"...An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas..." (Matt. 12:39)
What was Jesus talking about here? What is the 'sign of the prophet Jonah'? And what is its signifigance? Jesus stated his explanation in verse 40: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
The Pharisees had asked Jesus for a sign - for proof - that He was Messiah. He gave them the sign of Jonah, telling them that He would remain in His grave ("in the heart of the earth") for precisely three days and three nights. If He failed to fulfill this sign, He would NOT be the True Messiah (Deut 18:18-22). Did He fulfill it? Does the traditional view on Christ's death and resurrection agree with this sign?
Hebrew Day |
Passover (Preparation day) - Nisan 14 |
High Sabbath - Nisan 15 (fell on weekly Sabbath) |
First Day of the Week - Nisan 16 |
Roman Days |
Thursday sunset - Friday sunset |
Friday sunset - Saturday sunset |
Saturday sunset - Sunday sunset |
Event(s) |
ATE LAST SUPPER - Thursday night. CRUCIFIED 9 AM - Friday. DIED 3 PM - Friday |
IN TOMB on the Sabbath |
RESURRECTED at dawn Sunday |
Nights and Days in Tomb |
Entombed just prior to sunset Friday |
Friday eve - 1st eve in tomb / Saturday day - 1st day |
Saturday eve - 2nd eve in tomb. Resurrected after 2 nights and 1 day in tomb |
Let us now examine the Scriptures which concern the length of time in which Jesus was in the tomb.
Jesus to be raised WITHIN THREE DAYS:
Mark 14:58 "We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands."
Jesus to be raised IN THREE DAYS:
Matt 26:61 "And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days."
Matt 27:40 "And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross."
Mark 15:29 "And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,"
John 2:19,20 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
Jesus to be raised THE THIRD DAY:
Matt 16:21 "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."
Matt 17:23 "And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry."
Matt 20:19 "And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."
Mark 9:31 "For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day."
Mark 10:34 "And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again."
Luke 9:22 "Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."
Luke 18:33 "And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again."
Luke 24:7 "Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
Luke 24:46 "And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:"
Acts 10:40 "Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;"
1Cor 15:4 "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Jesus to be raised AFTER THREE DAYS:
Matt 27:63 "Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again."
Mark 8:31 "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."
Now, was He to be raised within three days, in three days, the third day, or after three days? Can ALL of these texts be reconciled with one another? Is the Bible in disagreement with itself? Let us see.
If He was raised within three days, that would mean He had to be raised within 72 hours of his burial. If He was raised in three days, that would mean that He was raised in a time period of no sooner than 48 hours after His burial to no later than 72 hours after burial. If He was raised the third day, that would show, once again, that He was raised in a time period of no sooner than 48 hours from His burial to no later than 72 hours after burial. If He was raised after three days, that would mean that He was raised no sooner than 72 hours after his burial.
The only time period of which all of these texts agree upon is EXACTLY 72 hours - no sooner, no later. This also agrees with Matthew 12:40, "three days AND three nights". Jesus stated in John 11:9,10, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him." Jesus had said that there are 12 hours of light in a day, and compared the time of light with that of darkness. So He agreed with the fact that there are 24 hours in each day, and therefore, that three days and three nights consist of 72 hours.
Now let's read the Gospel accounts in an abbreviated harmonized form:
Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour [3pm] Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elijah.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the spirit.
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, [First day of Feast of Unleavened Bread--Nisan 15] ) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Mark 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation [Passover--Nisan 14], that is, the day before the [(in this case) "annual"] sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
Luke 23:55 And the women also [Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses], which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Mark 16:1 And when the [First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, an annual] sabbath [,] was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. [(see John 19:31--the day after Jesus' death was a "high day" Sabbath)]
Luke 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the [weekly] sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre..
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Notice: Mark 16:1 records that the women bought spices WHEN THE SABBATH WAS PAST and Luke 23:56 records that they prepared the spices and THEN RESTED THE SABBATH DAY. There is NO WAY that both are speaking of the SAME Sabbath. (How could they prepare spices that they had not even bought yet?). Fact is, there were TWO Sabbaths in the week Jesus died--The First Day of Unleavened Bread [which was an ANNUAL SABBATH--Lev 23:7 (called a "high day Sabbath" in John 19:31)] and the weekly Sabbath (Friday sunset-Saturday sunset). The High Day was the 15th day of Nisan--which is the day after Passover (Passover being the 14th day of Nisan--on which, Jesus died). Passover is therefore the preparation day spoken of--for it is the day of preparation for the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Hebrew Day |
Nisan 14 - Passover (Preparation Day for the High Sabbath) |
Nisan 15 - High Sabbath (1st Day of Feast of Unleavened Bread) |
Nisan 16 - Preparation Day for Weekly 7th Day Sabbath |
Nisan 17 - Weekly Sabbath |
Nisan 18 - 1st Day of the Week |
Roman Days |
Tuesday sunset - Wednesday sunset (eve of April 4th / day of 5th) |
Wednesday sunset - Thursday sunset (eve of April 5th / day of 6th) |
Thursday sunset - Friday sunset (eve of April 6th / day of 7th |
Friday sunset - Saturday sunset (eve of April 7th / day of 8th) |
Saturday sunset - Sunday sunset (eve of April 8th / day of 9th) |
Event(s) |
ATE PASSOVER - Tuesday night. CRUCIFIED 9 AM - Wednesday. DIED 3 PM - Wednesday. Christ ENTOMBED and TOMB SEALED at SUNSET Wednesday |
After Observing Where He Lay (just prior to sunset Wednesday), Women Returned Home and Rested on the High Sabbath (Luke 23:55 / Mark 16:1) |
Women Buy Spices (Mark 16:1). They Prepare Spices and Ointments (Luke 23:56) |
After Preparing Spices, Women Rest on the Weekly Sabbath Day (Luke 23:56) CHRIST RESURRECTED at the Sunset Ending the Weekly Sabbath |
Women Come to Tomb Before Sunrise - it is Empty. Christ Appears to Mary M. and Then to Others. Christ Ascends to Father |
Nights and Days in Tomb |
Christ ENTOMBED and Tomb Sealed at Sunset Wednesday |
1st Night in Tomb - Wed. Night / 1st Day - Thurs. Day |
2nd Night in Tomb - Thurs. Night / 2nd Day - Fri. Day |
3rd Night in Tomb - Fri. Night / 3rd Day - Sat. Day |
Stone Rolled Away & Tomb Empty |
Here again is the chronological flow:
Christ died at 3 pm on the 14th of Nisan (Passover--the preparation for the Feast day)
His body was taken down from the stake and He was entombed just as the day was ending (just before the annual Sabbath started at sunset)
The women beheld where he was laid and rested the annual Sabbath (Luke 23:55 / Mark 16:1)
The women bought spices after the High Day Sabbath (Mark 16:1--John 19:31 shows "high day")
They prepared their spices and then rested the WEEKLY sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:56)
Jesus arose EXACTLY 72 HOURS AFTER BURIAL (Matt 12:40) as the Sabbath was coming to a close at sunset.
On the first of the week, before dawn, they came to annoint Him, but He was ALREADY risen--they found the tomb empty.
In the year Jesus died (30 AD), the Passover (Nisan 14) fell on the 4th day of the week -- corresponding to Tuesday sunset thru Wednesday sunset--April the 5th, that year. He died Wednesday at 3pm and was buried by sunset. He remained in the tomb through the "high day" - Nisan 15 (1st night, 1st day), the weekly preparation day - Nisan 16 (2nd night, 2nd day), and rose just prior to sunset on the weekly Sabbath - Nisan 17 (3rd night, 3rd day). He was entombed EXACTLY 72 HOURS--from just prior to sunset Wednesday through just prior to sunset Saturday.
Authored by: Brian Hoeck
©1998 Truth On The Web Ministries: All the articles originated by Kenneth Hoeck or Brian Hoeck may be freely distributed or mirrored as long as presented in their entirety, attributed to Truth on The Web, and that proper author credit is given.
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