The Criminal and the Centurion
by Rev. Kirby Williams
The great significance of discerning and believing in the truth of the Crucifixion.
Text: Luke 23:47-49
Date: 02/22/2026, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 223
Description:
As we come upon the scene that forms the backdrop for our text, Jesus hangs lifeless on the Cross in the aftermath of the Crucifixion. Luke turns our attention to those who witnessed Christ's death and how they reacted. After seeing the amazing signs that surrounded His death, the holy darkness, the splitting of the veil of the Temple, and the dramatic change in Christ Himself-- a centurion praises God, the crowd goes away beating their breasts, and a group of followers stand afar off. We will notice the parallels in Luke's narrative of the groups he highlights both before and after the Crucifixion, effectively drawing attention to the most crucial focus of the event which is Christ Himself. We will notice that all of the people Luke mentions have one thing in common-- in different ways they all believed Jesus to be permanently dead and therefore in some way, not who He claimed to be. All except two that is-- the criminal and the centurion. We will delve deeply into what these two unlikely converts believed and then turn the question on ourselves: "What do you believe concerning the Crucifixion of Christ?"
View:
Options:
I. Introduction, 1Cor. 1:22-23.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 23:47-49.
A. Context
1. Cascading images, Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46.
2. Noticing the parallels.
B. The aftermath of the Cross.
1. The reaction of the centurion, vs. 47.
a. Praising God.
i. Noticing the comparison, Mark 15:39.
ii. Another inclusio, Luke 2:14, 20.
b. Recognizing righteousness, Luke 23:41.
i. Understanding the meaning of "innocent".
ii. What Luke is saying through the centurion, Isa. 53:11-12.
iii. What the centurion understands.
2. The reaction of the fickle crowd, vs. 48.
a. The mood of the crowd.
i. Looking at the words, Luke 18:13.
ii. An unexpected spectacle, Luke 23:34,40,43,46; Acts 2:36, 3:14-15.
b. The focus of the crowd, Luke 11:29, 23:47,48.
3. The reaction of "the followers", vs. 49.
a. The two groups.
i. The "acquaintances", Luke 2:44.
1) Who the acquaintances were NOT, John 19:27.
2) Who the acquaintances were.
ii. The women.
1) Identifying the women, Luke 8:2-3.
2) Ministering women.
3) The general impression of the women.
4) The caveat in Luke's Gospel.
b. Putting "the followers" in perspective.
i. Another faulty reaction.
ii. Missing the point.
1) The promise of the Resurrection, Luke 9:22, 18:33, 24:1.
2) Losing faith in the promises, Luke 24:17-21.
III. Application, Isa. 53:12.
A. The many who did not believe.
B. The two who did believe, Isa. 53:12.
IV. Conclusion, 1Cor, 1:22-24.
