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Friday, April 7, 2023

Was Jesus Christ crucified on a Friday (part 2)

What time was Christ placed in the tomb?

Knowing the time which Jesus Christ was placed in the tomb, is of great significance, because the three days and three nights do not begin at the time of His death, but at the precise time He was placed in the heart of the earth. For it is written; “When evening had come, because it was the preparation Day, that is, the day before the (High Day) Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mark 15: 42-43).

The apostle Matthew gave a similar account stating; “Now when evening had come there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him, and when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed” ( Matthew 27: 57- 61).

It is clear that the body of Christ was placed in the tomb at the evening of the preparation of a High Day Sabbath which was the first day of the Feast on Unleavened bread and was resurrected in the period between the end of the weekly Sabbath, and towards the dawn of the first day of the week.

Because the scriptures state clearly that; “Because it was the preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.” (John 19: 31),

When, and what was this High Day Sabbath?

Knowing when, and what day was this High Day Sabbath, is the key to knowing the day of Christ’s crucifixion. For it is written; “On the next day which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gather together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first” (Matthew 27: 62).

We have been admonished to prove all things, and hold fast to what is good. If that preparation Day which preceded the High Day Sabbath was a Friday, and this High Day Sabbath was a Saturday, how do we reconcile with the following:

a.       At what time did the women purchased and prepared the spices?

How much time did the women who followed Jesus Christ, and observed the tomb and how His body was laid had, to return, prepare spices and fragrant oils, and then rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment, when it was already evening when the body was laid in the tomb? (Luke 23: 54-56; Mark 15: 42).

b.    What time did the chief priest met with Pilate and discussed the posting of the guards

If the day which followed the Preparation Day was the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) as it is commonly assumed, and for certain, the chief priests and the Pharisees kept the Sabbath, and rested, so when did they gather together with Pilate to discuss the posting of the guard?

c.       When were the guards posted?

If they were gathered together with Pilate after the Sabbath, then by the time they would agree to post the guards, Christ would have already been raised from the dead. However the scriptures confirm that, there were guards posted by the tomb when Christ resurrected from the dead, so when were the guards posted?

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly Love

Lucius Joseph

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