The Roman centurion said, “Truly this was the Son of God,” because the manner of Jesus’ death, combined with the supernatural events that surrounded it, deeply impacted him. This declaration came not from sentiment but from a sober realization that Jesus was no ordinary man.
Matthew 27:50–54 records the moment:
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened… So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”
Several things occurred in immediate succession:
Jesus cried out and voluntarily gave up His spirit.
The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom.
A violent earthquake split rocks and opened graves.
These signs were not minor disturbances. They marked the divine nature of what had just taken place. The centurion, a hardened Roman officer, had likely witnessed many crucifixions, but this death was unlike any other.
Mark’s Gospel adds a detail about Jesus’ final breath:
“So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God!’”
(Mark 15:39)
Jesus did not die passively. He died with authority, crying out in power even in His last breath. That cry, combined with the unnatural darkness (Luke 23:44–45) and the earthquake, overwhelmed the centurion and the other soldiers. Their fear was not of the crowd or of the Jews, it was fear in the presence of divine judgment.
The centurion’s statement, “Truly this was the Son of God,” acknowledged that Jesus was more than a teacher, more than a prophet. Whether he fully understood the implications or spoke from a sudden spiritual awakening, the testimony stands as a powerful witness from a Gentile soldier at the foot of the cross.
This confession echoed the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration. Now, at His death, a Roman executioner affirmed the same truth.
