How is that Three Days?

Trying to reconcile with the liturgical calendar can be downright confusing enough to warrant a PhD!  Each Holy Week, I have to remind myself again how a Friday Crucifixion and Sunday Resurrection equals three days.  If you have also found yourself scratching your head over this one and settling on the fact that the biblical authors were not mathematicians, then allow me to clarify.

Understanding any historical account or literary treasure requires us to step into that time period.  This includes the social landscape, foundations of culture, tradition, religion, science, philosophy, law, and government.  The Bible is no different.  It is based on the formation of the Hebrew people and their relationship with God.  Because of this foundation, those of us who are not Jewish, must familiarize ourselves with certain customs and beliefs that are essential to our understanding of Scripture.  

For example, the Hebrew people count the length of a day from sundown to sundown the following day.  This method was instilled by God for them in Genesis, when He commanded: "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days, and years" (Gen 1:14.)  The first day of the week is Sunday because God said "Let there be light" on this day.  The seventh day (Saturday) is the Sabbath/Shabbat; the Jewish day of rest, because "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating He had done" (Gen 2:3.)  The emphasis of time was to separate work and rest, secular and holy days.  An event that occurred during the period of time from sundown to sundown, or as part of a holy day, would have been considered to be part of that full day.  

Day 1: Jesus died at 3:00 PM (Mk 15:34) on Friday.  
Day 2: Jesus remained in the tomb on Sat (Sabbath).
Day 3: Jesus was beheld in His resurrected form on Sunday/Easter morning.  

Even though Jesus' death occurred in the afternoon on Friday and He rose in the morning on Sunday (less than 48 hours later), this was counted and recorded as three days (and nights) according to the Jews.  For Christ said "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" (Mt 12:40.)

The day Jesus was crucified was the day of Preparation, before not only the Sabbath, but "a special Sabbath" (Jn 19:31.)  This Sabbath was "special" because it fell during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” (Mt 26:17.) It is important to note that they ate the Passover, or Last Supper, in the evening.  When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve (Mt 26:20.)  The Last Supper would have been considered to have taken place on Friday and not Thursday, because it was celebrated after sundown.  This is appropriate because on that day Jesus was to fulfill the prophesies in becoming the Paschal lamb, "crushed for our iniquities" (Is 53:5.)  

Another Biblical proof that the Last Supper was celebrated on Friday, is that the Jewish leaders had not yet eaten the Passover meal the following morning.  After arresting Jesus, they were careful to avoid ceremonial uncleanness (Jn 18:28.)  As well, they did not want the crucified bodies hanging on the crosses during the Sabbath, and petitioned Pilate to break their legs and have them removed from the crosses before sundown.  Jesus was already dead and therefore the prophesy was fulfilled that "not one of his bones will be broken" (Ps 34:20.)

It is interesting to note that Jesus used the unleavened bread to represent his body at the Passover meal, and not the lamb.  This was according to his words in Jn 6:35, declaring that "I am the bread of life."  Jesus focused the disciples attention upon the life and fulfillment he brings through his body and "blood of the covenant"  (Mk 14:24.)  In only a short time his sacrifice would become very real to them.  Jesus "was led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Is 53:7) and became the sacrificial lamb for Passover that Abraham told his son Isaac, "God himself will provide" (Gen 22:8.) 

The women went to the tomb of Jesus in the morning on the first day of the week, following the Sabbath, which would have been Sunday.  True to his word, on this third day he rose again.     
~Passover ~Sabbath ~Easter