Good Friday

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I was raised as a young Catholic boy to believe that the Bible's Christ was buried on a Friday afternoon. Consequently, I've had to endure the outside world's mockery as they gleefully pointed out that it's impossible to produce three days and three nights from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

Personally, I believe Rome's magisterium discovered long ago that Friday is an error, but it's such an entrenched Catholic tradition that it's gone on too long to fix it now.

There are eight important details one must take into consideration when calculating the correct afternoon during which the Lord was buried.

• The Lord's religious calendar was one day ahead of Israel's religious calendar.

• Matthew, Mark, and Luke narrate their accounts of crucifixion week relative to the Lord's religious calendar; while John narrates his account relative to Israel's religious calendar.

• The first and last days of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (which commences on Passover night) are sabbath days no matter what day of the week they fall on even if they fall back to back with the seventh-day sabbath thus producing two sabbaths in a row.

• The Lord rose "on" the third day; not on the fourth day after the third day was completely over.

• It's essential to begin with Sunday morning and work backwards in order to end up on the correct afternoon for the Lord's burial.

• The calculation has to take into consideration the hour of the Lord's burial, rather than the hour of his death.

• It's crucial to guard against assuming that the three specifically-named women of Mrk 16:1-2 are the anonymous women of Luke 23:55-56.

• And finally, the most important detail of all : the definitions of Day and Night as per Gen 1:5 have to be used in the calculation or it simply won't come out right. When the Lord said "day" he meant when the sun is up, and when he said "night" he meant when the sun is down.

FAQ : Who cares? Do we get brownie points for picking the right day?

The Lord's resurrection is one of the elements of the Bible's gospel that must be believed in order to escape the wrath of God.

†. John 20:29 . . Jesus said to him : Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

†. 1Cor 15:1-4 . . Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are spared; if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed for nothing.

. . .For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

So then, it is important to know how to debunk Rome's error so that that sensible folk won't feel like morons for buying into Christ's resurrection.

While it's true a fool will believe just about anything he hears; I do not wish to be a fool. It's important to my self-respect to ferret out those three days and three nights the Lord predicted in regards to his burial and resurrection. No, I will not get "brownie points" for knowing the correct chronology of crucifixion week; but at least I will not look like a moron every time an unbeliever points out the error in Rome's math. However; if some people are comfortable with coming across as a Forrest Gump; fine with me; more power to them. But for those who prefer otherwise; stay with me for the next few days and I'll show you how to do it.

C. L. I. F. F.
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Good Friday (01)

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The Lord & Jonah

The time frame of the Lord's burial and resurrection is supposed to be three Days and three Nights.

†. Mtt 12:39-40 . . For as Jonah was three Days and three Nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three Days and three Nights in the heart of the earth.

†. Jon 1:17 . .Yhvh prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three Days and three Nights.

The length of time Jonah was inside the fish isn't measured in evenings and mornings like the story of creation but rather, in Days and Nights; and Genesis is very handy for defining those terms.

†. Gen 1:3-5 . . And God said; Let there be light! and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night.

The terms Day and Night identify the two properties of a 24-hour civil day; viz : Day is daytime and Night is nighttime; or you could say, Day is when the sun is up, and Night is when the sun is down. This is foundational to correctly piecing together the three Days and three Nights of the Lord's prediction.

FAQ : What about the three hours of darkness that occurred during Christ's crucifixion? Can't that be counted as the missing Night of the Good Friday tradition?

No; it can't be counted because the Lord was alive the whole time during that particular period of darkness and didn't expire till it was over (Mtt 27:45-50, Mrk 16:33-37, Luke 23:44-46). But even so, we have to work from the hour of the Lord's burial rather than the hour of his death.

FAQ : Why couldn't the Lord have been crucified on a Wednesday?

Wednesday is over-budget because it's very easy to prove that Sunday's morning is the Day upon which the Lord revived. If Christ had been buried on a Wednesday afternoon, we would have four Nights to deal with instead of the three; viz : Wed Night, Thu Night, Fri Night, and Sat Night. Wednesday would also be over-budget on Days too since the Lord revived on the third Day rather than on a fourth.

†. Mrk 9:31 . .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.

†. Luke 18:33 . . And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third Day he shall rise again.

†. Luke 24:6-7 . . He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third Day be raised again.

†. Luke 24:46 . .Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third Day

†. Luke 24:21-23 . . Today is the third Day since these things were done. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.

As anyone can plainly can see, there is a preponderance of evidence indicating the Lord rose on the third Day, rather than on a fourth after the third was over and done.

Continued > >
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Good Friday (02)

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Defining The First Day Of The Week

The regular sabbath falls on the seventh day of the Israelite civil week.

†. Ex 20:8-11 . . Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to Yhvh your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days Yhvh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yhvh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

So then the first day of the Israelite civil week is the day following the seventh; which in our era is Sunday since Saturday is currently Judaism's official seventh-day sabbath.

†. Mtt 28:1-7 . .After the sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

. . .The angel said to the women: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

†. Mrk 16:1-2 . .When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb . . .

†. Luke 24:1 . .On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

†. John 20:1 . .Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

According to Mark, Sunday is not only the day that the Lord was discovered alive, but also the very morning he revived.

†. Mark 16:9 . . Now when Jesus rose early on the first day of the week

FYI : Mrk 16:9-20 isn't in the two oldest manuscripts, the Sinaiticus and the Vaticanus; but the passage is quoted by Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second or third century. Since the original gospels no longer exist, it's impossible to know for proof positive whether Mrk 16:9 belongs in the New Testament.

Personally; I'm okay with Mrk 16:9-20 being in the New Testament. IMO just because a manuscript is older than some others doesn't necessarily make it any more reliable than ones that were produced after it. The label "the better manuscripts" that scholars tag on the oldest existing manuscripts is an arbitrary opinion rather than a provable reality.

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[Guap]

I don't think it is that hard is it?
Friday was the first day, when he died and was burried, Saturday was the second day, Sunday was the third day, rising 'on the third day'.
Where is the problem?
What is the lord's religious calendar? Sounds like something dodgey to me.

 

[Webers_Home]

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Friday was the first day, when he died and was burried, Saturday was the second day, Sunday was the third day, rising 'on the third day'. Where is the problem?

Where's your third night?

C.L.I.F.F.
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[Guap]

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Where's your third night?

C.L.I.F.F.
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Why do you need a third night?
It is ON the third day Jesus was raised.
Friday first day
SAturday second day
Sunday third day. On the Sunday, if we had a third night, that would into the fourth day.

If you book into a hotel and you book for two days, it is only one night!

 

[Theofilus]

Why do you need a third night?

Because Jesus said so.

But he answered and said unto them, 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: 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. (Matt. 12:39-40 KJV)
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[Guap]

Because Jesus said so.

But he answered and said unto them, 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: 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. (Matt. 12:39-40 KJV)
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Wesley's answer to this
Three days and three nights - It was customary with the eastern nations to reckon any part of a natural day of twenty - four hours, for the whole day. Accordingly they used to say a thing was done after three or seven days, if it was done on the third or seventh day, from that which was last mentioned. Instances of this may be seen, 1Ki_20:29; and in many other places. And as the Hebrews had no word to express a natural day, they used night and day, or day and night for it. So that to say a thing happened after three days and three nights, was with them the very same, as to say, it happened after three days, or on the third day

It is a matter of semantics. Check particularly 1 Kings 20:29. For seven days they camped. on the seventh day they left.
How could they camp for seven days if they left on the seventh day?

IF Jesus was in the grave for three days and three night, then he would have been raised on the fourth day right? But he was raised on the third day, right?

 

[Theofilus]

Wesley's answer to this
Three days and three nights - It was customary with the eastern nations to reckon any part of a natural day of twenty - four hours, for the whole day. Accordingly they used to say a thing was done after three or seven days, if it was done on the third or seventh day, from that which was last mentioned. Instances of this may be seen, 1Ki_20:29; and in many other places. And as the Hebrews had no word to express a natural day, they used night and day, or day and night for it. So that to say a thing happened after three days and three nights, was with them the very same, as to say, it happened after three days, or on the third day

This is complete nonsense, made up to suport a non-biblical doctrine. All you have to do to see it is to read the Bible.

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (Matt. 28:1 KJV)​

They came to the tomb at dawn. The day starts at sunrise. Even if you count the last few minutes of Friday (Jesus was buried some time shortly before sunset) as a whole day, as illogical as that is, then you still can't count Sunday as the third day, since it hadn't yet started when the women arrived, and Jesus was already risen.

It is a matter of semantics. Check particularly 1 Kings 20:29. For seven days they camped. on the seventh day they left.
How could they camp for seven days if they left on the seventh day?

It doesn't say they left on the seventh day.

And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. (I Kings 20:29 KJV)

If they arrive and make camp on Sunday morning and the battle starts on the following Saterday afternoon, then they have camped 7 days and the battle starts on the 7th day.

IF Jesus was in the grave for three days and three night, then he would have been raised on the fourth day right? But he was raised on the third day, right?

No, He rose on the third day. I'm going to wait until I see where Weber is going with this before explaining it though.

 

[Guap]

The day starts at sunrise.

Actually in Gen 1, there was night and there was day. In Jewish thinking the day starts in the evening.

 

[Guap]

They came to the tomb at dawn. The day starts at sunrise. Even if you count the last few minutes of Friday (Jesus was buried some time shortly before sunset) as a whole day, as illogical as that is, then you still can't count Sunday as the third day, since it hadn't yet started when the women arrived, and Jesus was already risen.

Yes three days, remembering the day starts at night!
Friday - before sunset
Saturday
Sunday (which starts Saturday night) - so there is plenty of time on Sunday.

 

[Theofilus]

Actually in Gen 1, there was night and there was day. In Jewish thinking the day starts in the evening.

The word "day" can have two meanings. It can mean

1. A period of 24 hours
2. The time between sunrise and sunset

I think it is pretty obvious that I was using it in the latter sense, which is also the meaning in the phrase "three days and three nights". That's three perods of light and three of dark.

 

[tim-from-pa]

And yet another thread discussing the Friday crucifixion day/date ad nauseam. We had so many of these.

For the record, I believe Jesus was crucified Wednesday and Thurs-Sat constitutes your 3 days and 3 nights. When Saturday drew to a close, he arose (remembering that the Jewish day begins at sundown, not Sunday morning dawn).
This aligns up well with the prophetic feast days, and the 72 hour requirement. It seems the confusion arises when Gentiles want to "change the times" and go by some other calendar. It has to be looked at from a Jewish perspective.

Just ask my buddy Vic (administrator). We had a talk about this a few years back and he decided to switch to believing in a Wednesday crucifixion date (from Thursday) because of our discussions. Although I must admit, if I had to pick ANOTHER day of the week other than Wednesday, it would have been Thursday so he was on the right track---- ANY other day would be better rather than a Friday. You can't squeeze 3 days and 3 nights (each consisting of 12 hours) into that short of time span from Friday any more than fitting 10 pounds of fudge in a 5 pound bag. And don't give me that "inclusive reckoning" garbage. That's the theological catchword of the day justifying bad mathematics. The Jews knew how to count parts of days as fractional days. Simple (and mathematically accurate) as that.

 

[reba]

any more than fitting 10 pounds of fudge in a 5 pound bag.

Sure ya can silly guy you just eat the first 5 pounds.....:yes

 

[handy]

Here's my view...not that I think this is the most important of subjects...but it is interesting.

As was mentioned, Hebrews considered a day going from sunset to sunset...the Sabbath actually started at sundown on Friday evening...still does if I'm correct, perhaps some of our Jewish members can weigh in on this.

So, if we view the Sabbath as starting on Friday night, then Good Friday actually, from the Hebrew perspective, began on Thursday night.

Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night...3 nights.
Friday day, Saturday day, Sunday day...3 days, rising on Sunday, which actually started at sundown Saturday night, meaning that He spent half of the day, in the grave.

Tim is the above known as "inclusive reckoning garbage"?...If so, I'll eat that 5lbs of fudge! :yes

(Now I'll wait for Vic to come and give me the chair, as he has explained this to me each year this time of year ever since I've joined this board and I'm obviously not getting it!)

 

[tim-from-pa]

Tim is the above known as "inclusive reckoning garbage"?...If so, I'll eat that 5lbs of fudge! :yes

Well, like I stated a Thursday crucifixion is far better than a Friday. You only need inclusive reckoning with a Friday crucifixion, but with a Thursday you only need to eat 2 pounds of fudge IMO.

The thing about your chart is that at burial it would really be Friday night as the night comes before the day in the Jewish calendar. So, if he was crucified Thursday, he'd be in the grave Friday, Saturday and Sunday night (not Thurs Friday and Saturday). And then he'd be there Friday all day and Saturday all day. He arose (traditionally speaking, not what I believe is factual) by Sunday morning so we can't count that. As a matter of fact the women came to the tomb while it was yet dark, so we know he was gone already. But that's 3 nights and 2 days---- almost but no cigar. To make the 3rd day, we'd see that he'd have to be in the tomb yet all day Sunday and rise by sundown Sunday night (by our reckoning) but that would be the start of Jewish Monday. Thus, just shift everything left one day back to Wednesday and you can see where us Wednesday "crucufixionists" got that idea.

 

[Webers_Home]

Good Friday (03)

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Defining Days & Nights

By performing the computations using literal Days and Nights as they are precisely defined by the Bible's God at Gen 1:3-5 as periods of light and periods of dark; it's a very simple matter to deduce that the Lord was buried Thursday afternoon of crucifixion week. Thursday's daytime hours don't have to be factored in since they were essentially expired by the time Christ was interred. The only partial day that needs to be considered is Sunday since Christ predicted his body would revive "on" the third day, rather than after it ended; ergo : the duration of the Lord's burial consisted of three full nights, two full days, plus one partial day.

It's interesting that the Lord's first night in the tomb coincided with the night of Israel's Passover dinner; viz : the hours when Moses' covenanted law requires everyone's pesach be consumed before dawn. (Ex 12:10)

So then, deducing which afternoon of crucifixion week the Lord was interred is not really the hard part; no, the hard part is figuring out how to make Friday a sabbath because he was buried shortly before one commenced (Mrk 15:42, Luke 23:54-56, John 19:31). But though that's a knotty problem for the average Gentile inadequately schooled in Old Testament Judaism; it's child's play for an Israelite whose Torah training included the details of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

FAQ : If we're supposed to count Sunday morning as a partial day in the tomb, then why not Thursday afternoon too; thus resulting in four burial days rather than three?

You know how it's said to hide something right out in plain sight and nobody will find it? Well, the solution to this dilemma is so well hidden right out in plain sight that everybody— and I mean everybody, even people with ThD degrees —at one time or another in their lives walk right past without seeing it.

Answer : the Lord's cross owns crucifixion day; and just about used it all up seeing as how the Lord's corpse was interred so close to sundown.

If you're a Star Wars fan, you're familiar with the advice C3PO gave to R2D2 during a holographic chess game with Chewy; which went like this : Let the Wookie win one.

Well, this is one of those times to let the Wookie win one; viz : let the cross have crucifixion day all to itself— leave that day alone and don't start your countdown till after the sun sets upon the Lord's tomb. Put another way : the Lord's cross owns crucifixion day, while the Lord's resurrection owns his body's days in the grave, and neither shares a day with the other.

Israel's Schedule and the Lord's Schedule

The media oftentimes has problems with the chronology of crucifixion week because when they compare the information in Matthew's, Mark's, and Luke's records with John's, they are prone to conclude that the Gospel authors were in disagreement upon which day of the week Christ was buried.

It's almost comical that what the media perceives as inconsistency is actually God drawing their attention to two schedules; viz : the Lord and his men observed a Passover of their own, and then 24 hours later, Israel observed theirs. Same thing with the Preparation, and with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unless one is aware of those two schedules, they will likely duplicate the media's error.

Feast Details

Passover lambs are supposed to be slain and roasted ready-to-eat prior to sundown the afternoon of the 14th of the Bible month of Nisan (also called Abib) and the meal is eaten that night; which is actually the 15th because the Bible's 24-hour cycle of day and night begins at sundown rather than midnight.

All Bible months were originally lunar, and each began with a new moon. That eventually led to problems with seasons and leap years, but the Israelites eventually figured out ways to make corrections from time to time.

For the purpose of this discussion, the most important aspect of Passover is its relationship to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which contains two special sabbaths: one at the beginning, and one at the end. The two sabbaths float; viz : they're governed by a religious calendar rather than a civil calendar. So then, it's important to keep in mind that the first of those two special sabbaths begins on Passover night regardless of which calendar day of the civil week Passover falls on. In 2011, Passover commences at sundown on Monday, April the 18th. So that night, plus all day Tuesday the 19th till sundown will be a sabbath.

Continued > >
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Good Friday (04)

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The Law Of The Passover

Passover is not to be taken lightly. Non-compliance with its rules is curse-worthy.

†. Num 9:12 . .They shall offer it in strict accord with the law of the Passover sacrifice.

†. Deut 27:26 . . Cursed be he who will not uphold the terms of this Law and observe them.

†. Num 9:13 . . But if a man who is clean and not on a journey refrains from offering the passover sacrifice, that person shall be cut off from his kin, for he did not present Yhvh's offering at its set time; that man shall bear his guilt.

Passover is a pilgrimage type of feast regulated by strict laws that are not open to debate, nor has anyone ever been given permission to amend any of those laws since the day God gave them. There is a primary day, and then there is an alternate day one month later for those who can't make it to the first one. (Num 9:9-12)

Under no circumstances may paschal lambs be slaughtered and cooked ready-to-eat anywhere else but in the vicinity of Jerusalem, in the very State of Israel itself.

†. Deut 16:2 . .You shall slaughter the passover sacrifice for Yhvh your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where Yhvh will choose to establish His name.

†. Deut 16:5-6 . .You are not permitted to slaughter the passover sacrifice in any of the settlements that Yhvh your God is giving you; but at the place where Yhvh your God will choose to establish His name, there alone shall you slaughter the passover sacrifice

The 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which commences simultaneously with Passover night, may be completed at home after the night of the paschal dinner is over.

†. Deut 16:7 . .You shall cook and eat it at the place that Yhvh your God will choose; and in the morning you may start back on your journey home.

Although the 24-hour cycle of day and night commencing at sunset on the night of Passover, and concluding with sunset of the next day is a sabbath; travel home is permitted because there are no Scriptural regulations restricting travel during a sabbath. The so-called sabbath-day's journey (Acts 1:12) is a rabbinical invention.

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[Theofilus]

Like I said earlier, the word "day" can have two meanings, either a 24 hour period or the period between sunrise and sunset.

Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night...3 nights.
Friday day, Saturday day,

Here, you seem to be using the second meaning, i.e. the period between sunrise and sunset is called "day", while the time from sunset to sunrise is called "night". But then...

Sunday day...3 days, rising on Sunday, which actually started at sundown Saturday night, meaning that He spent half of the day, in the grave.

Here you suddenly change to the meaning of 24 hours being called a "day". You end up counting Saturday night both the third night and the third day. A Wednesday curcifixion is much more reasonable.

Wednesday night = night 1
Thursday day = day 1
Thursday night = night 2
Friday day = day 2
Friday night = night 3
Saturday day = day 3

Jesus then rose from the grave on Saturday, just at sunset. This way, not only do we not have to count a few minutes on Friday as a whole day, nor do we need to count a day (period of light) that hasn't started yet as a whole day, but also, Christ's own prophesy that he would be in the grave three days and three nights - the only sign we are given to prove he was who he claimed - is fulfilled perfectly, as is the symbolism in Passover and the Feast of First Fruits.

 

[tim-from-pa]

BTW, my KJV bible never said he arose "on" the third day. It simply says "the third day". Equivalent phrases are "3 days and 3 nights", "after three days" and "within 3 days". It seems to be the newer translations that say "on".

The first phrase specifies 3 days and is imprecise as that span of time can describe anywhere from 24+ hours to 72- hours, the second phrase is definitely 72 hours, the third phrase actually sounds longer than 3 days (72 hours) and the 4th phrase slightly shorter. So these other phrases all "average" 3 days and 3 nights, or 72 hours. We can't disregard them to make just one description fit into a preconceived notion that the crucifixion was on a Friday.

But if it makes my "on" friends feel any better, if sundown occurred say, 6PM, would it make them feel any better if he arose "on" the day at 5:58PM instead of the next day at 6:02PM? We're then mincing.