He Descended Into Hell

In my United Methodist Church, our version of the Apostle's Creed leaves out the line "he descended into Hell." I've always lamented this (or at least wondered about, since I doubt I was too concerned about it as an 8-year-old), because the descent into Hell is fascinating, redemptive and gives meaning to Holy Saturday.

One of the best reflections I've ever had to do on the descent to hell involved studying a Russian icon of the Harrowing of Hades:

It may be hard to see at this resolution, but there are really neat aspects that can be picked out. Jesus is in the center, and he's standing on the gates of Hell, which have been broken and now form the shape of a cross. On his left and right are Adam and Eve, whom he raises from Hell, and ranked behind them are the Old Testament kings and prophets, including Abraham and Sarah, David, Samuel and so on. Below, in the depths of Hell, two angels bind Satan, whose power has been broken, with chains.

There are plenty more minute details that make this icon not only aesthetically pleasing but also illustrative and instructive of the events of Holy Saturday, but I'll spare you. I just love the thought that even in the silence of the in-between time of Holy Saturday, even on that Sabbath day, Jesus was hard at work rescuing damned souls. Perhaps this should give us a hint that in these in-between times, here and now, with the Kingdom being already-but-not-yet, Christ is striving to save our souls so that we can be raised with him in glory at the last trumpet.