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In this context we see the soldiers dividing Jesus’ clothes,
casting lots to get the final piece of clothing, making this act a
shameful mark against Jesus as it diminishes His value as an
individual.

A Baptismal Experience

Jesus challenged the social construct, stereotypes and
the way in which the law was understood and misinterpreted
during His time. He stood against the dominance of the religious
heads who were using religion for their own selfish gains. He
stood against the Roman Empire that created a façade of peace
and security, all the while perpetuating suffering. Through his
encounter with the Roman Empire, Jesus had undergone a
Baptismal experience in the sense that he went down taking on
the Empire and rose up victorious against the oppressing forces
of the empire. His death on the cross had ignited a spark that
would eventually change the course of the history.
During the same process, we see the centurion undergoing
a different Baptismal experience. He probably was one of the
people who believed in the divinity or at least the innocence of
Jesus. He probably was one who changed his mind looking at
the suffering of Jesus. He might have transformed at the point
where he heard Jesus forgiving his persecutors from the cross
even after undergoing such kind of suffering. Whichever might
be the situation, the experience of Jesus’ crucifixion has brought
forward a transformation in the Centurion. A transformation
that made him believe in Jesus, His purpose and His divinity
(Matt 27:54b), which eventually made him one of the first
witnesses for Christ after His crucifixion. William Barclay writes
“He (Jesus) foretold the magnetic power of the Cross; and the
Centurion was its first fruit. The Cross had moved him to see
the majesty of Jesus as nothing else had been able to do.”

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Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People