What Did Jesus Really Do After His Death? (The Patrick Madrid Show)

Mel Gibson’s upcoming film The Resurrection of the Christ is already generating buzz, especially after reports that production recently wrapped in Rome. On The Patrick Madrid Show, Patrick and Cyrus discussed the highly anticipated sequel to The Passion of the Christ and the theological questions it may explore. One topic stood out above the rest: Christ’s descent into hell after His Crucifixion. Patrick explained that Catholics must understand this correctly. “Jesus did not go to the hell of the damned,” he said. Instead, Christ descended to the “underworld,” often referred to in Scripture as "Sheol" or "Hades". Drawing from Luke 16 and the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Patrick described how the underworld was understood as divided into two places: One for the righteous awaiting heaven and another for the damned. Patrick explained that Abraham and Lazarus resided in the former. This distinction matters because Christ’s descent was not about suffering punishment after death or retrieving the souls of the damned. Rather, it was His triumphal entrance to free the righteous who had died before the Resurrection and open heaven for them. Patrick said he is especially curious to see how Mel Gibson portrays this mystery on screen, particularly rumored scenes involving spiritual warfare between angels. The conversation also touched on the film’s recasting choices and Hollywood’s increasing use of digital de-aging technology. While Cyrus admitted modern CGI often feels unnatural, Patrick joked about whether some actors were being brought back “to 60.” Patrick encouraged listeners to deepen their understanding of the Creed and Christ’s victory over death before seeing the film. The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.