The Roman Centurion

In all likelihood, your first exposure to the term Centurion takes place in the New Testament story of the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant in Matthew chapter 8. The Centurion was commended by Jesus for his faith and his servant was healed. Jesus saw something in that Centurion that we should all see and be like. Let’s look at the definition/job description of a Centurion.

A Centurion was battle hardened - a veteran of at least sixteen years and numerous campaigns where he distinguished himself with valor….A Centurion could carry ninety pound of equipment at least twenty miles/day and train under the harshest of conditions. He provided his own equipment, armor, and paid for even the tools he needed to fight the battle

He was the ultimate in professional competence. There were no allowances made nor requested for persons of his position or stature

The enlistment period was for twenty-five years, after which a cash payment and small plot of land were provided (unless the treasury was short of cash, in which case, commitment to service was involuntarily extended.)

He was a leader who had a destiny to fulfill, a calling upon his life that might very well cost him his life. At the end of his days, he understood that his reward was not in the pittance of land or few coins the treasury would dole out, but the knowledge and legacy he left to those who followed him. In the end, no one could take his honor from him

To rise to Centurion was considered the highest honor a legionnaire could attain. His life expectancy was uncertain, and the Centurion always led his troops from the front

The reward for all of the hard work that would lead to rising to Centurion was to be in the FRONT, the first place where swords and spears would clash. The life expectancy was not promising for the Centurion, yet it was their honor to lead by example from the front.
 

Finally, a Centurion held ultimate sway over the welfare of every man who served in his one-hundred man century

At times the Centurion had to be harsh, at other times he would exhibit great care and compassion. It was common for the Centurion to go the extra mile for his men. It was just this character trait that prompted the Centurion in the gospel of Matthew to go out of his way to seek the welfare of his servant.

To be a Centurion was a high and demanding honor/lifestyle. Unfortunately, such men and women are far too few in number today. But they should be models to us as we try to become all the person that God created us to be.

In the movie The Gladiator, the character played by Russell Crowe tells his men before battle, “What we do here echoes in eternity.” No truer words were ever spoken.

We were designed to have a lasting impact on eternity. Everyone will die, but few people will ever truly live. To live like a Centurion, to live with honor before God and others, to live with commitment to principle, to live with dedication to a cause, to live with compassion for others, is to live in a way that will echo in eternity. Are you on your way to being a Centurion?