“Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 23:47 Mean?
The Roman centurion — a pagan soldier, a professional executioner, a man who had likely crucified dozens — watches Jesus die and reaches a conclusion: "Certainly this was a righteous man." Luke records the centurion's verdict as a counterpoint to the Jewish leaders' verdict. The professionals condemned Him. The executioner vindicated Him.
The word "righteous" (dikaios) is a legal term — the centurion is issuing a judicial evaluation. Based on what he observed — how Jesus died, what He said, how He responded to His killers — the man who nailed Him to the cross concluded: He was innocent. He was righteous.
The centurion "glorified God" — a pagan soldier worshipping the God of Israel because of what he witnessed at the cross. The crucifixion that was supposed to end Jesus' influence became the thing that converted His executioner.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that Jesus' executioner was His first post-death witness?
- 2.How does the centurion's verdict ('righteous') coming from a pagan soldier change the weight of the testimony?
- 3.Have you ever been convinced about Jesus through watching how He or His followers handled suffering?
- 4.What does the centurion's conversion teach about the cross's power to transform even the most unlikely people?
Devotional
The centurion watched Jesus die. He'd watched many people die. This was his job. But this one was different. And when it was over, he glorified God and said: certainly, this was a righteous man.
The man who hammered the nails became the first person to vindicate the man he'd crucified. The professional executioner looked at the evidence — the way Jesus died, the words He spoke, the darkness that fell, the earthquake (Matthew 27:54) — and reached a verdict: righteous. Innocent. Not guilty.
This is one of the most powerful testimonies in the Gospels, and it comes from the most unlikely source. Not a disciple. Not a believer. A Roman soldier. A pagan. A man whose hands were still wet with the blood of the person he was evaluating.
The cross was supposed to silence Jesus. Instead, it converted His executioner. The instrument of shame became the instrument of witness. The method designed to end everything became the beginning of everything.
The centurion "glorified God" — the God of Israel, the God he didn't worship, the God he probably hadn't thought about that morning when he reported for crucifixion duty. But by the time Jesus breathed His last, the centurion was worshipping. Because the evidence was undeniable.
The cross doesn't repel. It converts. Even executioners.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he took it down,.... From the cross, with the help of others, having obtained leave of Pilate so to do;
and…
See the notes at Mat 27:52-55. Luk 23:48 The things which were done - The earthquake, the darkness, and the sufferings…
In these verses we have three things: -
I. Christ's dying magnified by the prodigies that attended it: only two are…
the centurion who commanded the quaternion of soldiers. It is remarkable that St Luke gives us several instances of…