The timing of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection is one of the strongest pieces of evidence proving that the Sabbath is on a Saturday and NOT a Sunday.
Let’s take a look at the following text.
The setting is immediately following the crucifixion. Jesus has just been taken down from the cross and put into a tombstone (or sepulcher).
“And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.” -Luke 23:54-56
There are three days we need to examine closely.
1) The day when Jesus was crucified.
2) The day when Jesus lay in the tomb.
3) The day when Jesus was resurrected.
Before we proceed, a short reminder: Remember that the Hebrews, including today’s modern Jewish community, calculate a day as STARTING at sunset, and ending at the next sunset.
The new day begins in the evening.
This also means that the last supper Jesus had with his disciples occurred before sundown, in spite of what all the movies portray.
This is important to understand when attempting to ascertain WHEN certain Biblical events occurred.
So what day did Jesus die on the cross?
People everywhere know that day as Good Friday.
But we’re gonna have to depart from BS Roman Catholic theology here.
And a word of appreciation and thanks to Mark Johnson for correcting me!
In fact, I’m going to share what he shared in the comments below.
“Jesus (the messiah) was to be “cut off” in the middle of the week!
He was to be cut off in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, in the middle of God’s 7000 year week and in the middle of the simple seven day week.
The middle of the week of 30 A.D. was a Wednesday Passover.
The following day, Thursday, was as is any day that follows Passover, a High Sabbath — the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when NO WORK was to be done.
On Friday (no longer the High Sabbath) the women went about procuring the items they needed to prepare Jesus’ body. (And I suspect they did their shopping as quietly as possible, without drawing attention to themselves as they may have thought they might be next.)
After gathering the items they needed on that Friday, they again rested on the seventh day, Saturday Sabbath.
Three days and three nights Jesus lay dead in the tomb (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and rose to life just after sunset beginning the 1st day of the week, Sunday.“
So what do we see here?
That Jesus was resting inside the tomb EVEN ON THE SHABBAT (both Friday and Saturday until sunset)…
And wasn’t resurrected until after sunset beginning the 1st day of the week (Sunday).
So Jesus Himself prior to His resurrection in His death was keeping the Sabbath.
Awesome!
And thank you again Mark for your correction!
Please tell me how you get 3 days and 3 nights between “good Friday” and “easter sunday” and don’t tell me that the Jews counted part of a day as a day-that’s why Yeshua was so very specific! He died on a Wednesday and rose on the S ABBA TH day-Abba=daddy’s day 🙂 and here we go….
Hello Carol,
For Chinese tradition, if a baby born on the new year eve, he or she is one year old. A few hours (or minutes) later, once the o’clock rings at 12:00 min-night, the baby is count as two-year-old. I support Jewish people count the time or day differently as the West.
HI Yesua resurrected on first of the Sabbaths (not first [day] of the week)
Good Friday? Risen on Sunday? Ahhhhhh….how can anyone with even just a bit of understanding of biblical history believe all that Roman “disinformation”? Jesus didn’t rise on Sunday morning. On Sunday morning when it was still dark, he was already risen and gone! Jesus rose exactly when he was predicted to rise, at sunset ending the seventh day Sabbath and beginning Sunday — and that Sunday being the Feast of First Fruits, the day the first of the harvest was to be presented to God – and Jesus being the first fruits of a very great harvest, indeed! For years and years the Friday Crucifixion has been debunked — repeatedly. Yet some still insist on perpetuating this Roman fantasy, and that to promote Roman Sun Worship on the traditional Roman day of worship of Sun!
Jesus (the messiah) was to be “cut off” in the middle of the week! He was to be cut off in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, in the middle of God’s 7000 year week and in the middle of the simple seven day week. The middle of the week of 30 A.D. was a Wednesday Passover. The following day, Thursday, was as is any day that follows Passover, a High Sabbath — the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when NO WORK was to be done. On Friday (no longer the High Sabbath) the women went about procuring the items they needed to prepare Jesus’ body. (And I suspect they did their shopping as quietly as possible, without drawing attention to themselves as they may have thought they might be next.) After gathering the items they needed on that Friday, they again rested on the seventh day, Saturday Sabbath. Three days and three nights Jesus lay dead in the tomb (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and rose to life just after sunset beginning the 1st day of the week, Sunday.
No Good Friday Crucifixion, No Sunday morning resurrection. But prophecy was fulfilled just as the Mosaic Law, the Psalms and Jesus, himself, predicted — three days and three nights in the earth. Ah, but people, as people have always done, will embrace tradition and deceptions (if those deceptions are repeated long and hard enough) before they believe biblical facts — facts that are conveniently ignored to maintain the traditions. And, so the deception continues.
Mark, you’re comment is dead on correct. This post needs to be updated. Thanks for sharing.
Rich (I assume you are addressed as Rich), thanks for your comment of encouragement. This Sunday “Easter” resurrection thing has been an issue with me for many years. But, it is so understandable that the vast majority of us gentiles can be so readily deceived by the traditions of Rome (both contemporary and ancient.) As gentiles we just aren’t “Jewish” to under easily understand Jewish ancient laws, customs or way of life. And so, what is presented in the Scriptures is generally misunderstood and wholly overlooked. It is a shame, indeed. But once again, thank you for your kind comment. It is so encouraging to know others are likewise embracing biblical reality!
Mark Johnson
Thanks Mark. Be blessed and SHALOM!
You’re not a gentile. Eph 2 makes it clear that a gentile is: without the covenant, without Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, stranger from the covenants of promise, having no expectation and without Elohim, in (being a part of) the world.
Once we make the decision to follow Messiah and we can’t trace our lineage back to Judah, we aren’t Jewish. Rather we are a part of the 10 lost tribes of the house of Israel. Grafted in…
Yes Mark Thank you
Who told you Christ rose on Sunday morning? No one teaches that; rather, He rose during the night. In fact, if He did not rise from the dead on Sunday, He would not have fulfilled the typology of the Law, for the feast of First Fruits it fulfills was “the morrow after the Sabbath.” Christ our Paschal Lamb was sacrificed at the time the Paschal lambs were slain, and Christ the First Fruits of the Resurrection arose the day the new grain was presented before God in the Temple.
Andrew, apparently you aren’t Roman Catholic or from one of the mainstream Protestant Denominations. They all teach that Christ was crucified on a Friday and rose on Sunday morning. They all are in error of course, due mainly from being gentilecentric and ignorant of God’s seven feast days. You are quite correct however, Jesus rose in fulfillment of the feast of Firstfruits. And of course, again as you pointed out, commenced on the day following the first sabbath (seventh day sabbath) after Passover, or specifically, the first day of the week (what Romans named, Sunday.) And, that first day of the week, that Sunday, would begin at sunset between the Sabbath and Sunday — the very time that Jesus would have risen.
We agree on much, Andrew. However, that no one teaches a Sunday morning resurrection, with that I respectfully disagree. It is widely taught and widely believed. Just ask all those that will be attending sunrise services this Easter morning. (Easter, another Roman counterfeit holy day.) Only but a handful of Christians know Easter is actually God’s Feast of Firstfruits. Such recognition would have been far too “Jewish” for an antisemitic Riman Church to acknowledge.
And, how anyone who can count manages to squeeze three days and three nights into a Friday evening to Sunday morning time frame must be using a very rare form of math, indeed.
Bottom line, of course, is that Jesus was NOT crucified on a Friday but did rise at the beginning of Sunday — which for the Jews then, as it is still today, began at sunset, six hours before the Roman start of a day at midnight.
To understand the passion, death and resurrection of a Jewish messiah, one needs to know at least how 1st century Jews lived and conducted themselves. Looking at the events of the gospels through the eyes of a Roman culture, then and now, will lead one far astray from the actual chronology of events.
Wow our Messianic brothers and sisters are bringing life from the dead to the gentile believers…such a blessing. Thank God for our jewish family in the Faith
Oh I’m Catholic alright. That’s why I cited the Exultet.
I am sharing this on my facebook. can h please teach me about the sabbath today and if we should observe it
Christine, the Sabbath is still alive and well. If you recall, the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment, was etched in stone (stone which is eternal) along with the other nine commandments. The Mosaic Law, the law of rituals, ordinances and such, was written on papyrus (papyrus that decays into dust.) The Mosaic Law has passed away being fulfilled by Jesus. The Testimony of the Covenant (Ten Commandments) will not pass away — just as Jesus said it would not. Please, don’t misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with worshiping on Sunday if that might be what you’re thinking; just as there is nothing wrong with worshiping on any other day of the week. Worship is good at any time. However, the Sabbath does have a special place in our weekly living. If you want to know how to keep Sabbath — the seventh day Sabbath — note how Jesus spoke of it and kept it himself. And try not to be unduly influenced by how “fanatical” Sabbath-keepers might demand Sabbath be kept. Again, look to Jesus. Listen to what he had to say about it. Note how he, himself, keep it.
This is the way I see it. Yeshua (Jesus) died in Passover, which begins on the 14th of Nissan on the Jewish Calendar. We have just celebrated the start of the Passover on Wednesday this year (8/4/20). Days on the Jewish Calendar began at sundown, which starts soon after 3 p.m. Yeshua died at the ninth hour around 3 p.m. (as the Sabbath drew near – Luke 23:54) on a Friday. So, we read from Luke that He died coming into the Sabbath at Passover. This seems to confirm that it was still the first day when Yeshua died on the Friday before sundown. The second day was the Sabbath on a Saturday, from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. The third day began at Saturday sundown through to Sunday sundown. Yeshua was anointed and prepared before his burial by the Woman at Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13). When the women and Mary came to anoint his body on the First Day of the Week, the Third Day, the Sunday, at the tomb, He was risen (Luke 24:3). And that day was the day of the First Fruits. Yeshua observed the Saturday Sabbath right up to the time of His death for an important reason. God’s timing is perfect.
As to your point that your reader Mark is dead on accurate, when are you going to update the page? It’s been 18 months. You can make your point about the Sabbath just as well.
Edits done!
Mark said it perfectly. Thank you.
But what was Jesus doing SPIRITUALLY while His body was dead on the Sabbath? He was setting captives free! The law is bondage, it is Hagar, the bondwoman. He fulfilled the law in His life and death, but in His death, He was setting free captives that had died under the law of sin and death. We are free in Christ and the law brings death. Why would the Father sacrifice His only Son, only to put us back under an old system that had already been proven to fail. Short answer; He wouldn’t. If following the law could save us, why did Jesus have to die? Makes no sense, but makes perfect sense that He set us free from the law of sin and death, and was setting captives free on the Sabbath!
What was Jesus doing when he was laying dead in a tomb for three days and three nights? He was dead, of course — as in D-E-A-D dead ,without breath, without life, without consciousness. Please do not follow the lie of Satan to the woman when he “enlightened” her that she would not die, but be as God — wise and immortal! This idea that as humans we are like God being intrinsically immortal, having an immortal soul, is Satan’s first lie to humankind. It was a lie in the garden (one that Eve shallowed whole), and it is still a lie which many continue to embrace As Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:13-16, only God is immortal. He is the only one intrinsically immortal. But He will, and at the time He has preordained, imbue His elect with immortality, too. Again, as Paul also wrote, at the resurrection we will be raised immortal (1 Corinthians 15:42-56) But until then we are as carnal, mortal and terminal as any other living creature on this earth. Again, please do be deceived by Satan’s lie (that we don’t “Really” die, just our flesh dies, but the “real” us simply goes on and on and on.) Trust me, please, without the intervention of our Lord, the one who is the Truth and the Life, death is truly a “dead end.” Eternal life is a free gift of God through Christ Jesus (Rom 6:23).
Scripture clearly says that He was crucified on Preparation Day – he day before the Sabbath – & taken off the cross & placed in the tomb by Joseph & Nicodemus before Sabbath began. (Mark 15:42-46)
I don’t know about you but I am now grafted in and am a Jew.