“How can you fit three days and three nights between Good Friday and Easter Sunday?” I once asked a well known Messianic teacher. He dismissed the question by replying, “Jewish days,” and changing the subject. What? For the record, the sun sets and rises the same for Jews as for non-Jews. You can’t fit three days and three nights between Friday sunset and Sunday sunrise. Not even if you’re a Jew. So what really happened?
The New Testament teaches that Jesus was dead for a full three days and three nights.
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40, NIV)
It also states that the tomb was found empty on the first day of the week, while it was still dark.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” (John 20:1, NIV)
In the Bible, and in Jewish tradition, the evening comes before the morning. (Genesis, chapter 1) So, “early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,” is before daybreak on Sunday morning.
The tomb was empty before sunrise. When the women came during the dark hours between Saturday and Sunday, Jesus was gone. Let’s start from that time, and work backward. Saturday during the day was the third day after Jesus was buried. Friday night, the third night. Friday day was the second day. Thursday night, the second night. Thursday day was the first day. Wednesday night, the first night. Write it out. Use your fingers. Jesus had to have been crucified on Wednesday. (Please see comments below for more detailed explanation.)
Then, what’s all this about Good Friday? Christians make mistakes by looking at the New Testament through Gentile eyes, when it was written by Jews. People read that Jesus was buried just before the Sabbath (John 19:31-33), and conclude that Jesus must have been crucified on Friday. What they don’t realize is that this was no ordinary Sabbath.
“…the next day was to be a special Sabbath…” (John 19:31, NIV).
In the Bible (Leviticus 23:7-8), Passover comes first, followed by a seven day period called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day, and the last, of Unleavened Bread is a Sabbath. So the day that Jesus was crucified–Passover–was a preparation day for a special Sabbath that would begin at sunset.
I imagine you saying, “So what?” Does it matter if Jesus was crucified on Wednesday or Friday? Truth always matters. Why do you believe what you believe? Is it religious tradition, or is your faith based on facts? “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.” (Prov. 14:15, NIV).
Copyright 2009, Kathryn A. Frazier http://PreciousHolidays.wordpress.com
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Filed under: Christian, Christianity, Easter, faith, History, Holidays, Interfaith Relations, Judaism, Messianic Judaism, Religion
I’m pleased to find another who has noticed how Matthew 12:40 and ‘Good Friday’ do not fit together. I think you’re on the right track. One problem would be that Jesus did spend Saturday night in the tomb, because the angel rolled the stone away just before dawn. We also know that Jesus was put in the tomb before dark, which means that He spent at least a part of that day in the tomb. That forces us to conclude He died on the Thursday rather than either Friday or Wednesday. I have explained this in much more detail on my blog – alabastertheology.wordpress.com – and would be interested in your comments.
Thank you for your comment. I love a good Bible discussion, and I love that you are thinking and promoting true study. They say that in a room with ten rabbis, there will be twelve opinions.
I read over the part of your blog that suggests Jesus died on Thursday. You may be thinking of days as the morning first, and then the evening, as we have in our culture. Biblical days are figured from sunset to sunset (Genesis 1:5), so it’s the evening first, and then the morning. What we call in this culture Wednesday evening would Biblically be Thursday evening, before Thursday morning. You follow?
When the women went to the tomb while it was still dark on the first day of the week, that would be what we call Saturday night. The tomb was already empty. (John 20:1) Perhaps you presume that the angel had to roll the stone away in order to release Jesus. Because the graveclothes were left behind (John 20:6-7), I presume, from my perspective as a Christian, that Jesus miraculously escaped through both the burial wrappings and the sealed tomb, and the stone was rolled away only to allow others to enter and see. In any case, he could not have spent all Saturday night in the tomb, because it was still dark when the tomb was empty.
It helps me to write it all out.
Wednesday day – (Yom Sheleeshe, day 4 of the week) – crucifixion and burial
Wednesday night- (Yom Hahmeeshee- day 5 of the week) – first night in tomb
Thursday day (Yom Hahmeeshee- day 5 of the week) – first day in tomb
Thursday night (Yom Sheeshee- day 6 of the week) – second night in the tomb
Friday day (Yom Sheeshee- day 6 of the week) – second day in the tomb
Friday night (Yom Shabbat – day 7 of the week) – third night in the tomb
Saturday day (Yom Shabbat – day 7 of the week) – third day in the tomb
Saturday night ( Yom Reeshon- day 1 of the week) – resurrection
Going back from the empty tomb on the first day of the week while it was still dark, three full nights and days brings us back to Wednesday afternoon for the crucifixion.
Great article!
I have articles written YEARS ago – one by Jimmy Swaggart and the other by Pat Robertson – saying the same thing. So I knew this years before I became Messianic.