adminPastor Hamandishe
We are now entering in one of the most important period of the Christian Calendar where they remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This period is important because of its significance that is related to the salvation, deliverance and forgiveness of sins to whosoever believed that Jesus is the savior of the world.
However, it is important for Christians to commemorate this event with the full knowledge of the event and order of days.
Many Christians are committed to this event called Passover / Pasch or Easter where Jesus Christ became the Passover Lamb that took away the sins of people. The holiday is usually marked on a calendar starting on Friday of the month of March or April depends with the year. Nevertheless, the biggest question is “what day did Jesus Crucified?”
This is a question that few Christians can precisely answer or clearly articulates. In my studies and research I realized that we cannot get full three days and three nights from Friday evening to Sunday morning in order to fulfill the prophecy and the truth that Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights.
Does the Bible lie or Christians are failing to interpret scriptures? The traditional belief is that Jesus died on Friday but if we calculate time & days, we can only get one full day and hours.
This area is not popularly taught in church assemblies for two reasons, (one) being ignorant of the proper order of events, (two): it is considered as majoring on the minor.
However, the challenge of failing to interpret the order of such important event can give advantage to those who do not want to believe the bible; they view it as a lie because what the bible says and the days that people practically observe do not complete what the scripture presents.
I believe what the bible teaches. In deed Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights. God can not lie. Indeed the scriptures confirm that 3days were fulfilled. Let us critically look on the questions below in order to comprehend the thought I am projecting.
1.The question of three days & three nights.
Jesus Christ prophetically declared and confirmed that he was going to be in the grave for three days and three nights just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish. Surely it was fulfilled just as he said. (Scriptures refs)
Matt 12: 40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Also Luke 18 vs33 NKJV
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scripture. KJV.
2. The question of timing on his resurrection
Some suggested that Sunday was part of the three days.
However, we should note that Jesus was discovered that he had already arisen early hours of Sunday.
(Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.) This means Jesus had risen earlier before they discovered the empty tomb.
Based on scripture narration, for now let’s agree that Sunday was a discovery day of his resurrection not necessarily the resurrection day.(Please note ,I am not suggesting that he did not rose on Sunday)
I am throwing this thought to refute that Sunday completes another day of three days and three nights; because the Bible did not tell us the exact time he rose.
The Sunday morning was only a time of discovery by his disciples. However, we need to find out the possible time which Jesus rose from the dead. Others had resorted in cutting the hours of days in order to fit three days and three nights from Friday to Sunday.
They point that the Jewish calendar is different with ours. Although there is an element of truth in time difference or counting of hours, for instance when the Bible says the “sixth hour” would mean afternoon, the “ninth hour” would mean 3p.m,this interpretation or difference in time reading cannot reduce the day to less 24 hours .Over and above, the scripture is the only proof that can give us a clue of how Jesus himself read the time during his days as any other calculation can mislead people from the real truth.
3. The Question of hours in a Day
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” NIVThe comment of Jesus on twelve hours of day-light acknowledges that a complete day has 24 hours, meaning 12 hours of day-light and another 12 hours of night-day.
I want to borrow from this scripture to qualify my point since Jesus’ day and time was counted as above according to his comment.
Taking from what Jesus referred as twelve hour day, probably from 6am to 6pm suggest that there are 12 hours of daylight and another 12 hours from 6pm to 6am of night day.
However we understand that proper counting of a day starts at 12:01am to 12.00midnight of the following night. Whichever route we take we still get 24 hours a day.
This will help us to solve the equation of the time and the day of Jesus` death and resurrection.
4. The Question of Sabbath day
We should also understand that in the Old Testament were different Sabbath days observed apart from the regular seventh day. Regular Sabbath was religiously followed but other Sabbath days had special attention. I may not go into details of types of Sabbaths.
However during Jesus’ Crucifixion there were two Sabbath days that followed each other that is Thursday and Saturday. The studies shows us that it was Wednesday afternoon when Jesus was crucified.
The women who followed to see where they laid him went back and rested till the regular Sabbath was over as required by the law, then visited the tomb Sunday morning. Luke 23:55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.
And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. NKJV& Luke 24 vs 1.
The preparation day in Luke 23:54 (And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on) was Wednesday because the Sabbath in question was high day that had fallen on Thursday coincided with the Passover period. This is where we must pay great attention if we want to accurately count the correct days on which Jesus was in the grave.
The expositor Study Bible Commentary by Jimmy Swaggart on Luke 23 vs 54 says “it spoke of the preparation of the Passover which was to be eaten the next day Thursday, it is not speaking of the regular weekly Sabbath of Saturday , but rather the High Sabbath of the Passover , which would commence at sundown”
This means that Jesus was buried just before sundown of Wednesday.
He had died just after ninth hour (3pm). The logical sense of the events harmoniously fits with what the scriptures say about his three days and three nights. A calculation below presents what I believe to be the correct order of days that completes 3days and 3 nights.
Jesus was in the grave Starting Wednesday Evening= 1 (First night)
Thursday Day -light = 1 (Day One)
Thursday Evening = 2 (Second Night)
Friday Day -light = 2 (Second Day)
Friday Evening.= 3 Third Night
Saturday Day-light = 3 Third Day
The conclusion of the events points that Jesus rose soon after the end of regular Sabbath day of Saturday.
The second school of thought says since the normal day ends at 12 mid night Jesus rose soon after the mid night of Saturday which was Sunday morning.
However I found out that all versions may be correct because Jesus was discovered that he rose Sunday morning.
When the women visited the tomb Luke 24 vs 1 -3 Jesus had already risen maybe some hours earlier. However, the most important thing to note is that Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights.
His exact hour of rising from the dead, no-one knows but the calculation of days may point that he rose after the regular Sabbath of Saturday because he could not rest anymore; it makes scripturally sense because the regular Sabbath ended on Saturday evening.
(This might be confirmed by how the seventh day Adventists observes their Sabbath; they consider their Sabbath over beyond 6pm or after sundown).
The belief that he died Friday may remain a religious opinion because it does not complete the truth of scriptures. Sunday was the discovery day because the scripture does not explicitly say he rose on Sunday.
It is not wrong to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday because that is the day the disciples discovered that he rose from the dead.
In deed Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights.
Apart from his sacrificial death, His resurrection is the most significant event related to the Passover or Easter which all Christians should embrace
Pastorocean@ Apostolic Word Foundations (Knowledge Series)Pastor Ocean Hamandishe is the Senior Pastor of Christian Walk Ministries. He oversees Churches in Zimbabwe & Mozambique. He holds a Diploma, B A in Theology and A Masters Degree in Christian Counseling. He Can be contacted on +263 -772 602 471/ or [email protected]
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