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The Crucifixion three days and three nights

Member
One question I've heard from borderline and new believers is how long Jesus was on the cross. Mark chapter 15 (NIV) answers this:

It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" (v. 25-30)
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (v. 33-34)
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. (v. 37)

He was crucified the third hour and breathed His last at the ninth hour, so was six hours hanging on the cross.

As believers become more acquainted with the Gospels, a subsequent question that comes up is on Jesus words in Matthew 12:40, "For 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." The question is, "If the crucifixion was on Friday and Christ's resurrection on Sunday, that is two nights and three days; where is the extra night?"

The most common explanation is that "the three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" is symbolic of the six hours Jesus was cut off from heaven bearing our sins on the cross: the third to the sixth hour are the three days and the sixth to the ninth hours of darkness are the three nights.

Nevertheless, I have heard another explanation by Reverend Chuck Swindoll, the president of Dallas theological seminary. The message was on "where is the missing night?" His explanation referred to Jewish tradition and a possible translational misinterpretation of how days were designated during the Passover. As nearly as I can recall, Dr. Swindoll referred to that the Jewish sabbath night is Friday. But the last two nights of Passover are also designated sabbath nights (the last supper being part of the Passover sabbath meal tradition), and possibly Jesus was crucified on a Thursday. With the supposition that Christ was buried in the evening, this would provide a literal interpretation of the three days and three nights. So our tradition of Good Friday may come from a minor misunderstanding when translating Hebrew tradition to the Roman or Greek interpretation of the time.

Since we know that the day of our Lord's birth is not certain, and we designate Christmas according to tradition, it is possible that designating good Friday is also traditional, rather than the specific Crucifixion day. If any brother or sister familiar with Jewish tradition can verify and shed further light on the Passover tradition, I would much appreciate your input.

Included in the aforementioned message were statements about how the times of day were then designated by the Jews. The first hour was what we know of as 6:00 a.m. and the last (twelfth) hour of the daytime was 6:00 p.m.. According to this, Jesus hung on the cross from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. It easily could be that the burial preparation of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took until the twelfth hour. (John 19:38-42)

Edit correction (open for comment): :) In attempting to recollect the information heard over twelve years ago, I really blew it on the clock math. The third hour would be 8:00 a.m. and the twelfth hour 5:00 p.m., which would place Jesus on the cross from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

Everyone who is interested in this topic, please post your thoughts!

:love:
Thanks and God bless you!
sister To Christ
 
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Member
<')))><

Here's something to think about:

Traditionally the last supper, is believed to have occurred on Thursday evening, followed by the crucifixion on Friday afternoon and the resurrection on Sunday morning. However, such reckoning raises at least two questions. First, in an action-packed final week, what reason is there to believe that there would be a whole day of either actual inactivity or activity which is left unrecorded? Second, and far more important - if Jesus is crucified on Friday afternoon and thereafter hurriedly put into the tomb, how can there be sufficient time to match Jesus’ own prediction that he would remain in the tomb for three days and three nights before being resurrected? Even if one stretches imagination within the traditional time frame in order to find parts of three days, it is not possible to find three nights.

The resolution of both questions appears to be found in recognizing that the last supper took place on Wednesday evening, followed by the crucifixion and burial on Thursday. Acceptance of that assumption requires an understanding of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the way in which the Jews reckon time. As for the reckoning of time, the Jewish day begins at sunset on the previous evening. This means, for example, that our Wednesday night is actually Thursday, and our Thursday night is actually Friday.

Passover is observed on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, corresponding to March-April. Passover is observed in commemoration of the deliverance of the ancient Israelites from their Egyptian bondage. The name derives from the "passing over" of the Israelites when death came to the firstborn of each Egyptian family. As part of that same commemoration, Passover is followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which reminds the Jews of their forefathers’ flight from Egypt, during which time the Israelites ate unleavened bread only. (It is common among the Jews of Jesus’ day to refer to both celebrations by only one name, either as "Passover" or as the "Feast of Unleavened Bread".) By God’s direction (Leviticus 23), a lamb is to be slaughtered late on the 14th day (Passover) and the Passover meal eaten that evening, which would be the beginning of the 15th day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The entire 15th day is then to be observed as a special Sabbath, or high holy day, regardless of the day of the week on which it might fall in any given year. (If the 15th day is a Friday, then both that Friday and the next day, Saturday, are observed as Sabbaths.)

With that background the picture begins to come clear. Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the disciples’ preparation for the Passover on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. That would place their preparations, then, at the beginning of the 14th day, which of course, begins on the evening of the 13th day. (Among the preparations common on the evening of the 13th day is the removal of all leaven from the house.) Therefore it appears that the disciples assume they are preparing the upper room primarily for the special paschal meal which they expect to share with Jesus the following evening, and they apparently do not contemplate that the regular meal on the first night will in fact be their "last supper" with Jesus.

Although generally referring to the occasion as a part of the Passover celebration, Jesus seems to explain why it is important for him to eat with them on the night before the actual Passover meal. As will be seen, Jesus’ words are: " I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." In referring to his suffering, Jesus is obviously anticipating that his own sacrificial death will take place later that day, preventing him from participating in the actual Passover supper.

John’s account eliminates any doubt that this supper occurred prior to the actual Passover meal. When Jesus tells Judas during the supper to do what he is about to do, some of the other disciples "thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast". Furthermore, the Jews who have obtained Jesus’ arrest will not enter Pilate’s palace for fear that they will be ceremonially unclean, and therefore unable to eat the Passover. Most convincing is the fact that the day of Jesus’ crucifixion is plainly stated to be "the day of Preparation of Passover Week" - the day on which the paschal lamb is slain for the Passover meal taken during the evening of that day.

The most meaningful result of moving away from the traditional time-frame is seeing how Jesus’ crucifixion becomes the perfect "type" of the Passover Lamb. Under Hebrew law, the paschal lamb is chosen on the tenth day and then "kept up" until the 14th day, when it is sacrificed for the sins of the people. If Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is counted as the tenth day, Thursday would be the 14th day, and thus the day on which Jesus is crucified. Far more important than this possible parallel is the fact that Jesus, as the perfect Lamb of God, does not celebrate the Passover with some other ordinary sacrificial lamb, but rather becomes himself the Lamb who is slain - precisely at the appropriate hour!

There is therefore strong evidence that the last supper takes place on the evening prior to the Day of Preparation, which by modern reckoning would be Wednesday night. Proceeding upon that assumption, the events associated with this final Wednesday include not only Jesus’ last public teaching, but also the account of Peter and John finding the upper room and making preparations for the Passover celebration.


Jerry
 
Member
Jzslvzu, may I steal your diacritical drawing for correspondence off-forum? <')))><

Thank you for your remarkable post! The timing explanation and comments on Jesus as the representation of the sacrificial lamb are very clear and thoughtfully ordered. I greatly appreciate your information about the Passover!

A question comes up from The Bible:

Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (John 20:26)

Is not Saturday the day of rest - seventh day/Jewish sabbath - and Sunday the first day of the week according to Jewish tradition? This continues to beg the question about literally designating three days and three nights.
 
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Member
The crucifixion....

:love: The mistake was that the crucifixion didn't take place on Friday.


To Christ said:
One question I've heard from borderline and new believers is how long Jesus was on the cross. Mark chapter 15 (NIV) answers this:

It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" (v. 25-30)
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (v. 33-34)
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. (v. 37)

He was crucified the third hour and breathed His last at the ninth hour, so was six hours hanging on the cross.

As believers become more acquainted with the Gospels, a subsequent question that comes up is on Jesus words in Matthew 12:40, "For 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." The question is, "If the crucifixion was on Friday and Christ's resurrection on Sunday, that is two nights and three days; where is the extra night?"

The most common explanation is that "the three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" is symbolic of the six hours Jesus was cut off from heaven bearing our sins on the cross: the third to the sixth hour are the three days and the sixth to the ninth hours of darkness are the three nights.

Nevertheless, I have heard another explanation by Reverend Chuck Swindoll, the president of Dallas theological seminary. The message was on "where is the missing night?" His explanation referred to Jewish tradition and a possible translational misinterpretation of how days were designated during the Passover. As nearly as I can recall, Dr. Swindoll referred to that the Jewish sabbath night is Friday. But the last two nights of Passover are also designated sabbath nights (the last supper being part of the Passover sabbath meal tradition), and possibly Jesus was crucified on a Thursday. With the supposition that Christ was buried in the evening, this would provide a literal interpretation of the three days and three nights. So our tradition of Good Friday may come from a minor misunderstanding when translating Hebrew tradition to the Roman or Greek interpretation of the time.

Since we know that the day of our Lord's birth is not certain, and we designate Christmas according to tradition, it is possible that designating good Friday is also traditional, rather than the specific Crucifixion day. If any brother or sister familiar with Jewish tradition can verify and shed further light on the Passover tradition, I would much appreciate your input.

Included in the aforementioned message were statements about how the times of day were then designated by the Jews. The first hour was what we know of as 6:00 a.m. and the last (twelfth) hour of the daytime was 6:00 p.m.. According to this, Jesus hung on the cross from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. It easily could be that the burial preparation of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took until the twelfth hour. (John 19:38-42)

Edit correction (open for comment): :) In attempting to recollect the information heard over twelve years ago, I really blew it on the clock math. The third hour would be 8:00 a.m. and the twelfth hour 5:00 p.m., which would place Jesus on the cross from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

Everyone who is interested in this topic, please post your thoughts!

:love:
Thanks and God bless you!
sister To Christ
 
Member
Yes "To Christ" you can use my little fish design. ha ha.

If you read in the 3rd paragraph on my post, the 15th day, regardless of the day it falls on is observed as a 'special' Sabbath. So if it is on a Friday, they have a special Sabbath and the 'regular' Sabbath. And that'st what has supposedly happened.

I'm not an expert in this - I learned that somewhere else.
Have a great day!

Jerry

<')))><
 
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Member
Yeshua said:
:love: The mistake was that the crucifixion didn't take place on Friday.

Great, Yeshua! <grin> :) :) :) lol.....

Right with you in emphasizing that these details have nothing to do with our faith, salvation in Christ Jesus, His immeasurable sufferings for us, or our indescribable love relationship with Him.

I never know where or why God is leading when I post. Or what of the Word about which I was ignorant will come to light from following threads. The three day and night literality had become a nag curiosity lately. After filling in some gaps from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Mark, and John for a couple days -- the conclusion is how important not to adapt Scripture to our knowledge; our knowledge must adapt to Scripture. Traditions, days, observances....you know the drill. I'll just take it for granted that Jesus was literally three days and three nights in the tomb. Ecclesiastes 12:11-13:

The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.


:computer::love::note2:​
:love:
 
Member
Jzslvzu said:
Yes "To Christ" you can use my little fish design. ha ha.

If you read in the 3rd paragraph on my post, the 15th day, regardless of the day it falls on is observed as a 'special' Sabbath. So if it is on a Friday, they have a special Sabbath and the 'regular' Sabbath. And that'st what has supposedly happened.

I'm not an expert in this - I learned that somewhere else.
Have a great day!

Jerry

<')))><

Thanks, JZslvzu. I'll credit you. :) It causes me to want to try my own "punctuation" designs....and you did give me plenty to think about in your first post. I was glad for the motivation to focus on areas of Scripture that related to what you wrote.:lightbulb

A great day in Jesus!! Amen.
 
Member
Maybe I can help be saying that the Jews at that time went from six o'clock in the evening till six o'clock the next was there day.Ergo (when they prayed)
"Give us this day our daily bread..." they were talking about the next day and to fogive us our trespasses ...here again the ones which they may commit not the ones of the previous day.Also Jesus spoke Arimic as his primary languige not Hebrew. You'll note that many times in the bible that the Sadducees ask the same questions differently each time.Ancient Arimic is very difficult and not all Hebrews were that educated. Jesus wae schooled for many years between 12 and 30 years old He was believed to be in Tybet at there monistarries for many years. Not with there religion but with there methods of learning and patience.MGBY
 
Member
Another note which I forgot was the actual date which Christ was born. Our written history goes back 4000 years and is dictated very well;however the Chinese history goes back 6000 years and they use a method much different than ours,that is by the use of star charts. When I studied Chineese History and philosophy,I learned that the largest star ever recorded during that period and about the same year which our Lord was borned was on September 15. Their records prove thge existance of the star of Bethlehem.
I personaly believ that this is the date and with the weather at that time of year it aould be a perfect time to gather to go pay taxes.
 
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