Buried and dead

We often speak of someone being ‘dead and buried’ and the Creed’s description of Good Friday concludes with mention of Jesus’s burial. But what do we make of the next phrase: “He descended to the dead”? It’s a puzzling line, particularly in the old, familiar version, “He descended into hell”. But hell doesn’t refer here to the place of torment and separation from God, simply the realm of the dead. It emphasises that Jesus had truly died.

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This is another important affirmation of his humanity – he shared fully in our human condition. He did not just seem to die – he really did. If he hadn’t, there could have been no resurrection from the dead. There have always been some who dismiss the resurrection by claiming that Jesus was only unconscious when laid in the tomb and there he recovered enough to remove the heavy stone and the soldiers on guard. That’s clearly an unlikely scenario! Jesus was truly buried and dead.

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The New Testament writers declare that Jesus was raised, not from death, but “from the dead” (Acts 2:24; Rom.1:4; Col.2:12). Because he died, his saving work was complete. He died so that we might live with him forever (1 Thess.5:10) and might live for him now (2 Cor.5:14-15).