Biblical Proof Jesus Died on Friday NOT Wednesday
/By Chris Rosebrough
A lot of ink has been spilled regarding which day Jesus died. On the one hand, the Gospel narratives make it clear that Jesus died on the day before the Sabbath (Saturday).
“Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:50–56)
But on the other hand, if it is true that Jesus died on a Friday then it appears as if there is a contradiction in the scriptures. Jesus Himself explained that He would be in the tomb for three days and three nights:
“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.” (Matthew 12:40)
When someone quickly sums up the days and nights that Jesus was in the "heart of the earth", if he died on Friday, the math just doesn't seem to add up:
In order to resolve this problem, it is helpful to know that Jews do not count days according to a 24 hour time period. They count days according to night and day cycles. This way of counting days is revealed in Genesis 1.
“And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Genesis 1:5)
“And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” (Genesis 1:8)
“And there was evening and there was morning, the third day” (Genesis 1:13)
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:19)
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:23)
“And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)
Note, scripture reveals that a new day begins at sunset, not midnight. But even knowing this information doesn't totally solve the apparent contradiction. The reason is that when you count up the days and nights that Jesus was in the "heart of the earth" if He died on Friday you come up short by 1 night.
Friday - Jesus dies during the day (+1 Day)
Saturday - Jesus is dead during the night (+1 Night) and during the day (+1 Day)
Sunday - Jesus is dead during the night (+1 Night) and rises shortly after sunrise (+1 Day)
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Total = 3 days and 2 nights.
No matter how you add it up, we're missing a night. Yet, Jesus said:
“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.” (Matthew 12:40)
Some have tried to resolve this seeming contradiction by postulating that Jesus had to die on a Wednesday and that there had to be some type of special "High Sabbath" brought about by that year's Passover. This attempt at resolving the seeming contradiction is overly complex and results in an excess of days and nights which requires one to believe that Jesus rose from the grave at twilight on Saturday night (this explanation actually creates more contradictions than it resolves). However, the solution to the apparent contradiction is actually very simple and it is hiding in plain sight.
Remember that scripture reveals that a new day begins with night. That's all you need to remember. Now let's look at a few passages of scripture.
We will begin with Amos' prophecy relating to Jesus crucifixion day:
“And on that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” (Amos 8:8–9)
Yep, you read that right. God, all the way back in the Old Testament told us that He was going to cause "on that day" the sun to go down at noon. What time of day, during Jesus' crucifixion did the sun stop shining? Answer:
“It was now about the sixth hour (noon), and there was darkness over the whole Earth until the ninth hour (3pm), while the sun’s light failed.” (Luke 23:44–45)
If God caused the "sun to go down at noon" and there was darkness from 12pm until 3pm because the "sun's light failed", did Jesus die at night or during the day?
Answer: Since God "called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Genesis 1:5) the answer is obvious. Jesus died in the sunless darkness caused by God when he made the sun's light to fail at noon on 'that day', God calls darkness like that "night"!
With this data in hand we can now accurately make an accounting of the sequence of day and night which took place on Good Friday. Here is what it looks like:
Now when we add up the days and the nights, the math works perfectly:
Friday - Jesus dies during the night created by God (+1 Night) and sun resumes shining after Jesus' death (+1 Day)
Saturday - Jesus is dead during the night (+1 Night) and during the day (+1 Day)
Sunday - Jesus is dead during the night (+1 Night) and rises shortly after sunrise (+1 Day)
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Total = 3 Nights and 3 Days just as Jesus predicted
The solution to the problem really is that simple!
Now you can have confidence that when you attend church for a Good Friday service and you remember Jesus' bitter suffering and death on the cross for your sins that you're doing so on the same day that He was crucified.