Today is Holy Saturday, the day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, awaiting his glorious resurrection. This then begs the question: where was Jesus’s spirit on Holy Saturday? There are a myriad of beliefs about what Jesus did during this period of time. A helpful place to start is a truth that we confess in the Apostles’ Creed that after he was crucified, died and was buried “he descended into hell.” From here, we can explore a few of the passages from scripture that support this teaching of the creed.
Did Jesus go to hell?
The short answer to the question above is, yes. This truth makes many people uncomfortable, and so there are versions of the Apostles’ Creed that render this line “he descended to the dead,” emphasizing the fact that Jesus physically died and was not merely appearing to be dead. To this we say a whole-hearted Amen! Jesus physically died on the cross, becoming the perfect sacrifice for sin. Yet when Jesus’ body was taken off the cross and placed in Joseph of Arimethea’s tomb, did he simply lay idly awaiting his resurrection or was he actively working in the spiritual realm?The Anglican catechism To Be A Christian states, “that Jesus descended to the dead means that he truly died and entered the place of the departed” (pg. 42). I find this answer lacking, because it does not address what Jesus did during this period of time. Based on scriptures that we will briefly discuss below, Church Tradition affirms the truth that Jesus descended into the land of the dead on a mission to free souls from captivity. For this reason I find the translation of the word “hell” to be more accurate.
This then begs the question, why did Jesus go to hell? To be clear, he was not going there to suffer in hell or to somehow pay Satan off for sins committed. No, Jesus went to hell on a rescue mission. The word that we translate as “hell” comes from the Hebrew word Sheol, and the Greek word Hades. The ancients believed that this was a holding place of sorts for the dead, whether righteous or unrighteous. We learn from Jesus‘s parable of the rich man and Lazarus that the status of the people in Sheol could be quite different. The wicked experienced torment, while the righteous enjoyed the comfort of Abraham’s bosom (see Luke 15:19-31). When Jesus descended into hell, he was going there on a mission to bring those who were at Abraham’s bosom out of captivity into glorious freedom.
We see this mentioned in 1 Peter, that Jesus “went and proclaimed to those spirits in prison because they formally did not obey” (3:19-20) and that “the gospel was preached, even to those who were dead…[that] they may live in the spirit as God does” (4:6). Additionally, in the book of Acts, in his sermon at Pentecost, Peter again quotes from Psalm 16 that “you did not abandon my soul to Hades” (2:27). Quoting from King David, we see that he had great hope that he would not be left among the dead, but would be raised again to the land of the living. Some may argue, rightly, that these passages are difficult to interpret, but when read in light of the Apostles’ Creed they make more sense.
Conclusion
While time does not permit a more in-depth look at this teaching of “he descended into hell,” we gather from the teachings from scripture and the Apostles’ Creed that Jesus did not spend Holy Saturday idle. No, he was busy continuing his rescue mission of freeing souls from captivity. Like the saints of old, we too can rest in the hope that we will one day be raised from the dead to spend eternity with Jesus. May this truth gird your faith on this Holy Saturday.
As our time comes to a close, reflect on this passage from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday:
Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the king is asleep. The Earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh, and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began… He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow, Adam and his bonds and Eve, captive with him— he is both their God and the son of Eve… “ I am your God, who, for your sake, have become your son… I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.” (Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday: PG 43, 440A, 452C LH, Holy Saturday, OR.)
Collect (Prayer) of the Day
O God of the living, on this day your Son our Savior descended to the place of the dead: Look with kindness on all of us who wait in hope for liberation from the corruption of sin and death, and give us a share in the glory of the children of God; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen. (taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Bible Reading
Luke 23:50-56 (ESV)
Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Photo Credit Unsplash.com
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