Issue 1409 – Sunday is Coming – March 30, 2024
It’s the Saturday of Easter week. Jesus has been killed, and his body is laid in a borrowed tomb. The tomb is covered with a large stone and sealed. Soldiers guard it.
His followers are devastated. The one they thought was the Messiah is in the grave. Were they wrong?
They are left to mourn and deal with their personal weaknesses. They had all abandoned Jesus, and Peter had denied him. The Pharisees had taken Jesus; would they be next? Were their lives in danger, too?
Where was Jesus’ spirit on this day? We can only speculate. We know that He told the one thief, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
Some say Jesus went to hell. I like one scholar’s take on that issue, although I don’t think we can be dogmatic about it.
As Jesus neared death, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His suffering in our place was completed. His soul/spirit went to Hades (the place of the dead). Jesus did not go to “hell” or the suffering side of Hades; He went to “Abraham’s side” or the blessed side of Hades. Jesus’ suffering ended the moment He died. The payment for sin was paid. He then awaited the resurrection of His body and His return to glory in His ascension. Did Jesus go to hell? No. Did Jesus go to Sheol/hades? Yes.
Christians today don’t suffer the same intense personal agony his disciples did. We know the rest of the story. We may mourn His passing and the cost He paid for our sins, but we know He was raised.
We can celebrate the truth that Sunday is coming. We know the victory has been accomplished. In the words of Paul, the apostle,
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
Today, we can meditate and mourn with Jesus’ earliest followers, but tomorrow, we rejoice.
Tomorrow, the tomb will be empty, and Jesus will be alive!
Praise the Lord for His great love and sacrifice.
Happy Easter, and may the Lord richly bless you on Resurrection Sunday.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)