What have we done?

Truly this was the Son of God.

These are the words of a guy who spent the day making sport of Jesus and tending the cross. Granted we have the account of the darkened sky, torn veil, split rocks, and emptying tombs. Surely these would have been impressive enough. But there were other people gathered around the cross who saw these things and did not come away with the same impression as these pagan Roman soldiers. Scribes and Pharisees still denied this truth. They were too far gone.

Is it too far a stretch to imagine these same Romans mocking, beating, and spitting on Jesus just a few hours earlier? Did they hear Jesus ask the father to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing? I don't think these men were turned by the miraculous. They were turned by love. They were moved by the gospel without knowing it. God's love hung on the cross. God's love turned the hearts of men then as it turns our hearts today.

Truly this was the Son of God. Perhaps this question sat on the tips of thier tongues as creation itself reacted to the death of the Son of God. "Oh crap. What have we done?"