Why does Jesus commit his spirit into his Father's hands at death?

Question

In Luke 23:46, we read (emphasis mine):

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:46

Acts 7:59 we read of Stephen also committing his spirit to Jesus at his death. Of course Jesus is now ascended and at God's right hand (not the Father's right hand v56-) and is in charge of the newly formed church.

Jesus received the spirit at his baptism. Clearly, he wasn't a spirit as he had come to die - and did die - remaining dead for 3 days.

Jesus became immortal after death, when raised by his God and granted life as the Father has life.

John 5:26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself

Are there other verses that help understand why his spirit went to the Father?

Answer 1

Jesus is quoting from Psalm 31:

Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. Psalm 31:5 (NIV)

If you read through the whole Psalm, you can see David is asking God to save him from his enemies. This quote isn't supposed to give us a sense of Jesus travelling to be with his father, but trusting in him to deliver Jesus from death.

After Jesus died, he remained dead for 3 days, until he was raised from the dead. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that it is the Father, through the Spirit, that does the raising (emphasis mine):

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:17-23 (NIV)

I would therefore conclude that Jesus is saying, as he dies, that he trusts God the Father to raise him to life, through God the Spirit.

The complication if how God the Son could die is answered in this question

Answer 2

Oldest Greek rendition:

καὶ φωνήσας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου. τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν ἐξέπνευσεν.

Latin rendition:

et clamans voce magna Iesus ait Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum et haec dicens exspiravit

The word later translated into the Latin spiritus in Greek is πνεῦμά, which in Hellenistic Greek primarily meant: "breath", "life", or "inspiration".

In Latin before the NT, there is only one single word describing "breath", "life", and "inspiration": animus (hence our word for "bringing back to life" is re-animate and not re-spirit).

The Latin spiritus historically mirrors only the "breath". Only in later periods was the meaning of "soul", "spirit" or "life" added as meanings for spiritus, we know this because in older Latin texts they would use the word viva for life. It is thus a less accurate translation than animus, certainly around 70-100 CE.

It is thus arguably better to translate Luke 23:46 as "into your hands I commit my life".

Answer 3

This is an interesting revelation about Jesus. Jesus was a man - we know from other verses that he was not immortal before his resurrection.

We see from Stephens's dying words, he committed, entrusted, his spirit to Jesus (now ascended)

Jesus did exactly the same thing - entrusting his sprit also to a heavenly being, his Father. This speaks of Jesus mortality - and his expectation to be raised again.

Certainly, he could not raise himself anymore than Stephen could. The Father raised Jesus - as attested by over 30 verses to that effect. Jesus said he had authority (John 10:17-18) to live again - because he was without sin, thereby not being under the authority of sin and death. Rom 6:9 speaks of him having death as a master while he was still mortal - but not after his death!

Jesus was raised because death could not hold him - he was without sin; death has no power over him. He defeated death for all by his victory over evil, pride and idolatry.

2 Tim 1:9-10 ...God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

John 11:25,26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Why did Jesus commit his spirit to the Father at death?

This passage corroborates that he was a mortal man just like us. Yes, he is the son of God, and the last Adam, but this speaks of the human Jesus, born ~4BC, received the holy spirit at his baptism and it remained on him from then.

But at his death, Jesus surrendered his spirit to the Father - not His so-called 'eternal self' or the HS. This speaks volumes about who Jesus was and is!

To who else could it go, but back to the Father who gave it. Jesus was dead in the earth until the Father raised him to new life - as the firstborn of many brethren Rom 8:29

Rom 6:4- ...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

Jesus was a man like us - only without sin, dependent on the Father for everything including life.

Answer 4

Are there other verses that help understand why his spirit went to the Father?

Psalm 31:5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 before the dust returns to the ground from which it came, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Spirit comes from God and returns to God. It is related to the breadth of God.

Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath [H5397. נְשָׁמָה neshamah] of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

neshamah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from nasham
Definition
breath
NASB Translation blast (2), breath (15), breathes (1), life (1), persons alive (1), spirit (2), who breathed (3).

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

At the moment of death, Jesus's heart stopped. His breathing stopped but his breadth/spirit continued in the Father.

Why does Jesus commit his spirit into his Father's hands at death?

Because that's where it belongs. It came from the Father and returned to the Father.