John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

The previous devotion had me musing about “The Day the Son Went Down,” focusing on the first coming of Jesus as Christmas as why He came: to pay for our sin and accomplish our salvation. I mentioned that there were actually several days in Scripture that could be described as “The Day the Son Went Down,” so I’d like to share some thoughts on those today.

One of the days “The Son Went Down” was when He was betrayed. You’ve probably heard someone say on a movie or police drama, “You’re going down…” They want to knock criminals down and get them out of the way. That is what the Jewish rulers wanted to do to Jesus. They saw Him as more than a nuisance. They thought He was a threat to their own power and authority. People were following Him, people were listening to Him. They wanted Him out of the way. So they plotted with a disillusioned follower of Jesus. They agreed to pay Judas so that he would hand Jesus over to them away from the crowds and in secret. It took place under the cover of darkness, in a garden where our Lord had gone to pray with His disciples. In order to fulfill God’s plan, Jesus went down. Once again, he did so willingly. He didn’t put up a fight. It is not that He wanted to die. He had made that clear just a few minutes before this in Gethsemane. But He was willing to do what His Father wanted, what was best for us. He had stated that earlier, as recorded in John 6 [38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And it was the Father’s will that the Son “go down” so that you and I would not have to.

The very next day, what we call Good Friday, it appeared as though the Son went down for the count. He took that perfect life He had lived, placed it on the altar of the cross, and gave it up for you. Once again, He went down willingly. … I lay down my life … No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. (John 10:17-18)  Since God demanded death as the payment for sin, Jesus provided it from a heart filled with love. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) Jesus died carrying your sin.

From the cross, the Son went down to the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea secured permission to bury Jesus. He bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock (Mark 15:46). Satan and his minions rejoiced, thinking they were victorious. But just the opposite was true. Satan was defeated. He and the enemies of Jesus thought the Son went down for good. He did, just not the way they thought. He went down for our good, yours and mine. He went down for everyone’s good, and everyone can get that good if they believe that He went down for them. Personal belief in Jesus as Savior receives all the good things God wants you to have.

Sometime between His crucifixion and His resurrection is another day Jesus went down. We speak of it in the Apostle’s Creed: He descended into hell. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about this, only what it says in 1 Peter: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:18-19) Once again, the Son Went down for our good. He went to hell not to suffer – that was finished. He went to proclaim His victory He had secured for us.

That victory was proclaimed loudly and clearly for the entire world on the third day. Jesus took up His power as the Almighty, rose from death and the grave, and announced His triumph through the Resurrection. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Earlier I referenced parts of verses 17 and 18 from John 10. These make it clear this was always God’s plan, even before the Son went down: The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. The Son went down and the Son rose again so that you might be forgiven and have peace with God.

You and I live in the peace and comfort and security that the Son went down for our sake. He has satisfied the demands our sin placed on us, reconciled us to the Father, and given us forgiveness and life and salvation. You have this guaranteed through faith in Christ. We live in this confidence as we await another day the Son will go down. There is one that has not yet happened, but one that we, as His followers, eagerly anticipate. It was spoken of by Paul: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Our Lord is coming down again to take us to Himself. This is our future because of our faith in Christ. May you live each day in this joy and confidence.