Nougat 28

Is there anything left that can surprise us? Imagine being a Roman officer in Jesus’ day and meeting Jesus. Could you be surprised? Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23:47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What drives someone from being chief executor to fearless worshipper? We don’t have the backstory to know the extent of the officer’s involvement in the crucifixion, but we can presume he was there from the ‘verdict’ was given. If that’s the case, then he would have been an eyewitness to Jesus’ last actions, words, and even the humiliation lobbied towards Jesus.

More so, he would have front seat to Jesus Himself, and despite the wounds it was obviously a powerful experience. Just think, the soldier, trained in observing and making assessments, watched every thing inflicted on Jesus and in light of Jesus’ response, concluded (rightly so) that Jesus was the innocent! And, having drawn his conclusions, convicted by his research; he was moved to worship.

WOW

If Jesus was impacting lives during His crucifixion; what ought we do in our current situations? It is a matter of integrity – personal and collective – (especially with all the mess occurring globally) that we live the faith we confess. That’s part of what we signed up for when we accepted Jesus as Lord. We have the perfect example in Jesus. Thus, when faced by opposition, we ought to convey our innocence and faith with our actions. Yes indeedy.

Of course, there’s another critical thing to glean from the soldier’s encounter with Jesus. Inasmuch as Jesus impressed the soldiers and transformed him into a true worshipper, we ought to learn from the soldier also. He was open to be impacted by Jesus. I know, I know – I’m preaching to the choir; we not only believe, but we are the ones who believe, having not seen Him (John 20:29). But is that a consistent Faith?

When Life happens, are we equally convinced of Jesus identity? Do we take full credit for achievements in our lives without acknowledging divine input? Are we taking God’s grace for granted? May our lives be so impacted by the fact of Christ’s divinity that we too become True Worshippers.

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May all we seek be found in Christ