Jesus’ Dying Words (Luke 23:46)

Jesus’ last saying before he died on the cross is recorded in Luke 23:46:

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Here, the word “spirit” refers to a person’s life. On one level, the passage could simply mean that Jesus’ human life belonged to the Father, and that it will go back to the Father after he died (Ecc. 12:7).

However, Jesus was actually quoting Psalm 31:5:

Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

Psalm 31 was written by King David during a time when he was being troubled by his enemies. David knew that God would not let his enemies be finally victorious over him. So, in verse 5, David trusted God with his life. He was confident that God would not let him be killed by his enemies.

Like David, Jesus was being troubled by his enemies. However, unlike David, Jesus actually died at the hands of his enemies. Yet, with his dying breath, he expressed his trust in the Father with the words of Psalm 31:5. Jesus knew that this death would not be the end for him. The Father will not let his enemies be finally victorious over him. Rather, he will rise from the dead and be finally victorious over his enemies instead.