The Centurion at the Foot of the Cross

by Max Lucado

The day began as had a hundred others—dreadfully. It was bad enough to be in Judea, but it was hell to spend hot afternoons on a rocky hill supervising the death of pickpockets and rabble-rousers. Half the crowd taunted, half cried. The soldiers griped. The priests bossed. It was a thankless job in a strange land. He was ready for the day to be over before it began.

He was curious at the attention given to the flatfooted peasant. He smiled as he read the sign that would go on the cross. The condemned looked like anything but a king. His face was lumpy and bruised. His back arched slightly and his eyes faced downward. “Some harmless hick,” mused the centurion. “What could he have done?”

Then Jesus raised his head. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t uneasy. His eyes were strangely calm as they stared from behind the bloody mask. He looked at those who knew him—moving deliberately from face to face as if he had a word for each.

You've Already Got It!

On March 23, 1968, I had a miraculous encounter with the Lord that changed my life forever.

Instantly, I received "revelation knowledge" that I'm still trying to understand and communicate today. This knowledge didn't come through the normal channels of study and education; the Spirit of God supernaturally imparted it to me.

When I came heart to heart with the Lord, I just knew things about Him intuitively. One of those revelations has become a mainstay for what the Lord has accomplished in my life, and it's one of the most important and foundational truths of the Gospel.

It's the knowledge that God has already done His part. 

When Jesus cried "It is finished"(John 19:30), He meant just that. His work on earth was done. The Atonement was complete. He provided everything we could ever need. We aren't waiting on Him to give; He is waiting on us to receive.