How We Know Christ was Crucified on Passover Wednesday by Truth Broadcast Ministries
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly;so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” Mat 12:40
“… and be raised again the third day”
Mat 16:21
“…beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done” Luke 24:21
Today we are going to study an esoteric doctrine: the fallacy of Good Friday. Have you ever wondered about the seeming contradiction in the Bible, that Christ died on Friday, was in the grave three days and three nights, and rose on Sunday? How do you get three days from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning?
The answer to this question is that the tradition of Christ dying on Good Friday is erroneous and unscriptural. Today we will expose this fallacy, explore how it came to be the prevalent teaching in Christianity, and unequivocally prove that Christ was killed on Passover Wednesday, buried and in the ground by Thursday, and rose on Saturday night (which would be Sunday by Jewish reckoning). I strongly suggest you follow along in your own Bibles. Let’s begin!
The source of the Good Friday fallacy comes from a misunderstanding of scripture. After Jesus had been crucified, and as evening approached, it is stated that the following day was a Sabbath:
“And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath” Mark 15:42
Looks like the following day must be Saturday, right? But wait, the Sabbath referred to here is not the regular weekly Sabbath. Rather, it is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a “feast day” Sabbath that followed Passover.
Passover took place on the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan. Following the Passover was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which occurred from the 15th of Nisan to the 21st of Nisan. The 14th of Nisan was called also called the “preparation day,” because the Jews had to “prepare” for the Sabbath that followed on the 15th of Nisan. They “prepared” by finishing all servile work, travel, or other activities before the Sabbath began.
The month of Nisan had many Sabbaths and special feast days that followed each other in succession. The 15th and 21st of Nisan were special “feast day” Sabbaths, also called “high” Sabbaths that corresponded with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. From the 14th to the 21st of Nisan there could be as many as three Sabbaths—the weekly Saturday Sabbath, the “high” Sabbath which took place on the 15th of Nisan, and the “high” Sabbath which took place on the 21st of Nisan. Let’s see what the Old Testament says on this subject:
“…on the fifteenth day of the same month (Nisan) is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day (15th Nisan) ye shall have an holy convocation (high Sabbath): ye shall do no servile work therein… in the seventh day (21st Nisan) is an holy convocation (high Sabbath): ye shall do no servile work therein”
Lev. 23:6-8
If there was any doubt as to which Sabbath followed the day of Christ’s death, the Gospel of John clears it up with this parenthetical insert:
“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day (because that sabbath day was an high day,)” John 19:31
The Sabbath referred to here is not the regular weekly Sabbath, but the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the 15th of Nisan. It was a “high” Sabbath, and thus did necessarily have to fall on Saturday.
Besides the issue of the Sabbath, another source of confusion involves how time was measured during Jesus’ day. The Romans measured time from midnight to midnight, just like we do today. Jews, on the other hand, measure time from sunset to sunset, commencing approximately at 6:00 P.M. The new day begins with darkness because it is recorded in Genesis that evening came first: “the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen 1:5).
The Jews divide the day into twelve hour increments, measured approximately from dusk until dawn. So for example, when the Bible says that it was “the ninth hour,” that would be either 3:00 A.M or 3:00 P.M. (counting each hour from 6:00 o’clock A.M. or 6:00 o’clock P.M.), depending on whether it was light or dark outside.
The Old Testament states that Passover was to be on the 14th of Nissan (Lev. 23:5). This was the time that Jesus and His disciples ate their Last Supper together.
But contrary to scripture, the Judean Jews in Jesus’ had a custom of eating the Passover meal on the 15th of Nisan, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This has often made it seem as if there were two Passover meals, because some of the Jews celebrated Passover on the 14th while others celebrated it on the 15th of Nisan.
Thus Passover is often used synonymously with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and when the Passover is spoken of in the Gospels, it could be referring to either the 14th of Nisan or the 15th of Nisan depending on the context:
“Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh (15th of Nisan), which is called the Passover” Luke 22:1
“In the fourteenth day of the first month (14th of Nisan) at even (better rendered ‘at twilight’ or ‘between the two evenings’) is the Lord’s Passover” Lev 23:5
Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover on the correct day, the 14th of Nisan. However, many Jews ate the Passover on the 15th of Nisan, the “High Sabbath” of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was also called “the Passover.”
Herein, we have covered some of the origins of the Good Friday fallacy and confusion surrounding the day Christ died.. Now we shall present the last week of Christ’s life and prove that he was crucified on Wednesday and in the grave for three days and three nights, just as the scripture records.
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