Here is the sequence of events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as I understand it. I can back this up with scriptures if anyone has any specific questions.
Passover represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. God instructed Moses to keep the Passover on the 14th day of the first month in the Hebrew calendar. Days in the Bible begin and end at sunset, and Moses was instructed to keep the Passover shortly after sunset as the 14th day was beginning.
Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples on the 14th day of the first month just as the 14th day started after sunset. He was taken by the Jews that night, and was crucified and died after daylight had begun. He was buried just before sunset, still the 14th day.
What day of the week did Jesus die? Most traditional churches teach that Jesus died on a Friday, but that is impossible. Jesus clearly taught that the only sign that would be given that He was the Christ was that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the fish. The Bible is clear that Jesus had been resurrected and no longer in the grave when the disciples went to the grave Sunday morning. From Friday sunset to Sunday morning would only be one day and two nights.
The confusion arises because most people only know about the weekly Sabbath. They know that Jesus was buried just before the Sabbath day began at sunset, and they assume that was the weekly Sabbath that begins at sunset Friday night and ends at sunset Saturday night. But God gave annual Sabbaths also, and the day after Passover is an annual Sabbath called the First Day of Unleavened Bread. It always is on the 15th day of the first month, but it can fall on any day of the week. It was the First Day of Unleavened Bread, an annual Sabbath, not the weekly Sabbath, that began at sunset just after Jesus died and was buried.
On which day of the week did Jesus die? Count backwards from the resurrection. For Jesus to be in the grave for three days and three nights, 72 hours, He would have to be resurrected at the same time of the day as He was buried. He was buried just before sunset, so He was resurrected just before sunset. Since the grave was empty (except for the cloth and the angels) when the disciples came to the grave Sunday morning, He must have been resurrected late Saturday just before sunset. 72 hours before that would place His burial Wednesday just before sunset.
So Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples Tuesday night after sunset. He was crucifed, died, and was buried Wednesday before sunset. Thursday was an annual Sabbath, a day of rest, the First Day of Unleavened Bread. He was resurrected late Saturday before sunset. He was not in the grave when the disciples came to the grave early Sunday morning. And it was on Friday, not a Sabbath, when the women purchased and prepared the spices for His body.
Thus Jesus fulfilled the sign that would be given to prove He was the Christ, that He would be in the grave for three days and three nights and then be resurrected.
This reply is information to answer the question posed at the beginning of the thread. If anyone wants to disagree, I will be glad to continue the topic in the debate section of the site.
