Christ Was Crucified On A Wednesday And Resurrected Saturday Night

The Scriptural Timeline Of The Death, Burial, And Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Tradition often places the crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday morning. That tradition does not fit the plain words of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor does it harmonize all four Gospels in the King James Bible. Jesus gave one sign to Israel to prove His claim.

Matthew 12:40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Three days and three nights means a complete seventy two hours. The only timeline that satisfies the sign of Jonah and aligns every Gospel detail is this. Crucifixion on Wednesday afternoon. Burial just before sunset on Wednesday. Resurrection as the Sabbath ended on Saturday evening, which is the beginning of the first day of the week by Jewish reckoning.

The Clock And The Calendar In Scripture

In the Bible a day begins at sunset and ends at the next sunset. Genesis 1:5. The evening and the morning were the first day.

During Passover week more than one Sabbath can occur. There is the weekly Sabbath that begins Friday evening and runs through Saturday daylight. There are also feast Sabbaths that are called high days. John 19:31. For that sabbath day was an high day. In the year of the crucifixion there was a high day Sabbath that began Wednesday at sunset and ran through Thursday daylight, in addition to the regular weekly Sabbath that began Friday at sunset and ran through Saturday daylight. This explains why the women could buy and prepare spices between two Sabbaths.

The Day Of Preparation And The Two Sabbaths

The Gospels call the crucifixion day the preparation. That term applies to the day before a Sabbath. In this case it was the day before the high feast Sabbath.

John 19:14 calls it the preparation of the Passover. John 19:31 adds that the Sabbath which followed was an high day. That high day began at sunset on Wednesday, not at sunset on Friday. Then after Friday’s sunset the regular weekly Sabbath began. Therefore that week contained two Sabbaths, one feast Sabbath on Thursday, and one weekly Sabbath on Saturday.

Mark 16:1 says that after the Sabbath Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices. They bought those spices after the high day Sabbath ended, which places the purchase on Friday.

Luke 23:56 says they returned and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. They prepared them on Friday, then rested on the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. These two verses together require two Sabbaths in that week with a work day in between.

The Crucifixion, Burial, And Guard, With Times

Below is a harmonized sequence with KJV references and approximate civil times for clarity.

Wednesday morning about the third hour, roughly 9 a.m.

Mark 15:25. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

Wednesday from the sixth to the ninth hour, roughly noon to 3 p.m., darkness covered the land.

Matthew 27:45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Wednesday about the ninth hour, roughly 3 p.m., Jesus gave up the ghost.

Matthew 27:50. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Before sunset on Wednesday, burial must be completed because the high day Sabbath would begin at sundown.

Luke 23:54 to 55. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

John 19:38 to 42 records Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus taking the body, wrapping it, and laying it in the new tomb, because the sepulchre was nigh at hand and the Sabbath drew on.

Thursday, the day portion that followed Wednesday sunset, was the high day Sabbath. No buying. No work. The tomb was sealed and a watch set soon after.

Matthew 27:62 to 66. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate. They request a watch until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch, go your way, make it as sure as ye can. They went, made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

The next day that followed the day of the preparation is Thursday in this timeline, which is the high day Sabbath. The request and the watch appear very early in that day, with the guard then maintaining the watch through the end of the third day.

Friday, the day between the two Sabbaths, allowed purchases and work.

Mark 16:1. When the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices.

Luke 23:56. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. The preparation and mixing occur on Friday. The women then keep the weekly Sabbath rest.

Saturday, the weekly Sabbath, the third day of the seventy two hour count, ran from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The tomb remained sealed, the watch remained set, and the Lord’s body remained in the heart of the earth until the sign of Jonah was fully accomplished.

Accounting For Three Days And Three Nights Exactly

Start the count at burial just before sunset on Wednesday.

Night one. Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunrise.

Day one. Thursday sunrise to Thursday sunset.

Night two. Thursday sunset to Friday sunrise.

Day two. Friday sunrise to Friday sunset.

Night three. Friday sunset to Saturday sunrise.

Day three. Saturday sunrise to Saturday sunset.

At the close of the Sabbath, as the sun went down, the full three days and three nights were complete. The Lord rose as the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began at evening. When the women came while it was yet dark and then again at first light and at sunrise, the tomb was already empty.

The Women’s Visits Harmonized

John 20:1. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, and seeth the stone taken away. This is a visit during the dark portion that begins the first day, which by Jewish reckoning begins at Saturday sunset. The stone is already removed, therefore the resurrection had already occurred.

Matthew 28:1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. The end of the Sabbath is late Saturday. The phrase began to dawn toward the first day marks the drawing on of the new day at evening, since in Scripture days dawn or draw on at sunset. The angel’s message in the following verses confirms He is already risen.

Mark 16:2. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

Luke 24:1. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre.

These record a later visit by a group at first light and at sunrise. In every case the tomb is already empty. The multiple mentions show several arrivals from the dark period through dawn to sunrise, all finding the same result. He is not here, for He is risen.

The Stone, The Seal, And The Earthquake

Matthew 27:66 notes the sealing of the stone and the setting of a watch.

Matthew 28:2 to 4 reports a great earthquake, the angel of the Lord descending, rolling back the stone, and the keepers shaking and becoming as dead men. The rolling away of the stone is not to let the Lord out. It is to reveal that He is already gone. The resurrection power is not contained by a sealed stone or a Roman watch.

The Third Day Language And The After Three Days Language

Scripture uses both expressions.

After three days. Mark 8:31. The Son of man must suffer many things, and be killed, and after three days rise again. This requires a full seventy two hours to elapse before the resurrection.

The third day. Luke 24:7. The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Both are satisfied by a resurrection as the Sabbath ends. He rose as the third day of entombment concluded, which is also immediately after the full three days and three nights. In Jewish time the third day ends at sunset, and the first day of the week begins at that same sunset.

A confirming note appears in Luke 24:21 on the road to Emmaus. The disciples say, beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. They spoke on the first day of the week. Counting since the crucifixion events that ended before Wednesday sunset, Thursday is day one since, Friday is day two since, Saturday is day three since. Their wording fits the Wednesday view and does not fit a Friday view.

Answering Common Objections

Objection. Any part of a day counts as a full day, so Friday to Sunday is fine.

Answer. The Lord did not say three days only. He said three days and three nights. That construction in Scripture requires both parts in each twenty four hour cycle. The sign is specific because it proves His identity. He kept it exactly.

Objection. The Gospels say He rose the first day of the week, so that must be Sunday morning.

Answer. He rose on the first day of the week, but the first day begins at sunset on what we call Saturday. Matthew 28:1 places the women coming in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day. John 20:1 has Mary arriving while it was yet dark. By sunrise He had already risen.

Objection. The preparation day must be Friday because it is before the Sabbath.

Answer. That week had two Sabbaths. John 19:31 identifies the first as an high day. The preparation in view before burial is the preparation for the feast Sabbath that began Wednesday evening. The weekly Sabbath still followed from Friday evening through Saturday.

Objection. The women could not buy and prepare spices if only one day stood between death and Sunday morning.

Answer. They bought after the high day Sabbath ended, which is Friday. They prepared the spices on Friday. They rested on the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 together require that sequence.

A Clear Day By Day Timeline

The times below use approximate civil hours for readers. Scripture references are given for each segment.

Wednesday

About 9 a.m. Crucifixion begins. Mark 15:25.

Noon to about 3 p.m. Darkness over the land. Matthew 27:45.

About 3 p.m. Jesus dies. Matthew 27:50.

Before sunset. Burial by Joseph and Nicodemus. Tomb sealed before the high day. Luke 23:54 to 56, John 19:38 to 42.

Start of count. Night one begins at Wednesday sunset.

Thursday

High day Sabbath. No buying or work. John 19:31.

Likely early request and setting of the watch. Matthew 27:62 to 66.

End of day one at Thursday sunset.

Friday

Work day between Sabbaths.

Women buy and prepare spices. Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56.

End of day two at Friday sunset.

Saturday

Weekly Sabbath.

Women rest. Luke 23:56.

End of day three at Saturday sunset. The sign of Jonah is complete.

Resurrection as the Sabbath ends and the first day draws on. Matthew 28:1.

Later that night, while it is yet dark in the first day, Mary comes and finds the stone removed. John 20:1.

Very early in the morning, at dawn and at sunrise, other women arrive and find the tomb empty. Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1.

Why This Matters

First, it proves the words of Christ with precision. The sign of Jonah was not a loose figure of speech. It was a measurable prophecy that He kept exactly.

Second, it harmonizes all Gospel witnesses without forcing any text. The women’s movements, the purchase and preparation of spices, the guard and seal, the two Sabbaths, and the empty tomb are in perfect order.

Third, it helps believers trust the Book over tradition. The Friday to Sunday custom does not survive a careful reading of the KJV. God’s words are clear.

Fourth, it protects the gospel of the grace of God by rooting our assurance in what is written, not in calendars set by men.

Summary

The King James Bible supports this simple and exact timeline.

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday. He was buried before sunset on Wednesday, the preparation for a high day. He remained in the grave for three days and three nights. He rose as the Sabbath ended on Saturday evening, which begins the first day of the week. When Mary came while it was yet dark, and when the others came at dawn and at sunrise, He was already risen. This satisfies every verse, fulfils the sign of Jonah, and glorifies the accuracy of the Lord’s own words.