1 Peter 3:19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
This is one of the difficult and obscure verses in the Bible. Interpreters have debated for millennia about what Peter means here. This verse affirms two things. First, it shows that Jesus rose from the dead. His suffering was temporary. Likewise, our suffering is only temporary. We get to look forward to resurrection life. In this resurrected state, Jesus’ ministry continued. Second, this verse indicates that Jesus went to imprisoned spirits and preached to them. This is the difficult idea to understand. Verse 20 clarifies who these “spirits” were. Peter is doing two things in this verse. He continues to join the suffering of his readers to the suffering of Jesus, but now moving into the realm of ministry. In the New Testament, when the word “preached” is used, it usually refers to the gospel. This implies that Jesus preached the good news to spirits who needed freedom. Our ministry in our suffering should be similar: to preach the good news to those who need released from sin. Jesus came to preach good news to those imprisoned (Luke 4:18-19). This is what the world needs today.
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