ON WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

By Bob Myhan

Traditionally, Jesus is believed to have been crucified on Friday and resurrected two days later on the following Sunday. However, many sincere brethren are now skep­tical of this view, affirming either a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion. The main problem they seem to have with the traditional position is the time span between these two historical events. But what does the Bible teach?

First, Jesus said He would "be killed, and be raised again the third day" (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Mark 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7; 24:46). Second, Peter said, "Him God raised up the third day" (Acts 10:40). Third, Paul said, "He rose again the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4). Any position that is inconsistent with these statements is error!

Note: The way we reckon time, "the third day" would be "three days from now, not in­cluding today." This can be illustrated, as follows:

1.      TODAY

2.      TOMORROW - FIRST DAY

3.      DAY AFTER TOMORROW - SECOND DAY

4.      DAY AFTER THAT - THIRD DAY

    But this is not the way time was reckoned in the first century. Jesus said, of Herod, "Go ye, and tell that fox, behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following" (Luke 13:32-33). This can be illustrated, as follows:

1.       TODAY - FIRST DAY

2.       TOMORROW - SECOND DAY

3.       DAY AFTER TOMORROW - THIRD DAY

    According to Mark, Jesus said He would "be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31). Matthew, however, tell us Jesus said He would "be killed, and be raised again the third day" (16:21; see also Luke 9:22). Thus, the two phrases, "after three days" and "the third day," were used inter­changeably (see also Matthew 27:63-64). This can be illustrated, as follows:

1.                              TODAY – FIRST DAY

2.                              TOMORROW – [AFTER TWO DAYS] – SECOND DAY

3.                              DAY AFTER TOMORROW – [AFTER THREE DAYS] – THIRD DAY

Some protest that this could not be "three days," because it is fewer than seventy-two hours. But in Acts 10:30 a period of seventy-two hours was called "four days." This can be illustrated, as follows:

1.                              DAY ONE – Men Leave Caesarea – “FOUR DAYS AGO” (vv. 3-8, 30)

2.                              DAY TWO – Men Arrive in Joppa – THREE DAYS AGO (vv. 9-22)

3.                              DAY THREE – Peter Leaves Joppa – TWO DAYS AGO (v. 23)

4.                              DAY FOUR – Peter Arrives in Caesarea – TODAY (vv. 24-30)

Jesus further said He would "be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). This phrase cannot mean "three full twenty-four hour days," be­cause this would result in His being raised the fourth day, rather than the third day! In or­der for Jesus to have been in the grave "three days and three nights," and to be raised "after three days" or on "the third day," the phrase "three days and three nights" must be a figure of speech for a period of time less than sev­enty-two hours in length.

The Bible specifically says, "Jesus was risen early the first day of the week" (Mark 16:9). On this day, some of His disciples said, "today is the third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:21). Since "the first day of the week" (Sunday) was "the third day," the sev­enth day of the week (Saturday) must have been the second day, and the sixth day of the week (Friday) must have been the first day—the day of the crucifixion! This can be illus­trated, as follows:

1.                              FRIDAY – Jesus is Crucified – DAY ONE

2.                              SATURDAY – Jesus is in the Tomb – DAY TWO

3.                              SUNDAY – Jesus is Raised – DAY THREE

If Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday, Sunday would not have been the third day; rather, it would have been the fifth day. If He had been crucified on Thursday, Sunday would have been the fourth day. Therefore, He must have been crucified on Friday, rather than on Wednesday or Thursday!.

DEALING WITH OTHER DIFFICULTIES

Another point of confusion regarding the day of Jesus’ crucifixion was its occurrence with reference to the Passover. Was it the day before, the day after or Passover it­self? One of the problematic verses is John 19:14.

Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"

Two verses later, Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Some say that “the Prepa­ration Day of the Passover” refers to the day before Passover, on which preparation would be made for eating the Passover meal. Luke, however, tells us, “that day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.” (23:54)

The day before the weekly Sabbath was called “the Preparation” because on it the Jews were to prepare for the Sabbath. There is no evidence that the day before the Passover was ever called “the Prepa­ration.” As a matter of fact, the Passover was prepared and eaten on the same day – the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish year (Ex. 12:1-6; Num. 9:1-5). This day could fall on any day of the week. But the Sabbath always fell on the seventh day and the preparation on the sixth.

Some may legitimately ask, “Why would John use the phrase, ‘Preparation Day of the Passover’?” The answer is that, since the Feast of Unleavened Bread – which lasted seven days - immediately followed the Passover, each was referred to by both names, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew nigh, which is called Pass­over” (Luke 22:1). But, strictly speaking, Passover preceded the Feast of Unleav­ened Bread by one day (Ex. 12:14-20). Therefore, the “Preparation Day of the Passover” was the day before the weekly Sabbath that fell within the week­long Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Another problem, stemming from John 19:14, is the time marked by the phrase, “the sixth hour.” To the Romans this would be six a.m., but to the Jews this would be noon. This is because the twenty-four hour Roman day was from midnight to midnight, as it is today in most countries, while the twenty-four hour Jewish day was from sunset to sunset and the twelve-hour Jewish day [that is, the daylight half of the twenty-four hour day] would begin at 6 a.m. Thus, when we are told, in Mark 15:25, “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him,” it is meant that he was crucified at 9 a.m.

Neverthe­less, the NRSV translates “the sixth hour” (John 19:14) as “noon” and “the third hour” (Mark 15:25) as “nine o’clock in the morning,” leaving many con­fused. Obviously, Jesus could not have been crucified three hours before He was sentenced.

Because of certain terms, which John found it necessary to translate (1:38, 41, 42; 20:16) and because of his references to “the Passover of the Jews” (2:13; 6:4; 11:55), “a feast of the Jews” (5:1), “the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles” (7:2) and “the Jews’ Preparation Day” (19:42), it is obvious that he was writing, initially, to a non-Jewish readership. Why, then, would he use the Jewish method of timekeeping? Mark, however, uses the same method as Matthew, who was writing primarily to Jews. Notice.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. (Matt. 27:45)

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33)

Thus, Jesus was sen­tenced at six a.m. and crucified at nine a.m., on Friday during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. &