APO:The Significance of the Three Days  by Michael Schiffman

   There has been a long and drawn out discussion going on in
Evangelical circles over the years regarding the timing of the Death
and Resurrection of the Lord. Some believe that the Lord was crucified
on a Friday afternoon, and rose from the dead on Sunday morning. In
support of this position, they point to the scripture which says the
Sabbath was approaching at the time of the Lord's death, and He had to
be buried before the Sabbath began. Luke 23:54 says, "It was
Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin."

   This concept of the crucifixion day being Friday would seem to fit
the Sabbath description and would satisfy the context of the Gospel
accounts, but it leaves one problem: There are not three days between
Friday evening and Sunday morning. Yeshua said he would be three days
and nights in the earth. Some have tried to reason this by pointing to
the Jewish reckoning of days, counting Friday afternoon as day one,
Saturday through sundown as day two, and saturday evening - early
Sunday as Day three, and He rose on the third day. This is a possible
understanding. Critics of this view point to the statement of "three
days and three nights" in Matthew 12:40. The Friday - Sunday
interpretation can not stand under this understanding. The problem in
understanding the meaning of these statements is in the interpretation
of "Sabbath," and "three days" in these passages.

   An alternative view to the Friday - Sunday interpretation is the
view that the Lord was sacrificed on a Thursday. This would allow a
three day burial of the Lord (Thursday/evening, Friday/evening,
Saturday/evening), and His resurrection on Sunday morning. The problem
with this interpretation is in the idea of the Sabbath approaching, at
the time of the Lord's death. In support of this view, people point to
the fact that because of the proximity to Passover, this day
(Thursday?) was a day of preparation. Leviticus 23:7 teaches that the
first day was a sacred day in which no work was to be done. In a sense,
a Sabbath. So, because of the Passover approaching, this special
Sabbath, this day of preparation could have taken place on a Thursday,
and the last supper on Wednesday evening. This is only a possibility.

   A second point important to the issue of when the Lord rose is the
significance of three days. Genesis 22:4 says, on the third day Abraham
lifted up his eyes to Mt. Moriah, where he would bind Isaac, in
obedience to the Lord's command, and God would provide a substitute for
Isaac.

   On the morning of the third day, God appeared to the people at Mt.
Sinai, bringing the revelation of His Word (Exodus 19:16).

   On the third day, Joseph said to his brothers, "Do this and you will
live" (Genesis 42:18).

   Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days before he was saved
(Jonah 1:17).

   On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes to see the king
(Esther 5:1) after which Israel was delivered from destruction.

   Hosea said it most clearly, "After two days He will revive us, He
will raise us up on the third day." A rabbi's comment in the Midrash
Rabba says, "The Holy One Blessed be His Name, never lets the just stay
in affliction longer than three days."

   "On the third day" has less to do with the counting of time than the
fact that it is a clear reference to God's mercy, grace, and
deliverance. The three days points to the redemption and its completion
in the Resurrection of the Lord.

   Personally I hold to the Thursday Crucifixion, but the important
thing is not the day of the crucifixion but he fact of the
Resurrection, and the redemption that it has guaranteed for those who
have received the Lord as Messiah.

   Computers for Christ - Chicago
