Passion Week: Saturday - The "In-Between"

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:62-66

The man who, on Sunday, rode into Jerusalem being hailed as the Messiah and King was now, on Saturday, in the grave…or so it seemed.

In Matthew’s retelling of this time “in-between” the cross and the resurrection, the chief priests and the Pharisees were quite concerned. In fact, according to Matthew they said, “Sir, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” Put briefly, the chief priests and Pharisees had a problem on their hands—a big problem.

It was possible that this deceiver—as they saw Jesus—might not yet be done deceiving everyone. Sure, they killed him. But what if his disciples took his body so it appeared as though he rose from the dead? Then this problem they were afraid of would become all too real.

On the other hand if Jesus actually rose from the dead then what couldn’t he do? And if he rose from the dead, then how in the world would they control his disciples? They couldn’t afford to do nothing. They had to get in front of the entire situation. So Pilate commanded, “Take a guard and make the tomb as secure as you know how.” The tomb was then made secure with a large stone being rolled in front and a guard standing a post. It would now be “impossible” for this deceiver to deceive anyone else. This much is clear.

What is less clear is “where” Jesus was during this time between the cross and the resurrection. If we think back to his conversation with the thief on the cross—today you will be with me in paradise—Jesus was in paradise. Although his body was in the tomb, he (in whatever reality that was) was not there. Unfortunately for us (as we often lament), this might be all we’re told about this “in-between” time.

Before we move on to quickly, there is that one verse in 1 Peter 3 where we’re told that Jesus (being made alive) made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits. This, however, I submit has nothing at all to do with this time from the cross and the resurrection but, instead, his ascension to the right hand of the Father in glory and authority.

What are we to say, then, about Holy Saturday? Not a whole lot. And that’s okay. The Bible doesn't say a lot about a lot of things we think we’d like it to. That’s not Scripture’s problem, it’s ours. But, even after saying that, it doesn’t mean we can’t say anything.

The tomb was secure and Jesus’s body was inside, but Jesus was with the thief from Friday to Sunday. This means that contrary to an unfortunate misunderstanding of an ancient translation of both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, he was not in hell. It’s a strong contention of mine that we do whatever we can to rid ourselves of the idea that Jesus had to suffer in hell after the cross. Setting aside the fact that he said “it is finished” on the cross, hell is not a final reality right now—it is final judgment. “Death and hades,” as it says in Revelation, “will be thrown into the lake of fire.” But, as I’ve said at other times in other places, this is not the right discussion for this article.

What do we know well for sure? What do we know with no doubt? We know that Jesus died on Friday. We know that he said he would be in paradise after he died. And we know that he resurrected on Sunday. If that’s all we know about this “in-between” time then it is still more than enough.

More than enough, for sure, to get us to one more day—Easter Sunday.

He Descended to Hell?

“He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.”

Excuse me? Jesus went to hell? Really?

According to the Apostles’ Creed (or better said, a particular interpretation of a particular translation of the Apostles’ Creed) Jesus descended to hell after his death. But, is this what Bible actually says? Furthermore, does the original wording of the Apostles’ Creed actually even say that Jesus went to hell? We’ll look at those two questions in order.

As Jesus was dying on the cross two criminals were on each side of him, both receiving the same earthly sentence as Christ—crucifixion until death. One of them demanded Jesus rescue him from this terrible fate. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”(Lk 23:39) The other, somehow knowing that there was more going on than met the eye, rebuked the first and then turned to Jesus with these words: “…remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Lk 23:42) To which Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:43)

Didn’t we just see from the creed that Jesus descended to hell after his death? And here we have Jesus saying that this penitent criminal will be with him today (σήμερον) in paradise (παράδεισος). Surely there can’t be a confusion between hell and paradise. Those two realities are more different than quite possibly anything else we could imagine. Jesus either descended to hell or descended to paradise. There doesn’t seem to be a third direction.

What’s say we add a little more detail to this study?

In 1 Peter we find this most intriguing section of scripture that reads: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 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—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” (1 Pet 3:18-20a)

There it is then, right? Jesus went to hell.

Not so fast. Again we find mention of Jesus’s location after his death, but the word hell doesn’t show up. This time we’re told that Jesus, being made alive in the spirit, went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison (φυλακή). Now, there is much to say about this proclamation that was made, but that isn’t the topic of this article. What is, is the location of Christ after his death.

To be fair, prison doesn’t sound like paradise. Does it?

I think we get help in this area from a source that some have thought a little unreliable for this discussion. In Luke 16:19-31 we get the famous “parable” of the rich man and Lazarus. Now, just as the topic of this study isn’t about the proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, it’s not about whether or not this section of Luke 16 is a parable or some other type of teaching. (I will continue to call it a parable, but not as a way to insist that it is one.)

Jesus tells of a rich man who had everything and a beggar named, Lazarus, who was covered with sores and longed to eat the food that fell from the rich man’s table. They both died and while Lazarus was brought to Abraham, the rich man was in torment. The weird thing about this setting is that although there was a great chasm between the two dead men, the “place” where they both were is called ᾅδης (Hades, which is pronounced hah-dayce in Greek). The difference in their locations was that Lazarus was comforted while the rich man was in agony.

What I think we can gather from this “parable” is an understanding of the realm of the dead (Hades) as existing with two distinct “regions”. One is a region of suffering and seems to be occupied by those who have rejected the revelation of God. The second is a region of comfort and seems to be occupied by those who have accepted the revelation of God. That being said, neither of these regions within Hades is final. In no passage that we’ve looked at so far has there been any language of finality. What we have is simply the state of the person or people immediately following death.

That is not the same thing as saying finality language is absent from the Scriptures.

In a difficult passage in a difficult to understand book we read, “The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades (ᾅδης) gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades (ᾅδης) were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:12b-15)

Note just a few things that I think are extremely helpful for our quick study here. In Revelation John writes that death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. Death and Hades are both listed as “places” in which the dead exist. Next, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. Don’t miss the pronouncement of justice here. Death and the realm of the dead are judged by being thrown into the lake of fire. Death is the great enemy of God and his people and Hades the realm of the dead that, in this situation of Revelation 20, remains only occupied by those who have not been resurrected to new life with God (i.e., those whose names were not found written in the book of life). Both of them are consigned to the lake of fire. This is final judgment. This is hell.

Okay, so what’s up with the Apostles’ Creed?

Here I think we have a couple things working against us. The first being that hell did not mean then (when the English form of the creed was established) what it means now. Hell then was simply a way to talk about the realm of the dead. That sounds impossible to use because hell has come to mean nothing other than final judgement for those who have denied the one true God who has revealed himself in Jesus.

The second is that the Greek of the Apostles’ Creed, which it was originally written, does not have the Greek word for hell (γέεννα) that is used in other places throughout the New Testament  (almost entirely in the gospels). What it does say is that Jesus was crucified (σταυρωθέντα), was dead (θανόντα), was buried (ταφέντα) and descended (κατελθόντα) into the deepest (κατώτατα). This last word, the deepest (κατώτατα) is where (as I said earlier) both improper interpretation and translation run alongside each other. κατώτατα does not mean hell at all; instead, it means the deep—the deepest of the deep. In other words, it means the place where the dead are after this life but prior to the second coming of Christ—the resurrection of those found in him.

Talk about taking the long way round to an answer to a simple question.

Let’s try it a little bit quicker this time.

Did Jesus go to hell?

Absolutely not.

Why? Because he went to paradise. And because no one is in hell right now, because hell is final judgement.

A Catechism on the Apostles’ Creed

To access a PDF copy of this catechism, please click here to navigate to the Catechesis section of the Living Waters Church website.

Q1: In whom do we believe?
A1: God: the Father almighty, Jesus Christ (the father’s Son), and the Holy Spirit.

Q2: What has God done?
A2: Created heaven and earth.

Q3: Who else is Jesus?
A3: Our Lord.

Q4: How was Jesus conceived?
A4: By the Holy Spirit.

Q5: Who was Jesus’s mother?
A5: The virgin Mary.

Q6: Under whom did Jesus suffer?
A6: Pontius Pilate.

Q7: How did Jesus suffer?
A7: He was crucified, he died, he was buried, and he descended to the realm of the dead (Sheol/Hades).

Q8: Is Jesus in the realm of the dead (Sheol/Hades) right now?
Q9: No, he rose bodily from the dead on the third day.

Q10: Where is he?
A10: He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God, the Father.

Q11: Will Jesus remain in heaven?
A11: Yes, until he comes to judge the living and the dead.

Q12: In what else do we believe?
A12: The universal church, the fellowship of all believers, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life forever.

The Bible Under the Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, (1 Corinthians 8:6)
creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1-2; Colossians 1:16)

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. (Matthew 16:16; John 20:28)
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18)
and born of the Virgin Mary. (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:31)
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, (John 18:28-19:16)
was crucified, died, and was buried. (John 19:17-42)
He descended to the dead. (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:44-46)
On the third day he rose again. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10)
He ascended into heaven, (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:6-11)
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1)
He will come again to judge the living and the dead. (Revelation 20:11-15)

I believe in the Holy Spirit, (John 1:33)
the holy catholic (universal) Church, (Ephesians 2:19-22)
the communion of saints, (Romans 12:4-8)
the forgiveness of sins, (Acts 2:39; 1 John 1:9)
the resurrection of the body, (1 Corinthians 15)
and the life everlasting. Amen. (Revelation 21-22)