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Bibl e Fact Sheet 450

Pulsar Teaching Ministries, 101 Surrey Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 7JUTel: 01480 391461 Fax: 01480 385001 E-mail: ptm@ptm.org.uk

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WHAT DAY DID JESUS DIE?

Jesus said that He would rise from the dead three days and nights after his death - Matthew 12:40. But it is not

possible to fit this period between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. The Bible never says that He died on a

Friday, just that He died on the day before a Sabbath, which is not the same thing. Not all of the Sabbaths were the

weekly ones (i.e. the seventh day of the week). There were special Sabbaths or Holy Days linked specifically to theFeasts of the Lord. These were called High Sabbaths. John points out that the Sabbath immediately following Jesus

death was a High Sabbath - John 19:31. We are able to ascertain that this was the High Sabbath of the Passover or

Unleavened Bread - see Exodus 12:16. This was the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. The Jewish day starts at

Sunset (roughly 6pm). We know that Jesus died at 3pm on the afternoon of 14th day of Nisan, which is the Day of

Preparation for the Passover. In Jesus time this was called the Preparation Day - Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John

19:14, 42. This occurs on the day immediately before the commencement of Festival of Unleavened Bread. On the

Preparation Day, the Passover Lamb was slaughtered, prior to the preparation and cooking of the Passover meal (the

Seder), which was ceremonially eaten that evening. This was immediately following the commencement of the new

day - at 6pm on the 15th day of Nisan, which was the High Sabbath (Holy Convocation, or sacred assembly).

Leviticus 23:4-8

Jewish Festivals such as Passover/Unleavened Bread, do not occur on the same day of the week each year, but areknown as moveable feasts. We are told that Jesus was risen on the first day of the week - Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9.

There is another festival (Firstfruits - see Leviticus 23:10-11) during the week of Unleavened Bread, which occurs on

the day after the weekly Sabbath that occurs during the Week of Unleavened Bread. Thus the Festival of the

Firstfruits, a picture of new life or resurrection, always occurred on the first day of the normal week.

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, while it was still dark, i.e. well before 6am, by which time Jesus had already risen,

see John 20:1, thus He would have been risen any time after 6pm on the first day of the week (i.e. on the Festival of

Firstfruits), or up to three hours prior to that. Keep in mind the understanding that the Jewish day commences at

sunset (about 6pm). So at virtually any time between 3pm on the weekly Sabbath, and say 4am the next morning -

the first day of the week - Jesus was already risen from the dead. Matthew 28:1 confirms that there was more than

one Sabbath day between Jesus' death and resurrection, by the use of the Greek plural s a b b a t w n (Sabbaths), which

is incorrectly rendered singular in our English translations. This verse should read; "Now after the Sabbaths, as the

first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb." Tracking back three

days and nights, from 6pm on the first day of the week, or Saturday evening, we come to 6pm - full three days

previously - to the time by which Jesus had been hastily buried, having died three hours earlier at 3pm on 14th of

Nisan, which was - a Wednesday. Some people, while trying to reconcile the above facts, have claimed that Jesus

may have died on a Thursday. However, this cannot be correct because Thursday is one of the three days in the week

that the 14th of Nisan does not coincide. According to the standard calculations of the Jewish festival calendar the

14th of Nisan can fall on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, but not on a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday.

Matthew 27:62-66 provides further information, pointing out that the Chief Priests and the Pharisees had a meeting

with Pilate on the day that followed the Day of Preparation. This of course means that they met together on the 15th

of Nisan. Matthew is very careful in his wording, and if this were the normal weekly Sabbath he would have said so. In

the opening verse of the next chapter, he carefully identified when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, it was after the

Sabbath, as the first day of the week (Sunday) began to dawn (i.e. while it was still dark) - Matthew 28:1. If themeeting of the Chief Priests and Pharisees with Pilate had taken place on the weekly Sabbath, then Matthew would

have said so. We must therefore conclude, that the day that Jesus died and was buried, was not the day prior to the

weekly Sabbath. There must have been at least one day between them. They could not have had their meeting with

Pilate on the 14th of Nisan, for a meeting with a gentile would have defiled them for the coming Passover (Seder)

celebrations on the evening of the 15th. So they delayed the meeting until after this crucial event, to a time when it

was more acceptable within the context of their warped sense of sanctification. They met, still on the 15th Nisan, i.e.

on the day after the Preparation Day when Jesus had died.

Jesus would be in the grave for three days and three nights (Matt.12:40). He was risen from the dead on the first day

of the week, and He died mid-afternoon on the Wednesday, there is ample room to deduce that he actually rose from

the dead while it was still the weekly Sabbath, and already risen as the first day of the week commenced.

To assist an understanding of the sequence events running up to, and following, the day that Jesus died, you will find

over the page a breakdown of these showing the relationship of the Festival days to the days of the week.

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Nisan Day* Time Special Event

9th Evening

Night

Fri* Morning Travelling from Ephraim

Afternoon Arrive in Bethany, to stay with Lazarus, Martha and Mary.

10th Evening Sabbath Jesus feet anointed by Mary

Night Sabbath Bethany - Night stop

Sat* Morning Sabbath Triumphant Entry Into Jerusalem - Selection of Passover Lamb

Afternoon Sabbath

11th Evening

Night Bethany - Night stop

Sun* Morning Fig tree Cursed. 2nd Purging of the Temple.

Afternoon Jesus predicts His death of the Cross.

12th Evening

Night Bethany - Night stop

Mon* Morning Comment on the withered fig tree. Sanhedrin challenge Jesus.

Afternoon Mount of Olives Discourse

13th Evening Simon the lepers house in Bethany. Lady anoints his head. Judas plots.

Night Bethany - Night stop.

Tue* Morning

Afternoon Preparation for Jesus Passover Meal

14th Evening Upper Room (Jerusalem) Passover Meal. Jesus Arrested (Gethsemane)

Night Overnight in Caiaphas House

Wed* Morning 6-9am - Trial. 9am to 3pm - Crucifixion

Afternoon Preparation Day of the Passover. 3pm Jesus Dies (as Passover Lamb). Jesus Buried.

15th Evening * High Day In the Tomb

Night * High Day In the Tomb

Thu* Morning * High Day In the Tomb. (Chief Priests/Pharisees meet with Pilate to set the guard)

Afternoon * High Day In the Tomb

16th Evening * In the Tomb

Night * In the Tomb

Fri* Morning * In the Tomb

Afternoon * In the Tomb

17th Evening * Sabbath In the Tomb

Night * Sabbath In the Tomb

Sat* Morning * Sabbath In the Tomb

Afternoon * Sabbath In the Tomb. Resurrection? (anytime between 3pm and sunset)

18th Evening * Firstfruits Resurrection? (between 6pm and just prior to the ladys coming)

Night * Firstfruits Resurrection? Ladies come while it still dark - before 6am.

Sun* Morning * Firstfruits Early - Peter and John go to empty tomb. Jesus appears to ladies.

Afternoon * Firstfruits Appears on the Emmaus Road. Appears to Peter. Then the ten disciples.

19th Evening *

Night *

Mon* Morning *

Afternoon *

20th Evening *

Night * * Indicates the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commencing at sunset on the

Tue* Morning * 15th Nisan and terminating at sunset on the 22nd of Nisan

Afternoon *

21st Evening *

Night *Wed* Morning *

Afternoon *

22nd Evening * High Day

Night * High Day

Thu* Morning * High Day

Afternoon * High Day

23rd Evening

Night Appears to over 500 believers at one time. Then to James (Jesus brother).

Fri* Morning These events occur sometime between the 19th and the 24th Nisan.

Afternoon

24th Evening Sabbath

Night Sabbath

Sat* Morning Sabbath

Afternoon Sabbath25th Evening Jesus appears to the Eleven (including Thomas).

Night

* Note: While the Jewish day commences at Sunset, our modern (Western) days commence at mid-night. For comparison

purposes, the days shown here, in the second column, identify with our modern days and not according to Jewish reckoning.