“At that time some scribes and Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ He answered, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 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 12:38–40)
“The LORD had arranged a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
(Jonah 1:17)
The above first passage tells us that the Lord Jesus clearly prophesied that He would be in the earth for three days and three nights, just as the ancient prophet Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. Moreover, He made it clear that this would be the only sign given to this evil and adulterous generation.
However, according to the common teaching—that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose early on Sunday—it appears that He did not remain in the earth as long as He said but only for two nights and one day (Friday night, Saturday day, Saturday night), thus exactly halving the time He declared. Does this mean that the Lord Jesus’ prophecy failed, or that there is an error in the Apostolic record of the day Jesus was buried and resurrected?
The Lord Jesus’ prophecy cannot fail. If it were to fail, we would have no reason to believe in Him, for His only sign for this evil and adulterous generation would not come to pass, and how could that prove that He is the Son of God?
Furthermore, to claim that the Apostolic record of Jesus’ burial and resurrection is mistaken is untenable. The events of Jesus’ burial and resurrection are so momentous that the Apostles could not have made an error. Even if some details might be slightly off, they would never have reduced “three days and three nights” to “one day and two nights” – a discrepancy of considerable magnitude.
So where then is the error? If we examine the Scriptures in detail, we find that the Lord Jesus’ prophecy did not fail, and the Apostolic records are correct. The Lord Jesus prophesied that He would be in the earth for three days and three nights, and the Apostolic records also prove that from the time He was buried until He rose from the tomb, it was exactly three days and three nights—no more, no less. The teaching that Jesus was in the earth for only two nights and one day is not what the Bible records; it is simply a miscalculation made by later people.
Some even try to explain that “three days and three nights” does not necessarily mean a full 72 hours but rather that it covers parts of three whole days. They argue: Jesus was buried at the end of Friday, spent the entire Saturday in the tomb, and rose at the beginning of Sunday—so it can be counted as three days and three nights. Others say that the day of burial is counted as the first day, the entire day in the tomb as the second day, and the day of resurrection as the third day, adding up to three days in total. These explanations, however, are nothing but far-fetched.
If we carefully read the scriptures, we see clearly that the Old Testament records: “The LORD had arranged a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.” And the words of the Lord Jesus are equally clear: “Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights; so also the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Three days and three nights is exactly three days and three nights—there can be no day or night missing. To insist that one day and two nights count as three days and three nights is an interpretation that cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
Now, one might ask: How do we know that the day Jesus was crucified was Friday? Some say, “Wasn’t the day following Jesus’ crucifixion a Sabbath? Since the day after His crucifixion was a Sabbath, then the day of crucifixion must have been the sixth day (what we now call Friday).” This error arises exactly from that reasoning.
Indeed, the day following Jesus’ crucifixion was a Sabbath—but not the regular weekly (seventh-day) Sabbath; rather, it was the Sabbath of the Passover. Consider John’s account: “Because it was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was a high day, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath.” (John 19:31) Here John clearly indicates that the Sabbath on the day following Jesus’ crucifixion was a special, high-day Sabbath—the Passover and Unleavened Bread Sabbath.
We read in the Law: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover. On the fifteenth day is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day there shall be a holy assembly, and you shall do no ordinary work.” (Leviticus 23:5–7)
Most believers know that the seventh day is the Sabbath but are unaware that, in addition to the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, the Israelites also observed several special feast days each year as Sabbaths—days on which no work whatsoever was permitted, just as on the regular Sabbath.
In Leviticus chapter 23, these days are recorded: the first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth day of the month (verses 6–8), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost, verse 21), the first day of the seventh month (verses 24–25), the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month (verses 27–32), and the first and eighth days of the Feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (verses 34–36). On each of these days the Israelites were required to rest; no work was permitted. Thus, these feast days are also considered Sabbaths.
Since Jesus was crucified on the Preparation Day of the Passover, the day following His crucifixion was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—that is, a Sabbath.
Naturally, those who insist that Jesus was crucified on Friday also agree that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Sabbath; however, they claim that in that particular year the Feast of Unleavened Bread coincided exactly with the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. In such a case, the feast Sabbath and the seventh-day Sabbath fell on the same day. Therefore, the Preparation Day of the feast was the sixth day (i.e. Friday), and thus the teaching that Jesus was crucified on Friday is maintained. Hence, the term “Good Friday” emerged.
But isn’t the day following Jesus’ crucifixion the seventh-day Sabbath? The Gospels tell us “no,” for in two of the Gospels we read the following accounts:
“And when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea, a respected council member who was also waiting for the kingdom of God, came boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to learn that Jesus was already dead; he then called the centurion to confirm the death. After learning from him, Pilate granted the body to Joseph. Joseph bought a fine linen cloth, took Jesus down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb that had been hewn out of rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, saw where He was laid. After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so as to anoint Jesus’ body.”
(Mark 15:42–16:1)
“There was a man named Joseph, a respected council member, who was righteous and just; he did not consent to the things the others conspired to do. He was a devout man, always looking forward to the kingdom of God, and he belonged to the Jewish town of Arimathea. This man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body; he took it down, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of rock—no one had ever been laid there before. That day was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was drawing near. The women who had come from Galilee, along with those who had accompanied Jesus, followed and observed the tomb and how His body had been laid. Then they went back and prepared spices and ointments; and on the Sabbath they rested in accordance with the commandment.”
(Luke 23:50–56)
These two passages clearly indicate that there were two different Sabbaths on that period—not just one. Mark tells us that “after the Sabbath” the women “bought spices to anoint Jesus’ body,” which undoubtedly refers to events on the sixteenth day. But Luke records, “They went back and prepared spices and ointments; and on the Sabbath they rested in accordance with the commandment.” So, did the women buy the spices before or after the Sabbath? Under the usual assumption that the fifteenth day fell on the seventh-day Sabbath (i.e. that the feast Sabbath and the weekly Sabbath coincided), one of these accounts would have to be in error. If Mark is correct, then Luke is mistaken; if Luke is correct, then Mark is mistaken. But no—in fact, both accounts are correct. Mark’s phrase “after the Sabbath” refers to the feast Sabbath, while Luke’s “on the Sabbath” refers to the commandment’s weekly seventh-day Sabbath.
When the women returned from the tomb, it was already the Passover Sabbath. They could not go out to purchase spices—even if they were eager—because during the Passover no one dared to engage in commerce. Therefore, they had to wait until after the Unleavened Bread Sabbath to buy the spices, which is what Mark records. According to Luke’s account, after buying the spices they encountered the weekly Sabbath, and so they rested in obedience to the commandment. This shows that there was an ordinary day sandwiched between the two Sabbaths. It was on this ordinary day that the women purchased the spices. Once we understand this situation, we see that Mark’s account is correct and Luke’s narrative is equally without error.
Having understood the above facts, we can reach the following conclusion. The Lord Jesus was crucified on the Preparation Day—the fourteenth day of the month—and was buried in the tomb before sunset that day. The following day, the fifteenth day, was the Passover and Unleavened Bread Sabbath; that day was His first day in the earth. The sixteenth day was an ordinary day on which the women bought the spices; that day was His second day in the earth. The seventeenth day was the weekly (seventh-day) Sabbath, on which the women rested in accordance with the commandment; that day was His third day in the earth.
If we count backwards, since the seventeenth day is the seventh day of the week, then the sixteenth is the sixth day, the fifteenth the fifth day, and Jesus was crucified on the fourteenth day—which would be the fourth day of the week, that is, what we now commonly call Wednesday.
We know that God prescribed for the Israelites that a day is reckoned from sunset to sunset (Exodus 12:18–19; Leviticus 23:32). In Genesis 1 the method of counting days is stated as “And there was evening and there was morning—the first day,” “And there was evening and there was morning—the second day,” and so on. Thus, Jesus was buried before sunset on the fourteenth day; once He was laid in the tomb, the fifteenth day began—the day of Passover and Unleavened Bread. On the fifteenth day He spent one night and one day in the earth; on the sixteenth day, one night and one day; and on the seventeenth day, one night and one day. Does that not add up to exactly three days and three nights?
Some might object, “By this calculation, the time Jesus spent in the tomb compared to His prophecy is either too little or too much—there is one extra night, since the scriptures record that He rose on the first day of the week in the morning!” Is that so? Did Jesus really rise on the first day in the morning? Let us read the scriptural records:
“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards trembled and became like dead men because of him.”
(Matthew 28:1–4)
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, as the sun was rising, they went to the tomb, and they said to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the tomb for us?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were greatly alarmed.”
(Mark 16:2–5)
“On the first day of the week, at dawn, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them, with their garments glistening.”
(Luke 24:1–4)
“On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have put Him.’”
(John 20:1–2)
Usually, when we read these four Gospel accounts, we assume they all describe events occurring on the morning of the first day. However, if we carefully consider Matthew 28, we see that Matthew’s record is separated by a night from what the three disciples recorded. Mark, Luke, and John record events on the morning of the first day, while Matthew’s account pertains to the evening of the first day. You might wonder about my statement; allow me to explain in detail.
What exactly does “when the Sabbath was drawing near, on the first day of the week, as it was beginning to dawn” mean? At first glance one might say “dawn” means morning. However, we must not ignore the phrase “when the Sabbath was drawing near.” When is the Sabbath drawing near? As we have already noted, God prescribed for the Israelites that a day is counted from sunset to sunset. The Law states, “Keep this day holy as the Sabbath, and sanctify yourselves; from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the evening of the next day, it shall be your Sabbath.” (Leviticus 23:32) In the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah led the people of Judah in keeping the Sabbath, it is recorded, “On the day before the Sabbath, when the shadow at the gate of Jerusalem grew dark, I ordered the gates to be shut, though on the Sabbath they were not to be opened.” (Nehemiah 13:19) Even today, Jews around the world who strictly observe the Old Testament Law continue to keep the Sabbath from Friday sunset until Saturday sunset.
“‘When the Sabbath was drawing near’ naturally means the time when the sun is setting in the evening. But then why does the text also say ‘as it was beginning to dawn’? Sunset is an evening event, and dawn is a morning event—they are separated by a whole night. How can one say, ‘when the Sabbath was drawing near, on the first day of the week, as it was beginning to dawn’? Needless to say, according to the biblical method of calculating days, the Sabbath does not end at dawn; even if one uses the modern method of counting a day from midnight to midnight, the day does not end at dawn.
The Apostle Matthew would not have written something so contradictory; therefore, it must be that the translators made an error. Dr. Robert Young’s Concordance tells us that in the original text of Matthew 28:1 the word epiphosko is used, and in the original text of Luke 23:54 the same word is used. In Matthew 28:1 it is translated as “as it was beginning to dawn on the first day of the week,” whereas in Luke 23:54 it is rendered “the Sabbath was drawing near.” Since these two expressions are the same word in the original language, they should be translated alike.
If we translate epiphosko in Matthew 28:1 as “drawing near” (as in Luke 23:54), then the verse would read: “When the Sabbath was drawing near, on the first day of the week…” This removes the contradiction. Such a translation not only agrees with Luke 23:54 in wording but is also entirely reasonable in meaning. For “when the Sabbath was drawing near” is the same as “when the first day of the week was drawing near”—that is, when the sun was setting in the west. Luke records that Jesus was buried “when the Sabbath was drawing near,” and Matthew records that Jesus rose “when the first day of the week was drawing near.” This further confirms that both His burial and His resurrection occurred at the time of sunset. Jesus was buried at the close of the Preparation Day (the Passover), and He rose when the Sabbath was drawing to a close. In other words, Jesus did not rise on the first day (i.e. in the morning) but on the seventh day—not in the morning but when the day was drawing to a close.
If we compare in detail Matthew 28 with Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 21, we see that what Matthew records is the scene at the moment when Jesus came out of the tomb—that very instant when the angel descended and rolled away the stone. In contrast, the accounts in the other three Gospels record events that took place after His resurrection. For example, Matthew records, “There was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.” Undoubtedly, Jesus rose at the very moment when the angel rolled away the stone. Moreover, Matthew also records that the guards were so terrified that they became like dead men, and he even describes the guards going into the city to report to the chief priests (Matthew 28:11–15). The other three Gospels do not mention any great earthquake or an angel descending and rolling away the stone; they simply record that the women came to the tomb, “saw that the stone had been rolled away,” and saw an angel sitting there. Furthermore, not a word is mentioned about the guards in those accounts. If we read these three accounts carefully, it becomes evident that apart from the angel, there was no one at the tomb. A detailed comparison of the four Gospel accounts shows that Matthew’s account occurred at the time of sunset on the first day, while the other three Gospels record events on the morning of the second day.
Thus, of the four Gospel accounts, only Matthew’s describes the events that occurred at the moment of Jesus’ resurrection, while the other three records pertain to events after a full night had passed. In this way, we clearly see that Jesus did not rise on the morning of the first day but rather when the seventh day was drawing to a close—that is, when the first day of the week was nearly over—at which point it had been exactly three days and three nights since Jesus was buried. Once we understand these accounts, we see that the way the Lord Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees—“I will be in the earth for three days and three nights”—was exactly fulfilled. It is truly regrettable that human tradition has come to occupy the place of biblical truth in the church, so much so that the Lord Jesus’ own prophecy—His only sign for this evil and adulterous generation—has been called into question, which is indeed a great pity.
Some might then ask, “Doesn’t Mark 16:9 state, ‘Now when He had risen early on the first day, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene’—thereby proving that Jesus rose on the morning of the first day?” This is indeed puzzling! As we have clearly demonstrated from the biblical records above that Jesus rose when the Sabbath was drawing to a close, how then can it be said here that He rose early on the first day? If this account were taken together with the previously cited passages, there would be a contradiction. Moreover, a note in the margin of the Revised Version of the English Bible reads: “The two oldest Greek manuscripts and some other authorities omit from verse 9 to the end. Some other authorities have a different ending to the Gospel.” This tells us that the two oldest Greek manuscripts—and several other ancient codices—do not include the passage from Mark 16:9 to 16:20, and yet other manuscripts contain a different ending.
Thus, whether the passage in Mark 16:9–20 is part of Mark’s original account or a later addition remains an open question. How can we allow one sentence in that passage to overturn the clear records cited above and the Lord Jesus’ own prophecy that He would be in the earth for three days and three nights?
Once we understand the truth of the Bible—if we set aside our prejudices and human traditions and humbly follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in seeking the truth—we will certainly find that the essential doctrines in Scripture are always consistent and free of contradiction. The issue discussed here is a prime example of that consistency.
Furthermore, once we understand the biblical truth, we recognize that the doctrine of “Jesus being crucified on Friday and rising on the first day in the morning” is entirely a Roman Church tradition—a tradition that continues to be maintained by Reformed churches. Thus, every spring when the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, it does not do so according to the actual Jewish date (the fourteenth day of the month on which Jesus was crucified) but rather arbitrarily moves the observance to Friday in order to conform to the tradition of “Good Friday.”
We all know that the Jewish calendar is lunar-based—much like the Chinese lunar calendar—although their first month falls one or two months later than the Chinese lunar New Year (sometimes in the second lunar month, sometimes in the third).
Jesus was crucified on the Jewish fourteenth day of the month—a date that does not fall on a Friday every year. Yet the Roman Church, disregarding the facts, always fixes the commemoration of Jesus’ crucifixion on a Friday. Their method is as follows: if in a given year the day of Jesus’ crucifixion happens to fall on a Friday, then there is no problem. But if it falls on another day, they postpone the commemoration by a few days until it falls on a Friday.
Because the Roman Church set this precedent and the Reformed churches later followed suit, the calendars published by Christian organizations mark Jesus’ crucifixion on a Friday each year. Then, after two nights and one day, the resurrection is commemorated on the morning of the first day.
Someone might ask, “We understand that commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion on a Friday is a Roman Church tradition, but how should we then calculate the actual day of Jesus’ crucifixion each year?” It is very simple: The first fifteenth day of the lunar month after the spring equinox is the Jewish first month’s fifteenth day. The preceding day (the fourteenth) is the Preparation Day of the Passover—that is, the day to commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion. From the evening of that day, after three days and three nights (by the sunset of the seventeenth day), it is time for Jesus’ resurrection.
Moreover, the evening before the Preparation Day (the evening of the thirteenth) is exactly the night when Jesus was betrayed. For the past several years, whenever I have been in the city on that evening, I have always gathered with some fellow saints to commemorate the betrayal of the Lord Jesus and to partake of the Lord’s Supper together. In northern springs, overcast evenings are rare; therefore, that evening often features a brilliant full moon, which best helps us recall how, under that moonlight, after dining with His disciples, the Lord Jesus went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Every such gathering has been of great benefit to us.
In summary, if we set aside our own biases and abandon human traditions—keeping only a humble, open heart guided by the Holy Spirit in seeking the truth of Scripture—we will surely discover that the essential truths of the Bible are always consistent and free of internal conflict. The issue discussed in this article is an excellent example of that consistency.
