Luke 23:47Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, it was not solely that the foundations of the earthly realm were shaken when the high priests lacked faith: rather, the old foundations quaked, and new ones were to be laid, as He Himself declared, I will establish her pillars (Ps 74:4).

15:39) by the extraordinary signs, likely influenced by the procurator's remarks about Jesus' righteousness and His remarkable statements during His journey to Golgotha and from the cross. Although he did not stop his men from mocking alongside the chief priests, he refrained from joining in the ridicule. St. Mark notes (Mark 15:39) that the centurion was positioned directly in front of the cross when Jesus surrendered His spirit, likely witnessing not only the final words but also the countenance of the God-man. The forceful cries of Jesus before His death astonished him, leading him to believe that His death stemmed from divine favor, intended to relieve their cherished Sufferer from agony. Ultimately, the violent earthquake dispelled any lingering uncertainties within the centurion, illuminating his faith in its entirety. Acknowledging with his fellow soldiers that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, he did not remain merely in silent acknowledgment but proclaimed praises to God (Mk. 15:39), who dramatically demonstrated to humanity that He ultimately rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness, permitting injustice toward the upright, even death, yet revealing the immortality of their hope even in their demise (Eccl. 3:4). This immediate shift from fear and awe to the glorification of God signifies that the centurion had already possessed piety and was thus deemed worthy to stand guard at Christ’s cross. It is assured that when he exclaims "Son of God" it bore the same significance as Pilate’s acknowledgment. However, ancient tradition holds that Longinus, the centurion, later recognized Jesus as the true Son of God and confirmed his conviction through his own blood upon Calvary. The Church honors his suffering on October 16. The centurion’s declaration culminated the visible impact of the awe-inspiring signs on the hearts of the onlookers at the cross of Jesus. Yet, one must ponder whether these miraculous occurrences reached the hearts of the chief priests and elders, the very individuals whose madness had caused the Lord of glory to be crucified. Sadly, this crucial question must be answered in the negative. As darkness enveloped the skies, the earth quaked, stones shattered, graves opened, and the dead arose, the chief priests remained preoccupied with the necessity of ensuring that the bodies of the executed did not linger before the triumphant city of Jerusalem, plotting instead to hasten the burial of the wretched and to further shame Jesus by unwittingly consigning His body among the wicked. Such a state is indeed lamentable to a heart that loves humanity and detests the presence of the unrighteous among men. St. Chrysostom laments, "Such is the power of envy! The foes of Christ condemned themselves through their malevolence." Their hearts were not only consumed by envy; they were also gripped by a superstitious adherence to ancestral traditions, which were often denounced by Christ as deceitful. They were motivated by a lust for gain, accompanied by oppression of their neighbors, which Christ frequently condemned; additionally, personal animosity and contempt persisted within them, compounded by the shame of being recognized as the murderers of the Messiah or, at the very least, of a prophet. Thus, many vices, which the Holy Fathers rightfully refer to as passions, blinded and hardened their hearts, long callous towards truth and goodness, and bent towards fanaticism and fleshly desires, using religion as a façade for their base inclinations. The stubbornness and blindness exhibited by the Jewish elders echoed that of Pharaoh, Dathan, and Abiron from ages past. The wicked heart continually churns out excuses against overt truths whenever they threaten its comforts. How could the affirmations of Christ's divine nature possibly be tolerated by His accusers? They harbored an extensive repertoire of counterarguments against the miracles of Jesus, and the same arguments could be wielded against the phenomena that accompanied His suffering. Some of these crass malefactors would wrongly attribute the miraculous signs to dark forces, believed to be in mourning over their lost influence personified in Jesus (Mark 3:22; Matt. 9:34; Luke 11:15). For the Sadducees, who denied the existence of spirits and the immortality of the soul, the signs lost significance upon Christ's death, adhering to their doctrine that death marked the end of all. No tangible change occurred in Jesus' circumstances; His body remained on the cross, bloodied and dishonored. The scribes would interpret these signs as evident proof that the darkness and earthquake had nothing to do with His passing. Additionally, none of Jesus' adversaries perished in the wake of these signs; they all continued unscathed and undisturbed, further illustrating to the uncaring hearts that these occurrences bore no divine provenance. In their historical recollections, they noted that when individuals angered God, they were struck dead swiftly. Although God's omnipotence spared them now, affording them time for repentance, such understanding was beyond Caiaphas, who could secure the high priesthood with silver but could not attain genuine knowledge of God and His righteousness, nor grasp the true significance of the Messiah's mission. It is vital to remember that the most remarkable of the signs following Christ's death—the resurrection of the dead—had not yet come to light. If anyone still finds the hard-heartedness of the chief priests perplexing, it must be noted that while history records actions, it cannot discern the innermost motives; actions do not always align with the heart's condition, nor do they always reflect the true state of one’s spirit. Many who opposed the humble Jesus may remain unwilling opponents of the glorified Christ; their outward lives may not reflect a transformation, yet this does not imply that their inner selves have not shifted. It is plausible that Caiaphas wrestled internally with doubts concerning the divine nature of the Golgotha signs. Yet, without a considerable shift in his perspective, a mere pretense would compel the arrogant Sadducee (Acts 5:17) to suppress his reservations and persist in his previously initiated course, whether willingly or reluctantly. After Christ ascended to heaven, historical accounts reveal a notable change in the chief priests’ demeanor towards the apostles of Christianity; they exhibited less cruelty and were less determined in their persecutions. This behavioral alteration—though still ambiguous—was likely preceded by a transformation in thought. Furthermore, many Jewish priests embraced Christianity after the Lord's Ascension (Acts 6:7), despite the fact that they had vehemently opposed Him. What motivated these individuals to profess faith in the Crucified? It was probably a combination of the news of His resurrection along with the formidable signs they had personally witnessed.

Jesus proclaimed, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32), and indeed, He fulfilled this promise in the heart of the Gentile centurion. How did this transformation come about? When the centurion beheld the former events, he glorified God. What led the centurion to honor God? Two profound experiences struck him at the cross of Jesus—Christ's extraordinary passing and the wonders that accompanied His death. St. Mark records that when the centurion stood facing Him, he cried out. The centurion stood firm, gazing upon the crucified Lord. What was his mindset? Was he driven by mere curiosity? Or was it a detached pridefulness toward Jesus? Neither was true of him. He was there, observing the actions of Jesus Christ, filled with a respectful love for the truth. In the centurion’s eyes, many events leading up to Jesus' final moments were anything but ordinary and captivated him. The predictions Jesus made concerning the tragic fate of Jerusalem, His plea for those who were executing Him, His calmness amid vile accusations, and His response to the penitent thief—all of these drew his focus. The centurion had witnessed numerous executions and the various ways people faced death; he had seen how wicked individuals relinquished their lives and how those who were aware of their eternal fates passed on. Now he stood before the crucified Jesus and observed His death. Jesus appeared to him to die not with despair, but with a liberated spirit; the remarkably strong voice with which He expressed His devotion to God the Father revealed fullness rather than weariness of life, a devotion characteristic of a pure and noble soul. And the centurion reflected: this is not the death of an ordinary man; typically, good men do not perish in this way.

He praised God, acknowledging and affirming the truth about Jesus Christ. To give glory to God, as understood in Scripture, entails revealing truth to humanity, aligning oneself with the awe of God's Majesty and the reverence due to the God of truth. In the book of Joshua, it is written, "My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel today, and tell me what you have done" (Joshua 7:10). Likewise, the Pharisees insisted that the blind man they healed confess fully, saying, "Give glory to God" (John 9:24). Thus, speaking truthfully signifies adhering to God's revelation! After this, one can discern what it means to speak falsely! According to St. Luke, the centurion confessed, “In truth this man is righteous.” According to the accounts of Matthew and Mark, he declared, “In truth this man is the Son of God.” The centurion was thus convinced of Jesus' innocence, like Pilate, who acknowledged: “In truth, this man is righteous,” echoing the words of Pilate's wife. Hence, the centurion not only recognized that Jesus Christ was unjustly condemned but also saw Him as the Righteous One. Moreover, he identified Jesus as the Son of God. In what manner did he refer to Jesus as the Son of God? When he declared, “In truth, this man is righteous,” he indirectly reproached Pilate, who had issued the death sentence against the Righteous One; similarly, when he proclaimed, “In truth this man is the Son of God,” he clearly opposed the Sanhedrin. They had branded this claim as blasphemy against God, a crime deserving execution. But the centurion was now persuaded otherwise. He acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God in the very sense that the Sanhedrin had condemned Him; he recognized in Him a divine Being who commanding nature with authority. Blessed Jerome noted that at the very moment of the cross, the centurion confessed the Son of God, while Arius later preached of a created being within the Church. St. Gregory of Nyssa mentions that we Cappadocians chose as our bishop one who affirmed the divinity of the Lord even amid suffering. What remarkable faith! The Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. Longinus the centurion on October 16, a detail acknowledged by St. Chrysostom. Those who were with him, witnessing the cowardice of the others, were struck with horror, as stated by St. Matthew. The evangelists Mark and Luke attribute this profound acknowledgment of Jesus solely to the centurion, making no mention of the soldiers. The soldiers, influenced by the centurion's example, were filled with fear and amazement. The God who shook the earth was also familiar to them, despite their lack of reverence for the God of Israel (Romans 1:19). They had performed some good deeds before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ but had also committed many wrongs. The trembling of the earth startled them, turning their thoughts toward heaven and their own condition. They realized that it was a grave offense to their conscience and their souls that they had mocked Jesus Christ; they should have protected themselves from any unfavorable judgment against Him, especially considering the evident malice of His adversaries. Their duty was to heed the law inscribed upon their hearts (Romans 2:14), yet they were swayed by their desires—self-interest, the wish to appease the strongest malice, their own cruelty, indulgence—forgetting that beyond earthly matters lies a heavenly judgment, always certain and fearsome to all unrighteousness.

Notably, he is the only one to record the dying words of Jesus: "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit." Additionally, he emphasizes that the supernatural events at Christ's death impacted not just those who had physically passed away but also the onlookers. It was not only the centurion who was moved by these wonders, but also "all the people who had come together at this spectacle, seeing what had happened, returned, beating their chests."

ken by the extraordinary occurrences that accompanied His death, declared, “Truly this was the Son of God.” This proclamation, while not a comprehensive acknowledgment of Christ's divinity as articulated by the Lord Himself, nonetheless conveyed a genuine and profound sentiment from the lips of these Gentiles. Such feelings eventually guided the centurion and the two soldiers toward authentic and complete faith in Christ. According to tradition, the centurion was named Longinus. After witnessing the events surrounding Christ's passion on the cross, the earthquake at the moment of His resurrection, and the appearance of the angel who rolled away the stone from the tomb entrance, Longinus firmly came to believe in Christ along with the two soldiers and became a herald of His resurrection, recounting these events to Pilate and the Jewish high priests. Yet when the chief priests bribed the soldiers to hide the truth of the resurrection and sought to corrupt Longinus as well, he not only refused to comply but also felt compelled to share his testimony of the events he had seen. Leaving military service with the two soldiers, Longinus was baptized by the holy apostles and traveled to Cappadocia, where he successfully led many to the faith in Christ. There, he was martyred for the name of Christ by beheading alongside his companions.