Every pet owner knows if their pet is a good guard animal or not. Mongo my cat is more of the guard so far then our new dog. Yet the new dog is fitting nicely in the family he has yet to learn to fear the cat. However the cat is in observation of the dog currently and is in more fear of him then the dog is of the cat. There is point. Often we are observers of faith, but not until the fear of God comes upon us do we understand the reality of God in the present world we live in.

Would you been in fear on the day they crucified Jesus with the knowledge of science we have today. Maybe not with earthquake and a type of eclipse but the veil ripping and dead walking that might be another story. See the darkness came, maybe without to much knowledge that these things were possible. Educated people would of known, uneducated would perhaps not known about eclipses. They were not an everyday occurrence. The dead rising that was another issue all together. Because of the events the Centurion/soldier believed that Jesus was the Son of God. A fear grab hold of the centurion on that day. Knowledge of God was perhaps all he had, or the general knowledge there was a higher power or Creator. Most of us can understand that principal by just looking at the world around us and the things God makes, but to know that God had a son, and that he was allowed to be crucified in another thing. Christ had yet to rise but the bodies of the saints did rise from the grave. What the point, something happened that had only been recorded one other time and that was the dead rising. Where the other occurrence when they burried the prophet Eliash, the lower a man on top of Elisha to burry this other man and the man stood right up in the tomb(2 Kings 13:21). The Spirit of God that was on Elisha raised up the man. At this time it was only one man raise, at the time of Christ it was more then one man that walked into the Holy City that had been dead, and they been dead more then a few days. This was event that would of shakened our world like no other.

Why is the story of Jesus not spread til after the resurrection, it was still new, two of the disciples on the road of Armadeus heard the stranger speak and realized it was Jesus before he left them. What did they talk about they were talking about the events of Christ death and resurrection.

Many of us have a reality of God but not a deep understanding of that reality. It like knowing the Bible on a shelf and it a book about God, that is the reality, but the deeper reality is what is contained in that book. That book knowledge of who God is and gave his Son to die on the cross for our sins. He did it to demonstrate his love for us. God's love for that Centurion was demonstrated through the events he seen happen. Those that were there that also seen those events and heard what they did not see themselves. No one can see a whole picture, there always missing parts. It like a detective failure to examine all the evidence because he to lazy to do his homework and investigate what appears to be a cut and dry case and is not. The full picture seen in one Gospel has the other parts recorded differently in eacch Gospel. Yet Matthew Gospel contain information that Jews would of wanted to know an would not of been as important to the Gentiles. It has to do with prophesy from Old Testament. Things change and people from all groups want to know the Jewish account as well and not just the gentile story of the resurrection.

The hope that we know God brings through faith eternal life is nothing to fear if one believes and receive his redemption plan for mankind. The Centurion would be in fear of what he did not understand beyond the fact this Jesus must be the Son of God because of these events. Are we in fear of God because we fully understand who he is, or because we lack knowledge of his love and mercy for mankind?

Those with Bibles on the shelf that never take them off may have a fear of God not understanding his love. We here his judgments by religious leaders without understanding his grace and mercy. His grace and mercy that comes even to children of disobedience with repentance. God is a loving heavenly Father, but often it easier to teach about the cost of our sin without repentance then to speak of his grace, why do we hope the enemy will fall and not repent, no that not why. I think the reality of what God expects from mankind is the reason. Knowledge without his guidelines cause man to think it okay to live in disobedience to God and even the law if they so choose.

The Centurion of Rome would of known the laws of Rome but did he know the laws of God or anything other then God was his creator, the answer is we really do not know. Yet he knew ot fear what he did not understand about a God that would allow to let his own Son die on a cross. Many claiming he was innocent and others claiming if he was who he said he was, why did he not just come off the cross or save himself. Yet a bigger picture immerges that day, the tombs were opened and those once dead were alive. Super natural forces at work with the darken sky, the earthquake, and the veil ripping. Something super unordinary was about that day. This must of been the Son of God. What we can know today is the Centurion knew this God whose Son He crucified had shown him grace and mercy by not killing him that day.

Dear Heavenly Father, you are one to be fear, one to know, and one to understand not about just wrath but your mercy and grace. Help us to understand your mercy and grace for us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Genesis 19:19 KJV
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: