Was Jesus crucified on Friday? Why was the Last Supper held a day early? Was Jesus really in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights?
When you read through the accounts about Jesus in the week before his crucifixion, have you noticed that Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover a day early? Also, during his years of ministry, Jesus said that following his death, he would be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights.
Both of these facts can easily be overlooked, while tradition says that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday. So how much of what we know about the events of the final few days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus relate to what actually happened?
3 days and 3 nights
One of the puzzling statements made in the gospels is the statement Jesus made about the Son of Man being in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights.
The Scribes and Pharisees who had been following Jesus were in a debate with him, asking him for a sign. The response from Jesus reveals much more than the obvious rebuke he made in response to their demand. He not only makes reference to the coming judgement on the people of Jerusalem, but he makes a statement about his coming death and resurrection. Responding to their taunt, Jesus compares the time that he will be in the grave to that of the length of time that the prophet Jonah was in the belly of the great fish.
He states that it will be a period of 3 days and 3 nights. This is a distinct period of time that differs from defining the length of time as just three days, which can cover almost any length of time longer than two days and up to three days in total.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just 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. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 12:38–42
The significance of 3 days and 3 nights
Jewish mysticism teaches that a deceased person’s spirit remains around the body for up to three days after death before departing. It was well-known in Israel some 2,000 years ago that someone who was deceased could come back to life during this 3-day period, but not afterwards.
When Jesus called Lazarus to life from the dead after 3 days and 3 nights had passed, he demonstrated a Messianic miracle, as only the Messiah could raise someone from the dead after that length of time. When Jesus healed the rotted corpse of Lazarus and brought him back to life, the people knew that Jesus was the true Messiah, performing genuine miracles as the prophets had foretold!
So was this miracle a foretaste of his own death and resurrection — being in the grave for the same amount of time?
Did Jesus die on Friday?
If Jesus was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights, that totally contradicts the traditional view that says Jesus died on a Friday with his tomb found empty early on Sunday morning following his resurrection from the dead. Whichever way you look at it, that is a period lasting less than 48 hours. Surely, there must be something amiss in our understanding.
One of the reasons that lead many to believe Jesus was crucified on a Friday, was that he needed to be buried before the Sabbath day, as no work could be done on that day. Naturally, that leads many to the conclusion that he died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday. To them, that counts as 3 days, as a partial day can be included in the 3-day count. However, this only accounts for 2 nights and not 3.
Including 3 nights would mean that Jesus would have died on Thursday, that is sundown on Wednesday in our current calendar system.
Understanding the feasts
It is important to remember that the week Jesus was crucified was not a normal week, but it was during Passover and the Feast of the Unleaven Bread. This has many unique attributes set up to remember the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 12:6–18).
At the end of the preparation day that leads up to the Passover evening (14 Nisan), the Paschal Lamb was killed at twilight, which this is typically between 3pm-6pm.
Passover itself only lasts for a few hours from that evening extending into the night of Nisan 15. That is typically from 6pm-12pm.
Following Passover is a 7-day feast of the Unleavened Bread from 15–21 Nisan, where importantly the first and seventh days are holy convocations or assemblies when no laborious work is to be done.
It is essential to understand this detail about the first day of this feast. It was a High Sabbath day, a fact that is easily missed without referring to the book of Leviticus, yet it is noted in John 19:31. This High Sabbath day preceded the weekly Sabbath which came a few days later.
To understand this further, Leviticus 23 reveals the details of the Sabbath and Passover which takes place in the first month, which is called Nisan.
The Sabbath: “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places. Leviticus 23:3
The Passover: “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” Leviticus 23:4–8
On the first day, you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you. Exodus 12:16
More Than One Sabbath
John’s gospel specifically mentions that the Sabbath that started on the evening of the death of Jesus was a special type of Sabbath.
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. John 19:31 ESV
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. NIV
It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). NLT
It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. Berean Study Bible
The Jews, therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, since it was the preparation, (for that sabbath day was a great one,) asked of Pilate that their legs may be broken, and they taken away. YLT
Implications of a High Sabbath
So was Jesus crucified on Nisan 14, before the high Sabbath day of Nisan 15? If so, what are the implications?
The keys to understanding the chronology of the events that lead up to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection are that there were 2 Sabbaths in that week, with a day of preparation in between. Also, that his resurrection was on the day of First Fruits.
The Jews called this Sabbath day Yom Tov which means Good day and it was used as the greeting on that day. This great Sabbath, having been mistaken from the earliest times for the weekly Sabbath, has led to the confusion about these events and resulted in the Friday of Easter becoming Good Friday.
Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation as the next day was a High Sabbath. So in order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.” John 19:31–36 Berean Study Bible
Jesus was taken from the cross and buried that day, which is contrary to Roman custom of leaving the body to putrefy on the cross. This is due to established Hebrew law (Deut 21:22–13) where it was required that a body crucified on a tree be removed and as the great Sabbath was coming, this had to be done by sunset. A tomb was quickly found and the body temporarily wrapped in linen. There wasn’t even time to fully prepare and anoint his body for burial, that would have to come later.
Last Supper — an early Passover meal
Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus and his disciples part took of what has become the last supper, a day before the Jewish Passover meal. In the days of Jesus, there was a Jewish sect called the Essenes who were much smaller in number than the Sadducees and the Pharisees. In Jerusalem, they were located in the Essene quarter of the city, which is the likely location of the last supper in the upper room of one of their buildings.
The Essene’s didn’t follow the Jewish calendar of a 354-day lunar calendar as they understood the problems of that system falling short of earth’s annual cycle of the sun. Instead, they used their 364-day solar calendar, with the start of their sacred year happening on the vernal (spring) equinox.
The Essence Passover always began on a Tuesday evening, 13 days after the vernal equinox. Interestingly, the only year that the Essence Passover evening fell on the day before the Jewish Passover was in the year AD 30. In all other years, these events were in a different week or the Essence Passover was even after the Jewish Passover.
So AD 30 is the only year that Jesus could observe the Passover in the upper room a day early and become the sacrificial Passover Lamb of God the following day, on the Jewish Passover.
Tuesday 2 April AD 30 is most likely to have been the date of the last supper, with the death of Jesus happening at the end of the following day. That would have been Wednesday 3 April AD 30 (using Gregorian calendar dates) with Jesus buried before the start of the Sabbath day Yom Tov which commenced at sundown.
Understanding the events of that week
To help us understand what happened that week, we need to remember two key points.
Firstly, that the Passover lamb was killed at twilight on the day of preparation and the Jews asked for Jesus body while it was still that preparation day (John 19:31).
Secondly, scripture says that it was the Feast of First Fruits when Jesus arose, so we know that his resurrection was Sunday (i.e. between sunset Saturday and sunrise Sunday).
By the time Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb early on Sunday morning, Jesus’ resurrection had already taken place. Taking a closer look at Matthew’s account, he states that:
And after the Sabbaths, it being dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Matthew 28:1 Berean Literal Bible
Looking at the original Greek, it’s important to note that word used in this text for Sabbath is actually plural and should be translated Sabbaths. This takes into account that there were two Sabbaths that week. The great Sabbath at the start of the festival on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday.
By understanding that there were two Sabbaths that week, how Jesus could partake in an early Passover meal, as well as remembering that Jesus said he would be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights, the timing of events during Passover week look different to what many have traditionally taught.
Overview of the events during Passover week
Therefore, holding to a Friday crucifixion really is at odds with Scripture. So could it be that Jesus really was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights?
Remember that a Jewish day commences at sundown, runs through the night and into the next day.
Key moments of Passover week
Nisan 13 (Monday sunset to Tuesday)
Jesus and disciples come into Jerusalem
Nisan 14 (Tuesday sunset to Wednesday)
The Last Supper, Jesus is captured, the trial of Jesus throughout the night, his crucifixion on Wednesday morning at 9am, he dies at 3pm and placed in a tomb by sundown Wednesday.
Nisan 15 (Wednesday sunset to Thursday)
Great Sabbath, a Good Day, a holy day, the high day the first day of the feast. No work to be done. The tomb is guarded by Roman soldiers.
Nisan 16 (Thursday sunset to Friday)
Great Sabbath ends. Women buy and prepare spices to anoint Jesus’ body.
Nisan 17 (Friday sunset to Saturday)
Weekly Sabbath begins and no work is to be done. Women rest.
Nisan 18 (Saturday sunset to Sunday)
With the weekly Sabbath ended, Jesus rose around sunset after 3 days and 3 nights after burial to authenticate Jesus’ messiahship. On Sunday morning, while it is still dark, the women bring spices and find that Jesus has already risen.
Should we take a fresh look at our understanding of Easter?
So holding to a Friday crucifixion really is at odds with Scripture once you understand there were two Sabbaths that week and the significance of the period of ‘3 days and 3 nights’ used throughout the Bible.
Also understanding that the Last Supper was an early Passover meal following the Essene calendar it is likely to have been held on Tuesday 2 April AD 30.
With the death of Jesus happening in the morning of the following day, Wednesday 3 April AD 30 (using Gregorian calendar dates), Jesus would have been buried before the start of the Sabbath day Yom Tov which commenced at sundown.
The Good Day, Yom Tov, the Great Sabbath of Passover week, was on Thursday (from Wednesday sundown) and was a special Sabbath day that is easily overlooked in the scriptures.
His crucifixion happening earlier than the view held by Western tradition would see that Jesus was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights. With the weekly Sabbath ending at the start of Saturday evening, Jesus rose around sunset authenticating his messiahship. On Sunday morning, while it is still dark, the women bring spices and find that Jesus has already risen just like he had foretold.
