March 21, 2025 - “The Soldiers”
The Soldiers
Mark 15:39 – “Now when the centurion who stood facing himsaw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’sSon!’”
From 2004-2008, I served as the pastor of a church in Fayetteville, NC, that was very near to one of the largest military bases of the United States armed forces. Virtually everyone in the church was either active duty or retired military. During the period that I was with them, there were many lengthy deployments that required soldiers to be away from their families for up to 15 months at a time. At one point, we had about 24 families where either the mother or father were deployed, causing a lot of hardships back on the home front. As their pastor, I did the best that I could to support the families back home, but I also made every effort to support and remain in contact with the soldiers as they were away. Even though the soldiers were so far away and often in very remote locations, I was able to contact them via email, and I took to writing daily devotions to all of those were deployed. The responses that I would receive from them often moved me to tears.
The responses would often be confessional about how much they missed their family, and the guilt that they felt for being away and missing special moments with their kids. Some would lament the things that they were forced to do, but often counter that lament with a statement of duty to their country. When they returned home, I spent a lot of time with many of them as they processed the entire experience. I’m sure many of them are still processing what they experienced. I keep up with many of them even to this day, and I lift them up in my prayers. I am grateful for their faithful service to this nation.
When I consider the soldiers who were present at the crossof Jesus, it is easy for us to villainize them. I mean, the Gospels make that part pretty easy to do! But like my friends who served, sometimes a soldier is just following orders; if they do not, the consequences are dire. No, the soldiers did not have to mock Jesus. No, they did not have to place a crown of thorns upon his head, adding insult to injury. There is a lot that they did that they did not have to do. But possibly they did those things to help them justify the horrible acts that they were forced to carry out.
The Gospel of Mark tells us that it was the third hour (9:00AM)when the soldiers crucified Jesus. Darkness fell over the land at the sixth hour (12:00PM), and at the ninth hour (3:00PM), Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. One of those soldiers who had witnessed the entire affair was in awe. In spite of what he had done while following orders, he knew something was different. While he likely had witnessed and participated in the crucifixion of many before, I doubt he had ever heard one from the cross extend grace and forgiveness to the ones who put them there. I doubt he had ever heard one from the cross demonstrate kindness to another crucified along with him. This time something was different.
Many times before, I imagine the soldiers had gone back to the barracks at the end of the day knowing that they had completed the assignment as directed. As they lay themselves down to rest, they had likely reconciled their actions by thoughts along the lines that they were just following orders, or they even justified what they had done by thinking, “They got what they deserved.” But this time was different.
“Truly this man was God’s Son.” I hope to get to meet this soldier when I enter into eternity. I hope that his proclamation at the foot of the cross became something he felt and came to know in the very core of his being. And may the exclamation made by an obedient soldier about an obedient Savior be something that we too hold dear in the core of our being.
— Pastor Adam Seate