What was Jesus doing on Saturday between His death and resurrection? This question has been asked and answer in a number of ways over the years. I will not answer this question once and for all. But I think it is a good thought to have as we get ready for Easter.
One fact we know is that Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) In Old Testament theology when a person died they went to "Hades." Hades, however, is not Hell. Hades was the "place of the dead." It is not purgatory. Rather, Hades was a two compartment location that held all the dead, believers and unbelievers. In the account Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus dying (Luke 16:19-31) He describes a place where the lost were and where the saved were. The rich man, being lost, was in torment while Lazarus, the saved man was in peace. So, we can be assured Jesus went to Hades after His death.
Some have tried to argue from 1 Peter 3:18-20 that Jesus went Hades, or Hell, to preach to them so they could have a second chance. This interpretation is flawed on many fronts. The passage says He "made a proclamation" to those in in Hades. This proclamation was not a second chance of the gospel. Rather, it was a declaration that the punishment for the lost was as sealed as the blessings of the saved. Jesus took the thief on the cross to this place of blessedness.
Ephesians 4:9-10 gives us a little more information about what was happening between Friday and Sunday. Here the Apostle Paul says, "He (Jesus) descended in the lower parts of the earth." Again, many various interpretations have been suggested for this phrase. But one possible interpretation is that Jesus descended in Hades. What appears to be true from this passage is that when Jesus left Hades He took with Him all the saved people who were waiting for their release. He emptied out the side of Hades that had held believers from Abel to then.
During Friday Jesus was waiting to demonstrate that He was ALIVE. Sunday morning was the day to fulfill Scripture and to demonstrate that He won! Today, as you move through the day, gain hope in anticipation of tomorrow morning, Easter Sunday. Unlike the women who came to the tomb to complete thew burial process and were shocked to find a resurrected Saviour, we will come to church tomorrow fully aware that He is no long among the dead ones. Rather, HE IS ALIVE.
Can you imagine your worst day of your life? You know, that day that everything went wrong. You came out to leave for work and you had flat tire, you were late for work, your appointments didn't go well, and you had an accident on your way home. I would not call that day "good."
So, from a human perspective, the day we call "Good Friday" wasn't so good for Jesus. He was betrayed by one of His disciples, He was denied by other disciples, and He was traded for a notorious criminal to His death. He was put on a cruel cross as a sinner, but in actuality, He was pure and innocent. The only sin present on that cross were ours. During the six hour ordeal Jesus suffered on the cross, He proclaimed, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46) Now, from our vantage point, it doesn't seem too good at all.
Yet, as consider Good Friday, what we see on the surface is not what makes it good. It is good in that the Son of God was completely obedient to the point of the cross. Though He prayed that His Father would change His mind as to the progress towards the cross, He was willing to do His Father's will. It is good that He demonstrated this obedient attitude.
And, as we consider Good Friday it is good for all that it provides for lost sinners. Justification, redemption, salvation and reconciliation are just a few of the things we receive because of the work of Christ on the cross. Without Good Friday we would never have any good days! We can praise His Name for all He provided for us on that Good Friday.
Of course, as we move toward Easter Sunday, we also know that Good Friday would not have been good if it hadn't been for Easter Sunday. The resurrection of Jesus is the seal of our salvation. By it the Father showed He had approved of the work of His Son. So, praise the Lord for Good Friday.
Which Easter story will you celebrate? It seems the world has gone so much for the easter bunny, chocolate and eggs that the entire story of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection has been lost. Speak to people today about what Easter is all about and most will not even know about Jesus’ resurrection. Like Santa Claus, the easter bunny has come front and center. Historically the concept of an easter bunny came from immigrants from Germany. We are told German Lutherans brought this tradition with them. Why they began to use the image of a bunny for easter is unclear. But, it has certainly become the dominate theme in our culture today.
Though we might add coloring eggs, hiding eggs, or eating chocolate to our Easter celebration, it must never replace the real message of Christ’s resurrection. How important is the resurrection of Jesus? In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul lists three reasons the resurrection is indispensable to our faith. In 15:12-13 Paul says if there is no resurrection then even Jesus did not rise from the dead. That would mean He is still in the tomb, dead like all other human religious leaders. Second, in 15:14 and 17 Paul says if Christ is not alive our faith is futile, vain, empty, and useless! Who wants to own something that is useless? No one. Thirdly, in 15:15 Paul says if Jesus is not alive then his witnesses are false witnesses. That is, if we preach He is alive and He isn’t, then we are just liars. Like telling people the easter bunny is real, when we know it isn’t, if we tell people Jesus is alive and He isn’t, we are just telling fables. It becomes yet just another false hope.
But, HE IS ALIVE! He did come forth from the tomb. He was triumphant over death, hell and Satan. That first of all Easter Sunday mornings the disciples came to the tomb sad and despondent to finish the task of burial. But, their gloom turned to great joy. They saw and heard the message, He is not here, He’s ALIVE. No longer would death hold Him.
In the Book Romans Paul says this, “…declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead…” (Rom. 1:4) God assured us that His Son was His Son by bringing Him out from among the dead ones. He is ALIVE. Praise His name.
Fo us in California today is a great day because the rains have arrived. We have experienced one of our driest winters in history. While much of the country has been getting a lot of rain, snow, sleet, and ice, we have been really dry. The “drought” word has been bandied about by many in our State. But, today, we are getting a really nice rain. And, the rest of the week is to be quite wet. For us spring has sprung.
But, there is a more important sign that spring has sprung. Today, all around the country, open day baseball games are being played. This, my friend, is a telltale sign that we are leaving winter behind and are headed to Spring and on into Summer and Fall. For some of us at least, this is the official opening of Spring.
Ernie Harwell, the longtime voice of the Detroit Tiger’s radio broadcast, would begin each Spring training season with this quote from the Song of Solomon. “Fo lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12) Though he just might have been taking this out of context, it sure works for setting the stage of a long baseball season.
Now, I know, many of you couldn’t care less about baseball in general or the SF Giants or even the Oakland A’s. But, for me, I love this time of year. For me, I’m looking forward to Madison Bumgarner throwing that first pitch. I always seem to enter the new baseball season with a renewed hope and optimism. I may have my heart broken by October. But, I usually enjoy the ride.
Yet, baseball, flowers, or April showers aren’t really the most important events to Spring. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important day on our calendar. Without HIs death, burial, and resurrection, His birth would have been useless. Without His work on the cross, His work on the earth would shave been futile. Yes, THIS is the reason we look forward to Spring every year. THIS is the foundation of our celebration. And, we will never be disappointed in this celebration.
Go ahead, if you are a baseball fan, cheer for your team. Yell, scream, encourage, and talk about your team. But, don’t forget the more important work of Christ on the cross.
