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The Roughest Man in Town (The Centurion)

2008-03-23

PRODUCTION #: 1135

SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra

GUEST: Richard Stenbakken

The Bible says that the day Jesus died, there was a Roman soldier, a centurion, who was standing at the foot of the cross. And as the veil in the temple was ripped in half by an unseen hand, that soldier made a decision that Jesus really is the Son of God. What made him change his mind? And if you could meet that soldier, would you?

We don’t really know the Roman centurion’s name, but there is an awful lot we do know about Romans—their civilization and their army. When you blend our historical knowledge with some of the facts revealed in the Bible, you get an amazing perspective on the events that surrounded the last days of Jesus’ life and His death on a Roman cross.

Today we are going to assume for just a moment that we can actually talk to the Roman centurion, and to help me do that I have Dr. Richard Stenbakken with me, who has a remarkable gift for bringing the pages of the Bible to life through careful study.

The Roman Centurion:

RC: Did I hear my name?

SB: Sir, I didn’t use a name. You do appear to be a rather high-ranking official in the Roman army.

RC: Indeed, I am. I am a centurion.

SB: Well, if you are a centurion, perhaps you could help me find Longinus, I’ve been looking for him to ask him some questions.

RC: That would be me.

SB: You are Longinus.

RC: I am.

SB: I’m delighted to have you here on the program with me. You know, I’ve been interviewing people. I’ve been speaking to people about the last days of Jesus of Nazareth.

RC: I was there.

SB: You were there? You are just the person I’d like to speak to and if you would grant me the kindness, I would love to have you join me here on the program today.

RC: I’ll be glad to do that.

SB: You seem to be a very high-ranking. Centurion, it appears to me that this is a very important position, very official and very responsible.

RC: Yes, as a centurion I worked my way up through the ranks for twenty years.

SB: Twenty years.

RC: And I’m in charge wherever I go.

SB: After twenty years. Why the twenty year mark?

RC: That is when I can retire.

SB: It is twenty years to retirement. What were your responsibilities as a Roman centurion?

RC: Well, I drill the troops. I train the troops. I pay the troops, and on some occasions, when necessary, I conduct executions for Rome.

SB: You talk about executions. Obviously, the question that I’d like to ask you is about that one execution, Jesus of Nazareth hanging on a cross. What can you tell me about that event?

RC: I was there. I was in charge. I was offered an opportunity to become the chief centurion over all the troops of Pontius Pilate. Now Pontius Pilate was the son-in-law of Tiberius Caesar, and that would be good for my career, and only a fool would turn down that opportunity.

SB: How would that be good for your career?

RC: Don’t you see? If he is the son-in-law of Caesar, and Caesar adopts Pilate, then Pilate could become the next Caesar and instead of being in charge of just Pilate’s troops of a thousand, I could be in charge of the entire Roman army.

SB: So it is a shortcut right to the top of the empire.

RC: And I’m no fool.

SB: So you became the chief centurion for Pilate’s guard. Very interesting. That took place in Jerusalem?

RC: No. Pilate didn’t spend time in Jerusalem. Oh, he did periodically, but essentially he lived in Caesarea, named after Caesar.

SB: So that is really where the control was over the rest of the province.

RC: Absolutely, and control is what it is all about. Power is what it is all about.

SB: Tell me, how do you maintain control over a province like Palestine?

RC: You see this? It is known as an attitude adjuster.

SB: Okay, and how would you adjust an attitude with it?

RC: Well, a blow to the side of your knee, to your back, to your neck, to your head, and if I really want to be ugly, right across your face, and you get the point.

SB: It’s all about control.

RC: Absolutely.

SB: I understand you even held some things in Pilate’s quarters.

RC: Well, there was another way we controlled, too. You see, the high priest couldn’t do anything without his robes, and those robes were kept in the house of Pilate.

SB: So you actually had to bring the high priest’s robes to Jerusalem when he required them?

RC: I loved that. I loved when Pilate said he was going down to Jerusalem to show the face of Rome.

There was always this desire to push Rome out and there were always these pretenders saying that they were going to come in and take over. And Pilate said, “We are going down for the high holy days, the feast days, and we are going to show the face and the fist of Rome.”

SB: Tell me about this one special Passover week in Jerusalem.

RC: Well, my unholy pagan hands took the high priest’s robes down there so he could perform what he did, and he sent a servant, Malchus. And Malchus came and I said, “No, if he wants them, if the high priest wants them, let him come to me personally.” It is just a way of showing Rome’s power and control. When he came, when Caiaphas reached out to get his robes, I took one step back just to show him who was in charge. I’m always in charge wherever I am.

SB: Um, he came for his robes. It is Passover time. Tell me what took place.

RC: Well, as expected, there was trouble. One of my best soldiers was killed, and we had to show that there would be no one who would take Rome’s place. So we caught the people who had murdered my soldier and a couple of thieves, and we had plans for them on this Friday, just before their special day.

SB: Now, that is deliberate. You picked the holy day on purpose.

RC: Of course, because that is when the maximum number of people are going to be there, and we are going to put these people on crosses right outside the city—where everyone can see that if you cross Rome, that is the wrong thing to do.

SB: So you’ve caught the man, you’ve caught the perpetrator?

RC: Yes, Barabbas, son of the father. He and a couple of his compatriots, we were going to crucify them.

SB: How did things transpire?

RC: They changed. Thursday night there was a knock at the door, and here were some emissaries from the high priest at the temple. And you know what they said? They said, “We want to cooperate with Rome.”

Oh, yeah, sure, cooperate with Rome, right! I smelled a rat right away.

But they said, “There is an insurrectionist, somebody who claims to be the Messiah, the one who is going to take over, and we want you to come help us capture Him.”

SB: That must have gotten your attention a little bit.

RC: Anyone who says they are going to take over is my enemy. I’m in charge. Pilate is in charge. These people had to learn that, so we couldn’t ignore it. But now, look, look at my robes, my armor. Do I look like I do night duty?

SB: No, sir. You look like you are high-ranking.

RC: That is exactly right. And so I picked a younger centurion. It would be good for his career, Marcus.

I said, “Marcus, you go with them.”

SB: Right.

RC: And you come and report to me the first watch in the morning. That is six o’clock.

There he was, but Shawn, there was something different about Marcus. He told me the story of going to a garden and taking this Jesus, and he told me this wild story about tying Jesus’ hands like I had taught him. And suddenly, this fisherman fellow, Peter, I think his name was, whipped out a little knife and tried to kill Malchus, the high priest’s servant.

SB: Wow.

RC: Peter cut off Malchus’ right ear.

My response is, “Well, cut off both ears. I don’t care.”

But he said that Jesus’ hands became free and He reached out, and Shawn, he said He reached down and picked up that severed ear and put it back on. Do you believe that?

SB: Now that is something you’ve never seen. That is not something you come across on the battlefield.

RC: And I thought, “This man has been drinking,” but he hadn’t.

And he said, “Sir, now they have this man, this Jesus who did this, and He is out there, and the people are saying that Pilate must judge him.”

SB: Your man was changed when he saw this thing happen.

RC: He asked to be relieved and I went out. That is when I first saw this Jesus.

SB: You saw him yourself?

RC: Of course.

SB: And what was your impression of Jesus when you saw him?

RC: I expected some wild-eyed crazy man, like Barabbas, but He wasn’t. Marcus told me that He’d been taken to the house of Annis and the house of Caiaphas, and he told me He’d been beaten there, and He really showed it. He was really badly beaten.

There was something dignified about this man. There was something about Him that was unlike any man I’d ever met.

SB: You were there. You were there for the judgments.

RC: Yes, I was. Pilate went out to the people, and he talked with this Jesus, and he went back to them and he said, “I find no fault in Him.” They were livid!

They began to scream and howl and they said, “He says that He is a king!”

Well, now that got Pilate’s attention.

SB: Sure.

RC: Pilate went and I was standing right there and he said to Jesus, “Are you a king?”

And Jesus squared his shoulder and He said, “For this I was born into the world. Did someone else tell you this or have you found it for yourself?”

Pilate stood back and Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I am a king, but my kingdom is not of this world.”

“Truth!”

Pilate said, “What is truth?”

And he went back out and he said, “I find no fault in this man.”

SB: So even though he is taken aback, he is ready to let him go.

RC: Of course, but then they started to scream, “He has stirred up trouble all through Galilee,” and at that word I knew what was going to happen.

Pilate said, “Is He from Galilee?”

“Yes,” they said, “He is from Galilee.”

Pilate turned to me and he said, “Longinus?”

RC: “Yes, sir. I took him to Herod. Herod was first happy to see Him.”

He said, “I wanted to see you.

He said, “I’ve heard you’ve done miracles.” Now that miracle thing…

SB: The ear?

RC: Yes. And I said, “Well, now let’s see what happens.”

Herod brought in some people who needed to be healed and he said, “If you’ll heal these people, I’ll let you go.”

And then he said, “I have the right to have you killed,” which he didn’t, “or I can release you.”

And you know what Shawn? Jesus looked at this man and He never said a word to Herod, not a word.

SB: He didn’t respond to the King?

RC: The King became unhinged. He was beaten again at the house of Herod, and we took Him back to Pilate. Pilate wasn’t too happy, but then the people began to scream more. Pilate began to smirk.

He said, “Oh, you want blood, do you? Well, if it is blood you want, it is blood you’ll get.”

And he turned to me and he said one word, “Scorpion.”

SB: Scorpion. Now, where I come from, I live near the desert. It is an arachnid. It is a little bug.

RC: No, this is a Roman scorpion that has leather with lead in it.

SB: Why?

RC: Because you put both hands on the handle and you take a prisoner and you tie his hands up above his head. You strip every piece of cloth off the body and you begin to slap this across the back. It is not just a hit. It is hit and rip. Hit and rip, diagonally, both directions.

SB: So you are not just trying lay welts on a man.

RC: Oh, no. The first few blows begin to raise welts. The next blow cuts the skin and the succeeding blows cut into the muscle tissue. You’ve heard the term excruciating?

SB: Yeah, absolutely.

RC: Well, this is the beginning of pain but not the end. After they whipped Him, my troops, they had heard this Jesus called a king, and so they began to mock Him.

And they said, “Well, if He is a king, He’s got to have a crown, and He’s got to have a robe.”

And so that is what they gave Him, a crown of thorns.

SB: This is the crown they gave Jesus.

RC: That is right. And they pressed this into his bleeding back, and then I brought Him out, and Pilate said, “Behold the man, ‘ecce homo,’ look at Him. Isn’t that enough?”

And they began to scream, and they said, “He must die because He claims to be the Son of God.”

I saw Pilate go as white as his toga.

SB: Now it is not just a Jewish issue.

RC: Oh, no. And at that time his wife, Claudia Procula, motioned to me. She gave me this little scroll. She said, “Take it to Pilate immediately.”

Now, Shawn, you are not supposed to do this, but I’ve learned to read the boss’ mail. I can read upside down, and when he unrolled that scroll, in her fine script she had written, “Have nothing to do with this righteous Man. I’ve suffered much in a dream about Him.”

SB: Now that is important isn’t it, the dream?

RC: Pilate believed in dreams, so much so that he had it on his coins. She was saying to him, “Don’t have anything to do with this man.”

SB: Amazing. So this isn’t just a bad night’s sleep for Pilate, this is big.

RC: This is beyond big.

SB: What did Pilate do?

RC: He tried. He wanted to release Jesus. I could see that. Finally, when he saw he couldn’t, he asked for water. He began to wash his hands, but you see, it was more than just washing his hands. He was quoting one of their scrolls right back in their face.

SB: Psalms, the Book of Psalms.

RC: Yes. The Book of Psalms says (Psalm 26:6):

“I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about your altar, O Lord.”

Don’t you see it? He was saying they were more unrighteous than he.

SB: Ah, Longinus, there was another whipping again.

RC: Yes.

SB: Then Jesus is taken to the cross. That is a Roman execution. Tell me about the crucifixion process.

RC: It’s very simple and yet profound. We picked it up from the Persians. It takes only four thing: One hammer and three nails. The shorter nails were driven right there.

SB: Yeah, let me pause for a moment, because I’ve heard many people say Jesus was crucified in the hand.

RC: We Romans consider anything from here down to be the hand.

SB: Okay.

RC: The nail here would tear out. You see, crucifixion is meant to be something that takes a long time, so that the pain is added and the pain goes on and on. And so the short nail goes right through there, because the median nerve goes through there, and the idea is to split that nerve with the nail so that any motion sets the arm on fire, and the hand goes into a claw.

With the long nail, the feet are placed over each other and this goes right through the arch, and these are bent and the elbows are bent. That is what crucifixion is.

SB: And what happens to the victim?

RC: If they are strong, they can last two, maybe three days. They die of exposure, die of thirst, and in some cases if we break their legs, their body weight sags and kills them.

SB: Longinus, you stood at the cross. Jesus is hanging there, a nail in each hand, a nail through the feet. He’s hanging there in agony, you’ve seen it many times before, but you also heard Him speak something on the cross, and it was different, wasn’t it?

RC: It started when they were nailing Him. They stretched His arms out. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

He was praying for the people nailing Him, praying for them. When they raised the cross and dropped it into the hole, you could hear the flesh tear when it hit. I heard Him speak.

One of the thieves began to curse and swear. He said, “If you are who you say are, come down from the cross and save yourself and us.”

The other thief said, “We deserve what we are getting.”

And he turned to Jesus and he said, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

He is on the cross and Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, you will be with Me in my kingdom.”

And I saw Jesus change this thief on the cross.

SB: The sky turned dark.

RC: In the middle of the day, it was like a candle went out. That is a sign. It is an omen. See, we Romans believe in signs in the sky. And the light in the sky went out at noon.

SB: You know, Longinus, it is very interesting what you said. We often, in my culture, read the Bible through the eyes of well, a Westerner. But you are saying it spoke to a Roman.

RC: It spoke to me. I told my people, “Be careful. Be vigilant!”

They were terrified, too.

He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

He said, “It is finished.”

See, this all took place about three o’clock, and He raised up on those nails and with a loud voice He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit!”

And I watched His head drop, and I watched as His chin hit His chest. He was dead, and the minute that happened, Shawn, that midnight-black sky at three o’clock in the afternoon was cut with a bolt of lightning like I’ve never seen. The Earth began to shake. All omens.

SB: And what are you thinking? Tell me what you are thinking when you saw this take place.

RC: There was a clap of thunder, then silence following that thunder. I heard my own voice cry out, “This was God’s Son!”

I’d committed high treason, to the son of the gods, Caesar, but not this man on the cross. My troops were stunned. They dared not say a word. They gambled for His clothing.

People came and they said the high holy days were nearly here. These bodies must come down from the crosses. I took a spear and I jammed it into His side and now His blood was on my hands. The blood of God’s son is on my hands. Do you know what that is like?

SB: I think I do. Longinus, what happened next?

RC: I reported not to Herod, but to Pilate. I thought it was finished, but Shawn, it wasn’t finished. It was just beginning. I didn’t sleep well that night. I kept dreaming, “Father, forgive them…”

When they came, the authorities said, “He said that He would come back from the dead, and we are afraid that they will steal His body and say that He came back from the dead. We need a guard.”

I volunteered.

So I led the troops there. Saturday night we talked about where we were going to retire. We talked about army food. We talked about all kinds of things and I guess I must have dozed off, because early Sunday morning it was still dark.

The earth began to shake, just like it did when He died. And out of the darkness, like when He died, there was light. It wasn’t lightning, but it was a being streaking from the sky, an omen, a being coming out of the sky, and it came right to that tomb. I had sealed that tomb with this ring. I had sealed it myself, and if you break the Seal of Rome, you die on the spot.

And this being looked at that seal and looked at that tomb and just rolled away the stone that it had taken six of my men to put in place. I was terrified. I was even more terrified when I looked, and out of that tomb came Jesus, alive. Instinctively, I reached for my sword. You see, this represents power. What am I going to do, kill a man who is dead and then came back to life?

Shawn, I looked into His eyes, and I knew He had the right to take my life. And He did.

SB: But Jesus doesn’t kill, Longinus

RC: No, no, no, no, no. He didn’t kill me. But He took my life. I’m a believer, Shawn. He took my life of trying to save myself, and He gave me a greater power, because Shawn, it wasn’t my nails that held him there, it was my sin and yours. He gave me a new life, and I’m still a soldier, but I’m a soldier for Christ. I still wear the same sandals, but Shawn, now I don’t walk on mercy, I walk in mercy.

SB: Longinus, thank you for the time you took today. Thank you so much.

RC: Thank Him. I do, for what He has done.

SB: At the crucifixion of Jesus, some important questions were asked and Pilate was the one who asked them. They are important because they can change your life, just like the centurion who stood at the foot of the cross.

So let me ask them right now. Pilate asked about the nature of truth, suggesting that we can’t really know what it is, and that kind of resonates with a lot of people living in the 21st century. But there is such a thing as truth, and you find it clearly modeled in the life of Jesus Christ.

Have you found truth? Would you like to find it? Pilate asked the crowd if Jesus was their king, and I’m asking you the same thing today. Right now, is Jesus your king?

And then the most important question of all: What are you going to do with Jesus? You see, once you’ve met Him, once you’ve heard His story, and you’ve thought about your life, you have to make a choice. On the one hand, you could join the crowd and call for His crucifixion.

You could reject Jesus and wish He were out of your life, but when the darkness falls across your life like it fell across the whole planet that fateful afternoon, what are you going to fall back on? Where are you going to go? What are you going to do with the sins that have ruined your life?

There is another choice, a smart one that will change your life. You can accept Christ—accept who He is and what He is trying to do with your life. Frankly, I can’t think of a single good reason not to make that choice, can you?

Why don’t we pray about it together?

PRAYER:
Father in heaven, as we look at Jesus on the cross and know that He came back from that cross, we understand that He hung there for our sins. It is our prayer today that we would have the courage to say yes. This is our Lord. I believe this is the Son of God. Father, we lay our sins at the feet of Jesus, asking for forgiveness, asking that He teach us to walk in mercy. For I ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.

To learn more about Richard Stenbakken and his DVD series, please visit www.dickstenbakken.com.

Scriptures Used in “The Roughest Man in Town (The Centurion)”

“I will wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about your altar, O Lord.”
—Psalm 26:6