April 7, 2012 | Leave a comment Today, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is the day when Jesus was in the tomb. Little is known about what happened on this day historically. The Bible does tell us that those who had Jesus crucified went against Jewish teaching and met on the Sabbath with Pilate to secure Jesus’ tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Matthew 27:62–66 (ESV) Little is known about what happened among the disciples on this day in history, but it is logical to assume that they spent this day in great despair and grief. Although Jesus had taught them on at least three separate occasions that He would rise from the dead they had not understood His teaching. 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” Mark 8:31–9:1 (ESV) 30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. Mark 9:30–32 (ESV) 32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” Mark 10:32–34 (ESV) It would seem that the enormity of Judas’ betrayal, their own personal desertion of Jesus, and the agony He endured during His trials, flogging, and crucifixion had overwhelmed each of them personally. The concept of His resurrection must not have been understood by His followers or the women would not have put such effort into preparing His body for burial. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:54–56 (ESV) The followers of Jesus lack of understanding was not because of their ignorance, however. They were not able to comprehend the full extent of Jesus’ teaching until after it happened. This is for at least two reasons; As human beings our understanding is always greatest with hindsight. Because Jesus’ teaching is special revelation from God it also requires a special work of the Holy Spirit in each individual human’s life for clarity and understanding to emerge. 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. John 12:16 (ESV) 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, Luke 24:4–8 (ESV) Jesus’ activity was not simply to lie dead in the tomb. We know what He was doing because the Scripture tells us. The following texts describe His activity, but a word of warning, neither of the texts is entirely clear and many scholars disagree as to there meaning. I will allow you to read these texts on your own and then I’ll tell you what I think they mean. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:7–10 (ESV) 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 1 Peter 3:18–20 (ESV) I believe that these texts describes a descent by Jesus into “Hades” the realm of the dead (which contains both Paradise and Hades), between His death and resurrection. While in the realm of the dead He preached to its occupants, declaring His own triumph over death to those in Paradise and pronouncing judgment upon those in Hell, who in their earthly life did not respond to God. Jesus thus freed these captives ushering them into His presence while awaiting the further final fulfillment of His kingdom. Among New Testament scholars this passage in 1 Corinthians is widely held to one of the most difficult to understand in all of the New Testament. Regardless of the full theological ramifications of Jesus’ activity between His death and resurrection on our behalf what should be clear to each of us is that He was actively involved in God’s redemptive plan in His life, in His death and beyond, and that if we are going to follow Jesus we also must be prepared to be totally consumed by God’s redemptive plan in our life, in our death, and beyond! If joining God in bringing His redemption to all people is not a work in which you are actively involved, it should be if it is your desire to genuinely follow Christ!