Luke 23:46, commentary and pictures

With a loud, clear, trumpet-like cry as the darkness lifted and light encircled the cross, Jesus committed His spirit into the Father's hands and bowed His head and died.
He yielded up His precious life in trustful confidence and submission after enduring the sense of being forsaken, entrusting Himself and His future to God.
Though surrounded by the crushing weight of the world's sin and feeling the withdrawal of the Father's love without clear hope beyond death, by faith alone He rested on what He knew of the Father's just, merciful, compassionate and loving character and on the tokens already given of His acceptance.
In that submission the sense of lost favor was withdrawn, and He dimly believed He would triumph over death as victor.
His death thus finished to that point the work He came to do, bearing as the Guiltless the penalty and curse of sin in the sinner's place to open the way of salvation, gaining the victory over Satan even unto death.

Setting and Final Cry

After condemnation the news spread throughout Jerusalem, and He was led from the judgment-hall to Calvary to be crucified while people of all classes and ranks flocked toward the place of crucifixion. Disciples and believers from the city and the surrounding region joined the throng following Him, because the priests and rulers were bound by promise not to molest His followers if He Himself were delivered to them. The place called Calvary lay outside the boundaries of Jerusalem, outside the gate where felons and murderers were executed. There He died as substitute for transgression of the law of God, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, redeeming them from the curse of the law by being made a curse for them.

His final words of committal were spoken clearly and with a loud, trumpet-like, piercing cry, with great power and not in whispered tones. They sounded clear and triumphant in tones that seemed to resound throughout creation, uttered with clear speech and unusual strength at the very moment of death. That strength astonished the experienced Roman officers who witnessed it. After saying this He bowed His head and died.

The committal of His spirit was joined with the declaration that His work was finished. He spoke it at the close of His life after the agony brought upon Him by the sins of the world, after completing the work He came to do and draining the cup of suffering to the dregs. His death was the sacrifice that opened the way for humanity to be saved and to gain victory over sin. He who was the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, the Son of God and long-expected Messiah, truly died, crucified by Jewish leaders who refused the only One who could save them from national ruin.

He spoke after the gloom and darkness lifted from the cross. Then a light encircled the cross and His face shone with glory like the sun. Having spoken, He bowed His head upon His breast and died while spectators stood paralyzed gazing upon Him with bated breath. He died at the very moment the mysterious darkness that enshrouded the earth passed away.

Trust Amid Forsakenness

Jesus yielded up His precious life and entrusted His spirit, Himself, and His future to the Father in trustful confidence and submission, committing Himself to God after enduring the sense of being forsaken. He did so after declaring His work finished, bowing His head and giving up His life as the sacrifice that opened the way for humanity to be saved and to gain victory over sin. His suffering and death were the penalty of sin borne by the Guiltless in the sinner's place, and His prayerful communion with the Father continued to the very close of His life.

He entrusted Himself amid gloom and oppressive darkness and dying agony, surrounded by the crushing weight of the sins of the world and feeling the withdrawal of the Father's love and acceptance. He did so without clear hope or bright assurance of future triumph, without seeing beyond death and without feeling the assurance of His Father's acceptance. His death followed the suffering caused by bearing the world's sin and its penalty, after completing the work He came to do, and His final words affirmed that the work of redemption had been carried out to that point.

By faith alone He rested in Him whom it had been His joy and ever been His joy to obey, relying on what He knew of the Father's character as full of justice, mercy, compassion and great love. He relied also on tokens and evidence heretofore given of the Father's love and acceptance of His work, remembering tokens given Him and acquainted with the evidence of acceptance heretofore given. Faith in His Father sustained Him as He died, even when He could not see beyond death or feel assurance.

In thus submitting and committing Himself the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn, and by faith He dimly believed He would triumph over death and was victor. His prayerful communion with the Father, maintained through a life of prayer, continued to the close of His life and is expressed in this final trust in commending His spirit to the Father.

Finished Redemptive Work

His dying committal of His spirit came after He had completed the work He came to do and declared that work finished, and with bowed head He gave up His life. That final word marked the completion of the work of redemption to that point. His death carried the plan of redemption forward. It was the sacrifice that opened the way for humanity to be saved and to gain victory over sin.

In dying He had resisted Satan even unto death and gained the victory He came to win. His death marked the defeat of Satan.

His suffering and death were the penalty of sin borne by the Guiltless in the sinner's place. Sin caused this suffering. By dying as substitute for transgression of God's law He sanctified the people with His own blood, redeeming them from the curse of the law by being made a curse for them. The sundering between Father and Son that belonged to that bearing of sin would never happen again through eternity.

Reality and Manner of Death

The cry records the true death of Christ, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, the Son of God and long-expected Messiah who had hoped to bring reforms, crucified by Jewish leaders who refused the only One who could save them from national ruin. It was spoken as of one in mortal agony together with the declaration that His work was finished, and having thus spoken He died. That He had truly died is shown by His body being prepared for burial and laid in the sepulcher, and afterward sought at the tomb before the Sabbath.

The loud cry at the moment of death, together with the blood and water flowing from His side, declared that He died of a broken heart caused by mental anguish. He was slain by the sin of the world, not by the spear thrust nor by the pain of crucifixion.

His death was voluntary and powerful and supernatural, coming suddenly with a loud, piercing cry, not in whispered tones, joined with the declaration that His work was finished. It came after three hours of darkness over the land with no natural cause, amid all nature in commotion in sympathy with its dying Author, with mighty earthquake, rent rocks, burst-open graves, shaking earth, and the mysterious rending of the heavy temple veil from top to bottom. The loud piercing cry and sudden death amid these signs marked a death unlike that of ordinary men.

He died unusually soon, whereas those crucified frequently lingered days upon the cross, and this surprised Pilate. Pilate had heard conflicting reports of the strange events but did not know Jesus was really dead until told by Joseph. That He was really dead was confirmed for certainty by the lips of the centurion in command at the cross, whose account of the fearful scenes of Calvary corroborated Joseph's testimony. The account of the timing and manner more firmly convinced Pilate that Jesus was innocent and no ordinary man, leaving him strangely agitated and keenly regretting his part in condemning Him.

Conviction and Aftermath

His death came amid three hours of darkness over the land with no natural cause, with all nature in commotion in sympathy with its dying Author. There was a mighty earthquake, rocks rent and burst asunder in the mountains and tumbled to the plains, graves burst open and cast out the dead, and the heavy temple veil was mysteriously rent from top to bottom. Immediately afterward darkness again settled on the earth with hoarse rumbling like heavy thunder and violent trembling of the earth that shook the multitude together.

The sudden death with a loud, piercing cry forced overpowering conviction upon the Roman centurion in charge of the soldiers at the cross and upon many witnesses that He was righteous and truly the Son of God. His unusual strength at the moment of death, speaking clearly and with great power, astonished the experienced Roman officers. The fact that He was really dead was confirmed for certainty by the centurion in command, whose account of the fearful scenes corroborated Joseph's testimony. That account caused Pilate to believe more firmly that Jesus was no ordinary man, and no ordinary innocent man.

Those who had scoffed and jeered and taunted Him were terrified and fled beating their breasts for fear the earth would swallow them and lest the earthquake destroy their own lives. Priests, rulers, soldiers and executioners were left mute with terror and prostrate on the ground, while the spectators stood paralyzed gazing with bated breath. His words amid the darkness and earthquake and convulsions of nature silenced the mocking priests and elders. The terrified crowd recognized that an innocent person had been killed, and the spectators were left fearful and wondering whether the innocent man who died was the Son of God.

The Jewish rulers who had carried out their purpose of putting the Son of God to death heard both final cries, saw the rocks rent and felt the mighty earthquake. They did not feel the sense of victory they expected from silencing the great Teacher. Even in the hour of their apparent triumph they were harassed with doubt about what would next take place, restless and uneasy and not at rest, with the words Jesus had spoken when under their cruel power recurring to their minds.

The conviction planted at the trial, the darkness, and the last words was seed sown that ripened into harvest after His ascension when the disciples boldly proclaimed the gospel. His final words, together with His cry that His work was finished, brought conviction to the Roman centurion and others who witnessed His death. That conviction later bore fruit when the gospel was preached and many accepted the faith, after which a great company of priests in Jerusalem became obedient to the faith.

Pilate had heard conflicting reports of the strange events but did not know Jesus was really dead until told, and was surprised He had died so soon, since those crucified frequently lingered days upon the cross. The account of the timing and manner of Jesus' death more firmly convinced him that Jesus was innocent and no ordinary man. He was left strangely agitated and keenly regretting his part in condemning Him.

His death ended the disciples' hopes that He would reign as a temporal prince, in whom they had centered their hopes of eternal life. They were left sorrowful and uncertain, afraid, grieving and doubting whether He had deceived them. Even His mother's faith in Him as Messiah wavered. Their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed, bringing days of trial and temptation when the presence of the Comforter was not clearly discerned.

Example for Believers

Entrusting the spirit to the Father in death sets the pattern of trust for those who die afterward. In that same trust Huss commended his spirit to Jesus while facing execution, confident that Jesus had redeemed him. A dying youth's calm resignation of himself into his heavenly Father's hands reflects that same trust, and he was cheered by the Saviour's presence as he entered death.

The suffering and death on the cross show immense self-denial endured for humanity, which puts into the shade any self-denial required of followers. The taking away of the Bridegroom when lifted up on the cross and dying as a malefactor gives cause to mourn and fast when faith is tried. In Him the disciples had centered their hopes of eternal life, so His death brought days of trial and temptation when the Comforter's presence was not clearly discerned and their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed.