Luke 23:46 New King James Version
46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The simplicity of these words points us to truths that lie too deep for tears.
Luke, with his eye for detail, gives us an “orderly account” of Jesus’ crucifixion—an account which, he explains at the start of his Gospel, is the result of very careful investigation and has been written in order that his readers “may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).
He doesn’t seek to bathe his writing in pathos.
Instead, he writes in order that we may understand truth. And so Jesus’ dying breath is recounted for us in a simple phrase: “He breathed his last.”
What Luke does want us to linger on is Jesus’ control over His final breath.
He chose to commit His spirit into His Father’s loving hands.
He knew that His work was done.
Sin was paid for, the curtain was torn, and His people could come into His Father’s presence eternally.
Coupled with everything Jesus said prior to His crucifixion, His final words refute the notion that His death was simply that of a helpless victim being overwhelmed by cruel circumstances.
He had told His disciples months before that He was going up to Jerusalem and that “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be … killed” (Luke 9:22).
John tells us that He had explained to them, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18).
Jesus went to the cross not helplessly but willingly.
In accord with the Father’s purpose, He chose the exact moment that He would lay down his life for His sheep (John 10:11).
Here, then, we see the very Author of life willingly taking His final breaths and reminding us of His absolute authority as well as His inexhaustible love.
“He breathed his last” so that you might breathe in the fresh, purified air that was made available to you the moment you were born again.
“He breathed his last” so that one day you will stand in a restored creation and breathe air into lungs that will never decay or perish.
He who is sovereign over the air you breathe sovereignly breathed His last.
He is worthy of nothing less than your praise and adoration.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 