It is not uncommon for people to suffer through slander, libel, or malicious gossip.  Sometimes there is a miscarriage of justice in which an innocent person is punished; when that happens, the guilty person is still liable to be brought to justice.  But it was unique for the righteous Son of God to be brutally punished for sins He had never committed, and at the same time to absolve those who committed the sins.  This was the pattern of substitute sacrifice in which a lamb covered the sins of the Israelites at the first Passover (Exodus 12:12-13).  John the Baptist described Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29).

When Jesus sacrificed Himself, He accepted all the responsibility for all the sins of all the world for all time.  He died in our place.  His sacrifice propitiated [satisfied] the wrath of Father God against our sins so that He cannot be angry against those who are trusting in Jesus (1 John 4:10).  What kind of person could do that?  The centurion, an officer in charge of crucifixions that day, saw it all and came to his conclusion.  He observed the way Jesus submitted His hands and feet to cruel nails, but did not shout back at those who wounded Him.  He heard Jesus pray for their forgiveness instead.  After the soldier saw the light drain from the sky for three hours and witnessed Christ's last words to Father God, he was compelled to make a public statement, “Surely this was a righteous man”.  Perhaps he spoke about Jesus several times because Matthew and Mark record him saying, “Surely He was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54); “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).  

His comment could have got him into trouble with Pilate or his immediate commander.  But it was spontaneous and real. Although he was a Gentile, he uttered praise to the God of the Jews.  Something about Jesus had captured his military attention ... it was obvious that Jesus was doing His duty with extreme courage.  Like soldiers who lay down their lives for their brothers-in-arms, Jesus had done a righteous and noble thing.  The centurion may not have understood just how amazingly righteous or noble Christ's sacrifice was, but he knew enough (2 Timothy 2:3-4).  Jesus was not a sinner ... and according to the Jews, the only sinless person is God Himself.
 
Yet the executioner's statement was only a foretaste of the final vindication of Jesus.  The full exoneration of His character will be seen when He comes again in obvious splendour and authority (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14).  Until then, all who believe in Him as the Righteous One of God have the responsibility to vindicate His character by living for Him: demonstrating that His life is in them.  And the workplace, with all its stresses, is an ideal place to do that.  It is for us as guilt-free children of God to answer the inevitable follow-on questions about the basis for our lifestyle and future hope (1 Peter 3:15).  Even for those who shy away from controversy, it is certainly wrong to passively support the slander which is thrown at Jesus by the world today.  All this demands a clear and objective understanding of the events around the dying Jesus, and the centurion-like courage to present them to a confused world.