Matthew 27:54-56

Matthew 27:54-56

And after the centurion and the ones who kept watch over Jesus with Him saw the earthquake and the things that became, they were being made greatly afraid while saying, “Truly the Son of God was this one.”  And many women, who followed Jesus from Galilee while serving him, were there while observing from a distance.  Among whom there were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I find it incredibly interesting who it is that takes notice of God’s hand at work.  The centurions and the guards are the ones who take notice.  It isn’t the religious leaders who take in the symbolism.  It isn’t the Sanhedrin that pieces together God’s hand at work.  It is the Gentile centurion and his associates who look around and realize something is happening.  Often the ones who are reached by God at the very ones that we would assume would remain oblivious to Him.

Have you ever been surprised by someone who caught onto God’s action when you didn’t think they were paying attention?  Have you ever been caught off guard by God when you weren’t really paying attention to Him?

Second Thought:

One of the things that I absolutely love about this passage is the confession of these men.  Many modern English Bibles translate their words to say, “This one was the Son of God.”  But the technical Greek word order is, “The Son of God was this one.”  The emphasis isn’t on the Son of God!  The emphasis is on the person of Jesus.  They are locating the Son of God as the man hanging on the cross.  They are identifying the Son of God as Jesus.  This passage isn’t about identifying Jesus as the Son of God, it is about identifying the Son of God as Jesus!  Their eyes are opened to a new truth.

Do you believe that the Son of God is Jesus?  Why is it important to know who the Son of God is?

Third Thought:

Lastly, we see that there are women following Jesus.  In fact, they’ve followed Jesus since He was in Galilee.  They’ve been ministering to Him.  They’ve probably been responsible for feeding Him, keeping a roof over His head, and doing the mundane things of life so that He doesn’t need to do them.  They don’t want to be around Jesus like a cult fan follows a rock star.  They want to be around Jesus so that He can do what He was called to do.  I think that this is exactly why they are at the cross, too.

Whom do you serve so that they can focus on ministry?  Who is serving you so that your ministry can be enhanced?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 27:57-61