“The Seven Stations of the Finished Work #5”
“The Burial and the Three Days and Nights!”
These “Seven Stations” are: 1. The Last Supper
2. The Whipping Post
3. The Suffering on the Cross
4. The Death on the Cross
5. The Burial and the Three Days and Nights
6. The Resurrection of the Body
7. The Ascension
A. First off, the following words of Jesus do a number on most of the Good Friday tradition in the church. Even
with a Jewish understanding of a new day beginning at sundown you can’t get three days and three nights in
before Sunday morning. Just what did happen to Jesus and what did he accomplish during this period of time?
Matt 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
B. What we are getting at here is the fact that Jesus had not only been preparing Himself for the ordeal of the
cross in suffering and dying physically, but also for a journey into the “belly of the earth” to visit this place of
“the physically dead though living.” An added reminder is that even in “Sheol” or “Hades” as describing this
“abode of the dead,” God was and is very much present!
Ps 139:7-12 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You
are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say,
"Surely the darkness shall fall on me, "even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide
from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.
C. Within the whole of the biblical narrative the concept of the afterlife is complex and vague to say the least.
There are several terms that are used such as; abysso, gehenna, tartarus, sheol and hades. The most
“developed” information we have of this place known as hades is found in the story of “The Rich Man and
Lazarus,” told by Jesus in the book of Luke. It seems there were two compartments, a righteous and an
unrighteous, making up the abode of the dead known as Hades.
Luke 16:19-26 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every
day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed
with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that
the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And
being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "Then he
cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And
besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you
cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
D. In a post-physical experience Jesus visited this place of death. After all, Jesus has been raised “from the
dead,” necessitating Him having had come forth from the place of the dead (Romans 10:6-7). What was
accomplished and what did He do during the three days and nights? Why did Jesus go there? For judgment?
For righteous captives? For unrighteous? Did He go there for us? For all? Let’s start with the righteous dead.
Eph 4:8-10 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." 9 (Now
this, "He ascended" — what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He
who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
Ps 16:10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
E. One of the most bizarre passages within the crucifixion narrative is mentioned by Matthew just after Jesus
yielded up His spirit. It seems immediately after Jesus’ death on the cross that the veil was torn, the rocks split
in an earthquake and mysteriously, the graves were opened from which saints emerged after His resurrection.
Matt 27:50-53 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His
resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
F. To die in the faith as one deemed righteous in the Old Covenant era was to go to the “bosom of Abraham,”
there awaiting the fulfillment of the Lamb’s sacrifice. To die as one righteous within the New Covenant era is “to
be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). What we see happening at the moment of
Jesus’ death is a releasing of these righteous dead of the Old Covenant era from their’ captivity to be united with
the Lamb. After being united with their long awaited Messiah/Lamb, they would accompany Him for the rest of
His victorious mission during the three days and nights preceding the resurrection. In the above passage we see
those liberated “spirits of just men made perfect,” who had been awaiting the cross, being united with Jesus.
G. In life Jesus declared that the hour “now is” in which “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God.” In this
passage He also revealed “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in
Himself.” We are saying that in a post-physical experience Jesus visited the place of death and completely
vanquished any right or authority that Satan may have claimed to have over humanity.
John 5:24-29 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting
life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the
Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to
execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all
who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation
H. Jesus, along with the freshly liberated saints of the Old Testament era (the church with its’ victorious Head if
you will), invaded Hades and its’ gates did not and will never prevail against it (Mt.16:18). There, in a scene that
must have been reminiscent of the victory of Joshua when he had the people of God put their feet on the necks
of defeated kings, Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers and put them to an open shame.” Here the one who
had the power of death and had held humanity in the fear of death was completely defeated. Satan’s reign has
been destroyed!
Heb 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the
same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Col 2:11-15 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of
the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with
Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it
out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
I. During this important visit proclamation was made by Jesus to spirits in prison and Peter indicates that the
gospel was preached to those who are dead. Are we to believe that people who lived before the cross or the law
and “who formerly were disobedient,” had the opportunity to respond somehow? Mind boggling isn’t it?
1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put
to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20
who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was
being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
1 Peter 4:6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according
to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
J. When we consider that Jesus was three days and three nights in this place of the dead, we know that He has
won a complete victory over all the power of sin and death. Jesus has executed righteous judgment over the
dead and has exercised a devastating defeat to the one who formerly held the power of death (Heb 2:14-15). In
this “descent to the underworld,” victory has been accomplished as Jesus has emerged from that place with the
keys of death and Hades in His possession and with all things under His control. It is like the old song truly says,
“He arose a Victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign!” We are victorious in Him!
Rev 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades
and of Death.
K. In the end the last enemy to be destroyed will be death! Ultimately, in a final judgment, death itself and Hades
will be cast into the lake of fire.
1 Cor 15:24-26 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all
rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy
that will be destroyed is death.
Rev 20:13-14 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in
them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death.
L. Did you know that the devil no longer has the keys to his own death-house? Jesus has conquered the
adversary, and because of our inclusion in Him, we too are victorious. What a shock it must have been for Satan
when Jesus arrived in Hades aving died after becoming sin for all mankind? Here Satan thought he had Jesus
just where he wanted Him, then Jesus turned the tables and completely enforced the wisdom and victory of the
cross.
M. When He stripped Satan of his authority and dominion, it was also your victory and mine. We are in Christ and
we were there. We put our heel upon the neck of the enemy with Christ by being in Him; we with Christ stripped
Satan of his authority; we in Christ left the devil defeated and broken, and then we were raised together with
Christ. Satan is conquered. The being born anew to the new creation has been accomplished. The new creation
has become effective and is now affecting every aspect of how we do business in life.
N. In as much as we were co-included in His death, we were co-included in His burial. We were co-quickened
(made alive together) with Him “according to the image of Him who created him. (Col 3:10).” We are also coincluded in His bodily resurrection, as well as co-elevated in His ascension. We are equally present in the throne
room of the heavenly realm where we are co-seated with Him in his executive authority. We are fully represented
in Christ Jesus! Our joint position in Christ is what defines us! This identity with Him and in Him can never
again be some distant goal to seek after but our immediate “now” point of reference.” Because all this is a
finished work… it is now for us a present reality!