Part 3
Day Seven – Wednesday Evening the start of the Passover
It has now been six days since Jesus arrived at Bethany. Jesus is now in the upper room with the twelve and eats the Passover meal according to Matthew 26:20 “Now when even was come, he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples;” And in Mark 14:17-18 “And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and were eating, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, one of you shall betray me, even he that eateth with me.” After the meal Matthew records in Matthew 26:30 “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.” Mark tells us in Mark 14:32 “And they come unto a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray.” Its now time for the betrayer, Judas to make his entry with the ones who will arrest Jesus. In John 18:12 “So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him,” Luke tells us in Luke 23:1 “And the whole company of them rose up, and brought him before Pilate.” Through Wednesday night and into the morning Jesus is questioned and finally tried by Pilate who then gives in to the demands of the Jewish leaders and their followers. Luke records in Luke 23:24-25 “And Pilate gave sentence that what they asked for should be done. And he released him that for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.” Matthew gives a similar description of the events in Matthew 27:1-2 “Now when morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the governor.” It is now nine o’clock on Wednesday according to Mark 15:25 “And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.” Matthew says in Matthew 27:33-35 “And they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull, they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots;” We know that Jesus hung on the cross from noon until three o’clock for Matthew states in Matthew 27:45-50 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him. And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.”
Now the Jews had a problem. They were the ones who wanted Jesus dead but they also could not allow him to hang on the cross once the Feast of the Passover began. However, since Jesus had done them a favor and died rather quickly maybe they could get him down from the cross. The problem was he was still in the hands of the Romans. Enter Joseph of Arimathaea. The time was now after three o’clock. Joseph left Golgotha and according to Matthew 27:57-58 “And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.” Even though Matthew records that Pilate heeded Joseph’s request, according to Mark he sent back to Golgotha for the centurion. Mark 15:44 “And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.” Think about it. According various maps it was approximately a quarter mile from Pilate’s palace to the crucifixion site. There was at least three trips made. One Joseph going to Pilate, two Pilate sending for the centurion and finally Joseph going back to Golgotha and taking Christ’s body off the cross. It is probably sometimes between five and five thirty by the time Christ’s body is removed from the cross. John tells us in John 19:41, 42 “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb wherein was never man yet laid. There then because of the Jews' Preparation (for the tomb was nigh at hand) they laid Jesus.”
If the scriptures stopped here and the next scenes were of the resurrection morning then the traditionalist would have an argument with this time line. However, there are several events and scriptures that indicate otherwise. Let’s notice some of these and see how they fit in to this view versus the traditional view. First, there are two women who become major players in the sequence of events. Look at where they are, where they go, what they do, and when they do things. First, Matthew records in Matthew 27:61 “And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.” These women had followed to see where Joseph had taken Jesus to bury. The time of day was now approaching dark and the Feast of the Passover, a High Day, a Sabbath (Deut 5:15), these days are recorded in Mark 15:42 “And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,” and Luke 23:54 “And it was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.” And also, John 19:31 “The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the Sabbath (for the day of that Sabbath was a high day), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” At this point you will still get the traditionalist’s argument of “so what, that still agrees with our view.” Related passages; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55.
Day Eight – Thursday the Feast of the Passover starts. Day One of the Entombment
My point, it is now the Sabbath of the Feast of the Passover and not the Sabbath of the week, Saturday. Let’s continue to look at events that occurred after the Sabbath night began. First, nothing is going on in the Jewish community. They did not have 7-11 stores and business activities have ceased. Just as when they arrested Jesus the previous night, the chief priests had to wait until the next morning as did the Marys to conduct any business. Look at what Matthew said in Matthew 27:62-64 “Now on the morrow, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first.”
Day Nine – Friday, Another Preparation day for the weekly Sabbath and Day Two of the Entombment.
The two Marys had seen where Jesus had been buried and for some reason wanted to prepare Jesus’ body with more spices. Look at this eye opening passage Mark 16:1 “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.” And another Luke 23:56 “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” The two Marys observed the Sabbath of the Feast of the Passover. You can’t get any plainer than this, “after the Sabbath” according to the traditionalist view Jesus arose from the dead and we know from the scriptures it was prior to dawn. They could not have gone to the market in the night bought spices, went home and prepared them since Jesus said “no man works.” This is probably one of the more conclusive passages. Mary and Mary did not buy the spices until after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1) then prepared the spices and again rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:56). Two Sabbaths one day apart in the same week. Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry and William Tyndale just completely ignored this without trying to explain they may have bought them in preparation of Jesus dying on the cross, which is absurd since even his apostles did not know he was going to the cross that particular day.
Day Ten– Saturday, The weekly Sabbath and Day Three of the Entombment.
Nothing is going on except the observance of the day of rest. Luke tells us in Luke 23:56 “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”
Day Eleven – Sunday, The first day of the week and Jesus is no longer entombed.
Matthew gives an interesting account of the timeline. Different translations vary on how Matthew 28:1 is translated, let’s look at it, ASV gives “Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” The KJV begins “In the end of the Sabbath”, the RSV “Now after the Sabbath”. My point is, none correctly translates the word Sabbath. In the Greek text it says, (sabbaton)Ask any first year New Testament Greek student and he or she will tell you that word is genitive plural. Simply put and correctly translated “After the Sabbaths” and a true picture of the previous week where there were two Sabbaths, the first was the Sabbath for the Feast of Passover on Thursday and the second the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. You might ask what does Mark, Luke and John record? Only Mark addresses the word and he uses the singular. You would say, “see he says there was only one Sabbath, no, he just addresses the previous day Sabbath. He has already addressed the Feast of the Passover Saturday in Mark 15:42. Luke and John only address the fact that it is the first day of the week, Luke 24:1 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.” And, John 20:1 “Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb.” All glory to God for his son has been raised after spending three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus having went to the grave at dusk on Thursday. Thus Thursday night and Thursday day (1), Friday night and Friday day (2) and Saturday night and Saturday day (3) totaling the three days and three nights. The next question to ask is what about Sunday night. Good question. The bible tells us that Christ was “already” risen from the dead before dawn. Look at Matthew 28:2-6 “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Also, Mark 16:2-6 “And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen. And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? And looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great. And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he saith unto them, Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid him!” Again in Luke 24:1-6 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel: and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,” And finally, John 20:1 “Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb.”
Most people would agree that Jesus was “already” risen from the dead when Mary got to the tomb while the sun was just beginning to come up. Jesus was resurrected from the dead during the nighttime hours and did not complete his entombment another full night. If we take Jesus’ earlier statement of three days and three nights at face value, and I believe we should, he was probably raised the previous evening. This is beyond what the Bible tells us and is purely speculation. It does not however, change what is revealed to us and the basis for these thoughts.
CONCLUSION
The issue of the day Christ was crucified and the day of his resurrection has no impact on our soul salvation. The important thing was he was crucified, he was resurrected and he has ascended to heaven to sit on the right hand of God. It is through his death burial and resurrection that we all now have the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal salvation. But, studying the scriptures on subjects such as this gives and individual an appreciation for the accuracy of the inspired word and that we can continue to gain a knowledge of God and his Son.
