Great, Holy and Black Sabbath

Christ's Descent into Limbo  (by Mantegna)

Those not religiously inclined may think of Black Sabbath as nothing more than a rock band.  But those who think of Easter as greater than eggs and bunnies know that Black Sabbath is essential.

Black Sabbath (aka Holy Saturday, Great Sabbath, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, Saturday of Light and Easter Saturday) is integral to the Easter experience.  How can we fully appreciate the Resurrection of Jesus without realizing the depths from which He emerged?

Lying dead in a tomb is anguish enough. Add to that a sojourn in Hell, and you’ve got the makings of insanity.

Jesus, however, did not lose His focus.  On a possible “day off,” during which He could have been resting from the trauma of Crucifixion, Christ instead chose a Harrowing path.

This path led straight to Hell.  Literally.  The Harrowing of Hell was Jesus’ loving mission to save “all the righteous who had died since the beginning of the world.”  Hell, in this case, means what the Hebrews called Sheol and the Greeks called Hades – a place of Limbo rather than torture.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Saturday 

Copyright April 15, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved