Three Analogies for Our Lord's Descent into Hell
Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed, Alleluia!) Some time after
He was buried on Good Friday and before He burst the tomb on Easter Sunday
morning, our triumphant Lord Jesus descended into hell. For us and for our
salvation, the conquering Christ entered that place of darkness and
punishment. We cannot say exactly how this happened, because the Bible does
not spell out for us the details of how this happened. But we do know from
the Scriptures that our Christ did indeed descend into hell for us; we
frequently confess His descent in the Apostles' Creed; and there are great
personal benefits that Jesus earned for each of us by this victorious
descent.
Christus Victor
When we confess in the creed that Christ Jesus descended into
hell, we are not stating that our Lord went there in order to suffer the
torments of the devil. We know that Jesus did not suffer the torments of the
devil in hell because the full extent of Christ's suffering for our
forgiveness was already completed on the cross at the moment of His death.
St. John tells us that Jesus prayed the words, "It is finished" and then
immediately gave up His spirit into death (John 19:30). When Jesus said, "It
is finished," He spoke in the same way a merchant would have spoken after
the customer paid his bill in full. "It is finished" means that every last
nickel and dime was paid for the purchase of your life and salvation. "It is
finished" means "paid in full," and among other things, these words refer to
the fully paid debt of sin you once owed but could not pay. "It is finished"
means all your sins are forgiven.
Because of this, "It is finished" also means that Jesus most certainly did
not descend into hell in order to suffer the torments of the devil. The
descent into hell has to do, not with suffering, but with victory.
As an analogy, think of your Lord's descent into hell as being a
lot like would happen after a conquering general wins the war on the
battlefield. After gaining his victory over his enemy, the victorious
general will then proceed to his enemy's city in full military glory,
weapons flashing and banners unfurled. When the victorious general arrives
at his fallen opponent's city, he will smash the gate and imprison the
garrison so that no one in this city will ever more be able to mount an
attack against the victorious general, against his armies, or against the
people whom he serves.
So it is with your Lord's descent into hell, dear saints. Having
overcome the powers of death, hell and the devil on the battlefield of the
cross, Jesus descended to bind the devil with a great chain (Revelation
20:1-2), forever limiting and preventing that ancient enemy's power over
you, so that he may not take you captive and enslave you any more.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He [Jesus] Himself
likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the
one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those
who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (Hebrews
2:14-15).
Through His death, through His descent into hell, through His Easter Sunday
resurrection, your Lord Jesus Christ fully vanquished for you every cause of
your fear, every cause your condemnation, every cause of your death. Christ
is risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!)
Big Brother
It is not always easy to remember this victory, to rejoice in this
victory, and to live in the complete, unquestioning confidence of this
victory. You and I both still have too many fears. No matter what particular
fears you have or what particular fears I have, all our fears finally boil
down to the fear of judgment, the fear of condemnation-yes, the fear of
hell.
Some time after He was buried on Good Friday and before He burst the tomb on
Easter Sunday, our Lord Jesus descended into hell. Not only does His descent
mean that the devil's power has been fully broken, but it also means that
hell now holds no fury for you at all. Jesus fully and completely defeated
the power of death and hell for you, so that these things will never more
harm you!
Here is another analogy to help you understand and hold tightly to this
benefit and gift Jesus gives to you by His descent into hell: suppose a
small child awakes in the middle of the night, suddenly afraid of the
darkness outside the window. When the child cries out in fear, big brother
immediately rushes in to calm the child's fears. Then, in order to show that
the darkness will hold no harm for his beloved little brother or sister, big
brother goes out into the darkness and says to his frightened sibling, "See!
There is nothing here that can harm you! Go and rest peacefully, little
one!"
In much the same way, your Lord's descent into hell is like the big brother
who stands out in the darkness. Indeed, the Scriptures declare that your
Lord Jesus is "the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29), the "many
brothers" meaning you and all your fellow Christians. Jesus' descent into
hell and resurrection again shows you that there is now nothing in hell's
darkness that can harm you any more. Jesus is the big brother who stands in
the darkness and says to you, "See! There is nothing here that can harm you!
Rest peacefully, little one! All is well and ever shall be well for you." In
this way, Jesus provides great and eternal comforts to you and to me, His
younger brothers and sisters. He shows us by His descent into hell that the
darkness has lost all its power over us and shall never harm us. Christ is
risen! (He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!)
The Devil's Judge
This is how St. Peter spoke in his first letter about your Lord's
descent into hell: "He [Jesus] went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison"
(1 Peter 3:19). These words indicate that, when Jesus arrived in hell, He
had something to say to the devil, to the demons, and to all those
previously held captive on account of their disobedience and rebellion. The
Bible does not spell out what exactly Jesus "proclaimed to the spirits in
prison," and we are probably better off not knowing. We can guess that it
was probably not a very pleasant conversation for our victorious Lord's
listeners. Yet even this sermon in hell, the contents of which we cannot
know, is a great blessing and benefit for you.
Perhaps you will find this analogy helpful: Suppose a man who has
horribly beaten and abused you now stands before his judge, receiving a
prison sentence for his crimes against you. Because of distant place in
which you are sitting, you do not get to hear the exact words of the judge's
proclamation and sentence against this man. But it does not matter! The
judge's proclamation against your attacker is nevertheless good news for
you. You do not know the details of the judge's proclamation, but the very
fact that the judge made a proclamation against your attacker spells joy and
peace for you. The one who previously harmed you cannot harm you any more!
In a similar way, Jesus Christ descended into hell and "proclaimed to the
spirits in prison" " (1 Peter 3:19). We do not know what Jesus said those
"spirits in prison," because the Bible does not tell us. Even so, Christ's
descent into hell proclaims wonderful comfort to us, even though we do not
know what exact words He proclaimed! Just as the prison sentence against
your attacker means you are now safe from him, so also Christ's descent into
hell proclaims to you that the devil, death and hell no longer have any
power over you! Your bitterest enemies have been put away for good.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, who descended into hell and on
the third day He rose again from the dead. When we make this good
confession, we are saying that
"Christ descended into hell to subdue the devil and take him captive along
with all his power, cunning, and malice so that the devil can no longer harm
me" (Martin Luther, Personal Prayer Book, AE 43, 27).
This is the joy of Easter, dear saints. Christ is risen! (He is risen,
indeed! Alleluia!)
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