Several times over the last few decades I’ve been questioned on the timeline of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. If Jesus had been crucified on Friday, He would have been in the tomb just two days. And he would have been in the tomb just two nights. But he specifically said he would be buried for “three days and three nights. Clearly there’s more to consider. Let’s jump into that.
First there’s the issue of the Jewish calendar. Their days end at sundown. When the sun is completely set in the west, a new day has begun. Thus, sundown on our Thursday begins their new day, which we would call Friday. So, with that in mind, let’s continue the examination.
In Matthew 12:39,40, Jesus said, “…An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
That does not mean three 24-hour periods, but that he was buried at least part of three separate days and at least part of three separate nights. In fact, three 24-hour periods would not begin to fit in God’s calendar, which I’ll explain later, below. John 20:1, says, “1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” She arrived while it was still dark, and the resurrection had already taken place. That means Jesus rose and departed the sepuchre in the predawn hours of Sunday morning, which started on our Saturday night.
Working back from early Sunday morning, the conclusion of our Saturday night, to Friday, the second night, to Thursday night, which we see was Jesus’ first night in the grave.
If Jesus had been crucified on Friday, he would have been in the tomb part of the day Friday and all day Saturday, but no part of the day Sunday — so, just two days. And he would have been in the tomb only Friday and Saturday nights — just two nights. But he specifically said he would be buried for “three days and three nights.” And so, it’s clear to me that the Gregorian calendar (our calendar today) is probably the culprit.
If he were crucified on Thursday, he was in the tomb during part of the day Thursday, all night Thursday, and all day Friday and Saturday — three separate days. And he would have been buried all of Thursday and Friday nights, and most of Saturday night — three separate nights.
God’s timeline for Passover is laid out specifically in the Old Testament. He told the Children of Israel to prepare for the Passover by selecting a lamb without blemish on the 10th of Aviv using the Hebrew calendar of that time. On the 14th of Aviv, the lamb was to be sacrificed for the deliverance of the people.
We also commemorate Palm Sunday, which is the 10th of Aviv. The 10th of Aviv fell on the Sunday of the week Jesus died on the cross. That was the day that Jesus, according to the precise timetable laid out in Daniel 9:24–27, presented himself publicly as the Messiah. That 10th of Aviv, God presented His selection of the Lamb without blemish, Jesus.
On Thursday, four days after the 14th of Aviv, Passover, the Lamb of God sacrificed his life for our deliverance.
And on the 17th of Aviv, Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection is supported by fuller and more believable evidence than any other event of ancient antiquity. We have more proof that He was raised from the dead than we have evidence that Julius Caesar ever lived. In fact, the evidence is overwhelming just like the evidence for Creation, and for catastrophic events like the Noahic flood. You can trust it completely.
So, it seems to me that Good Friday is misplaced and reflects either a poor understanding of God’s timeline for the most profound miracle in humanity’s history or a deliberate attempt to misdirect a lackadaisical or uneducated population.
“Why,” I ask. Perhaps it was because of the alleged ties to pagan rituals celebrating the god Aster or Ester. Perhaps it was because Catholic monks thought that only three days were necessary, and people wouldn’t notice the missing third night. I don’t have the answer as to why Good Friday was established even though I find it valuable in my worship and especially as it relates to my salvation. If any of my readers do know how and why Good Friday was established in our calendar, please feel free to share.
Now, after a few moments of prayer for discernment, go do some online shopping. My homepage at the bottom is a good place to start. https://boostlink.associates Doing so will ensure that this blog continues until God calls me to be with him. And while you’re doing that I’ll be working hard to find more shopping opportunities for you!
