Our Redeemer’s Journey
The Depths of Christ’s Love
Christ’s Descent and Rising Glory
For three days, Jesus’ body lay in the tomb—still, silent, lifeless. To the world, it looked like the end. But the Gospel tells us it was not defeat; it was the quiet unfolding of a greater victory.
While His body rested in the grave, His spirit descended into the realm of the dead—what Scripture refers to as Sheol or Hades. This descent was not surrender, but a mission of triumph. It was not the absence of power, but the declaration that even death must bow before Him.
The Apostle Peter writes:
“He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.” (1 Peter 3:18–19)
The early Church didn’t interpret this as confusion or speculation, but as proclamation. Christ entered the domain of the dead not as a victim but as a liberator, announcing that the curse of sin and death had been broken.
Matthew Henry writes,
“Christ’s soul was not left in hell—that is, in the state of the dead. He went there to break open its gates, not to be held by them.”
This sacred mystery is often called the Harrowing of Hell. Ancient depictions show Christ breaking the gates of Hades and lifting Adam, Eve, and the faithful from their graves into the light. It’s not just art—it’s a vivid portrayal of theological truth: the grave became a passage, not a prison.
The Apostle Paul echoes this in Ephesians 4:9–10:
“What does ‘He ascended’ mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions?… in order to fill the whole universe.”
And in Revelation 1:18, the risen Christ proclaims:
“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and Hades.”
This descent was part of a much bigger story—one Jesus hinted at in John 2:19:
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
At the time, the people thought He meant the physical temple in Jerusalem. But John clarifies:
“The temple He had spoken of was His body.” (John 2:21)
William Barclay writes,
“Jesus was claiming that the function of the Temple was finished. His own life and body were now the dwelling place of God. In Him, we meet God—not in buildings, but in His risen presence.”
Jesus, the true Temple, was “destroyed” on the cross. But just as He promised, He was raised on the third day—not simply restored, but glorified, inaugurating a new creation. As Alexander Maclaren put it:
“He made the tomb a passage, not a prison. The body laid down is the seed of what shall rise incorruptible.”
This descent also brings to mind the sign of Jonah, which Jesus Himself referenced in Matthew 12:40:
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Just as Jonah passed through judgment to bring salvation, so Jesus entered the depths—not merely for display, but for deliverance.
He experienced the full measure of death—body, soul, and spirit—not because He had to, but because we could not bear it ourselves. He walked through the silence, the sorrow, and the separation, so we would never be abandoned there.
Paul writes in Romans 6:4:
“We were buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
And again in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
The descent into death is not a theological footnote. It is part of the good news:
Jesus has gone to the lowest depths—and come back holding the keys.
Because He descended, we can face death unafraid.
Because He was raised, we will rise.
Because He is the true Temple, God is now with us always.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You entered the depths of death, not as a prisoner but as our champion.
You proclaimed freedom to those who sat in darkness, and You shattered the gates that held us.
Raise us into Your life. Rebuild us as Your temple. Let resurrection power flow in us.
May we trust You in every shadow, knowing You’ve already walked through it—and triumphed.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment