Many Christians come to the story of the cross and resurrection and at some point ask themselves, where was Jesus between the days of His death and resurrection. As Christians, we mark the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday and then celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. But in between those days, where was Jesus?
The short and truthful answer is that no one really knows what happened to Jesus during that period. The Bible does not say much on this topic, which is why many Christians are also divided in finding an answer to this question.
Nonetheless, there are a couple of Bible verses we can look into that give some kind of indication.
1 Peter 3:18-20
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirit – to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built...
In Biblical teaching throughout history, people generally believed that when a man dies, the spirit can only go to two places: Paradise and Hades. The believers go to Paradise, while the non-believers go to Hades. The non-believers are also described as imprisoned spirits. Meanwhile, the physical body will stay in the grave - dust returns to dust.
In the verse from Peter, it mentions that after Jesus died, His spirit was alive. But, at least for some of the time between the cross and resurrection He was not in Paradise with His Father. Rather, it indicates that He proclaimed to the imprisoned spirits. This implies that the spirit of Jesus went to Hades and made various proclamations to those imprisoned there.
There is also a mention of Noah. Many perceive this as Jesus preaching to the people who perished. Some have even come to believe this must mean that this was Jesus giving them a second chance. However, the Bible does also tell us that all men are to die once and then face judgment for eternity.
There is also another verse that theologians have pointed to that give some kind of indication about where Jesus went after the cross. In Luke 23:43, when Jesus was crucified next to two other criminals, one speaks to Him, and the Bible tells us, "Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise'."
As a result, it is believed by many that Jesus went to Heaven immediately after He died, and so for at least some time between the cross and resurrection He was with HIs father in heaven.
The precise answer as to whether or not Jesus went to Heaven or elsewhere is not entirely clear, and as mentioned above, this is probably because there is very little mention in the Bible about what happened during those three days. This Easter, let's not put our focus on what we don't know, but instead, focus on the events we really know about, and the central foundations of the Gospel - the cross and resurrection that can bring salvation to all those who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Jesus' resurrection and be thankful for His amazing sacrifice.
