The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 23:46-47, “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last. Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’”

Were you ever at a sporting event where the player, who was touted as the best man on the team, made nothing but blunder after blunder? And you yelled against him as loudly as possible, until you learned that the man seated nearby you was that “blundering player’s” father. Ouch!

It must have been something like that with the centurion, although this situation was much more serious than a sports event. It was an execution!

A Centurion, as the title implies, was commander of 100 Roman soldiers. Do to the relentless outcry of the Jewish leaders, Pilate, the Roman governor, ordered the execution of Jesus. The Jews screamed at Pilate, claiming that if he released Jesus, he was no friend of Caesar. Pilate, therefore, submitted to the Jews. And this resulted in both Jews and Gentiles sharing sinful blame for Jesus’ crucifixion and death.

If you have ever read a death certificate, in contains both the attending physician’s notations as to the cause of death and his signature. Luke was a physician, and he notes the dying, verbal cry of the LORD Jesus, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.”

Standing nearby, and hearing Jesus cry to His Heavenly Father, the centurion was moved to praise the LORD. He realized that Jesus was truly innocent of the wrongs the Jews had brought against Him. Further, the centurion saw himself as wrong, despite the fact that he was obeying orders in carrying out this crucifixion.

We are not specifically told whether the centurion’s praise of God constituted a personal commitment to Christ Jesus. Still, he was moving in the right direction. He did, however, clearly declare Jesus’ innocence, when he openly said, “Certainly, this man was innocent.” Still, “praising God” and openly declaring Jesus’ innocence, does not specifically constitute a salvation experience. There are multitudes of church-going people today, who avow Jesus’ purity and innocence, and purport to sing His praises, yet they have never committed themselves to Him, making Him Lord of their lives.

I guess the big question is: Have you? Have you committed your life to Christ? Have you believed upon His death and resurrection? Have you believed His power can forgive your sins? It’s not “rocket science!” The Bible is very clear: “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31). “Saved” means “sins forgiven.”

With every commitment there is a promise. Your commitment is to believe! His promise is to forgive your sin. Believe He can do it, and He does it! “Too simple,” you say? Well, it has to be to include all age-groups. Just be certain that you don’t stumble over the simplicity. Trust Him today –then let me hear from you that you did!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please find attached the basic outline of Luke’s Gospel.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”