JESUS DID HE SPEND THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE TOMB BEFORE HIS RESURRECTION ON SUNDAY?

JESUS DID HE SPEND THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

IN THE TOMB BEFORE HIS RESURRECTION ON SUNDAY?

(WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK WAS JESUS ​​CRUCIFIED?)

📌 HERE IS THE QUESTION 📌

Prophet, was Jesus really crucified on a Friday? If so, how could he have spent three days in the tomb if he rose on a Sunday?

From a biblical perspective, how can we explain the theory that Jesus died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday, when, according to the Bible, he should have spent three days and three nights in the tomb before his resurrection? This would mean he would have spent 72 hours underground before his resurrection. Could you provide a clear explanation of these points or share your biblical understanding of this question?

Yes, the question is very relevant, and in this lesson, I'm taking the time to shed light on this issue, which can sometimes confuse some people. Please take the time to read carefully to the end.

INTRODUCTION:

To answer this question clearly, as teachers of God's Word, I believe the answer is found exclusively in the Bible. Therefore, in this teaching, we will turn to the Bible and seek the answer to this question according to the biblical account reported by the apostles of Jesus, most of whom were eyewitnesses to the crucifixion.

WE BEGIN WITH THE STATEMENTS OF JESUS ​​HIMSELF:

To answer this question correctly, let us first examine what Jesus said on this subject: during his life, Jesus publicly and fearlessly affirmed on several occasions that he would rise again after three days and three nights in the tomb; his resurrection would therefore take place on the third day after his death, or 72 hours after his burial.

In the Gospel of Matthew 12:40, Jesus makes a prophetic statement concerning his death and resurrection, which would occur after he had spent three days and three nights on earth. He compares himself to the prophet Jonah, who remained three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish before being cast out onto the shores of Nineveh.

MATTHEW 12:38-40

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 He answered them, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 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.

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED TO JONAH:

In the book of Jonah 1:17, the Lord sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Similarly, in Matthew 16:21, Jesus confirms that he would rise again after spending three days and three nights on earth, or at least 72 hours in the tomb, and that he would rise again on the third day.

Matthew 16:21

From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he would go to Jerusalem, that he would suffer greatly at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, that he would be killed, and that he would rise again on the third day.

If we also consider Matthew 17:22-23, Jesus himself confirms again, in his own words, that he would rise again after spending three days and three nights on earth—at least

72 hours in the tomb—and that he would rise again on the third day.

Matthew 17:22-23

22 As they were traveling in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” And they were deeply saddened.

We also see in John 2:18-22 that Jesus gives a new revelation concerning his resurrection, which was to take place on the third day, that is, after at least 72 hours in the tomb.

JOHN 2:18-22

18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign will you show us that you are able to do these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you are going to raise it up in three days?” 21 Now he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

HOW CAN WE INTERPRET JESUS' STATEMENTS?

How should we interpret the words of Jesus? How should we understand them from a religious and prophetic perspective? These words concern his death and, more specifically, his resurrection, which likely occurred after three nights and three days underground—that is, on the third day after his death and burial. To arrive at a correct interpretation of his words, it is necessary to understand them in two ways.

FIRST WAYS TO INTERPRET JESUS' STATEMENTS:

The first way to understand Jesus' statements is to accept them as written in the Bible.

In this case, we must accept or believe that Jesus could have literally spent three days and three nights in the tomb until the day of his resurrection, Sunday.

But there is a slight problem if we accept this truth as presented in Scripture: it means that Jesus could have spent 72 hours underground in the tomb before rising on Sunday. This truth could challenge theories of a Jesus crucified, dead, and buried on Friday evening and resurrected on Sunday, given that the only full day in this scenario is Saturday, and that between the time of Jesus' death and his burial, it is also possible that it was already evening or night when he was placed in the tomb, according to the Gospel accounts.

According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus was crucified at the third hour (9:00 AM according to our time system) and died at the ninth hour (3:00 PM according to our time system).

Therefore, considering the time required to obtain permission from Pontius Pilate to bury Jesus and the time needed to prepare the body for burial or to organize the funeral according to the Jewish customs and traditions of the time, it is easy to imagine that his burial certainly took place at night, that is, after 6:00 PM according to our current time. Assuming that he was buried on Friday, according to the theory of a Jesus who died and was buried on that day, we can imagine that he was placed in the tomb on Friday evening, and that Saturday was the only full day he spent underground. He would then have risen again on Sunday. Here again, the exact moment of his resurrection is complex and impossible to determine, because, on the one hand, no one was present to witness it, and on the other hand, given that the women went to the tomb very early on Sunday morning and, to their great surprise, the angel announced to them that Jesus had already risen, it is likely that Jesus rose during the night from Saturday to Sunday, or very early Sunday morning before the women arrived.

Considering all these details, it becomes difficult to take this theory of Jesus dying and being buried on Friday and rising on Sunday at face value, because the tradition that Jesus spent three days and three nights in the tomb or underground before his resurrection is called into question and becomes difficult for some modern believers to accept.

Another problem with the theory that Jesus died and was buried on Friday—the day he was crucified, died, and was laid in the tomb—is that even if Friday night is considered the first night Jesus spent underground and Saturday the second, the fact that he rose again very early Sunday morning clearly shows that he did not spend three days and three nights underground before his resurrection. Therefore, this theory is already highly problematic.

SECOND WAYS TO INTERPRET JESUS' STATEMENTS:

The second way to understand Jesus' statements is to consider these words not literally, but as coded expressions, quotations, or simply a metaphor—a way of indicating to his audience that he would rise again a few hours or days after his death.

In this case, believers do not need to seek the truth about the three days and three nights, but rather grasp the most important message Jesus wanted to convey to his audience: that, whatever the circumstances of his death, he would rise again after being laid in the tomb. For the most important element of Christianity is his resurrection, for it is through the resurrection that Christianity derives its full meaning.

Did Jesus rise from the dead on the third day?

Or after three days and three nights in the tomb?

(WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REVEAL ABOUT THIS?)

First, I want you to know that my method of teaching God's Word is not to force people to accept truths as doctrines imposed without reflection, but rather to lead them to reflect and encourage them to draw their own conclusions, based on the understanding the Holy Spirit inspires in them as I teach them God's Word. For the best teacher is the Holy Spirit.

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves to find answers in the Bible. According to his own account, did Jesus really spend three days and three nights in the tomb before his resurrection? Does the Bible confirm this truth? Did he rise from the dead on the third day? Or after three days and three nights in the tomb?

MATTHEW 16:21

21 From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

LUKE 9:22

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

MARK 8:31

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and be killed and after three days be raised to life.

WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK WAS JESUS ​​CRUCIFIED?

(WHAT DO RELIGIOUS PEOPLE AND CHRISTIANS THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION?)

The Gospels do not specify the exact day of the week on which Jesus was crucified. Religious scholars and Christians differ on this day: three hypotheses are put forward. Some biblical exegetes believe it was a Friday, others a Wednesday, while still others, synthesizing the arguments for both hypotheses, conclude that it was a Thursday. In this section, we will examine these three hypotheses to determine which is closest to the biblical account.

LET'S EXAMINE THESE THREE HYPOTHESES (OR THEORIES) TOGETHER:

Was Jesus crucified on a Friday, a Thursday, or a Wednesday?

THE FRIDAY THEORY (OR HYPOTHESIS):

It is important to know that the most widespread theory in the majority of Christian communities is that of Jesus crucified, died, and buried on a Friday, then resurrected on Sunday.

Proponents of the Friday theory, who believe that the crucifixion took place on a Friday, maintain that Jesus nevertheless spent three days in the tomb. According to first-century Jewish tradition, the calculation of time involved considering part of a day as a full day.

According to this theory, Jesus would have spent part of Friday night in the tomb, as well as all of Saturday and part of Sunday before his resurrection. Based on this model of interpreting and perceiving time, one can therefore assume that he remained underground for three days.

Biblical scholars who support this theory base their argument primarily on the passage in Mark 15:42, which states that Jesus was crucified "on the eve of the Sabbath," as evidence that his crucifixion took place on a Friday. A closer examination of this argument reveals that if the Sabbath mentioned in Mark 15:42 refers to the weekly Jewish Sabbath, that is, Saturday according to the tradition of the time, then it is conceivable that the crucifixion occurred on a Friday.

MARK 15:42

When evening came, on the day of Preparation (the eve of the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.

The second argument put forward by those who believe the crucifixion took place on a Friday relies on verses in Matthew 16:21 and Luke 9:22, where Jesus announces his resurrection on the third day. According to them, this means that Jesus was not required to spend three days and three nights in the tomb, since he clearly stated that he would rise again on the third day, not after three days in the tomb.

MATTHEW 16:21

21 From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

LUKE 9:22

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

However, some Bible translations do not use the phrase "the third day." This has caused controversy within the Church, and some believe that these translations, which use the phrase "the third day," are less reliable than the original texts. Furthermore, Mark 8:31 clearly states that Jesus would rise again "three days later."

MARK 8:31

The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and be killed and after three days be raised to life.

THURSDAY THEORY (OR HYPOTHESIS):

The arguments in favor of the theory that Jesus was crucified on a Thursday do not formally contradict those of the Friday theory. However, their objections, and the fact that, given the biblical accounts, too many events occurred between Christ's burial and Sunday morning, the day the women learned of his resurrection, pose a problem. Indeed, the only full day between the Friday of his death and the Sunday of his resurrection is Saturday, which traditionally corresponds to the Jewish weekly Sabbath. This complicates matters and makes this theory more difficult to understand and believe. Adding one or two days might, however, resolve the issue.

Proponents of the Thursday crucifixion theory often use this argument: if you haven't seen a friend since Monday night and you see them again on Thursday morning, you would say, "I haven't seen you for three days," even though technically only 60 hours (two and a half days) have passed since your last encounter. Considering that Jesus was crucified on a Thursday, this line of reasoning suggests that he spent three days in the tomb.

WEDNESDAY THEORY (OR HYPOTHESIS):

Those who support the hypothesis that the crucifixion took place on a Wednesday base their argument on the fact that there were two Sabbaths that week. Thus, on the first Sabbath (which began the evening of the crucifixion, Mark 15:42; Luke 23:52-54), it is written that the women went to buy spices (Mark 16:1). According to this hypothesis, this first Sabbath was Passover because, according to biblical accounts, the events of the crucifixion occurred the day before this festival. I recommend reading Leviticus 16:29-31; Luke 23:24–32 and 39 demonstrate that, in the Jewish thought of the time, holy days or major national holidays were considered Sabbaths, that is, holidays, even if they did not necessarily fall on the seventh day of the weekly Sabbath.

The second Sabbath of that week was the usual weekly Sabbath, or traditional Jewish Sabbath. Now, in Luke 23:56, the women who had bought the spices after the first Sabbath returned to prepare them, and then “they rested on the Sabbath day,” that is, the weekly or traditional Sabbath mentioned in Luke 23:56. Therefore, they could not have bought the spices after the Sabbath and prepared them in advance if there had not been two Sabbaths in the same week.

According to this hypothesis, which posits the existence of two Sabbaths during the week of Jesus' crucifixion, and considering that Jesus was crucified on a Thursday, the day of the great Sabbath (Passover), this festival would have lasted from Thursday to Friday at sunset, ending at the beginning of the weekly Sabbath (Saturday). Therefore, if the women had bought the spices after the first Sabbath (Passover), they would have violated the Sabbath by buying them on Saturday, the day of the weekly Sabbath.

MARK 15:42

When evening came, on the day of Preparation (the eve of the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.

LUKE 23:52-54

52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down from the cross, wrapped it in linen cloths, and laid it in a tomb cut out of the rock, where no one had ever been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

Leviticus 16:29-31

29 “This is a perpetual statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall rest from all work, whether you are native-born of Israel or foreigners residing among you. 30 For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you. Then before the Lord you shall be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath day of rest; you shall rest from all work; it is a perpetual statute.”

MARK 16:1

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint Jesus’ body.

LUKE 23:56

The women who had followed Jesus returned, prepared spices and ointments for his body, and then rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

MARK16:2

Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. These were the women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, who went to Jesus' tomb after the Sabbath to anoint his body.

SCENARIO OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS RESURRECTION:

Let us examine the scenario of the announcement of his resurrection and the unfolding of events; this may help us draw a relevant conclusion about this teaching.

THE ANGEL ANNOUNCES THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ​​TO THE WOMEN:

The Gospels recount that the group of women who had gone to the tomb very early in the morning of the first day of the week, corresponding to a Sunday in our current calendar, arrived and found that Jesus' body was no longer there. Thinking that it might have been moved, stolen, or desecrated, it was at this moment that the angel of God appeared to them to announce that Jesus had already risen. According to the biblical account, it was from this angel that the women learned that Jesus was no longer in the tomb and that he had risen.

LUKE 24:1-8

1 Very early on the first day of the week, the women, bringing the spices they had prepared, went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away. 3 They went in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood near them. 5 The women were terrified and fell facedown to the ground. But the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’” 8 Then they remembered what Jesus had said.

THE WOMEN ANNOUNCED TO THE DISCIPLES THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS:

Returning to the place where some of the disciples had hidden, they announced to the others that Jesus was no longer in the tomb and that he had therefore risen, as he himself had proclaimed during his lifetime. Peter, incredulous, went to verify the information. Upon arriving, they found the tomb empty and Jesus' body gone. Deeply shaken by this news, they returned to the other disciples and the women. Peter, arriving at the scene, confirmed what the women had told them: Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb; he had probably risen. It is important to note, however, that until then, they had heard of his resurrection, but had not yet seen proof of it, since Jesus had not yet appeared to them personally.

LUKE 24:9-12

9 When they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven apostles and to all the others. 10 Those who told these things to the apostles were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who were with them. 11 The apostles did not believe what they said. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping down, he saw the burial cloths lying there. Then he went home, astonished at what had happened.

JESUS ​​AND THE DISCIPLES OF EMMAUS:

On the Sunday afternoon of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus. To find the answer to our question, we must examine their conversation with him, as it might reveal part of the truth about the number of days he spent in the tomb or underground before his resurrection. Indeed, according to the Gospel of Luke, during their conversation with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they declared, “Three days have passed since these events.” In other words, the third day since his crucifixion and death.

They also confirmed that the women had gone to the tomb very early that same Sunday morning and returned with the news that the angel had announced his resurrection. Some of their disciples, like Peter, had gone to verify this information and found that the body was no longer in the tomb and that it was likely he had risen. Does this confirm that they too were present that morning with the others when they learned the news from the women and the other disciples who had gone to verify the information before their departure for Emmaus? And on the road to Emmaus that evening, they met Jesus and walked with him, without recognizing him.

LUKE 24:13-35

13That same day, two disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about 60 miles from Jerusalem. 14They were discussing with each other everything that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus came up and walked with them. 16But they did not recognize him. 17He asked them, “What are you discussing on the road?” 18One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only one who has been to Jerusalem and does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19“What things?” he asked. They answered him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified.” 21We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel; but besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Some women among us amazed us. This morning they went early to the tomb 23but did not find his body there. They came back and told us that angels had appeared to them and said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found him, just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

The only remaining question is how the disciples on the road to Emmaus counted those three days; from which day of the week did they begin counting?

LET'S RETURN TO OUR WEDNESDAY HYPOTHESIS:

However, the hypothesis that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday also presents a slight problem, since the account of the disciples who accompanied him on the road to Emmaus dates from the very day of his resurrection, that is, a Sunday.

Let us suppose that the account of Jesus' appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus took place on Sunday afternoon, since they themselves report that the women and some of their disciples had gone to the tomb very early in the morning, but that it was empty, without a body (Luke 24:13-35). These disciples, not recognizing him, announced his crucifixion (Luke 24:20), specifying: "It is now the third day since these things happened" (Luke 24:21).

However, according to the disciples' statements on the road to Emmaus, if we consider the hypothesis that Jesus was crucified and died on a Wednesday and rose again on a Sunday, then logically, four days would literally elapse between Wednesday and Sunday. But one possible explanation is that they may have been counting from the burial on Wednesday evening, which corresponds to the beginning of Thursday in the Jewish calendar: in this case, from Thursday to Sunday, there are three days.

CONCLUSION:

Therefore, after examining all these hypotheses, the only one that seems plausible and does not contradict the biblical account of the women and the spices, while maintaining a literal reading of Matthew 12:40, is to imagine that Jesus was probably crucified on a Wednesday.

Clearly, if we remain within the historical context of the biblical narrative as detailed in the Gospels, here is how we can understand the story of the women mentioned in Mark 15:42 and Luke 23:52-54: the first Sabbath, the holy day (Passover), was a Thursday; the women bought the spices on Friday and returned to prepare them the same day; they rested on Saturday, which was the weekly Sabbath, and brought the spices to the tomb on Sunday morning.

MARK 16:1

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint Jesus’ body.

LUKE 23:56

The women who had followed Jesus returned, prepared spices and ointments for his body, and then rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

MARK16:2

Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. These were the women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, who went to Jesus' tomb after the Sabbath to anoint his body.

WHAT IF WEDNESDAY'S HYPOTHESIS IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT?

If we consider the Wednesday hypothesis, which seems perfectly consistent with the biblical account, we can imagine that Jesus was buried on Wednesday evening, shortly before sunset, marking the beginning of Thursday. According to the traditional Jewish calendar of the time, this Thursday was historically Passover Thursday, since Jesus died during this festival. This also explains the reason for his death, as he himself was the Passover lamb sacrificed for the salvation of humanity.

Jesus then remained in the tomb on Thursday evening (which can be considered the first night). Thursday was therefore the first day, Thursday evening the second night, Friday the second day, Friday evening the third night, and Saturday the third day. He then rose again on Sunday, which corresponds to three days and three nights in the tomb, in accordance with his own statement that he would rise again after three days and three nights in the tomb.

IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER REGARDING THIS CONCLUSION:

In my opinion, this conclusion remains open to all possibilities, as we do not know the exact day and time of his resurrection. We can only assume that it took place between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, perhaps even on Saturday evening after sunset, which marked the beginning of the first day of the week for the Jews. According to the biblical account, the empty tomb was discovered just after sunrise by the women who brought the spices to anoint his body (Mark 16:2), before dawn (John 20:1).

MARK16:2

Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. These were the women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, who went to Jesus' tomb after the Sabbath to anoint his body.

KEY POINTS IN CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, I want to remind you of this: the precise day of the week on which Christ was crucified has no major impact on us Christians, nor even on our salvation. Knowing it or not has no bearing on our salvation. And if it did, the Word of God would have clearly indicated it, as would the sequence of events. What matters most to us is his death and resurrection, which gave birth to our Christian faith, because without them, Christianity would not exist today and the Christian faith would be meaningless.