Apostles’ Creed Week 6: Suffered, Died, Rose

Sep 23

Introduction

In the coming weeks, we’re going to walk slowly through one of the oldest, most widely embraced confessions in the history of the Church—the Apostles’ Creed. This ancient creed is more than a set of beliefs; it’s a narrative. It tells the story of God, the story of the gospel, and the story we are invited into.

The Kansas City Underground holds this creed as a foundational confession. It’s a declaration of trust, a form of spiritual formation, and a shared language that binds us together with the global Church across time and culture.

Each week, we’ll sit with a single line or phrase. You’ll engage Scripture, linger in reflection, and respond in prayer. This is not a study to rush through, but an invitation to abide with truth until it shapes your imagination and your life.

If you want to dive deeper into the meaning behind each line, we highly recommend The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism by Ben Myers. It’s a short but powerful companion that can enrich your journey.

Apostles’ Creed

Read the following line from the Apostles’ Creed:

Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, and Was Buried”

This line of the Creed takes us to the heart of the Christian faith: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”

Everything turns here. Without this—without the cross—there is no Christianity.

No forgiveness.

No freedom.

No resurrection.

No hope.

The Apostle Paul said it plainly: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17) But before the resurrection comes the reality of the cross—real wood, real nails, real death.

The eternal Son of God suffered. He was handed over to human systems of power. Judged by a corrupt ruler. Rejected by His people. Hung on a Roman execution stake—naked, humiliated, bleeding. He didn’t just die—He was crucified. Tortured. Dehumanized. And all of it… for us.

The Creed doesn’t rush to resurrection. It stays here—on the suffering, the crucifixion, the death,
the burial. Why?

Because our salvation lives in this moment. Because our God doesn’t bypass pain—He enters it. Because this is where divine love is poured out in its most costly form.

The cross is where Jesus takes on the full weight of sin, injustice, violence, and abandonment. It’s where He absorbs the curse so we could receive the blessing. It’s where He dies so we could live.

This is the ground beneath our faith. Not sentiment Not spiritual ideas. But a Savior who bled. Who died. Who was buried in the silence of a tomb. And if He did not—then none of this matters. But He did.

So we come to this line of the Creed not with casual agreement—but with reverence. With grief. With gratitude. And with hope. This week, we sit at the cross. And we let it undo us.

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 53:3–7
Luke 23:13–46
John 19:16–42
Romans 5:6–11
Hebrews 4:14–16

Reflection

We follow a crucified King. One who took on the worst of what the world could do—violence,
betrayal, injustice, abandonment—and carried it without retaliating.

The cross is not just an event to remember; it’s a window into God’s heart.

Here we see the full extent of His love. Here we see that salvation didn’t come by avoiding death, but by passing through it. Here we learn that God does not stand at a distance from our pain—He joins us in it.

And it was all voluntary. Jesus wasn’t a victim of fate. He laid down His life.

The Creed says He suffered—not just died. That matters. He felt agony. He felt abandonment.

And yet, even in death, He remained faithful.

When we say, “crucified, died, and was buried,” we are not just remembering a death—we are confessing our rescue. We are trusting in a love that didn’t hold back.

And we are reminded that even in our own darkness, Jesus has already gone ahead of us.

Consider

How do you respond to the idea of Jesus’ suffering? Have you ever considered that Jesus suffered with you and for you?

We often want a Savior who fixes things without pain. But the Creed gives us a Savior who enters pain—who redeems it from the inside out.

Before continuing on to the prayer prompts, take a few moments to journal your thoughts around the following set of questions:

Where do you need to know that Jesus is with you in suffering?
Where are you tempted to believe that God is distant or indifferent?
What does it mean for our network to follow a crucified Messiah in a world still full of pain?

Prayer Prompts

Let the silence and the song of this line guide your prayer this week.

Lament: Sit in the silence of Saturday. Name the places in your life or in the world that feel buried. Acknowledge the grief that hasn’t yet turned to joy.
Worship: Celebrate the resurrection. Let 1 Corinthians 15 or Luke 24 lead you to thank God for life, for victory, for hope that endures.
Receive: Imagine Jesus holding the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Let Him speak peace over your fears. Let Him name you “alive.”
Embody: Ask the Spirit how you can live as a resurrection person this week. What does it look like to carry hope, joy, and courage into death-shaped places?
Intercede: Pray for our network to live as a resurrection people. That we wouldn’t avoid pain, but enter it with the confidence of Sunday morning. Pray that new life would spring up in homes, neighborhoods, and hearts—and that the power of resurrection would define our witness.