Easter

GUEST POST: What Day Was Jesus Crucified?

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment
Photo by Alicia Quan on Unsplash

Jesus Crucified on Wednesday

Traditionally, on Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

However, I wanted to correct a misinterpretation of scripture concerning the day of the Lord’s crucifixion.

I wanted to do this today because, Good Friday should be called Good Wednesday!

Jesus Crucified on Wednesday

Jesus wasn’t crucified on a Friday; the scripture provides the proof:

John 19:31, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”

So, Jesus was crucified on preparation day—Wednesday—the day before the sabbath. Which means it had to be Friday. Right?

Remember, it says that Sabbath day was an high day. That’s the difference.

During the Jewish Passover, the day of the Passover is a special sabbath called an high day. This results in two Sabbaths occurring in the same week. The first sabbath started on Wednesday evening. The second sabbath was the regular sabbath, which occurred on Saturday.

Jesus was crucified and buried on Wednesday before the first sabbath began and rose early on Sunday morning. He was in the grave Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Wait a minute. That’s not traditional.

No, but it is scriptural.

John 19:31 provides definitive proof of when Jesus died.

And other scriptures show us when He was resurrected.

Jesus Himself said several times that His time in the tomb would be three days and three nights, just as the prophet Jonah had spent three days and nights in the fish’s belly.

Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

This rule out a Friday crucifixion-Sunday resurrection because there is no way to cram three days and three nights between sunset on Friday and sunrise on Sunday.

If Jesus rose exactly three days and three nights after His burial, the only candidate for His resurrection is the very end of the Sabbath at sunset. Counting back three full days, then, Jesus must have died on the previous Wednesday, which would have been the day of the Passover.

Jesus rose from the dead three days later, on Sunday morning,

Mark 16:9, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week…”

He rose exactly three days and three nights from His burial (a full 72 hours) at sunset as the weekly Sabbath ended.

Matthew 16:1-2, “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”

Verse 9, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week…”

All of these verses prove there were two Sabbaths—a high day on Wednesday, and a weekly Sabbath on Saturday—during the week of Jesus’ crucifixion—not one.

Let’s recap:

Jesus was not crucified on Friday. From Friday evening to Sunday morning is not three days and nights, as scripture defines the time Jesus spent in the grave.

What is the answer then? Jesus was crucified on Wednesday. The Jewish day begins in the evening. Jesus was buried just before Thursday began. He then was in the grave Thursday, Friday and Saturday. He rose from the dead before sunrise on Sunday, the first day of the week.

The source of confusion stems from the scriptures stating that the day after His crucifixion was the Sabbath. People don’t realize that many times during special feast days the Jewish people have two Sabbaths in one week. When these special Sabbaths occur, they are called “high days”. That’s what occurred during the week of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Passover was on Thursday that week. The Passover is always a special Sabbath or a “high day”.

Jesus wasn’t crucified on a Friday; the scripture tells us how we can know:

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)

What is the “high-day Sabbath” mentioned in this verse? Is it the same as a weekly Sabbath? The answer is no. A high day is technically an annual holy day, or annual Sabbath, as commanded in Leviticus 23. Certainly, the weekly Sabbath is a day to keep holy, but these annual holy days take precedence if they occur on the seventh-day Sabbath.

The annual Sabbaths are seven: the first and seventh days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew), Atonement (Yom Kippur), the first day of Tabernacles (Succoth), and the Last Great Day. The first three occur in the spring, and the last four in the fall. Thus, the high day of which John was speaking was one of the three spring holy days, and since Jesus crucifixion took place on the day of Passover (Nisan 14 on the Hebrew calendar), the high day of which he speaks must be the first day of Unleavened Bread, which falls the day after the Passover (Nisan 15).

This verse also provides some very interesting and definitive proof of when Jesus died, and thus when He was resurrected. Jesus Himself said several times that His time in the tomb would be three days and three nights, just as the prophet Jonah had spent three days and nights in the fish’s belly (see Matthew 12:38-40; 27:63; Mark 8:31; John 2:18-22). This rule out a Friday crucifixion-Sunday resurrection because there is no way to cram three days and three nights between sunset on Friday and sunrise on Sunday.

If Jesus rose exactly three days and three nights after His burial (just before sunset; see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34), the only candidate for His resurrection is the very end of the Sabbath at sunset. Counting back three full days, then, Jesus must have died on the previous Wednesday, which would have been the day of the Passover (Jesus and His disciples had observed the Passover the evening before). The first day of Unleavened Bread began just minutes after Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus sealed His tomb.

The gospel account says that, after this, His disciples and the women kept the holy day on Thursday (Mark 16:1). On Friday, the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath, the women prepared spices for His embalming (this was a normal workday; see Luke 23:56), then kept the weekly Sabbath. When they came to the tomb early Sunday morning, He had already risen some time before. He rose exactly three days and three nights from His interment (a full 72 hours) at sunset as the weekly Sabbath ended. This shows that there were two Sabbaths—a high day and a weekly Sabbath—during the time of His burial, not one!

Summary:

Jesus was not crucified on Friday. From Friday evening to Sunday morning is not three days and nights, as scripture defines the time Jesus spent in the grave. What is the answer then? Jesus was crucified on Wednesday. The Jewish day begins in the evening. Jesus was buried just before Thursday began. He then was in the grave Thursday, Friday and Saturday. He rose from the dead before sunrise on Sunday. The source of confusion stems from the scriptures stating that the day after His crucifixion was the Sabbath. People don’t realize that many times during special feast days the Jewish people have two Sabbaths in one week. When these special Sabbaths occur, they are called “high days”. That’s what occurred during the week of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Passover was on Thursday that week. The Passover is always a special Sabbath or a “high day”.

Key Points:

• Crucified and buried: Wednesday (Passover / Preparation Day)
• High-day Sabbath: Thursday
• Weekly Sabbath: Saturday
• Resurrected early Sunday the first day of the week

This timeline is fully consistent with all relevant Scriptures.

***Dave Robbins leads Endtime Ministries, is editor of Endtime Magazine, and hosts The Endtime Show.

Gary & Pat Vick with Dave & Jana Robbins

THE RESURRECTION & THE DEATH

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Aldiha Kjelland, Via The New York Times, April 1, 2012

Spring. New life. Hope in the air. Easter time. The resurrection heavy on our minds and hearts. That’s when the “The Incident” happened. So suddenly.

My brother and I were eight or nine years old. Our mom had gotten us each a baby chick for Easter that year. They were just so precious. Mine was pink and His was green. (That was before they knew the colored dye was harmful to their health.) They acted like they thought we were their parents. Running up to us and cheep-cheeping frantically to be fed, following us around the patio as fast as their little legs could carry them, and nestling close to our necks with their eyes closed as we cradled them. Our babies.

The primary care of our babies naturally fell to me, as I was the more responsible parent. Don’t get me wrong; Bryan loved his chick. He was a boy, however, and had other manly responsibilities. One of which was fighting wars by blowing up plastic green army men with firecrackers in the sand pile. The other was playing in the NBA with a nerf basketball and rim that hung off our parents’ bedroom door, in which he was all the players, the coaches and the crowd -for both teams, simultaneously.

(Insert radical crowd noises and eye roll here.)

Bryan loved to be on the go, and I enjoyed staying at home. So it was on this day when the accident occurred. He was gone to town with a family member, and I was going to spend a few hours keeping our babies company.

Our house was a brown brick, Spanish style, U shaped home, with a patio in the center. That’s where our babies lived in a cardboard box.

I thought I would construct a more suitable living quarters for our babies, instead of the crude cardboard habitat they were living in. It was going to be very sturdy. I used a heavy castiron fire pit grate for the outside wall. Nothing was going to get in to our babies. I played with them for a few minutes, maybe half an hour. Very proud of myself for being able to construct such sturdy living arrangements for the chicks.

As I stood up to go inside, feeling assured they were content and safe, I bumped the iron grate wall. That’s when it happened -the incident that made me a murderer.

It happened so quickly. I didn’t actually see the wall fall, but the aftermath is imprinted in my mind for a lifetime. I remember the colors mostly -green and red and pinkish brown all squished together like the inside of a marble. Apparently, baby chicks are very fragile. I had killed my brother’s baby. My own chick was chirping frantically, and eyeing me suspiciously.

While I was standing there in horror, wishing I could have a do over, I heard the car doors shut. Not only did I have to deal with my own heartache and guilt, but now I had to face my brother and tell him what I had done, all before the aftermath was even cleaned up

My brother probably hasn’t thought about our baby chicks and “The Incident” another time over the years. The fact that I’m writing about the incident over four decades later, should tell you how it impacted me. It was quite a heavy burden for a nine year old to bear.

I remember feeling shocked, frightened, horrified, regretful, ashamed, and sickened. Are these feelings familiar to you?

All of us carry burdens quietly throughout our lives. Burdens that weigh down our spirits unnecessarily. Jesus really is our Burden-bearer. He tells us in His Word that He desires to carry our burdens for us. He desires to give us rest in Him.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Apostle Peter sure knew a thing or two about carrying heavy burdens. After all, he denied the Lord Jesus three times after he declared that he would die with Him if need be. Never again has a rooster crowing sounded so heavy.

Yet, we see Peter on the Day of Pentecost preaching the keynote message of salvation and approximately 3,000 people being added to the Church that day. Just as Jesus had said he would have the Keys of the Kingdom, he used those keys to unlock the gift of salvation on that momentous day by instructing the crowd:

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

In his first epistle, Peter eveals how he accomplished this.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

ALLOWING JESUS TO BEAR OUR BURDENS INVOLVES:

1. HUMBLING -God does not humble us. We must humble ourselves. This begins with true repentance.
2. CASTING -God does not take our burdens from us. We must exert the effort to “cast” them upon Him physically, emotionally and spiritually.
3. ALLOWING -God does not force us to move past an unloaded burden. We must choose to allow Him to carry it for us and move forward. This involves forgiving ourselves.

WHAT KINDS OF BURDENS DOES JESUS WANT TO CARRY FOR US?

1. Things that we have willfully done, said or thought.
2. Things that we have accidentally done, said or thought.
3. Things that we have unknowingly done, said or thought.

WHAT KIND OF BURDENS ARE YOU TRYING TO CARRY ALONE?

During this Easter season, my prayer, and Jesus’ great desire, is that you will finally take advantage of His sacrifice, and cast ALL your burdens upon Him.

I know from experience they can get extremely heavy.

Warm Regards, -Pat