Jesus was crucified and three days later he rose from the grave.

What powerful images are invoked by all the stories and music derived from these few passages of scripture. Take a moment and really think about it.

He was murdered in the most atrocious way. He hung on a cross he was nailed to. He bled. He was coherent. He knew what was happening. He had a moment of human fear when he asked it to be taken from him. He obeyed his Father when he was told no. He suffered in anguish. The sky was rolling. The earth was still and quiet. The sobbing of women and the caw of birds could be heard. Even the soldiers eventually showed remorse. The smells of dirt, blood, and sweat flew on the slight breeze.

Jesus looked to heaven and he said, “It is done”. Then he died.

The earth shook fiercely. The sky turned dark. The curtain tore. The barrier between God and Man was broken, as God became personal and approachable for us all. Jesus is buried. He is entombed. He is laid to eternal rest. The people returned home to prepare for the Sabbath. The day of rest was much needed.

The next thing we read in all four gospels points to the resurrection. (see bottom of post) While they are each written from different perspectives, none of the writers or witnesses could grasp what had happened. How could this be? To them, Jesus is simply gone. For some of them, their hope died when their friend did.

This is where my brain goes into hyperdrive. Follow me for a moment. All I can ask is you try to keep up.

If the one person I had seen do miracles beyond comprehension was missing after three days in a sealed grave, guarded by soldiers and an actual Angel told me he had risen, I would be overwhelmed too.

I don’t know if I would have been smart enough to understand his parables and talks preparing me for this day. I can’t tell you I would have comprehended it. I honestly am not even sure I would have believed it.

I can tell you this.

On the third day after seeing him beaten, suffering and then die, I would have had one question.

Where were you for three days Jesus?

Would he reply, “I was fighting in the depths of Hell for you, my friend.”

What does this even mean?

It means now what it meant then. Jesus fought for us then, so we don’t have to now.   He did the legwork.  He made blissful eternity available.  All we need to do is reach out and take it.

He holds our hands through trials. He beats back the enemy, so we can choose to live life to its fullest. He showers us with blessings. He teaches us through the good and the bad. He indwells- do we even comprehend what this means? It literally means the Holy Spirit is a part of us. It physically, spiritually and cosmically is a part of our being.

I know what you are thinking. “There is another being inside of me?” Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

For this to happen, Jesus had a lot to do in just 3 days. He had to fight all of Hell. He had to win.

All. Of. It.

I have seen many depictions of Hell. Some of the horror movies have them. The best depiction which touches my imagination is in Buffy the Vampire Slayer- the series. (work with me here) The idea of Hell in this series is simple. It just keeps coming, yet it can be defeated. Sure, it’s by a slayer, her watcher, a witch, a werewolf and a couple vampires with souls. (stay with me). The point is, Hell is defeatable.

No matter what comes out of that “hellmouth”, it can and will be defeated. Joss Whedon has some weird stuff come up out of that hole. And I imagine that is what hell is like- scary, the weird stuff of the eternal variety. Stuff nightmares are built from, all based on fear and imagination. If you can imagine it, it can exist, because isn’t that what the deceiver plays on? Our fears?

 

So picture this.

While the disciples, followers, Mary and many others were preparing for the Sabbath in the midst of grief and anguish, anger and fear, Jesus was literally fighting for their souls. He was closing the door to Hell. He was bridging the gap to Heaven. If I use my overactive imagination and hours of Hollywood productions, I can come up with a decently horrendous depiction of what he was doing. It’s probably not even close, as scary as my imagination makes it.

I can’t help but feel completely humbled. This man knew me before I was born. God has had a plan for me all along and Jesus is part of it. He made sure to include me in his fight. He made sure to leave me a part of himself in the Holy Spirit. He made sure I have guidance, peace, and strength when I need it. He loves me unconditionally. He did something no one else could do, and he won.

He fought all of Hell, for me.

 

 

Scripture References:

Matthew 28:1-7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28%3A1-7++&version=NIV

1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Mark 16:1-8     https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+16%3A1-8&version=NIV

 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Luke 24:1-12   https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A1-12&version=NIV1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

John 20:1-9   https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20%3A1-9&version=NIV

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)