Good Friday?

Too often, throughout the Body of Christ, we do things out of religious obligation, many never knowing why we perform this or that religious act. As "Believers," we simply believe, assuming that SOMEBODY - our leaders (we hope) - have a handle on things, and we move along, often too ashamed to ask for fear of making waves.

Ask almost any child how many hours are in a day and you'll get "24" as the answer. Multiply that by 3 days and you get 72 hours every time. When we know that Jesus arose from the grave on what we refer to as "Easter morning," if we work backward for one 24 hour period, we land squarely on Saturday morning, right? When we work backward for a second 24-hour period, we wind up squarely in the middle of Friday morning. Finally, when we work backward for a third and final 24-hour period, there we are, squarely in the midst of Thursday morning.

Why do we still think it happened on Friday?

Was Jesus referring to a LITERAL 3 Days/3 Nights when He said He'd be "3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth" and so fulfill "the type of Jonah" (Matt 12:39-40), what did He mean? How about when He said, "The Son of Man must suffer…be killed and AFTER 3 days rise again" (Mk 9:31)? Three days and three nights is 72 hours, right? Working BACKWARDS from Resurrection Sunday brings us to…Good Friday?

NO! Good Wednesday, actually.

HOW SO?

The Hebrew day was measured from one sunset to the next (6PM to 6PM), generally referred to as "evening to evening" (Lev 23:32; Ex 12:18). The Roman time-keeping method was midnight to midnight. Several Scriptures refer to the variances in Hebrew vs. Roman time: Jn 19:14 (6AM to sunrise); Mk 15:25 (9AM on the day of crucifixion); Matt 27:45 (noon to 3PM). The 'twelve hours in the day' referred to in John 11:9 referred to sunrise and the twelve hours of the night FROM sunset. Here's where the expression 'a night and a day' in 2 Corinthians 11:25 denotes a complete day.

So, 6PM on Saturday (the Sabbath) started the first day of the week (our Sunday), important when studying the resurrection accounts. Jesus was killed the 3rd hour (Hebrew time, 9AM) and hung on the cross 3 hours. At the 6th hour (Hebrew time) darkness covered the land until the 9th hour (noon to 3PM), completing the 9 hours of agony on the cross. Because the NEXT day was the HIGH Sabbath, beginning at 6PM, the body was placed in the borrowed tomb just before sunset (Jn 19:31).

WHERE DOES "EASTER" COME FROM?

The early translators of the Scriptures translated the Greek word for "Passover" (the whole week of the festival) as "Easter." Why? This was a pagan festival named for the Saxon goddess, Eastra, which no doubt got her name from the Assyrian/Babylonian goddess of fertility, Ishtar (which explains the eggs and reproductive rabbits as the poster children for the occasion).

Familiarize yourself with these New Testament 3-Day Signs:
Matt 12:39-40; Matt 14:32; Mk 8:2; Lk 2:46; Lk 13:32; Jn 2:1; Jn 2:18-21; Acts 9:9

Here are the 3 Days/3 Nights of Calvary as referred to in Scripture...
The following examples speak of 3 days AND 3 nights:
Jonah 1:17; Esther 4:16; Matt 12:40.

THE SABBATH DAY. WHICH ONE?

Scripture reveals that Israel observed the weekly Sabbath, the 7th day of the week (Ex 20:8-11; 31:12-18; Deut 5:12-14). Additionally, besides these WEEKLY Sabbaths, there were FESTIVAL Sabbaths! If any of these fell during the ordinary week, they counted it as an EXTRA Sabbath in that week, meaning there were sometimes TWO Sabbaths in one week: the FEAST Sabbath and the WEEKLY Sabbath.

So, there were TWO Sabbaths in the Passover week, the week of Jesus' crucifixion: the FEAST Sabbath, or HIGH Day, as well as the WEEKLY Sabbath.

THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

There are 16 references in the New Testament speaking of the 3 Days/3 Nights of Christ's redemptive work. In His first mentioning of His sufferings (Matt 16:21), Jesus says He would be 'raised again the third day.' In John 2:19, He had already mentioned 'three days' as the time after which He would raise up 'the Temple of His body,' This expression occurs 11 times in regard to His resurrection. The expression 'after 3 days' (Mk 8:31), is used to describe the same event. This shows that 3 Days/3 Nights MUST include 3 days and the 3 PRECEDING nights. The full 3/3 is evidence of the resurrection on the THIRD of the THREE DAYS, each preceded by a night.

1) the HIGH Day of Jn 19:31 was the FIRST day of the feast; Jesus "gave up the ghost."]

2) the FIRST DAY OF THE FEAST was the 15th day of Nisan which began at SUNSET on the 14th

3) SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER (Jn 12:1) takes us BACKWARD to the 9th of Nisan

4) AFTER TWO DAYS IS THE PASSOVER (Matt 26:2; Mk 14:1) takes us to the 13th of Nisan

5) THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK (resurrection day, Matt 28:1) was from our Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset, fixing the days of the WEEK.

6) Going BACKWARD from the THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS (Matt 12:40) we arrive at the day of BURIAL, before sunset on the 14th of Nisan, i.e., BEFORE our Wednesday sunset!

This makes the 6th day before Passover the 9th of Nisan, our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset. Before Wednesday, Nisan 14th (commencing on Tuesday at sunset), was the PREPARATION DAY on which the crucifixion took place. All four gospels agree this was the day of the Lord's burial (before our Wednesday sunset). The bodies should not remain on the cross the Sabbath day, "for that Sabbath was a HIGH DAY," therefore, not the USUAL 7th day, or WEEKLY Sabbath (Jn 19:31).

WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?

Since Jesus was crucified on PREPARATION DAY, He could NOT have eaten the Passover lamb at the Last Supper. It wasn't slain till evening of the 14th of Nisan (afternoon). On that day, the daily sacrifice was killed at the 6th hour (noon) and offered by the 7th hour (1PM). Clearly, this did not take place till 4 hours AFTER the Lord had been hanging on the cross and wasn't completed till the 9th hour (3PM) when HE GAVE UP THE GHOST.

No Passover Lamb could have been eaten at the Last Supper the previous evening, though Jesus had sent Peter and John to make arrangements to eat the Passover (Matt 26:18; Mk 14:14; Lk 22:8-15). John 18:28 CLEARLY indicates that the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate in the early morning, careful not to enter the palace so they could avoid becoming ceremonially unclean as "they wanted to be able to eat the Passover." This refers to the whole festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread, which lasted seven days and included a number of meals.

Rather significant that the lambs were killed when THE Lamb of God actually died. With these facts, we can piece together the events of the Lord's last week as recorded in the Gospels.

As for the 3 Days and 3 Nights before His resurrection, they were as follows:

1) FIRST NIGHT AND DAY IN THE TOMB:

The First Day of the Feast (THE HIGH DAY), the 15th of Nisan, our Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset.

2) SECOND NIGHT AND DAY IN THE TOMB:

The Second Day of the Feast, the 16th of Nisan, our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset.

3) THIRD DAY AND NIGHT IN THE TOMB:

The Third Day of the Feast, the 17th of Nisan, our Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.

4) THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, the 18th of Nisan, our Saturday sunset, the THIRD DAY of Matthew 16:21, NOT the third day of the feast.

Considering these details, we can summarize that Jesus was actually crucified on a Wednesday, NOT a Friday.

WHY THE MISTAKES ALL THESE CENTURIES?

Two Sabbaths in one week, causing confusion in the Church to this day.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In short, Jesus was crucified Wednesday morning, the third hour. From noon to 3PM, there was darkness on the land. By 6PM, Jesus was in the tomb, as the bodies could not remain on the cross on a Sabbath day, for "THAT SABBATH was a High Day" (Jn 19:31). It was NOT a weekly Sabbath, NOT a Saturday. It WAS the Passover Sabbath…a Thursday.

Therefore, Jesus was crucified on Wednesday. Good Wednesday, if you like.

This is why on the Wednesday before Easter Sunday we have the LORD's Supper together and celebrate His death and sacrifice for us as believers.

People, sometimes ask me, "What does it matter anyway?"

It matters because it is important to follow the Old Testament pattern of Exodus 12, of the Passover Lamb. This is important because God gave us a pattern. A pattern about the most important event in all human history, the death of His Son. I do believe He is expecting us to honour the correct time frame.

Our attitude is important on these truths. This carefree attitude to Scripture has some churches sprinkling babies and calling it baptism or refusing to have the Lord's Supper or Baptism even in their churches and still saying it is okay.

Church, are not allowed to just change whatever we decide because we have a custom. If we discover the custom is wrong, we should change. If we refuse to change even though we know we are incorrect, will not we become like the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus' day that would not give up the traditions of man in favour of God's ways?

We are to follow the patterns set down by the Lord Himself. When you didn't know this truth, you had an excuse but now you know. The Lord Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, so I'll hope to see you at Royal Heights!