He descended into hell. That is very cheerful news…

There is nothing I have known this side of hell that is unfamiliar to him. There is nothing known to me which I am wont to call hell which he has not already known. Nor is there anything beyond these realms which, even though unknown to me, he does not know.

The Crucifixion and death of Jesus is a sign not only of evil and human sinfulness, but also of God’s love come all the way down to us, to live our life, to suffer, struggle, doubt, and wonder, as we do, and to die our death.

quoted in Christian Century