Jesus’ body was removed from the cross on Wednesday just before the High Sabbath began on Thursday.  Jesus Died on Wednesday night, and He was in the tomb Thursday through Saturday night, which was three full days, and He rose from the dead early Sunday morning.  Jesus was the “Passover Lamb” who died for the sins of His people, and He was in the grave for three days and three nights just as He said.

It is interesting to note what Jesus said in John 10:18. He said no one takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again….”

Something happened to the guards when they came to arrest Jesus in John 18.  They fell to the ground when Jesus told them that He was who they were looking for.  “Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:6).  This teaches that He had to grant them permission to arrest Him.  He had the ultimate power over His life and death.  He had the power to stop the agony of His crucifixion and death.

A question that is asked about the death and burial of Jesus concerns what He says in Matthew 12:40, “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.”  If Jesus died on what is known as “Good Friday” and rose from the dead on Sunday, He was not in the grave three days and three nights.  He is specific here.  He doesn’t say three days, but three days and three nights.  To interpret these days as anything else but twenty-four hours is to deny the inerrancy of Scripture.  A closer examination of the biblical text reveals that He did not die on Friday but Wednesday.

One key passage that supports this is Matthew 28:1. All the English translations begin the verse this way, “Now after the Sabbath.”  However, the word Sabbath (Sabbaton) is plural in the original language.  This indicates that there were two Sabbaths that occurred after Jesus died and before both Mary’s came to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body.

Does the Bible support this position?  I believe it does.  Passover always occurs on the 14^th day of the month of Nissan in the Jewish calendar.  That year the 14^th day of the month was Wednesday.  The Jewish day begins at sunset, so Passover began sometime after 6:00 pm on Tuesday, because the next day, Wednesday, was Passover.

We know that the Passover Feast was held on Tuesday night (Wednesday night according to the Jewish new day) and that was when Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples (Luke 22:13-20).  But was there another day that week that was considered a “Sabbath?”

On the day after Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated.  John chapter 19 indicates that this day was consider a “High Sabbath.”  This High Sabbath was celebrated on Thursday and the regular Sabbath was celebrated on Saturday.  Jesus’ body was removed from the cross on Wednesday just before the High Sabbath began on Thursday.  Jesus Died on Wednesday night, and He was in the tomb Thursday through Saturday night, which was three full days, and He rose from the dead early Sunday morning.  Jesus was the “Passover Lamb” who died for the sins of His people, and He was in the grave for three days and three nights just as He said.

Dr. Jeff Sheely is the Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Hanover, Penn.