Matthew 27:54 - The Eighth Word at the Cross

More than once, Jesus walked on water. On one of those occasions, it was during a storm. Peter tried to get out of the boat and walk to his Master--but started to sink. Jesus rescued Peter and walked him back to the boat. When they got into the boat, the storm stopped. The disciples' response was,
"You really are the Son of God!" (Matthew 14:32, New Living Translation, 2015)

After hearing everything Jesus said from the cross, the Roman centurion who supervised the execution--as well as the soldiers supposedly* guarding Him from being rescued--had the final word:
"This man truly was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54, NLT).

One would expect the disciples to be awestruck by the miracle of Jesus (1) walking on water (2) rescuing Peter and (3) calming a storm ...without a word on that occasion.

But the crucifixion? A man dying in disgrace and pain? What miracle had convinced these pagan soldiers to make the same statement of belief as the twelve apostles?

It was not only what Jesus said, but what He didn't say. There was no vindictive judgment of His tormentors. The miracle was that He prayed "forgive them, they don't know what they are doing." There was no cursing of God who had forsaken Him. The miracle was that Jesus committed His spirit to the Father.

Centuries before, Isaiah described the crucifixion this way:

"2 ... There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." (Isaiah 53:2–5, NLT)

This isn't the kind of image to convince people to follow Christ. Yet from the cross, Jesus won over the hearts of both the persecuted and the persecutor. The thief believed that Jesus would reign as King, the soldier believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

Lord Jesus, it wasn't just what you said, but how You said it. You began your ministry with graciousness of speech (Luke 4:22), and You gave up your life in the same way. Give us that same spirit of graciousness, that whatever we do today, people will believe in You -- the Son of God who died for our sins, the King who will reign over His kingdom. Amen.

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 * Supposedly guarding because Jesus said, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53 (NASB95)

Illustration: Rembrandt,  Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses
1653 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/354631