Luke 23:46Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Subsequently, the Godhead disclosed itself to both the lifeless body, for it did not remain abandoned, and to the murderers, who were unable to carry out their task to secure the coffin and restrain the deceased. Through His death, the Lord upheld His promise to humanity, demonstrating that He was indeed born, so that by emerging from the womb, He would dispel any notion that He was merely akin to mankind.

A powerful voice in the moment of dying signals that He is not succumbing passively to death's harsh law, but rather exercising His will with an authority that surpasses any human strength. The centurion, deeply affected by this remarkable occurrence, declared, "Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

"Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit," was both His final and initial expression from the cross, directed to the Father. The force of death could not overpower Him; as He said in childhood, "In those of My Father, it is fitting for Me to be" (Luke 2:49), and when He began His ministry, "Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise" (John 2:16). Even at the point of death, He remains fully aware of His heavenly mission. He came from the Father and is now returning, as He comforted His disciples in their final conversation (John 16:28). In this last utterance, "I commit My spirit," could it not be a gentle, though vaguely grasped reassurance for grieving believers?

Previously, He affirmed, "I lay down My life of My own accord: I have the authority to lay it down and take it up again. This command I received from My Father" (John 10:18). In His dying moment, He relinquished the majesty of life as the Sovereign over life and death, choosing to fulfill His Father’s will on earth. He voluntarily embraced that divine purpose, enduring shame for humanity. By willingly fulfilling the heavenly Father’s desires, He joyfully offers back the life bestowed upon Him by the Father. He dies of His own volition, fully conscious that the Father's will has been completely accomplished (John 19:28). "Into Your hands I commit my spirit" signifies a temporary entrustment to the Father’s authority until it is time for His spirit to reunite with His body.

Jesus entrusts His spirit like a traveler leaving his belongings with a friend, confident that they will remain untouched until he returns to reclaim them. Similarly, the Lord Jesus entrusts His spirit to the Father, as Their wills align perfectly. When He chooses, He will resurrect Himself; nothing can confine Him to the grave—not the malice of humanity nor the wickedness of hell. While the faithful, like the first martyr Stephen, have committed their spirits into God’s hands (Acts 7:59), none did so like Christ Jesus. Humanity surrenders their spirit to God to avoid condemnation for inevitable sins, often burdened by guilt before God’s absolute truth, leading to heartfelt pleas for mercy. Jesus, however, was immaculate and blameless, without any disobedience to His Father’s commands. Thus, He releases His spirit enveloped in supreme peace, untouched by regret.

The apostle Peter affirms that Christ, though dead in the flesh, was alive in spirit, preaching to the souls in prison (1 Pet. 3:18, 19). The life entrusted to the Father surged into the depths of death, revitalizing the spirits long confined in the realm of the dead. As He bowed His head, He yielded His spirit (John 19:30). This act signifies His complete control over death—not yielding to its violence but submitting to the divine will of His heavenly Father. What magnificence envelops this moment of death! "Who sleeps when he chooses," asks Saint Augustine, "as Jesus dies on His own terms? Who sheds their garments as He dismisses His flesh?" Our Savior’s death is extraordinary, occurring at 9 o’clock on the 14th of Nisan, coinciding with the fourth hour of noon in our reckoning. This timing parallels the slaying of the Passover lamb, indicating that He is indeed the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of humanity.

There is much about our Savior’s death that lies beyond human understanding. Yet, aren't there insights for us? To die in peace, one must fulfill the divine purpose set forth by the heavenly Father. Let us not imagine that we will find eternal rest in any other manner. We are called to live not for ourselves, but for God's glory. "The Son glorifies the Father, and the servant honors his master. If I am a Father, where is My honor? If I am a Lord, where is My reverence?" (Malachi 1:6). The Lord of heaven and earth speaks to us with sorrow. The divine will meticulously outlines how we ought to live, determining our relationships with God, ourselves, and others: guiding us in navigating toward eternity. Is this guidance futile? The day will arrive when our physical bodies return to the earth, and our spirits return to the God who gave them. What will the soul encounter upon meeting its Creator if its earthly existence was marked by neglect of the divine?

Truly, "Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death" (John 8:51). Spiritual death awaits those who disregard His commandments. How frightening it will be for the sinful soul facing death and eternity! Amidst the distractions of earthly life, even the most vigilant souls often overlook the depth of their inner selves. Yet, when severed from the world, they will confront their deeds and the imposing truth of God. Woe to those who have not lived as Christians; they cannot expect a peaceful departure. Will the conscience remain quiet during the death agonies if it was overlooked during the days of health? How can a soul experience the comfort of prayer at death when it was unacquainted with it in life? How can it be buoyed by neglected faith in its final moments?

It is crucial to live in accordance with God's will to prepare for a peaceful death and eternal tranquility. Parents, do not shy away from fulfilling heavenly directives. If your carelessness leads your children away from the fear of God, how will you account to the Father? He will seek their souls from you because He entrusted them to your care. Young men and women, preserve your youth for the Lord; it will be dreadful for you beyond the grave if your innocence, rather than being nurtured in righteousness, withers in corruption. Employers and employees, the will of God speaks to you: serve your superiors with sincerity, and masters, take care of your servants, knowing that there is a greater Lord over all. Let us all perform the work appointed to us according to God's will. With faith in the Lord Jesus, our gracious Advocate, we shall enter into the rest of eternal life. Amen.

The profound depth of His moral torment is highlighted by the fact that He suffered this at the hands of those who had been nurtured by God for millennia as His chosen people, upon whom the future's hope rested as a beacon in a world marred by spiritual and moral turmoil. This significance is underscored by a noteworthy aspect of His death. He, as is known, expired on the cross before the two criminals, thus sparing the Romans from the inhumane practice of breaking His legs, and His demise occurred more swiftly than typical. It was not uncommon for others crucified to linger for two or three days; yet Christ relinquished His spirit within six hours of being nailed to the cross, from three until nine. This circumstance, particularly given His robust health and vitality throughout His earthly ministry, struck Christian antiquity as remarkable, leading to interpretations suggesting a supernatural cause. However, there was also an immediate factor behind His death. When a soldier pierced His side to confirm His death, blood and water flowed from the wound, indicating that the underlying reason for His passing was a rupture of the heart, caused by overwhelming emotional distress. It is well-known that intense joy or sorrow can lead to a rupture of the heart's tissues, allowing blood to enter the pericardial sac that encases the heart. Typically, this is only discernible through post-mortem examination, but in Christ’s case, the soldier’s spear confirmed it. It is often observed that individuals dying from a heart rupture may instinctively clutch their chest and emit a sharp, anguished cry. Although the Saviour could not perform such an action since His hands were nailed, the gospel accounts attest to His final loud cry, succeeded by immediate death. Therefore, the Saviour of the world literally died from a broken heart. This infinitely compassionate heart could not withstand the shameful folly of humanity, who, in their zealous wrath, did not recognize the gravity of their actions. It could not bear the unbounded madness that caused them to inflict unspeakable torture upon the One who came to liberate them from death's grip, to rescue them from the destructive grasp of hell, and to illuminate their path to eternal life and blessedness. Indeed, great is the dark power of evil that led mankind, through their own hands and in their furious rage, to destroy their own source of life and to execute their greatest Benefactor and Redeemer. In light of this, not only would such a tender, infinitely loving heart as Christ's be unable to endure the horror, but even the unyielding hearts of stone could shatter. It is no coincidence that at the moment of Christ's death, the earth trembled and the sun was eclipsed. Such profound evil stirred even the inanimate forces of nature.