Some of the things that do not make sense in Christianity are so obvious, they are easy to miss. They are hiding in plain sight. Especially when we consider the “Christian” holidays. One that has absolutely boggled my mind for years is this concept of Good Friday. If I ask you, what is Good Friday? I am almost certain you will answer, “It is the day Jesus was crucified on the cross.” But… is it? How did the church arrive at the conclusion that Jesus died on a Friday?
You may be surprised to learn that the Gospels, nowhere, state that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. A specific day of the week is not mentioned; rather, a time. The Gospels note that around three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus breathed his last and cried out “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)” (Matt. 27:45-46; Mark 15:33). Luke also identifies three o’clock in the afternoon, but with a different final cry from Jesus (Luke 23:44-46). After the death and entombment of Jesus, we are told that, at the dawning of the day after the Sabbath (Mark 16:9 and John 20:1 indicate the first day of the week), a group of women discover Jesus’ tomb to be empty.
There are a number of problems with the idea that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose again on Sunday. First of all, no mention is made that Jesus was raised on Sunday. We are told that the women visiting his tomb found it vacant on Sunday morning. It is possible, but not logical, to assume that he was resurrected just as they arrived at his grave (but he wasn’t there!). He could have risen from the dead then, the evening before, the day before, etc. So “Resurrection Sunday” is not, exactly, a biblically accurate holiday either.
We must also note the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:40. Although Jesus admits in many areas he will be dead for three days or rise again on the third, Matthew 12:40 is a bit longer. He states, “For just as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth” (CJB).
Now, let’s do some counting. If Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday, how many days is that? Two partial days and one full day; two nights. When Jesus says he will be resurrected, he does not say a couple partial days and one full day: he says three days and three nights. Note that in ancient Judaism, the day started at sunrise and the evening began at sunset. But when the women visit the tomb, it is sunrise; the tomb is empty. Could it be reconciled that these partial days account for full days? Yes, but it does not align with what Jesus prophesies in Matthew 12:40.
If Jesus died on Friday and was resurrected on Sunday, then he is a liar. And thus, he is not the Messiah. Additionally, according to Jewish tradition, the soul remained with or “hovered over” the body for three days after the loss of life (Tanhuma, Miqetz 4; Pequdei 3). Three full days and nights would have allowed for Jesus to be definitively deceased.
Was Jesus crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday? It’s entirely possible. But to hold this view, one has to deny the very words of Jesus himself. The text is ambiguous in a way. It does not affirm the belief held by the church (go figure) that Jesus died on Friday and rose Sunday. If Jesus meant what he said in Matthew 12:40, then he would have been crucified on Wednesday or Thursday and rectified sometime Saturday or Saturday evening. But the church doesn’t want to tell you this. Why foil a lie that has been in place for centuries?
What’s the point?
The point of this random rant of mine is consistent with all content I post on Living by the Logos: do not blindly accept answers the church tells you to. This Friday, churches around the globe will gather to remember “the death of Jesus on a Friday afternoon.” Even more will show up on Sunday, the one day of the year everyone OUGHT to be sitting in church. They will reflect on “the act of his resurrection on Sunday morning.” There is nothing wrong with honoring someone. There is nothing wrong with choosing a random couple of days out of the year to proclaim the gospel message.
But there is a problem with the church. It tells you that you must accept everything they say as truth. They have been divinely commissioned, after all! Your pastor is not someone who decided they wanted to preach for a living, but that their career is a “calling.” They have been chosen by God to think for you. To interpret the Bible for you. Because you cannot do that yourself? When this thinking is in line, of course you are skeptical for trying to understand the Bible! You are told that you cannot apart from the church.
Do not accept easy answers. Do not trust the church. If they can tell you Jesus was crucified on a Friday, then sure they can tell you that you suffer because you’re a sinner! They can tell you it’s free-will. Or that “nasty old devil.” Or it’s going to be okay, because one day we’ll wake up in this majestic place called heaven. They do not want you to look at the Bible critically because it just might expose who they are!