WHERE WAS JESUS ON SATURDAY?

There are no general passages that tell us plainly where Jesus was on Saturday.  Rather, we have to be detectives and consider snippets of scripture from here and there to produce an answer.  But, as you will see, the scripture does give us an answer.

Peter, the lead apostle writes about this with clarity in his first letter.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,

to bring you to God.

He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison

who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently

in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. [3:18-20 NIV]

Then, in the following chapter, Peter picks up this theme again.

For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead,

that though they are judged in the flesh as men,

they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. [4:6 NASB]

Peter speaks with no doubt about Christ’s after-death activity.  His points are clear:

1.     When Christ died in His body, He became alive in His Spirit!

2.     He went to preach to the spirits in prison who had rejected faith.

3.     Clearly these people were given a one-time-only opportunity to respond to the Good News, and their evangelist was Jesus Himself!

But let’s continue our investigation by looking at Ephesians 4:7-10  [NIV].

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 

 This is why it says:

‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’

[this is a quote from Psalm 68:18]

(What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions? 

 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens,

in order to fill the whole universe.)

We’ve all read or recited the Apostle’s Creed which comes to us from the fourth century and is the criteria for all that is truly Christian.  Have you ever been perplexed by the awkward phrase, “He descended into Hell”?  Some churches have been so bold as to remove that line from a creed that comes to us from a time much closer to when Christ was alive! 

But isn’t this further evidence of what Peter has already told us?  Now we have both Peter and Paul’s testimony that after dying on the cross, Jesus went – in His Spirit – to the place of the unsaved dead and preached the Gospel!  Why would we struggle to believe this?

But let’s consider even more evidence.

In Colossians, the Apostle Paul speaks of Christ’s victory in overcoming evil powers and authority.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

having canceled the written code, with its regulations,

that was against us and that stood opposed to us;

he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities,

he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

[2:11-15 NIV]

If you’ve stayed with me this far, then you may see that:

1)    Christ died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all who have ever (or will ever) lived.

2)    He then immediately went to the place of the dead and preached the Gospel to them.

3)    Those who believed His message were led into the heavenly realm in triumph!

4)    In doing so, Jesus disarmed the evil forces and triumphed over them!

Doesn’t this deserve a massive PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

But let’s look at one more piece of biblical evidence that is consistently overlooked and under considered.

This time, we turn to Matthew’s account of the death of our Lord.  [27:50-53 TM]

But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.

At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom.

There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.

What’s more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised.

(After Jesus’ resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)

What?  Did we read this right?  Apparently, upon Jesus’ death, He immediately released those who had believed since the beginning of time to ascend to heaven.  Although it’s supernatural for us to believe, some of these dead were able to visit loved ones on their trek to their eternal home! 

One last piece of evidence:

In John’s gospel, we are all familiar with Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus in the garden of His tomb.  When He reveals Himself to her, she is overwhelmed with love and joy and apparently moves toward Him.  He cautions her by saying, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father…”  [20:17 NASB]

Three days and three nights after His crucifixion and death and HE STILL HASN’T ASCENDED TO HIS FATHER?  He’s been busy doing what He always does – seeking and saving those who are lost!  Even going to the depths of Hell to proclaim His Good News!  GLORY TO GOD!