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HINDUISM, SIKHISM AND ISLAM: ARE THESE GOD'S RELIGIONS
CHAPTER 17
Three Days and Three Nights Between Death and Resurrection
Muslims have latched on to mainstream Christianity’s tradition of Good Friday death of Jesus Christ and Sunday morning resurrection as proof that the Bible is not the word of God, because it is inconsistent.
In Matthew 12:38, some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign to prove He was the Messiah. But Jesus told them that the only sign that would be given was that of the prophet Jonah: "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" (verse 40).
Three days and three nights means a time period of 72 hours. But between a 3.00 PM Friday afternoon death and 6.00 AM Sunday morning resurrection, only 39 hours can fit in. We cannot fit "three days and three nights" between a Friday-afternoon crucifixion and a Sunday-morning resurrection that mainstream Christianity believes in. Some try to argue that Christ’s statement about "three days and three nights" does not have to cover 3 full days and 3 full nights as part of a day can be counted as a day. Thus, they say that Jesus died in the afternoon making the remainder of Friday as one day, then Saturday as the second day and Sunday morning as the third day. But in this time frame only 2 nights, Friday and Saturday night, can be fitted in. Some in Islam, Jews and other non-Christians have scoffed at Christianity because of this obvious difference in Christian beliefs, and what is stated in the Bible.
The problem lies with mainstream Christianity not understanding that an annual holy day is mentioned in the Biblical record, also known as a high day. Let’s carefully study the details provided in the gospels.
Each of the Gospel writers gives an account of the events of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection, but each presents different aspects that need to be correctly synchronized and harmonized to produce a clear sequence and understanding of what happened. We see that, when each account is considered, the chronological details mesh perfectly proving that Jesus Christ was in the tomb exactly three days and three nights.
For instance, John 19:31 preserves a crucial point that provides insight into the other accounts. The preparation day on which Jesus was crucified is described as the day before the Sabbath. But John clarifies it by stating that this approaching Sabbath "was a high day." This does not refer to the weekly Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) but to the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is one of God's annual high days, or Annual Sabbath, days (Exodus 12:16-17; Leviticus 23:6-7), which could—and usually did—fall on other days of the week.
Luke 23:46-53 describe Jesus' moment of death, as well as His hasty burial because of the oncoming Sabbath. Verse 54 then states, "That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near." This Sabbath that drew near was the High Sabbath, the First day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which that year in 31 A.D. fell on Thursday. So, the women rested on this Sabbath according to the commandment.
Then verse 56 of Luke 23 tells us that the women, after seeing Christ's body having been laid in the tomb, " 56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” This work of purchasing and preparing the spices and fragrant oils could not be done on the Sabbath day. So, this work was done on Friday after the High day Sabbath on Thursday. Then verse 56 says they rested again on the Sabbath day. So clearly two Sabbaths are mentioned here.
When we consider the details in all four Gospel accounts, the picture of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection that emerges is this. Jesus was crucified and entombed late on Wednesday afternoon, just before a Sabbath began at sunset. However, that was a high-day or annual Sabbath (the first day of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread), falling on Thursday that week, rather than the weekly Sabbath from Friday evening through Saturday evening. The women saw Jesus’ body laid in the tomb late Wednesday afternoon, then rested on the high day Sabbath on Thursday. Then they prepared spices and fragrant oils on Friday for the proper burial of Jesus’ body, and then rested again on the weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Jesus remained entombed from Wednesday at sunset until Saturday at sunset, when He rose from the dead. Thus, when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb on Sunday morning before sunrise, "while it was still dark," she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Before Sunday sunrise He had already risen. John 20:1 states: “1 Now on the first day of the week [meaning Sunday] Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark [meaning before sunrise Sunday], and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” This clearly shows that Jesus had already risen before sunrise on Sunday.
Jesus rose late Saturday afternoon around sunset—not Sunday at sunrise—which was precisely three days and three nights, 72 hours, after He was placed in the tomb just before sunset on Wednesday. Jesus was not resurrected on Sunday at sunrise as the false Roman Church claims, and mainstream Christianity blindly believes but on late Saturday afternoon.
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