Help with a Question regarding the day of Jesus’ crucifixion

June 16, 2015

Regis, I’d like to use a lifeline.

Question 405809: You say in an article (Which day was Jesus crucified?) that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. That is utterly impossible! Here’s why: A Friday crucifixion means that Friday was the preparation day (13 Nisan) John 19: 31 says he was killed NOT on the High Holy Day of Passover but on the preparation day which preceded it. If that day was Friday it makes the next day both the weekly sabbath AND the high day of Passover. Correct? BUT that would make the following DAY (Sunday) the 15th of Nisan which is ALSO an annual High Day and no observant Jew would – or could – touch a dead body – or bury a dead body – or roll away a stone, or do any manual labor or work, on the first day of the week (Modern Sunday) Yet all of Jesus’ followers were observant Jews. So the Good Friday-Easter Sunday story must be false. Which narrative is correct?

Like · Comment

Seen by 22

Ed Chait likes this.
Tim White Friday crucifixion is not what I teach. I say Wednesday. So did J.V.McGee. Thursday was A sabbath. Friday was a prep day, when the women could buy spices. Saturday was THE weekly sabbath. And Sunday was the first day of the week. Again, I am no expert, and won’t argue, but I am not likely to change my mind, either.

3 hrs · Like · 1
Laurel J. Davis For what it’s worth, my husband also teaches a Wednesday crucifixion for these same reasons and also because you can’t get three days from Friday to Sunday (even by the Jewish calendar), since Jesus was already resurrected by the time His empty tomb was discovered early Sunday morning.

3 hrs · Like · 2
Gwen Sellers I think ultimately it doesn’t really matter if it was Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. There are good arguments for each of the days … You might find some more info in these articles: http://www.compellingtruth.org/day-Jesus-crucified.html; http://www.compellingtruth.org/Jesus-crucified-Friday.html; http://www.gotquestions.org/three-days.html. Hope that helps!

What day of the week was Jesus crucified?

What day of the week was Jesus crucified? Was Jesus crucified on a Friday? Why do some believe Jesus was…

COMPELLINGTRUTH.ORG

3 hrs · Like · 2 · Remove Preview
Justin Tilghman Jewish time goes from night fall to night fall, i.e. 13 Nisan would be Wed. Nightfall to Thursday Nightfall. 14 Nisan is the preparation for the Passover. Jesus was crucified on 14 Nisan, preparation day for the Passover (Thursday Night to Friday Nig…See More

3 hrs · Edited · Like · 1
Justin Tilghman This website says the same thing, in much more detail, haha: http://biblelight.net/pasover.htm

Was Jesus crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?

This Friday preparation day (paraskeue:G3904) is mentioned in Mat 27:62, Mk 15:42, Lk 23:54, Jn 19:14, 19:31 and 19:42. It is important to note that in the Bible, only the 6th day of the week is defined as the preparation day (Exo. 16:5), for the 7th day Sabbath, but not the day preceding a yearly f…

BIBLELIGHT.NET

3 hrs · Like · 1 · Remove Preview
Bob N Kelly Russell Agree with Gwen. The main thing is that He’s not here, He is risen, & preparing a place for us in heaven! smile emoticon

3 hrs · Edited · Like · 1
Laurel J. Davis It ultimately doesn’t matter, hallelujah! I’m just wondering, though, if it does matter enough because it relates to Jesus’ prophecy about His resurrection. He said He would raise Himself up “in three days.” So it has to be as He said, otherwise opposers will say, See! He lied! Thoughts?

3 hrs · Like · 1
Bob N Kelly Russell Agreed that timing must line up with God’s Word, but we don’t have to ‘prove it.’ to the world. The people who saw the crucifixion & resurrection happen in that time frame didn’t even believe it. wink emoticon

2 hrs · Like · 2
Gwen Sellers Laurel J. Davis, I think that is a great point and do agree. God is a God of order and of detail, so it does matter that He fulfills prophecy accurately. But as Bob N Kelly Russell said, I think what matters even more is that He was crucified and is risen and that it was according to Scripture (whether we understand that fulfillment the way Justin Tilghman described it or by using a Wednesday date. This isn’t to say that we interpret Scripture any way we please or manipulate the details to make it fit what we want it to. It’s just to say that we study it thoroughly and recognize that there are different ways of interpreting the available data that seem equally valid. So we don’t know that specific detail with certainty, but we do know and trust God.)

2 hrs · Like · 4
Laurel J. Davis Yep, He is risen indeed! Just like He said He would do!

2 hrs · Like · 2
Bob N Kelly Russell He always does what He says He will do. God’s part is Truth, our part is faith!

2 hrs · Like · 2
JP Rasmussen The argument is invalid, because no observant Jew touched or buried a body or rolled away a stone at of the resurrection. An angel did. So the argument is not valid.

2 hrs · Edited · Like · 4
Jesse Mcphaill If I may sound a terse comment and recommendation. Whatever way the Holy Ghost leads thee to answer this question, the most scary part of the “letter” is the end: “Which narrative is correct?” In other words, “Are the Synoptics correct or is John?” If I were answering it, I would not try to give one particular viewpoint on which day, per se, Jesus was crucified, but offer harmonizations of the Gospel accounts, and focus much more heavily on the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, that their faith might not be in man’s ideas but in God’s word. God bless you all, brothers and sisters in the Lord!