No Way! If Jesus was crucified on Friday, how was He in the grave three nights before being resurrected Sunday? The timing just doesn’t work out!
For just 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
From Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday is not three nights in the grave!
That timing doesn’t work out. But that isn’t what happened.
(Read until the end for a great chart summary!)
Understanding Biblical Days
First of all, it’s important to note that days in the Bible start in the evening. From ancient history with the Hebrews to modern history with those who keep the Sabbath, it is understood that each new day begins at sunset.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:5
Understanding Sabbaths
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would 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
Weekly Sabbaths start at sunset (approximately 6 pm) on Friday and end at sunset (approximately 6 pm) on Saturday. Most believe this was the Sabbath spoken of related to Jesus’s resurrection. But that isn’t it. It says clearly in John 19:31 that is was a high day. What is a high day?
God had given His people seven feasts to keep, which pointed to the Messiah’s first and second coming. His people were to celebrate these every year, and feasts included High Sabbath days. You can read about these in Leviticus 23. The first and the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread were considered High Sabbath days. Thursday, April 4, the 15th day of Nissan, in the year 30 AD was the first day of Unleavened Bread, and thus, a High Sabbath day.
The Feast of Passover and Jesus’s Crucifixion
Passover was also called the Day of Preparation (see John 19:31 above), and would have occurred Wednesday, April 3 of the year 30 AD (which is also the 14th day of Nisan according to the Hebrew calendar).
Passover lambs were set aside on the 10th day of the month of Nisan, and then they were observed for 5 days to make sure there was nothing wrong with them (no spot or blemish). Then, they would have killed the Passover lamb at 3 pm in order to have the Passover meal at 6 pm.
What Was Passover About?
These lambs were a reminder of how God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. The last of the 10 plagues was the death of the firstborn. Those who sacrificed a lamb the night before according to God’s specifications did not experience the death of the firstborn in their homes. The death angel “passed over” their homes (hence the name Passover in the English translation) and God’s people were saved from death. You can read about this in Exodus 12.
What Is the Timing of the Crucifixion and Resurrection?
To understand the timing, you have to understand the timing in Scripture as well as biblical feasts.
When Was Jesus Placed on the Cross?
Jesus was placed on the cross at the 3rd hour.
And it was the third hour[d] when they crucified him.
Mark 15:25
When Did Jesus Die?
Rather than noon being the brightest part of the day, it was a the 6th hour- or noon- that darkness came over the land. It stayed until Jesus died at the 9th hour- 3 pm.
45 Now from the sixth hour[f] there was darkness over all the land[g] until the ninth hour.[h] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son[i] of God!”
Matthew 27:45-54. See Also Mark 15:33-39
He died at the same time as the Passover Lamb: 3 pm, when the Passover Lambs were being sacrificed, on Wednesday, April 3, the 14th of Nissan that year of AD 30.
When Was Jesus Buried?
The next day was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was a High Sabbath. The High Priest would have allowed no work to be done that day, which is why the Jews asked in John 19:31 (above) for the legs of those on the crosses to be broken. That would have speeded up the process of death so that the bodies could be buried before sunset- before the High Sabbath.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.[j] And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph[k] bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Mark 15:42-46
Jesus would have been buried just before the High Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread started. This would have been around the 12th Hour, or 6 pm, of Wednesday, April 3.
When Was Jesus Resurrected?
Since it was the High Sabbath, Thursday, April 4 (the 15th day of Nisan) was a day of rest. They also rested on the normal weekly Sabbath, which was Friday, April 5 through Saturday April 6, from approximately 6 pm to 6 pm. As soon as Saturday, April 6 (the 17th day of Nisan) was considered over (at approximately 6 pm/sunset), Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
John 20:21
This means, Jesus would have been resurrected by the beginning of the day Sunday, April 7 (the 18th day of Nisan), which was also the Feast of Firstfruits. This was the first day after the Sabbath, when God’s people offered Him the firstfruits of the harvest, consecrating their entire harvest to God. Jesus being resurrected then marks Jesus as the firstfruits of the harvest of souls.
How Was Jesus in the Grave 3 Days and 3 Nights?
Let’s recap that: Jesus was in the grave:
Jesus was resurrected as the day was beginning Sunday, April 7, the 18th Day of Nisan, which was the Feast of Firstfruits.
Mary went to the tomb early, “while it was still dark” (John 20:21).
More Information about the Timing of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection
Would you like more information about the timing of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection? Dr. Richard Booker’s book Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts explains not only the timing of the death and resurrection, but also the significance of all the feasts and how Jesus is the fulfillment of them. I don’t get any kickbacks from promoting this. I just know it is excellent material. This is the primary source of the information in this article as well as the source of this image, which is amazingly helpful:
For More Information:
Check out Dr. Richard Booker’s book Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts
I plan to write more about Biblical Feasts in the future. Subscribe so you don’t miss these!
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Primary Source: Dr. Richard Booker’s book Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts
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