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and fall in to coma before death but, Jesus has offered Himself
to the Lord consciously and wilfully. The Centurion was truly
encountering and experiencing Jesus’ crucifixion.
The duty bound Centurion. The Roman Centurions
were duty bound but nevertheless compassionate. A Centurion
pleads Jesus to heal his paralysed servant by requesting Him
to pronounce a word of healing Matt.8:5. Cornelius, another
Centurion of Italian Cohort was a devout and God fearing man
Acts.10:2. A Jailor drew his sword to kill himself when he saw
the prison doors open thinking that the prisoners have fled
because he failed in his duty.

The Centurion at the cross was so duty bound that he
was very alert about the happenings and hence personalized the
event. His commitment to his duty led him to close proximity to
Jesus on the cross. He recognised and affirmed Jesus as the Son
of God in very radical terms. His duty led him to praise God
and Jesus as the Son of God.

The Centurion’s Encounter of the Empires of the State
and Religion
After Jesus has given up His spirit with a loud cry, the
Centurion spontaneously and boldly affirmed, “Truly, this
man was the Son of God” (Mark.15:39) and some others there
also joined in saying the same as in Matthew.27:54. When the
Centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said,
“Certainly, this man is innocent and righteous” as in Luke.23:47.

These are the two strong affirmations that call for our
attention in this meditation as they emerge at the point of death
of Jesus. The Centurion faced the conflict between truth and
falsehood, the powerful hegemony of the State and Religion as
against his personal faith allegiance. It is very easy to align with
Empire but risky to go against it. Choosing the truth and personal
faith against falsehood and the Empire involves suffering. The
Centurion made the risky choice. His affirmation that Jesus is

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Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People