Mark 15:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Though he did not prevent his men from mocking with the chief priests, he refrained from joining in the derision himself. According to St. Mark’s account (Mark 15:39), the centurion stood facing the cross at the moment Jesus surrendered His spirit, likely witnessing not only the final utterances but also the countenance of the God-man. The powerful proclamations of Jesus on the brink of death astonished him. Deducing from these that Jesus had extraordinary physical fortitude, he attributed His unexpected death to the favor of the gods, who sought to relieve their favorite of His anguish. Finally, the earth-shaking catastrophe dispelled the last remnants of uncertainty in the centurion’s heart, unveiling his faith with clarity and vigor. Acknowledging with the other soldiers that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, he did not stop at a mere confession but glorified God aloud (Mk. 15:39), recognizing how supremely He demonstrates that eventually He rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness, sometimes allowing the righteous to suffer and even die, yet revealing that their hope is rooted in everlasting life (Prem. 3:4). This swift transition from fear and astonishment to the glorification of God indicates that the centurion had previously harbored piety and was dignified enough to stand guard at Christ's cross. There is no doubt that the declaration ‘Son of God’ held no more weight in his mouth than it had for Pilate; however, ancient tradition posits that Longinus, as the centurion was named, ultimately acknowledged Jesus as the true Son of God and affirmed his testimony with his own blood on Calvary. The Church commemorates his martyrdom on October 16. The centurion’s proclamation brought an end to the immediate impact of the terrible signs on those around Jesus’ cross. Yet, did these miraculous events have no bearing on the chief priests and Jewish elders—the very individuals who, in their frenzy, had orchestrated the Lord of glory’s crucifixion? Regrettably, this crucial inquiry can only be met with a negative response. While the heavens darkened, the earth quaked, stones crumbled, tombs opened, and the dead arose, the chief priests were preoccupied with the propriety of the upcoming feast, which dictated that the bodies of the crucified should not linger before triumphant Jerusalem—conspiring instead about how to hasten the demise of the forsaken!—and plotting to further disgrace Jesus by interring His body among the wicked. This reveals an appalling mindset that fails to regard the worth of humanity, unwilling to witness the presence of those deserving of eternal damnation! “Such,” exclaims St. Chrysostom, “is the power of envy! The adversaries of Jesus Christ irrevocably condemned themselves through their own malignity.” Yet, the hearts of the chief priests and scribes were not only ensnared by envy; they were also shackled by a superstitious loyalty to the traditions of their ancestors, which Jesus consistently condemned as malicious. Their hearts were filled with greed, and oppression of their community, which He often denounced; alongside enmity and malice, they were burdened with the shame of standing before the people as murderers of the Messiah, or at least of a prophet. These numerous vices—so rightly termed by the Holy Fathers as demons—demonstrate the blind and hardened condition that plagued hearts long resistant to truth and virtue, devoted instead to fanaticism or baseness, transforming their religion into a means for their basest desires! Historically, figures like Pharaoh, Dathan, and Abiram illustrated the stubbornness and blindness now displayed by the elders of the Jews. An evil heart is perpetually inventive in its rationalizations against the clearest truths, particularly when those truths are intolerable. What could be more intolerable to Jesus’ persecutors than His Divine dignity? A long-standing repertoire of objections was already embedded in the scribes and Pharisees’ minds regarding the miracles of Jesus; they could similarly apply that same skepticism to the miraculous occurrences accompanying Jesus’ death. They blindly interpreted the evident signs—not as divine interventions—but as acts of malevolent forces that lamented the loss of their blasphemy, claiming Jesus to be their representation (Mark 3:22; Matthew 9:34; Luke 11:15). The Sadducees, who dismissed the notion of spirits and immortality, found little significance in the signs since, in their view, human existence ceased at death. The signs had no impact on Jesus’ fate: His body remained on the cross, wounds exposed; He endured all manner of humiliation. “It is a clear sign,” they might contend, “that the darkening of the sun and the quake had nothing to do with Jesus’ demise.” Moreover, none of these signs caused harm to any of Jesus’ adversaries; they remained alive, unscathed, unharmed—further evidence to the hardened that these signs were non-divine, not meant for Jesus’ cause; recalling historical events, they noted that those who angered God typically faced immediate death. The fact that God’s omnipotence spared them—granting them time to repent—conflicted with the nature of the Messiah Redeemer, who does not exact vengeance on His personal foes through execution. Such thoughts were beyond Caiaphas, who could barter the office of high priest for mere silver yet could not attain true understanding of God’s nature and His perfections, nor of the Messiah and His divine mission in the world. It is essential to remember that the most striking sign following Jesus’ death—the resurrection of the dead—had yet to be made known. Should anyone find the obstinacy of the chief priests baffling, they must realize that while history cannot penetrate the inner heart, it gauges individuals by their actions; and often, those actions do not accurately convey the heart’s condition. Many who initially opposed the humbled Jesus will remain foes of the glorified Jesus until the end, and although visible changes may not immediately manifest in their lives, this does not imply a lack of transformation within their hearts. Let us imagine that even Caiaphas’ heart trembled at the thought, “Could the signs at Golgotha truly be from God?” Without a total shift in his mindset, a clever subterfuge might compel the haughty, carnally devoted Sadducee (Acts 5:17) to suppress his doubts and persist, even against his own conscience, in the path he had so solemnly embarked upon, grudgingly following the unfolding events. After the Lord ascended to heaven, history reflects a notable shift in how the chief priests treated Christianity: they grew less brutal towards the apostles and less resolute in their pursuit of Christians. It is likely that this behavioral change (although still ambiguous) preceded some alteration in their beliefs. Furthermore, after the Ascension of the Lord, it is reported that a number of Jewish priests embraced Christianity (Acts 6:7), despite the knowledge that the priestly class was primarily responsible for persecuting Jesus. What prompted these individuals to believe in the Crucified One? Likely, it was not only news of Jesus’ resurrection but also the extraordinary signs they had witnessed.

And now, a Gentile repenting, a Gentile understanding the mystery of salvation, represents the greatest wonder in moral existence. As the Lord Jesus stated, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things unto Myself” (John 12:32). And now He fulfills this promise through the Gentile centurion! How did this transformation occur? The centurion was moved to praise God upon witnessing the extraordinary events surrounding Jesus’ death. What prompted this acknowledgment? He was deeply struck by two aspects: the remarkable nature of Jesus’ death and the divine miracles that followed. St. Mark notes that as the centurion stood in stark opposition to Him, he uttered words of reverence. The centurion's stance was not driven by mere curiosity or cold indifference. Rather, he stood with a sincere respect for the truth. As he observed the final moments of Jesus, many preceding occurrences had captivated his attention — Jesus’ foretelling of Jerusalem’s tragic fate, His prayer for His executioners, His calmness in the face of hostility, and His response to the repentant thief. These instances struck him as extraordinary.

The centurion had witnessed countless individuals die on the cross and through other means of execution; he had seen how the wretched faced death and how those mindful of their eternal fate departed this life. Now, he stood before the crucified Christ and watched Him pass away. To the centurion, Jesus did not merely die; He did so with a remarkable tranquility and freedom of spirit. His powerful words expressing devotion to God the Father signaled not exhaustion but the fullness of life, embodying a pure and noble soul. The centurion thought to himself, “This is not the death of an ordinary man; good men do not die like this.” Trembling with fear, he perceived the earthquake and the wonders that accompanied Jesus’ last moments, which filled him with reverence and conquered his heart for the truth. He quaked in anticipation, contemplating whether the wrath of God might not also be directed at him for his role in the crucifixion. In glorifying God, the centurion recognized and proclaimed the truth about Jesus Christ. According to scriptural understanding, to glorify God is to reveal divine truth to humanity in accordance with His majesty and reverence for the God of truth. Joshua instructed Achar, ‘My son, give glory this day to the Lord God of Israel — and tell me what you have done’ (Nav. 7:19). Similarly, the Pharisees urged the healed blind man to declare his truth: “Give glory to God” (John 9:24). This is what it means to speak truthfully in the language of God’s revelation. On the contrary, one can clearly see what it means to utter falsehoods. According to St. Luke, the centurion made the declaration: “In truth this man is righteous.” However, the accounts of Matthew and Mark elaborate further, stating that he proclaimed, “In truth this man is the Son of God.” The centurion not only perceived Jesus as innocent of the charges against Him, an acknowledgment shared by Pilate, but also recognized Him as the Righteous One. Moreover, he saw Him as the Son of God. In what sense did he declare Jesus as the Son of God? His assertion, “In truth this man is righteous,” serves to rebuke Pilate, who condemned the Righteous One. Likewise, by asserting, “In truth this man is the Son of God,” he vocally opposed the Sanhedrin, which denounced the notion of Jesus as the Son of God as blasphemy deserving death. The centurion now held a contrary view. He acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God in the very manner the Sanhedrin often did — recognizing in Him a divine being who commands nature with authority. As Blessed Jerome stated, the centurion, while confronting the cross, confesses the Son of God, yet Arius, in the Church, proclaims a mere creature. St. Gregory of Nyssa notes that we Cappadocians have chosen leaders who have boldly professed the Lord’s divinity during times of trial. What a profound expression of faith! The martyrdom of St. Longinus, of which St. Chrysostom was aware, is commemorated by the Church on 16 October. Those who were alongside him, upon witnessing the centurion’s conviction, were filled with fear, as illustrated by St. Matthew. The Gospel writers Mark and Luke attribute this profound confession about Jesus solely to the centurion and do not mention the soldiers. In following the centurion's example, the soldiers were filled with awe. The God who shook the earth became known to them, even though they had not honored the God of Israel (Romans 1:19). While they had performed some righteous acts before the cross of Christ, they also committed numerous injustices. The trembling earth compelled them to reflect upon their actions, leading them to understand that it was a grave affront to their conscience and souls to have mocked Jesus Christ. They should have safeguarded themselves from any unjust judgments against Him, especially in light of the evident malevolence of His adversaries. They ought to have heeded the innate law written upon their hearts (Romans 2:14), but were instead led astray by their desires — self-interest, the pursuit of the approval of the strongest, their own cruelty, and distractions, all while disregarding the reality of divine judgment that looms over all wickedness.

overwhelmed by the divine phenomena surrounding His death, echoed, “Truly this son of God is the Son of God.” While this proclamation may not have represented a fully conscious acknowledgment of Christ's divinity as declared by the Lord Himself, it nonetheless expressed a genuine and profound sentiment from the lips of these Gentiles, which ultimately guided the centurion and the soldiers toward authentic faith in Christ.

Traditionally, this centurion is known as Longinus. After witnessing Christ’s agonies upon the cross and the earthquake at His resurrection, along with the angel rolling back the stone from the tomb, Longinus came to a complete belief in Christ alongside the two soldiers who were with him, becoming a herald of the resurrection by sharing these events with Pilate and the Jewish high priests. However, when the chief priests, having bribed the soldiers to conceal the truth of the resurrection, sought to also bribe Longinus, he resolutely refused and declined to remain silent about what he had witnessed. Longinus and the two soldiers left the military, were baptized by the holy apostles, and retreated to Cappadocia, where he led many to Christianity. Ultimately, he was martyred by beheading for his faith in Christ, along with his companions.