Years ago I sat in a conversation where some people were claiming that Jesus died on a Thursday instead of a Friday based on their understanding of how days are counted.
At the time I couldn't refute their opinion because I had never studied the matter. Mainly to settle my own mind and take a position, I decided to see what the Bible really says about the timeline of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Wow, I didn't realize how much effort this would take, but I'm glad I jumped in. So here is that study.
INTRODUCTION
Some scriptures say Jesus resurrected "on the third day". That seems fine. However, other scriptures say He was in the tomb “three days and three nights”! And yet others say He rose “after three days”!
On the surface, these terms are confusing and appear contradictory. If Jesus rose on a Sunday, wouldn't 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb be 72 hours, or Thursday to Sunday? And "after three days" -- wouldn't that mean on the fourth day, implying He died on Thursday? But then we have "on the third day" -- isn't that Friday to Sunday, or 48 hours?
I am going to show that the scriptures are, in fact, not contradictory, and that Jesus actually did die on a Friday, not on Thursday.
A) Foundational Concepts
1) Jewish Time:
The Jewish day started at sunset or 6pm, not 12:00am midnight as ours does. (Lev 23:32). Their day was from 6pm (sunset) one day to 6pm the next day (sunset - to sunset). They also referred to daylight as day, and darkness as night, and divided up the night into watches, and the day (daylight) into 12 parts (hours). For example, for Jews, the third hour of the day (daylight, from 6:00am) would be 9:00am in our timeframe.
The Sabbath therefore technically started at 6:00pm (sunset) on Friday and ended at 6:00pm (sunset) on Saturday, while the Sabbath “day” was the daylight hours on Saturday. Romans counted time differently, with midnight as the beginning of the day, like us, and divided the night into 4 three-hour watches.
2) The Day of the Resurrection: The day of the resurrection is the first day of the week (Sunday). The Bible does not say the exact time of the resurrection, but states that it occurred on the day after the Sabbath (Saturday), between the time the women started their journey to the tomb (early Sunday morning before dawn, while it was still dark, John 20:1) to the time they arrived at the tomb after the sun had risen (Mark 16:1,2 & Luke 24:1, Matt 28:1,2). In other words, Jesus rose in the beginning of the “day” (daylight) on Sunday. They referred to the day of the resurrection as being on the “first day of the week” which would be Sunday.
3) The Time of the Crucifixion: Jesus was crucified at 9:00am and died at 3:00pm (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:25, Luke 23:44). The third hour of the Jewish day (daylight) is 6am plus 3 hours = 9am. John says the trial was going on in the sixth hour of the day (John 19:14), but he is using Roman time (midnight plus 6 hours = 6am) which fits perfectly with the other gospels. Other notable events are: the sky going dark from noon to 3pm, the curtain of the temple’s inner sanctum is torn in half at 3pm, and an earthquake occurred at 3pm, and the breaking open of tombs (several resurrected from the dead and went into Jerusalem after Jesus resurrected).
4) The Time of the Burial: The burial occurred between 3pm and sunset (6pm, the beginning of the Sabbath) on Friday. The Jews insisted that the bodies be taken down before the Sabbath began at sunset (Matt 27:46, Mark 5:25,34, Luke 23:44). John says that the burial was on the Preparation Day for the Sabbath (John 19:31,42). The Preparation 'day' (daylight periodr), the day prior to the Sabbath, was Friday since Saturday was the Sabbath.
5) The Preparation Day: The Passover lamb was slain on the day Jesus was getting ready for the supper in the upper room (Mark 14:12, Matt 26:17, Luke 22:17). The Preparation ‘day’ (daylight hours) was Friday (but technically starting at 6pm Thursday night, when the supper took place). The day He was crucified was the preparation day (daylight hours) for the Sabbath (Matt 27:62, 28:1, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:14, 31,42), and the day following the Sabbath was the first day of the week (Matt 28:1, Mark 16:1,2, Luke 23:53-24:2, John 19:31,42; 20:1), when Jesus arose. This establishes Thursday night as the time of the supper (the Passover feast), Friday as the day of the crucifixion, and Sunday as the day of the resurrection.
These foundational concepts are all fine, but how are what seems to be contradictions explained?
B) Explaining The Counting Of Days
1) “On the Third Day”
Based on scripture, there is no doubt that Jesus rose on "the third day" (Friday 1 - Saturday 2 - Sunday 3). Jesus himself said he would be raised "on the third day". Prophesy claimed he would be raised on the third day. Peter proclaimed that Jesus was raised on the third day (Acts 10:40). Paul says that Jesus was raised on the third day (1 Cor 15:4). Is there any doubt in your mind that the resurrection occurred on the third day? To make sure, read: Matt 16:21, 17:23, 20:19, Luke 9:22, 13:32, 18:31, 24:7, Acts 10:40, 1 Cor 15:4. There would be no confusion if this was the only terminology used. It's the other descriptions that the Bible uses to explain the timeline of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection that cause confusion. For instance:
2) “After Three Days”
Jesus said He would rise "on the third day". However, other scriptures say He would rise "after three days". How can this be? To our way of interpretation, for an event to occur after three days, it would happen on the fourth day, not the third day. However, for a Jew in bible days, these two terms mean the same thing! To prove it, simply look at this passage:
Matthew 27:62-64a “The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, `After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day.”
Here's the key: We take the words “after three days” literally -- three 24 hour days. The Jews did not. Jesus claimed he would be raised after three days: Matt 27:63, Mark 8:31, 9:31. So as far as the Jews were concerned, “after three days’ meant the same thing as the term “on the third day”.
Compare the two scriptures below:
Mark 8:31 “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
Luke 24:7 ‘`The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "
In a Jewish mind, these two phrases mean the same thing. The Old Testament even has examples of this type of analogy:
2 Chronicles 10: 5,12 (KJV) “And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.
Regardless of our way of thinking and counting in our current language and culture, back then, in their culture, “after three days” meant the exact same thing as “on the third day”.
3) “Three Days and Three Nights”
Jesus said He would rise after three days, and also said that He would rise on the third day, meaning the same thing. However, let’s add to the confusion the fact that the Bible says He would be in the grave three days and three nights!
Matthew 12:40 “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.”
To us, three days and three nights would mean 72 hours. From Friday afternoon to Sunday morning is certainly much less than 72 hours. However, to the Jews, nights and days were not always literal 12 hour periods. And that's the key.
Sometimes parts of days would be called days. And a day could refer to simply a period of daylight, not a whole day, even if just a few hours of daylight. A night could simply refer to a period of darkness.
The book of Esther gives us an example of Jewish thinking regarding the counting of days. Here is proof that the terminology of counting days is not literal as we understand it. In the scripture below, a period of three days and three nights is shown to be accomplished on the third day! This is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding Jewish terminology.
Esther 4:16 – 5:1 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions. On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.”
Here's how I reconciled this in my own mind:
(1) If Jesus died on a Friday, then to a Jew, Friday technically begins 6pm Thursday night and ends 6pm Friday night, containing one night (darkness period) and one day (daylight period). That's one day and one night.
(2) Technically Saturday started Friday 6pm and ending Saturday 6pm. That is the second "day" and "night" period.
(3) And Sunday started 6pm Saturday and ending 6pm Sunday. That's the third day and night (darkness and daylight) period.
So, counting dark periods (starting with Thursday night) and light periods (ending with Sunday sunrise), that's 3 days (daylight periods) and 3 nights (darkness)!
In conclusion:
"After three days"
"On the third day"
"Three days and three nights"
-- all mean the same thing! That is -- Jesus died on a Friday, and rose from the grave Sunday morning.
Case closed.
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