We know that the Biblical details of Christ’s death and resurrection are central components of the gospel message. The early New Testament Church kept the Passover as a remembrance of Christ’s death. The details surrounding His death and resurrection are also an anchor of our faith.
To rehearse some of the timing around the events of the week of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, we need to begin with statements Christ gave us and the prophecies in the Old Testament that say He would be 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb. “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 12:40).
Christ said that He would be three days and three nights, 72 hours in the grave and that that would be the sign of who He was. Scriptures also states that Christ was crucified at the 6th hour (noon)and died at the 9th hour, (3:00 pm). “Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness all over the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:44–46). See also John 19:13-16 and Mark 15:33-34
After Christ died, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body. Those with him, knowing that the next day would be a Sabbath, were rushing to make sure that they got Christ entombed before the Sabbath: “Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:57). ” So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby (John 19:42; Mark 15:42).
When Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb very early Sunday morning, they found the tomb open and Christ not present (Mark 16.1-6). Christ had to have been resurrected sometime prior to that. If He was entombed at sunset on the day of His crucifixion and if He was in the grave 72 hours and He was not in the tomb on Sunday morning — then, the facts suggest that Christ was resurrected no later than Saturday evening at sunset.
It makes total sense, and the entire account hangs together with one important exception that has created a lot of confusion for those that have studied the matter. “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. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:31–34). These verse indicates that Christ’s crucifixion occurred on a preparation day and the preparation day was the day before the Sabbath.
However, in the week of Christ’s crucifixion, there were actually two Sabbaths. Thursday of that week was an annual Sabbath. It was a High Holy Day. Clarifying that time frame again: The Passover was on Nisan 14, which began at sundown on Tuesday night and ended at sundown Wednesday. Nisan 15, the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread, an annual Sabbath, began at sundown Wednesday through Thursday sundown. So, Christ and those crucified with Him could not be left hanging on the cross; they needed to be in the tomb before sunset Wednesday which was the Preparation Day.
You could make the argument that in this year, the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbath coincided, because there are some years when that does occur, but here are some details that do help us clarify. The second Sabbath that is referenced in the Bible around this account suffers from a mistranslation in some places. In Matthew 28.1 it seems that there was one Sabbath referenced, but if you look at the original Greek, the correct translation of this scripture references a plural Sabbath.
So, Matthew 28:1 should read: “Now after the Sabbaths, as the first day of the week began to dawn, they went to see the tomb.”
In Mark 16:1, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome purchased spices to anoint Christ’s body. It says that they purchased them after the Sabbath. That sounds like it must be a Sunday, but practically, how would that work? If they were to buy the spices after the Sabbath that would mean after sunset on Saturday or they would have to buy them before they went to visit the tomb at sunrise on Sunday morning. However, if we recognize that the Sabbath that they were buying spices was the Friday following the Thursday annual Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread things become clear. They bought the spices on Friday. They had the Saturday Sabbath and then they went to the tomb on Sunday morning.
So, Christ and His disciples observed the Passover, or “The Last Supper”, on Tuesday at sunset beginning Nisan 14. Christ was betrayed that night and then He was crucified and died on Wednesday, the preparation day for the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. Joseph of Arimathea asked for His body and entombed Him before sunset on Wednesday, just before the Holy Day (an annual Sabbath), the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. The 1st Day of Unleavened Bread was on Nisan 15. It began that night and it continued through Thursday. Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome purchased spices for Christ’s body on Friday and Christ was resurrected on Saturday around sunset, exactly three days and three nights after Joseph entombed Him. A perfect 72 hours according to prophecy. When Mary visited the tomb on Sunday morning, Christ had already risen.
This may seem incredibly detailed; however, truth matters.
Staff