My kids love getting out of school. I mean, obviously, we all did. Spring Break is coming up, but then like a week later, they get a Friday off. On the calendar it’s called Good Friday and supposedly it’s the day Jesus Christ was crucified. But is that the case? Does Good Friday to Easter Sunday really equal 3 nights and 3 days?

Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night? Saturday, Sunday, Monday? How exactly is that supposed to work?

One of the key determining factors for the resurrection timeline, is the reference to a Sabbath that takes place the day after Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. The day Christ was crucified, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, was called the “Preparation Day,” as a Sabbath was drawing near. What Sabbath is God referring to? Is there more than one? I’m not going to be able to jam this all into one video, but I'm gonna try.

Was God talking about the seventh day of the week, OR an annual Sabbath day, another holy convocation and special Feast, set apart as a day of Sabbath-rest?

In the Bible God describes a weekly Sabbath, which is a holy convocation and day of rest that happens once per week, but also lays out seven annual Sabbaths, that are similarly holy convocations and days of rest, yet take place only once per year. The weekly Sabbath is something most people are familiar with; it gets that big moment at creation when God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, setting it apart as a day of rest. Then God reiterates the weekly Sabbath and its importance, formally listing it as a holy day in the 10 Commandments as Commandment number 4.

The annual Sabbaths are lesser known holy days, but have great significance laying out God’s plan of salvation for mankind. These are conveniently mentioned and broken down one by one in Leviticus 23. 

Every year, the night AFTER the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins. This is a seven-day festival which occurs every Spring season, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, and contains the first and second annual Sabbath days. On the first day and seventh day of the Feast, holy convocations are required, and both are days of rest, with no customary work allowed. 

And if you take some time to go through all of Leviticus 23, God outlines each of the annual Sabbaths. He describes all of the holy convocations that are required, and specifically references them as days of sabbath-rest. They happen from Spring to Fall, and were commanded to be kept by His people. 

Ok, so why does this matter again? Well in order to understand the timeline of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we need to understand when the clock begins on three nights and three days. 

Since we know that the annual Sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurs the night after Passover, we can clearly identify that this reference in the Gospels is highlighting this special annual Sabbath, rather than the typical weekly Sabbath. 

In the year of His crucifixion, Jesus Christ kept the Passover on Tuesday night. The next day He was crucified, then placed in the tomb just before sunset Wednesday evening and this would begin the 3 nights and 3 days count. 

The Wednesday Jesus Christ was crucified, was also the Preparation Day for the First annual Sabbath, the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

The First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was Thursday that year. 

The next day, Friday, the women bought and prepared spices and fragrant oils, then rested on the weekly Sabbath, on Saturday. 

Then just before the sun set on Saturday evening, Jesus Christ was resurrected. And when the women finally returned to the tomb early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, Jesus Christ of course had already risen. Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night were the fully-completed 3 nights. And Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were the fully-completed 3 days. 

Be sure to follow to not miss our future post, putting this altogether and laying out the full timeline of events for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s it for now, have an absolutely awesome day.