Teacher’s Notes on the Day of Jesus’ Crucifixion

In teaching this Bible Study, you will notice that I place Jesus’ death on Wednesday of the week instead of “Good Friday” as is traditionally taught. I originally believed as does most of the world, that Jesus was crucified on Friday. As I began to study these events closer, however, I realized that scripture does not support this tradition. I realize that going against tradition is highly controversial, but allow me to present to you what convinced me to believe that Jesus could not have been crucified and buried on Friday. I am including these points because you will need to be prepared to answer questions to those you teach.

The following statement is the one that began to really bother me:

Matt 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.

If we follow the tradition of Jesus dying on Friday, being placed in the tomb somewhere around sunset that afternoon, and resurrecting before Sunday morning, then we have a glaring discrepancy in scripture. From Friday evening to Sunday morning is 2 nights and 2 mornings at best and when studied a little closer, really only 2 nights and 1 morning. But Jesus distinctly said that He would be in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights!

The Jewish day actually began at sundown and ended the following sundown so one explanation that has been traditionally given is that Jesus was buried right before sundown on Friday so that He was in the grave a few hours of Friday, Saturday, and half of Sunday which would actually begin at sundown Saturday afternoon. This still did not seem right to me, because Jesus would not have actually been in the ground for 3 days and 3 nights. Throwing tradition away, I began to read the scriptures to discover the truth.

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We do know that Jesus was resurrected before sunrise on Sunday:

John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

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.

The first day of the week corresponds to our Sunday and the ladies obviously came to the tomb right before sunrise. When they reached the tomb, it was already empty.

We also know that Jesus was buried immediately before a Sabbath:

Mark 15:42-43 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the 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.

Because the NORMAL Jewish Sabbath corresponds to our Saturday, it has always traditionally assumed that Jesus was crucified the day before the sabbath, that is on Friday, and resurrected the day after the sabbath that is on Sunday. This of course does not allow Jesus to be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights.

The key point to understand is that the Jews had Sabbaths on days other than Saturdays during special occasions. Jesus died during the Passover celebration and completely fulfilled the Passover celebration in every way (see Lesson # 17). The Passover celebration was ALWAYS celebrated at the same time each year in the month of Nisan (Exodus 12:2,14). The Passover Lamb was set aside to die on the 10th of Nisan (Exodus 12:3) and was killed on the evening beginning the 14th of Nisan (Exodus 12:6) Because the Jews observed it upon the same numbered day of the month each year then the Passover fell on different days each year. This can easily be illustrated with our birthdays. For example, I was born on September 7, 1976 which happened to be a Tuesday that year. When I celebrate my birthday, now, I always celebrate it on the 7th of September but it is not always necessarily on a Tuesday.

The Passover was actually a week long celebration of 7 full days (Exodus 12:15). The 7 days of the “Passover week” began on the 14th of Nisan and continued through the 21st of Nisan (Exodus 12:18-20). The Lamb was actually killed at evening right before the start of the seven day “Passover week.” The first day of the “Passover week” or the day immediately after the Lamb was killed was a special Sabbath no matter what day of the week it occurred (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:7; Numbers 28:16-18).

The question then is “was Jesus crucified before the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) or the Passover Sabbath, the 15th day of Nisan?” We do not have guess for John clarifies for us:

John 19:14-15 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

The day Jesus was crucified was the preparation “of the passover,” in other words the day before the Passover Sabbath. Now we know that He was resurrected by the early morning the following Sunday. For Jesus to spend 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth, He must have been crucified on a Wednesday and buried right at sunset. In our terminology, Jesus was in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday day, Thursday night, Friday day, Friday night, and Saturday day giving us exactly 3 days and 3 nights in which He was in the heart of the earth. He then resurrected exactly 72 hours after His burial sometime around sunset Saturday afternoon. This would explain how that when the women came to the tomb before sunrise on Sunday morning that Jesus was already gone!

For this to be true, then the year of Jesus crucifixion would have to have Wednesday fall on the 14th day of Nisan. In A.D. 30, that is exactly what occurred thus neatly pinpointing the year of Jesus’ death.

This proves what we have notice in our study all along, that Matthew and Mark are not necessarily in chronological order. In fact, Bible scholars have often noted that the Gospel of John was written much later (around 40 years) than the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and in various places there is an obvious intention to correct false impressions that one might get from reading the other gospels. One of these impressions that one can mistakenly get if they do not realize that Matthew and Mark, tend to “skip” around chronologically is that Jesus ate the “last supper” at the exact moment of the passover. John clearly states that the “last supper” occurred the night before the Passover, that is, Jesus was to be the actual Passover lamb and thus celebrated it one day early with His disciples (John 13:1-2).

When we realize that Jesus was killed on Wednesday of A.D. 30 and that the Gospel of John makes an effort to present the events in chronological order, then the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

For instance Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples (commonly called “the last supper”) a day early, that is on Tuesday, the 13th of Nisan. On the evening of the 14th day of Nisan, Jesus, who was the ultimate Passover Lamb, was killed at the EXACT time the ordinary Passover lambs were being slain, thus EXACTLY fulfilling the Passover. The Roman guards were then commanded to guard the tomb on the Passover Sabbath which was Thursday, the 15th of Nisan. John states that Jesus came from Jericho to Bethany 6 days before the Passover (John 12:1). That is 6 days away from Thursday the 15th of Nisan which would be Friday the 9th of Nisan. That afternoon, during supper, Judas Iscariot rebuked Mary for pouring out her oil upon Jesus. After that supper and after sunset which signaled the day change to Saturday, Judas Iscariot went and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver thus exactly fulfilling the Passover law which said that the Lamb had to be purchased and selected to die on the 10th day of Nisan! (See Bible Study for scriptures)

If we accept the traditional view that Jesus died on a Friday and the Passover Sabbath just happened to fall on the normal Saturday, then the trip from Jericho to Bethany would fall on a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. This is impossible because Jericho and Bethany are more than a Sabbath’s day’s journey apart.

On the other hand when we realize that Jesus journeyed from Jericho to Bethany on Friday and then made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the next day which would be Saturday a Sabbath, then we realize that scripture does not contradict at all for the scriptures point out that from Bethany to Jerusalem was a Sabbath’s day’s journey (Acts 1:12).

To summarize, when we accept the traditional view of Jesus’ death on Friday and resurrection on Sunday the scriptures contradict themselves several times, and also contradict Jesus’ words that He would be in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. We know that Jesus did not lie and that the scriptures cannot lie, therefore Jesus could NOT have died on a Friday.

When we realize that Jesus died on Wednesday, the 14th of Nisan in the year of A.D. 30, then everything begins to fall in place. Jesus traveled from Jericho to Bethany on Friday, the 9th of Nisan, had supper with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus that evening. After that supper, in the darkened hours which signaled the start of Saturday, the 10th day of Nisan, Judas Iscariot met with the chief priests and betrayed Jesus. Saturday day, on the normal Sabbath, Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and was able to do so because Bethany and Jerusalem were a Sabbath’s journey away. Jesus and His disciples then returned to Bethany after sundown thus not breaking the Sabbath’s distance laws. Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree, cleansing of the temple, and various teachings came on the subsequent days (see Bible Study). Jesus did not come into Jerusalem on Tuesday the 13th of Nisan until afternoon, when He celebrated the Passover early with His disciples (the Last Supper). Around Midnight (again after sunset signaling the beginning of a new day) they journeyed to Gethsemane and the day of the Crucifixion, Wednesday began. Jesus died in the evening of Wednesday, the 14th of Nisan at the exact moment the Passover Lamb was to be killed. Jesus was buried right at the sunset which signaled the end of Wednesday and was resurrected exactly 72 hours (3 days and 3 nights) later at the sunset that marked the end of Saturday, the 17th of Nisan. When the women came to the tomb before the sunrise of Sunday, the 18th day of Nisan which signaled the beginning of the week, Jesus was already gone. Jesus later appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus that same day said in talking to Jesus about the crucifixion “Besides all this, to day is the third day since these things were done” (Luke 24:21). If Jesus was buried at sunset which signaled the beginning of Thursday, then the first day from Thursday would be Friday, the second day from Thursday would be Saturday, and the third day from Thursday would be Sunday. If we accept the traditional view that Jesus died on Friday, then no way of counting can arrive at Sunday being three days from when “these things were done.”

There are many other scriptures that emphasize that Jesus was to be in the grave a full 3 days. Here are some of them: Matthew 12:40; 26:61; 27:63 Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; 14:58; 15:29-30 Luke 24:21 John 2:19-22. Everything in scripture harmonizes when we realize that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday and not a Friday.

(Many thanks to my Father-in -law, Rev. Larry E. Webb, for pointing out the discrepancies of Jesus dying on Friday, and provoking me to think about it. Something good did come out of that 12 hour trip when we preached to each other non-stop!)