“Father into Your hands I commit My spirit”

Read Luke 23:44-47

We now come to the last word of the seven spoken from the Cross. Christ ends His suffering in the same manner as He began, addressing His Father. We breathe a sigh of relief. Jesus is still the Son of God. Whatever took place in the dark has been concluded. The Son and the Father are back on intimate terms. What does this final saying reveal to us?

Jesus actually died
Jesus was the God-Man. God in the flesh, humanity, and divinity rolled into one. He was the only begotten Son of God in whom all the fullness of the Trinity dwelt. Jesus had a real human body. He had a birthday. He had a belly button. He grew up, He ate, He drank, He slept, He wept, He laughed, He bled, and He died. We know He died because we have expert eyewitness testimony. John 19:33 tells us that the soldiers, who were in the death business, saw He was dead. Why bother to break a dead man’s legs, so they didn’t, but to make absolutely sure, they speared Him through the heart. Mark 15:44 tells us that they confidently reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead.

Jesus confidently died
We see no fear, no denial, no delay. Jesus died willingly. Why was He so confident in death? He was assured of the Father’s presence, “Father into Your hands.” He was comforted by the Father’s promise. He is quoting from Psalm 31:5. He was secure in the Father’s protection, “into Your hands.” He was betrayed into the hands of sinners, but now He is in the hands of God.

Jesus victoriously died
Luke says that Jesus spoke this with a loud voice. It was a triumphant outcry. Jesus had said all along that no one was able to take His life from Him, but that He was going to lay it down willingly. Matthew’s account of this event says that Christ “yielded” up His spirit. His life wasn’t taken from Him; He gave it up. He had the final say. Only when He was ready would death be allowed to enjoy a brief capture.

As Christ hung on the Cross, He looked just like any other pathetic victim. However, this was the greatest triumph in the history of creation. Christ’s atoning work was finished; redemption for sinners was complete, and Christ has won the victory. It’s no surprise they found His grave empty on Easter Morn.