"The Roman Centurion", by the artist Nathan Greene
I am writing this on the day that gunmen have ambushed and attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. On one radio station, there was an interview with a man who was there when it happened and as he gave his eye-witness account, he had to stop several times to collect himself as he was still coming to terms with the shock of what he had seen.
When we read the account of Jesus’ death in the gospels, it can sometimes have little impact if it just appears to us as words on a page. Maybe we have seen so many shocking images on the news and in films that we’ve become desensitised to the reality of what happened on the day?
But what if we could meet someone who was there on that day? What would we ask them? How would we feel as we not only heard their words, but also saw the emotion on their faces as they began to describe the horrific torture our Lord had to endure?
In Mark 15, we read of the Roman centurion who watched as Jesus was crucified and was moved by what he saw that he declared:
Surely this man was the Son of God! Mark 15:39 (© NIVUK)
For our assembly leading up to Easter, we bring the centurion forward in time 2000 years to pay the children a visit and let them know something of what it was like to be there on the day.
Please pray that the children will be impacted by our presentation as we seek to bring the Easter story alive over the coming weeks.