The Bible does not explicitly state on which day of the week Jesus was crucified. The two most widely held views are Friday and Wednesday. Some however, using a combination of both Friday and Wednesday, argue for Thursday as well.
Jesus said in (Matthew 12:40), “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Too, (Mark 8:31) says, that Jesus will be raised “after” three days. [For me, that means three full days, and three full nights, not partial days, and partial nights].
One of the principal arguments for Friday is found in (Mark 15:42), which notes that Jesus was crucified the day BEFORE the Sabbath — Preparation Day. Preparation day is BEFORE every Sabbath — every weekly, every High Day / High Holy Day /or Special Day Sabbath.
The Thursday argument expands on the Friday view also, but some argue that there are too many events, [some count as many as twenty] happening between Jesus’ burial Friday, and Sunday morning. This view points out that the only full day between Friday and Sunday was Saturday, the Jewish weekly Sabbath.
The Wednesday opinion states that there were TWO Sabbaths that week. This Wednesday viewpoint supports that the first “Sabbath” was [the Passover], a High day / High Holy Day / or Special Day Sabbath, separate from the seventh day of the week Sabbath – (Leviticus 16:29-31, and 23:24-32, 39).
Now, the High Day / High Holy Day / Special Day is not necessarily the seventh day of the week, but is a Sabbath as well, and no work is to be done.
Note that in (Luke 23:56), the women who had purchased spices AFTER the Sabbath, [the High Day / High Holy Day / Special Day Sabbath], returned; prepared the spices, then “rested on the Sabbath, [the weekly Sabbath]. The argument here is, they could not purchase the spices AFTER the Sabbath, yet prepare those spices BEFORE the Sabbath unless there were TWO Sabbaths.
With the two-Sabbath view, if Jesus was crucified on Thursday, then the High Holy Sabbath [the Passover] would have begun Thursday at sundown and ended at Friday sundown the beginning of the weekly Sabbath or Saturday. Purchasing the spices after the first Sabbath [Passover] would have meant they — the women, purchased them on Saturday and were breaking the Sabbath. [Complicated]
So, according to the Wednesday viewpoint, the only explanation that does not violate the biblical account of the women and the spices but holds to a literal understanding of (Matthew 12:40), is that Christ/Jesus was crucified on Wednesday. The Sabbath that was a High Day – (John 19:31) / High Holy day / Special Day, [Passover] occurred on Thursday, [Wednesday at sundown].
The women purchased spices [after that] on Friday; returned to prepare those spices that same day; they rested on Saturday, which was the weekly Sabbath, then brought the spices to the tomb early Sunday morning. Let’s do the math.
Jesus was buried near sundown on Wednesday, which began Thursday using the Jewish calendar — a High Day / Passover. So, Thursday night [night one]. Thursday day [day one], Friday night [night two], Friday day [day two], Saturday night [night three], Saturday day [day three]. We do not know exactly what time Jesus rose, but we do know that it was before sunrise on Sunday. He could have risen as early as just after sunset Saturday evening, which began the first day of the week to the Jews. The discovery of the empty tomb was made just at sunrise – (Mark 16:2), before it was fully light – (John 20:1).
[For me, I’ll let the Holy Bible define itself. God made it just that simple].
This article is a modification of “On what day was Jesus crucified”. You can read it in its entirety at – GotQuestions.org
Emphasis’ mine
Gaidi
