Centurions are prominent in the Book of Acts in the apostle Paul’s arrest (Acts 21:32), attempted whipping (22:24-29), custody (23:16-24), and transfer to the governor of Judea. (23:23-24)

Paul was seized and beaten by a crowd who had mistaken him for a another man (so they claimed). Tribune Claudius Lysias, the cohort commander, arrived with centurions and their troops and whisked Paul away by force, but not before he allowed Paul to speak final words to the angry mob. When Paul gave his testimony and concluded with his charge by God to go to the Gentiles, the crowd spun out of control. (21:31-22:23)

Back in the soldiers’ barracks, Lysias ordered Paul tortured to determine the circumstances of the riot which the soldiers believed to be Paul’s fault. A curious thing happened just as Paul was about to be scourged: “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ‘Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?’” Paul addressed the centurion in charge of the whipping in what almost seems from the text like a casual comment. Why did Paul wait until the last second to raise the subject of his Roman citizenship? He could have said something as soon as the tribune arrested him. After a brief discussion about the source of their respective Roman citizenships, the information is taken to Lysias who was afraid that his men had almost violated the cardinal right of a Roman citizen to a trial. (22:24-29) [A future episode of The Centurion Chronicles will explain Roman citizenship and how it played an important part in the Apostle Paul’s ministry.]

While Paul was in the soldier’s barracks for protective custody he learned from his nephew of a secret plot on his life by Jewish zealots. Another interaction with a centurion (possibly the same officer who halted his whipping a few days earlier) seems unusual. “Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, ‘Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.’” (23:17) Here is the Apostle Paul ordering a centurion to do his bidding! He orders this high-ranking officer as if he is a common soldier, and the centurion dutifully does what “Paul the prisoner…” told him to do! (23:18)

Tribune Lysias was now responsible for protecting the citizen Paul from harm. He ordered two centurions and their troop to take Paul to the governor who would decide how to handle what could be an explosive political situation. The two centuries of soldiers deliver Paul to the fortress of Antipatris built by Herod the Great where Governor Felix will decide what to do with him. (24:23-24, 31-35)

My fellow warriors, I have the pleasure of introducing you to the most well-known centurion in the New Testament. His name is Cornelius, of the Italian Cohort (Regiment), who came to faith in Jesus Christ in a most unusual way.

Our comrade was a God-fearing soldier—just and devout—who converted to Judaism along with others in his household. Even as a Gentile (non-Jew) he had a good reputation among Jews in Israel and was particularly known for his generous giving to the poor.

One day, he was praying and fasting in his house when an angel appeared to him with a strange message: send for a man in Joppa named Simon (Peter) staying at the home of a tanner in that city. Ask Peter to come to your house with a message from God. Having himself just seen a vision from God on the rooftop of the tanner’s house, Peter went to this Gentile’s house–something which he normally would not have done if it hadn’t been for the vision.

When Peter arrive at the officer’s home he found the household waiting eagerly to hear what he had to say. Cornelius even bowed in worship at Peter’s feet because it was obvious that Petr was there as a messenger from God. Peter rebuked Cornelius’ worship and, almost overwhelmed by the supernatural circumstances of the call and the eager reception by these Gentiles, Peter proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ beginning with His anointing by God’s Holy  Spirit as Israel’s Messiah. Peter finished his proclamation of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection with these words: “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” Cornelius and those in his house believed on Jesus and were out of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.

Soon after, Peter met with other apostles and brethren in Jerusalem to explain how God saved Cornelius and other Gentiles in his house in exactly the same way that God saved thousands of Jews earlier at Pentecost.. (Acts 2) “…the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. “

“Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
Acts 11:16-17

The Jewish believers’ reaction to salvation of Gentiles, accompanied by the miraculous signs they had witnessed at Pentecost, was joy at what God had done. “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”

My friends, Centurion Cornelius is a model for us all. What a wonderful thing God did when He broke down the wall of animosity between Jews and Gentiles in Jesus Christ! Even Roman soldiers are welcomed into God’s family by faith!

“There is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile), there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV

My fellow soldiers, the execution of Jesus may have seemed routine at the time to those accustomed to death by crucifixion. However, as the events of this day unfolded, it proved to be the most unusual crucifixion in all of history. Notice that a Roman centurion was in charge of his soldiers carrying out the order of Governor Pilate. Accounts in all four of the gospels give us insight into what this centurion saw, heard, and said. (Matthew 27:24-54; Mark 15:15-39; Luke 23:23-47; John 19:16-37) Here is a brief list:

• He heard Pilate say that Jesus was innocent and that He was a “just man.”
• He watched his soldiers abuse Jesus by stripping Him, dressing Him in a royal robe and mocking Him as the Jew’s “king.” They mercilessly beat Him with their fists and a rod, spat on Him, and pressed a painful crown of thorns into His head.
• He supervised Jesus’ crucifixion to follow the governor’s orders exactly. The soldiers made sure that they firmly nailed Jesus hands and feet to the wooden cross so He would stay there until He died.
• The centurion may have personally written the inscription over Jesus’ head in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Did he even know who Jesus was? Did he know what this inscription meant?
• He waited with his men near the cross and would have heard words that Jesus spoke before He died. The sky turned strangely dark at midday for three hours. These words stood out:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  This was astonishing! Never had the centurion heard a dying man ask forgiveness for his executioners. It must have caused him to wonder, ‘What kind of man is this?’

“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” This was another unusual statement! Crucified criminals normally took all day to died a slow, painful death. Jesus was yielding His life willingly for the sins of the word.

“It is finished!” The moment Jesus said this, there was an earthquake and the coincidence struck the centurion like a thunderbolt!. Soldiers normally do not fear much, but to see Jesus die in the darkness of midday and feel the earth tremble at the moment of His death must have been terrifying.

The unusual events of the day finally came together for the centurion: the rigged trial and death sentence, the brutality of his soldiers, the written accusation that Jesus was King of the Jews, His words of forgiveness while He awaited death, the miraculous mid-day darkness, and the earthquake coinciding with His death. The officer concluded, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” using a term normally reserved for the Roman Emperor, whom most Romans considered a deity. He then stated, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

It was customary for the soldiers to break the convicted’s legs to hasten death at the end of the day. Jesus was already dead late in the early afternoon , which the soldier found surprising. Instead of breaking His legs, a soldier punctured Jesus’ side with his lance. Blood and water came out, confirming His death. The centurion could report back to Pilate that the convicted criminals were dead. The soldiers would return to their barracks after a day that they would not soon forget. Some would return shortly thereafter to guard Jesus tomb.

Did the centurion who witnessed the events of this day confess Jesus of Nazareth to be the Son of God for his eternal salvation? I John 4:15

Fellow soldiers: This centurion in the Gospel of Luke is an example to us all. This is a Roman soldier with great faith! Here is a man in charge of troops who set aside his pride and humbled himself before the Lord Jesus, begging Him to heal his sick servant. 

¹Now when He [Jesus] concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. ² And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵ “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”  Luke 7:1-5

This was no ordinary centurion commander! He was a God-fearing proselyte to Judaism as evidenced by the elders of his synagogue going to Jesus on his behalf. Even though this man was a converted Gentile, his friends testified of his love for Israel and participation in building a synagogue in in the city of Capernaum, Jesus’ own base of ministry in Galilee. Jesus had taught in this very synagogue (Luke 4:31; Mark 1:21) and this is where the centurion likely first heard Jesus teach and when he recognized Him as the Messiah.

⁶ Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  Luke 7:6-8

This was a soldier who confessed his sinfulness in the presence of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He was unworthy to have Jesus enter his house and he readily admitted this in spite of his high rank as a commander of other soldiers. He believed that the Creator of Heaven and Earth stood before him and He could speak and heal the centurion’s servant. Jesus was amazed at this man’s faith!

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” ¹⁰ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  Luke 7:9-10

My guidance to all soldiers is to heed this centurion’s example – confess your sins to God, trust in Jesus the Messiah to forgive your sins and save you from eternal condemnation. If you believe in this Savior of all mankind, trust that He died on the cross for you, rose again, and is in Heaven now, He will accept you like He did this centurion. One day, all Gentile believers – Romans, Greeks, Samaritans, all nations – will worship the King, the LORD of hosts, in His glorious Kingdom.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.  Zechariah 14:16

What was a Roman centurion? The name tells us that a centurion was an officer in charge of a “century” of 100 soldiers. More important, centurion is not a rank but a class of soldier within the Roman military structure. One historian noted that centurions were, “…formidable men who combined the functions and prestige of a modern company commander and sergeant-major or top sergeant.” Centurions were also chosen from the best of the best and their pay was seventeen times that of foot soldiers.

It is surprising that so many Roman centurions are mentioned in the New Testament. Two centurions are actually named in the New Testament! There are at least five and possibly seven if minor mentions refer to different centurions. Four centurions are described in a positive light and we have enough detail about some of them from multiple writers to get a glimpse into their character. We will discuss each of these men in future notices to the troops.

The Centurion and his Sick Servant – A centurion in Capernaum seeks Jesus’ healing power; note his standing with the local leaders—Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10

The Centurion at the Cross – At the cross, a centurion says of Jesus, “Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39) and declares Him “righteous” (Luke 23:47), a term used by pagan Romans for their Emperor.

Centurion Cornelius – Cornelius, “a centurion of the Italian Cohort”—Acts 11:12, 17-18

Centurions at Paul’s Arrest and Protection – Centurions are mentioned prominently in the arrest (Acts 21:32), attempted whipping (22:22-29), custody (23:16-24), and escort of Paul to Rome (Acts 27).

Centurion Julius – Finally, we come to the last, Julius, (Acts 27:1) who was Paul’s custodian on his voyage, and who became interested in Paul, so much so that he saved him from death at the hands of the soldiers in the hour of threatened shipwreck.