The Time of the Crucifixion and Resurrection

PROVEN BY THE RECORD OF THE SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER

By Brother, D. N. NEWTON, Fayetteville, N. C., 1888

A study of the words of the four Evangelists, with respect to the acts and teachings of Jesus during the six days preceding his death, will, I think, clearly prove that his death occurred on Wednesday, and not on Friday, as is commonly supposed; and his resurrection (was) on the seventh, and not on the first day of the week. The record of the Evangelists shows that Jesus ate the Passover supper with his disciples in the evening before his crucifixion; after the supper they went into the garden where Jesus was betrayed; on the following morning he was brought before the council and condemned; was crucified about nine o'clock, and placed in the sepulcher just before the close of the day at sunset. John 12:1 tells us that "Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany." As this Passover was on the day of the crucifixion, the coming of Jesus to Bethany was six days before the crucifixion.

1. These six days contained a weekly Sabbath. If six days, counted in regular succession, begin with any other than the first day of the week, they contain a seventh-day Sabbath. If those six days had begun with Sunday, the first day of the week, they would have ended with Friday, the sixth day of the week, and the following day, the Sabbath, would have been the day on which Christ was crucified, But since Christ was not crucified on the Sabbath-day, it is evident that the six days contained a weekly Sabbath.

2. The weekly Sabbath was contained in the first three of the six days.

If the fourth day of the six had been the Sabbath, then the whole six would have ended with Monday, and that would have placed the crucifixion on Tuesday, which is too curly in the week to agree with either the testimony of the Evangelists or the opinions of men. For either of the two remaining days, the fifth or the sixth, to have been the Sabbath, would have placed the crucifixion still earlier in the week, and hence it is evident that the Sabbath was contained in the first three of the six days.

3. If it can be shown by the events which transpired on any two of the first three days that they were both working days, it follows, as a matter of fact, that the other one of the three days was the Sabbath.

John 12:1 says, "Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead."

From the twelfth to the fifteenth verses of the same chapter, he says: "On the next day (five days before the Passover) much people that were come to the feast, when they beard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written. Fear not daughter of Zion, behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt."

It is said by Mark 11: 7-27, concerning this same time, "And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way; and others cut down branches of the trees and strewed them in the way. And hey that went before, and they that followed, cried, laying, Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple; and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

And on the morrow (four Days before the Passover), when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry; and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon; and when he came to it, he found nothing but, leaves for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it.

And they came to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money chargers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them. Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come, he went out of the city.

"And in the morning (three days before the Passover), as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them. Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you. That whosoever shall say unto this mountain. Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you. What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

"And they came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, there came to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders."

For the instruction and conversations of Christ on this the third of the six days before the Passover, please, read the remainder of the eleventh chapter of Mark, also the twelfth and thirteenth chapters and the first verse of the fourteenth, and compare with this Matt. 21:23-26:2, and Luke 20th and 21st chapters. Please note carefully the following points and the scriptures which seem to support them.

On the first of the three days above mentioned, and also the first of the six before the Passover, Christ rode into Jerusalem, "And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees and strewed them in the way. Read Mark. 11:8-11. The use of cutting implements on that day forbids the supposition that it was the Sabbath. If that had been the Sabbath, the scribes and Pharisees who were not willing for Christ to receive the praises which the people conferred upon him and asked him to command them to hold their peace," would certainly have accused them of doing that which was unlawful to do on the Sabbath-day.

On the second day Christ came again to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money chargers, and the seats of them that sold doves," Matt. 21:12. Read also Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45. From these passages we learn that some of the people were buying and selling in the temple on that day, which they would not have done if it had been the Sabbath day. It is also plainly stated that Jesus overthrew the tables of the money changers," and cast out all them that sold therein and them that bought." Such dealings in the temple, and such a stir as Jesus must have made in casting out the dealers was certainly unsuitable for the holy Sabbath. But to anticipate a little, it does seem a most suitable preparation or cleaning of the temple for the services of the holy Sabbath. Such services as did actually take place in the temple the day after that on which it was cleansed. See Luke 20:1.

Now if neither the first nor the second of the six days before the Passover was the Sabbath, the third certainly was, for the Sabbath was contained in the first three days. On the third day Jesus came again to Jerusalem and went into the temple. Mark ll: 27 introduces the conversations and instructions of Christ on this third day of the six, and Luke, after concluding his amount of the teaching and preaching of Christ on this day, says, in 21: 37, 38, " And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple for to hear him," The teachings of Christ on the fourth day, the morning of which is here mentioned, do not seem to be recorded, but it is doubtless in allusion to these as well as those on the third of the six days that Matthew says, in 26: 1, 2, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples. Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. " If this last inference is correct then the whole six days have been traced out, and each in its regular order, except the last two, which are included in one statement, Matt, 26:2, Mark 14:1.

If, upon a careful examination, the above inference does not prove satisfactory, the chain of evidence will yet remain unbroken, for the weekly Sabbath was included in the first three days, and have been traced in regular succession. This fact itself adds force to the argument by showing that there was something more important connected with the first three days than there was with the last three.

Summing up the evidence, we have the following:

1. The six days (John 12:1) contained a weekly Sabbath.

2. The Sabbath was included in the first three of the six days before the Passover.

3. On the first day the people used cutting implements and did such work as was inconsistent with Sabbath-observance.

4. On the second day some were buying and selling in the temple, and Christ cast them out, overthrew their seats and the tables of the money changers.

5. On the first day of the six, Christ went into the temple and looked round about on all things, and went out. Mark 11:11. On the second day he cleansed the temple, and on the third day he preached.

6. Christ's teachings on this third day, together with such other things as we mentioned for the same day, comprise nearly one-fifth of all that is recorded in the gospel by Matthew.

7. Nothing is recorded as having transpired on the third day which can reasonably be regarded as Sabbath-desecration.

8. The cleansing of the temple on the second day, preparatory to the service that followed on the third day, points out the third as an important day.

9. The care manifested by the Evangelists in recording in regular order the events of each of the first three days in which it is found the Sabbath was included, while no such care is manifested with regard to the last three days is, to say the least, somewhat significant.

10. Nothing is discovered to point out the third day as a working day, while the abundant and important teachings of Christ on that day, considered in connection with other things already mentioned, would seem to point it out as a day devoted to the service of God.

Conclusion

If the third of the six days before the Passover was the Sabbath, as is evident from the facts recorded by the four Evangelists, then the whole six days ended at sunset on Tuesday; and on Wednesday, the day following, Christ was crucified, placed in the sepulcher a little while before sunset, when Thursday, the Passover Sabbath drew on, Luke 23: 54. Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, (Matt. 12:40) that he should lie in the heart of the earth three days and three nights," As the fulfilment of these words of Christ was to be important evidence to these scribes and Pharisees of the Messiahship of Christ, they took special care to seal the sepulcher and set watch to prevent its occurrence. The "three days and three nights" must necessarily end a little while before sunset on the Sabbath. Matt 28:1, RV., tells us that "Late on the Sabbath-day" came Mary Magdelene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher, and they found that Jesus had already risen, thus proving the literal fulfilment of the words of Jesus concerning the time he should lie in the tomb.

This article is a Reprint. It was first printed in the Outlook and Sabbath Quarterly Alfred Centre, N.Y. Volume 6 Number 4 April 1888 Pages 493-494.

The Outlook and Sabbath Quarterly was Edited by A.H. Lewis