Luke 23:47

Luke 23:47, in plain English

The Roman centurion who watched Jesus die is so moved that he praises God and says, 'Surely this was a righteous man.' A professional executioner recognized what the religious leaders couldn't.

Why it's here

The man in charge of killing Jesus is the first to publicly declare the truth about Him afterward. God's truth breaks through in the most unexpected people.

Who's speaking

The centurion speaks with genuine conviction, transformed by what he witnessed in Jesus' death.

Where it sits in the story

A Roman soldier — a man who killed people for a living — watches Jesus die and something breaks open inside him. 'This man was righteous.' The most unlikely witness becomes the first person to declare the truth about Jesus after the cross. God's truth has no boundaries.

The scholarly reading

The hekatontarchēs (centurion) — a Roman officer overseeing the execution — edoxazen ton theon (glorified God) and declared: 'Ontōs ho anthrōpos houtos dikaios ēn' (Certainly this man was righteous/innocent). Luke uniquely uses dikaios (righteous) where Mark has 'Son of God.'

Language and setting

Luke's use of dikaios (righteous/just) rather than Mark's 'Son of God' connects to a major Lukan theme: Jesus as the Righteous One (Acts 3:14, 7:52, 22:14). A Roman centurion proclaims what the Jewish court denied.

Voice

A Roman centurion — a Gentile executioner — responds to Jesus' death by glorifying God and declaring Jesus righteous, becoming an unlikely witness to the truth.

Significance

The centurion — a hardened soldier who has watched many men die — sees something in Jesus' death that moves him to glorify God. He proclaims Jesus 'righteous' — the verdict Pilate gave but didn't enforce. A pagan executioner becomes the first post-mortem witness to Jesus' innocence.

45The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

46Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.

47When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

48And when all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts.

49But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.

Read all of Luke 23 — Pilate finds no fault. Herod finds entertainment. The crowd demands blood. And on a cross between two criminals, Jesus forgives.