weary soldiers like the Centurion. The cross is the power of God to save all who trust Him.

The ground is always level at the foot of the cross. It is where poor and rich, old and young, good and bad, and— yes—generals and Centurions find level ground to kneel before the Christ who died for them—and for us.

Surely He is the Son of God!

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What Happened to the Soldiers Who Killed Jesus?

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