Certainly This Was a Righteous Man – Luke 23
“Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.” — Luke 23:47
The centurion had watched many men die. But the one being crucified that day was different. He was unlike any other man He’d ever met. It was obvious He wasn’t guilty. And more than that, there was something about this man on the cross that made him fear God and want to glorify God.
The centurion sensed what many others had sensed as well – Jesus was a righteous man. Pilate said it numerous times despite the best accusations the Jews could fling at Jesus. Pilate had every reason to want to appease the Jews, and he eventually would, but he continued to honestly say, “I find no fault in Him” (v.4) and “I find no cause of death in him” (v.22).
The Jews may have asserted Christ’s guilt, but it was obvious to absolutely everyone else that Jesus was righteous and not worthy of death. Even the criminal next to Jesus could see His innocence (“this man hath done nothing amiss” Luke 23:41).
In fact, Jesus was more than a righteous man – He was God. And as we consider that He died for us, the righteous Son of God, let us, like the centurion glorify God. Let us praise and honour God by believing on Jesus and living for Jesus.