Three Days and Three Nights

The vast majority of professing Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified on “Good Friday” and resurrected Sunday morning. Why? Have they proved this from the Bible? Do they even need to? After all, everybody believes this, and we know the majority is always right—right? How about you? Do you believe in the Good Friday and Easter Sunday tradition? If so, why? Is it because that is what you have always been taught? And surely your minister knows best—right?

What if I were to tell you that this tradition is totally in error—that Jesus was not crucified on Friday and that He did not rise on Sunday morning? What if I said I could prove it from the pages of the Bible? “What difference does it make,” you might ask, “when He died and when He was resurrected as long as we believe in Him? Does it really matter?”

Yes, it does matter—and for a reason far greater than you might imagine. This article is for those who believe the Bible takes precedence over tradition. Does that apply to you? If so, do you really want to know the truth? And what will you do about it? Are you as one who stumbles over truth, picks himself up, dusts himself off, and goes on his merry way, unchanged?

As we often tell you here at Tomorrow’s World, don’t believe us just because we say it; believe us because you can prove it from the pages of the Bible! So, crack open your Bible, read on, and discover the truth that has always been there—and discover why this subject is vitally important.

Why Jesus Christ Gave the Sign of Jonah

It can be easy to shrug off uncomfortable truth with the dismissive question, “What difference does it make?” With some inconsequential things, maybe the truth does not make much difference, but when it comes to the Bible—and your eternal life—truth is all important. It makes a huge difference, and the reason why will become abundantly clear.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day constantly battled Him due to their jealousy and because He did not follow their man-made traditions. They criticized and even ridiculed His doctrines. They disapproved of the company He kept. They condemned His disciples for eating a little snack on the Sabbath as they walked through grain fields. They found fault when He healed on the Sabbath.

It is remarkable how so many today side with the Pharisees against Jesus. People do not realize it, but isn’t that what they do when they mistakenly believe that Jesus violated the Sabbath—thereby justifying the dismissal of the Sabbath and of the need to keep it? But consider: If Christ broke even one of the Ten Commandments, could He be our Savior? Scripture tells us that “whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, King James Version). Jesus was not a sinner!

The Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples when they failed to wash their hands in the ritualistic manner prescribed by a tradition of their elders. Notice His response: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). After showing how they openly violated the command to honor their parents, He went on to say, “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘… In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’” (vv. 6–7, 9). Do professing Christians do the same today—substitute traditions over the law of God? Yes, they do, as we shall see regarding Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection! On one contentious occasion, the Pharisees demanded,

“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it exceptthe sign of the prophet Jonah. 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” (Matthew 12:38–40).

According to Jesus, the only sign He would give to prove beyond any doubt that He was the Messiah would be that He would be in the grave for the same length of time that Jonah spent in the belly of the fish—three days and three nights. Now, try as you might, you cannot find three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. But please—go ahead and try!

God’s Holy Days Clarify Jesus’ Crucifixion “Problem”

The Abingdon Bible Commentary bluntly tells us that Jesus was mistaken: “The statement made is inaccurate, for Jesus was in the grave only from Friday evening to Sunday dawn” (1957, p. 976). Now, if this was the only sign Jesus would give that He was the Messiah and He was mistaken about it, what conclusion are we left with? That is a serious problem!

Others allege that the Greek expression used in this verse simply means a “day/night,” or a single 24-hour day, and the first and third days need only to be a portion of a “day/night.” However, this is controversial at best—and the truth is that the expression “three days and three nights” does not depend on Greek alone. Notice that the Hebrew tells us, “Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17).

What is at stake here is the validity of Jesus as our Savior! He did not proclaim a vague length of time that He would be in the grave. No, He insisted upon a very specific time—confirmed in both Greek and Hebrew. Was He wrong about that length of time?

He was not. He knew what He was saying, and the Bible reveals that what He foretold took place precisely as He said it would. Rather, the error is with man-made traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation.

The Bible reveals that Jesus was put in the tomb right around sunset on a preparation day for a Sabbath. “Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea… went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mark 15:42–43). Most who even think about this assume that it is referring to the weekly Sabbath, but that assumption is erroneous—as we shall see.

The misunderstanding exists because traditional Christianity has substituted heathen practices and rejected the days God established in His word. This has led to ignorance of some of the most basic New Testament practices. The Passover is often dismissively referred to as the “Jewish Passover,” but Jesus and His followers kept it (Acts 20:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7–8). And what many refer to as “the Lord’s Supper” was actually the Passover.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat…. Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’... So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:7–8, 11, 13–15).

While most people are somewhat familiar with the Passover, few seem to know anything about the feast that follows—and that feast is the key to unlocking our understanding of the time Jesus was in the tomb. Scripture reveals the following:

These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it (Leviticus 23:4–7).

Holy Days Are Called Sabbaths

We see that the day after the Passover is one of the high holy days, an annual Sabbath on which to refrain from “customary work.” When Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, He did so shortly after sunset at the beginning of the 14th day of the month on the Hebrew calendar. When the sun set the next evening, beginning the 15th day, it started an annual Sabbath, not the weekly Sabbath. Therefore, the 14th was what was called a preparation day. Notice what John tells us: “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31).

Most commentators, following tradition rather than the Bible, tell us that the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbath fell on the same day that year—Saturday—but fail to point out what would be a serious biblical contradiction if that were so. If we are to believe the Bible, there were two Sabbaths that week: the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (an annual Sabbath, a “high day”) and the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. Not only is this the only explanation that makes sense—it is the only explanation that proves Jesus was who He claimed to be!

Following Jesus’ death around 3:00 p.m., Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and requested Jesus’ body. John tells us that Joseph was assisted by Nicodemus and that together, after Pilate had confirmed that Jesus truly was dead, they took the body, along with about 100 pounds of spices, to the grave where they prepared the body and closed the tomb (John 19:38–42). All of this took time, and the result was that the high-day Sabbath—the annual Sabbath of the first day of the Feast—was nearly upon them. “That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:54–56).

It would have been impossible for the women to return home and prepare spices prior to the Sabbath, as its time was quickly approaching. Furthermore, they could not prepare the spices before they bought them, and Mark 16:1 tells us, “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.” Comparing these two passages, it is evident that there were two Sabbaths with an ordinary day between them. The women saw where the body was laid, returned home to keep the annual high-day Sabbath, then after that Sabbath went out and bought and prepared spices before resting on the weekly Sabbath. When they came to the tomb early on the first day of the week, Jesus’ body was already gone.

If Jesus was in the tomb for exactly three days and three nights, as He said He would be, He would have been resurrected at the same time of day that He was put in the grave. We know that His body was put in the tomb as the sun was setting and that when the women came to anoint the body very early on the first day of the week—what we call Sunday morning—it was already gone. So, when we count three days and three nights back from sunset on Saturday, we come to Wednesday. Now, let us spell it out by harmonizing the two Sabbaths.

Jesus’ Crucifixion Timeline

Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples on Tuesday evening. He was taken into custody later that night, tried illegally, and taken to be crucified around 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. He died around 3:00 p.m. and was put in the grave very late on Wednesday afternoon. When the sun set on Wednesday, that began the Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread—the high-day Sabbath. Wednesday night and the daylight portion of Thursday were the first day. Thursday night and Friday’s daylight (a common workday) were the second night and day. Friday night and Saturday’s daylight (the weekly Sabbath) were the third night and day. This is the only way you can harmonize Luke 23:54–56 and Mark 16:1. There had to be two Sabbaths. And this is the only way to fulfill the sign Jesus gave of who He was—the Messiah, the Savior of the world!

Some point to Mark 16:9 to claim that Jesus rose Sunday morning: “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” But a Sunday-morning resurrection contradicts other scriptures, so what are we to think of this? Do the scriptures contradict one another (cf. John 10:35)?

Many people do not realize that the original New Testament writings had no punctuation. There was not even space between words—they were all run together. This creates a problem for translators, and while most of the time the added punctuation is helpful, sometimes the translators’ bias creates a problem, as in this case. Based on their preconceptions, they place a comma after “first day of the week,” but it is every bit as correct to place it after “rose”—thus reading: “Now when He rose, early on the first day of the week He appeared first to Mary Magdalene….” Thus, the emphasis is on not when He rose but when He appeared to Mary.

God Forbids Using Pagan Practices to Worship Him

Few people stop to ask why they do what they do, especially when it comes to religious observances. Therefore, let us ask a few questions about the traditions that surround the whole Easter season. Where do we find something termed Lent in the Bible? Where do we find avoiding all meat (except fish) on Fridays during Lent (1 Timothy 4:1–3)? What connection is there between the resurrection and Easter—the name of a pagan fertility goddess? Where do we find fertility symbols, such as rabbits and eggs, contained in the Scriptures? What have all these things to do with Jesus Christ?

The Bible admonishes us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). On the verge of entering the Promised Land, the nation of Israel was given the following instructions:

Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it (Deuteronomy 12:30–32).

Is that admonition outdated? Not if we are to believe that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If you are interested in learning more about this vitally important subject, order a free copy of our resource Easter: The Untold Story. And if you are interested in observing the Christian Passover with others who choose the Bible over human tradition, let us know, as we have congregations and ministers in many cities of North America and around the world.