Been processing some thoughts. For those of you who have looked in here from time to time this is maybe an in between post.
I have been struck with the fact that Jesus descended after His death on the cross to the very depths of the earth(Ephesians 4:8-10 and also 1 Peter 3:18-20). Some say that it was hell that Christ descended to. Maybe it was. Either way the question needs to asked. Why? He was going to be resurrected and why wait? Why not take a few hours or days off and just chill before your glorious ascent? I mean, I think that's what I would do. It's like when you know alone how something that will completely change someones day into a glorious memorable date. The feeling that a wife would have when only she knows that the pregnancy test has come back positive after months of trying to get pregnant. You probably would want to explode with "SURPRISE!"
But Christ waited and descended to the places of deep hurt and pain and anguish. I ask again why?
What I have come to understand, and this is most certainly only a tiny piece of what the resurrection accomplished, is that by descending to the very depths of earth Christ's defeated everything to do with the fall. There was no place left unchanged in all of heaven and earth and under the earth like it says in Philippians 1. Christ rose not by Himself but with everything and everybody clinging to who He was. He defeated everything that our rebellion had taken from Him. There is no place left untouched by the power of death's defeat.
So, what does that mean for us? Who are we to claim to be too good to dive to the depths of humanity and reflect Christ there? Who am I to think that I shouldn't go to the depths of creation to reflect the image of my Saviour. The One that went deep for me.