Pinpointing the Days of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

 Throughout His earthly ministry, Yeshua/Jesus performed many miracles, many signs and wonders. But the Jews weren’t satisfied with either His miracles or His teachings; they wanted some further sign that He was their long-awaited Messiah.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:22).

Accordingly, we find in John 2:18-22,

18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Mat. 12:38-40 adds some additional details:

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Luke 11:29 confirms that Jesus offered His questioners only one sign, “the sign of Jonah the prophet.” All His hearers would’ve known what He meant, that Jonah had been “in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jon. 1:17).

And later, in Mat. 16:4, Yeshua/Jesus repeated His first statement, saying, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

So the one and only sign Jesus offered His doubters was that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights, and that He would rise again afterward. The question is, what days were these? What day was Jesus crucified and buried? And what day did He rise from the dead?

Was He crucified on Friday? Thursday? Wednesday? Did He rise from the dead on Sunday? Or some other day?

Let’s continue, and we’ll find out!

More Details

To what we’ve already seen, Mark 8:31 adds, “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

This confirms what we could already deduce from the other accounts: that Jesus would only rise after He had fulfilled the sign He gave, the sign of Jonah. He would only rise after three days.

The Jewish leaders never forgot Jesus’ statement. In fact, it caused them great worry after they’d murdered Him! We read in Mat. 27:62-64,

62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’

64 “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Again, we see that Jesus’ hearers understood what He was telling them, that He would rise from the dead after fulfilling the sign of Jonah.

Numerous other Scriptures, too numerous to quote here, add yet another detail: that Yeshua would rise “the third day.” They are the following: Mat. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; Mark 9:31; 10:34; 14:58; Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33; 24:6-7; 24:46; Acts 10:40; and 1 Cor. 15:3-4. That’s 13 passages!

Adding all this together, we know that Jesus was to be dead and in the ground for three days and three nights, that He would rise after fulfilling this sign, and that He would rise the third day.

And consider how important these facts are, that they’re repeated so many times. If Jesus did not fulfill the sign of Jonah, then He could not be the Messiah! It was the sign that He Himself gave.

When Was Jesus First Seen?

Now, when Jesus was first seen after His resurrection, what day was it? All four Gospels tell us it was the first day of the week, Sunday. We find these accounts in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20.

Based on this fact, most of the world has concluded that Jesus was also resurrected on Sunday. More on this later. However, the Gospels simply tell us that Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ other disciples came to the tomb early Sunday morning, only to discover that His tomb was already empty (Mat. 28:5-6; Mark 16:3-6; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1-7).

Furthermore, John 20:1 tells us that it was still dark when Mary discovered the empty tomb. Mat. 28:1 agrees that it was at dawn, and therefore well before sunrise.

Luke gives no specific time of day, but Mark says, “They come unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:2; YLT). The NKJV has mistranslated this as “when the sun had risen,” thereby creating a conflict with Matthew and John that doesn’t actually exist. Even at dawn, the sun is in the process of rising.

As The Lamsa Bible, based on Aramaic manuscripts, rendered this verse, “Early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, as the sun was just rising.”

So when Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ other disciples came to the tomb at dawn on Sunday morning, Jesus had already risen and the tomb was empty. We can conclude, then, that Jesus had already risen by dawn on Sunday morning, if not earlier.

We’ll get much more specific than this, but this is a start.

When Was Jesus Buried?

Let’s go back now to the day of Jesus’ death and see if we can narrow this down a little more. We know that He died as our Passover Lamb on Nisan 14, “the Preparation Day of the Passover” (John 19:14), at the 9th hour (Mat. 27:45-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). The 9th hour is midway between noon and sunset, or about 3 PM by modern time.

Now, all four gospels say this was the preparation day for the Sabbath, so many assume it was a Friday. However, John adds some crucial details, telling us not only that it was “the Preparation Day of the Passover” (John 19:14), but also that “that Sabbath was a high day” (John 19:31).

Being a high day, or “great day,” this Sabbath was no ordinary weekly Sabbath, but rather one of God’s seven annual Holy Days listed in Lev. 23 and Num. 28-29. Specifically, it was the First Day of Unleavened Bread, which always fell on Nisan 15 (Lev. 23:6). Ezek. 45:21 and Luke 22:1 show that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also called the Feast of Passover.

So Jesus died on Nisan 14 at the 9th hour. When, exactly, was He buried? Let’s consider a few facts.

Jesus “suffered outside the camp” (Heb. 13:11), that is, outside Jerusalem. It can also be established that Jesus died on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, overlooking the temple, but that’s beyond the scope of this post. For today, the important thing to know is that He died far from Pontius Pilate’s headquarters in the Praetorium. From the Mount of Olives to the nearest buildings in Jerusalem would be at least 15 minutes walking distance, probably more. 

After Jesus died, we read this in Mark 15:43-45:

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.

45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

Consider that it would have taken a little time for Joseph to know that Jesus was dead, unless he was actually on-site, and then more time for him to go and seek an audience with Pilate. Consider also the amount of time it would take to see Pilate and for Pilate to verify whether Jesus was dead, to buy linen, to get Jesus’ body down from the cross, to transport it to the sepulcher, to wrap it in linen, to put it in the tomb, and to roll the stone in front.

No wonder none of the women had time to prepare spices or anoint His body with perfume; there was no time to spare! Indeed, Luke 23:54 says that, as Jesus was buried, “the Sabbath [Holy Day] drew near.” And John emphasizes that Jesus was buried in Joseph’s tomb because of time constraints: “So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby” (John 19:42).

We can conclude from all this that Jesus was buried shortly before sunset on Nisan 14th, as the day drew to a close. There was very little time to spare.

We don’t yet have a day of the week for Jesus’ death and burial, though. This is where the three days will come in.

The Count

As we’ve seen, the Gospels repeat three times that Jesus gave only one sign that He was the Messiah: “the sign of Jonah,” that is, that He would be in the ground for three days and three nights. Numerous other passages add that He would rise on the third day, after three days.

Much of the world believes Jesus’ death and burial happened on Friday, and that He rose on Sunday. So, just for the sake of argument, let’s count the few minutes that Jesus was in the ground on Friday before sunset as Day 1. Friday night would be Night 1. The weekly Sabbath, Saturday, would be Day 2. Saturday night would be Night 2.

As we’ve seen, Jesus’ tomb was already empty before sunrise on Sunday morning. Counting from a Friday crucifixion, the third day hadn’t even begun yet! It was still night. But even more devastatingly, there is no possible third night.

A Friday crucifixion would make our Messiah a liar. It would render the sign He gave, the sign of Jonah, utterly meaningless. So we can rule out a Friday crucifixion. It is mathematically impossible.

This leaves us with just two options: Wednesday or Thursday.

A Thursday crucifixion would allow for three full nights and parts of three days:

• A few minutes of Thursday (Day 1)

• Thursday night (Night 1)

• Friday (Day 2)

• Friday night (Night 2)

• Sabbath day (Day 3)

• Saturday night (Night 3)

The next morning, Sunday morning, He was seen by His disciples.

A Wednesday crucifixion hinges on interpreting three days and three nights as literally that: three full days and nights — 72 hours. The last few minutes of Wednesday are not a full day. Here’s the count:

• Wednesday night (Night 1)

• Thursday (Day 1)

• Thursday night (Night 2)

• Friday (Day 2)

• Friday night (Night 3)

• Sabbath (Day 3)

Jesus then rose from the dead on the third day near the end of the Sabbath, just before sunset, a full 72 hours from the moment He was buried. And the next morning, Sunday morning, He was seen by His disciples.

So which is it? Wednesday or Thursday?

Luke 24:21

Before we even get into this discussion, one verse seemingly rules out a Wednesday crucifixion by identifying Sunday, not Sabbath, as the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion. So let’s look at this first.

In Luke 24, after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples as they traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus. We’re told this was the first day of the week, a Sunday (Luke 24:1, 13).

In Luke 24:18-21, we find an exchange between Jesus and these two disciples, who did not yet recognize Him:

18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

20 “and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

“Today [Sunday] is the third day.” Incidentally, this verse seems to refute both a Wednesday and a Thursday crucifixion, for they both count the Sabbath as the third day. It seems to affirm a Friday crucifixion, which we’ve already seen is mathematically impossible.

So what’s the answer?

The answer is found in the original Greek. Here it is, translated word-for-word from Greek, as found in the Emphatic Diaglott New Testament: “We but hoped, that he it is the being about to redeem the Israel; but besides all these third this day goes away to-day, from of which these occurred.”

In plain English, we might read this as, “But we hoped that He is the one about to redeem Israel. But besides all these [things], this third day goes away today from whence these [things] occurred.” “This third day goes away” is simply another way of saying, “It’s already been three days!”

The Aramaic manuscripts agree. Here’s The Lamsa Bible: “But we were hoping that he was the one to save Israel; and behold, it is three days since all these things happened.”

Murdock’s Syriac Peshitta New Testament reads, “But we expected that he was to deliver Israel. And lo, three days have passed, since all these things occurred.”

The disciples knew that three full days had passed, but not yet four full days. Therefore, they said “it’s been three days.” Or, “three days have passed.”

Luke 24:21, then, is compatible with either a Wednesday or a Thursday crucifixion.

Mark 16:9

Now, as we’ve seen, a Wednesday crucifixion lines up with a Sabbath evening resurrection; a Thursday crucifixion lines up with a Saturday night/Sunday morning resurrection. There’s one more verse that seems to indicate a Sunday resurrection.

It’s Mark 16:9, which reads, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.”

This, however, is the literal, word-for-word translation, as found in the Emphatic Diaglott New Testament: “Having risen and early first of week he appeared first to Mary the Magdalene.” Or, in plain English, “Having risen, then early on the first of the week He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.”

Again, there’s no statement of a Sunday resurrection here. There’s no statement anywhere in the Bible that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, but only that His disciples first saw Him on that day. If you can find any statement anywhere in the Bible that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, then let me know in the comments below!

Three Full Days, or Three Partial Days?

Now, we come at last to the deciding factor. What does “three days and three nights” mean? Is it a full 72 hours? Or does it mean just parts of three days and three nights?

Consider that “day and night” means a full day, a 24-hour period. There would be no other way to express this in Bible days. Nor would there be any other way to express “three full days” other than by saying “three days and three nights.” It’s as precise a term as the ancients could use.

Did it rain on the earth in Noah’s day for 39 days and half an hour? No, it was 40 days and 40 nights.

Did Moses fast in God’s presence for 39 days and half an hour? No, it was 40 days and 40 nights.

Did Jesus Christ fast for 39 days and half an hour? No, it was 40 days and 40 nights.

Was Jonah in the belly of the fish for two days and half an hour? No, it was three days and three nights.

And was Jesus Christ dead and buried for two days and half an hour (or less)? No. He was buried for three days and three nights.

Likewise, the phrase “after three days” found in Mat. 27:63 and Mark 8:31 means “after three full days,” not “after two days and half an hour.”

At the end of this age, when the two witnesses are martyred, Rev. 11:9 says that they will be dead for “three-and-a-half days,” not three days or four days. A partial day is counted as a partial day, not as a whole day.

So when Jesus Christ told us He would be dead and buried for three days and three nights, He meant a full three days and three nights. Not two-and-a-half days. Not two days and half an hour. He meant exactly what He said.

These are very basic concepts.

Thus, we can rule out a Thursday crucifixion as well. The crucifixion happened on Wednesday, and the resurrection on Sabbath.

There are some additional, fascinating clues. They aren’t rock-solid evidence all by themselves, mind you, but they do help to paint the overall picture.

The Sabbaths

In the original Greek, all four Gospels tell us that when Mary Magdalene and the other women went to the tomb on Sunday morning, it was after “the Sabbaths.” Plural. Thus we have indirect confirmation that there were indeed two Sabbaths that week, the first being a high day (the First Day of Unleavened Bread) and the second being the weekly Sabbath.

Here’s something else interesting. In Mat. 27:59-61, Mark 15:45-47, and Luke 23:50-55, Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in his own tomb, while Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” watched. John 19:38-42 says that Nicodemus helped Joseph bury Him, and that they wrapped Him in linen with myrrh, aloes, and spices. He doesn’t mention the women at all.

So, all four gospels agree that the women didn’t put spices on Jesus’ body at this time. They also all agree that Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus; John adds that Nicodemus helped and that they put myrrh and aloes on His body. The women only observed where and how Jesus was buried so that they could prepare and bring spices later.

In Mark 16:1, we find, “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.” Here, “Sabbath” is singular in the original Greek. So after one of the Sabbaths, the women went to buy spices.

In Luke 23:56, we read, “Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” The word “Sabbath” is again singular.

So the women bought spices after the Sabbath (singular), rested on the Sabbath (singular), and then came to the tomb after the Sabbaths (plural). What’s it all mean? It means that after the First Day of Unleavened Bread (the high Sabbath) had ended, they bought and prepared spices the next day on Friday, rested once more on the weekly Sabbath, and then came to the tomb early Sunday morning after both Sabbaths had passed.

Again, we have confirmation of the Wednesday crucifixion timeline!

To conclude, a Friday crucifixion is mathematically impossible. A Thursday crucifixion is likewise impossible, and so is a Sunday resurrection. None of these fit the sign of Jonah, the number one sign that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Jesus died on Nisan 14 at the 9th hour, and was buried shortly before sunset as the First Day of Passover/Unleavened Bread approached. After resting on this day, Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother Mary, and the other women bought and prepared spices the following day, on Friday. Then they rested on the weekly Sabbath.

Jesus rose from the dead at the end of three days and three nights, as the Sabbath drew to a close. It was just before sunset on this, the third full day since His burial. The following morning at dawn, on Sunday, the women came to the tomb to anoint His body, but found the tomb empty. And later that morning, Jesus appeared to His disciples for the first time.

This is the true Gospel timeline, and it’s the only one that doesn’t contradict itself or any of the Scriptures!