Three Days and Three Nights

When was the resurrection of Y'shua? 

Since the timing of Y'shua's death coincides with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which began with a 'passover' offering, this study includes the time-line in regards to what the Creator said about His fixed times, and what is recorded in the Renewed Covenant. 

There is also the general mind-set that he is 'our Passover Lamb' and the 'First Fruits of the Harvest', (these original moedim are considered 'types and shadows' of thing to come).

The original passover did include the sacrifice of a lamb, and its blood, which being painted on the door posts and lintels, was the sign that saved the inhabitants from death.

Y'shua is referred to as the Lamb of Elohim and it is his shed blood that atones for our sins and saves us from eternal death.  Y'shua is referred to as the first fruits of the dead.  ("First-fruits" are the best of the best offered up to YHWH).

John 1:29 - And on the day that followed, John saw Y'shua who was coming towards him, and said, "Behold the Lamb of Elohim"

First Corinthians 15:20 - But now the Mashiyach has risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.

Let us now recognize Yah's calendar:

Exodus 12: "This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you."

YHWH's counting of months begin with the sighting of the new moon. The first month of the year coincides with the time of year the barley ripens. 

Exodus 19: "On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai." (the first day of the third month)

As a reminder, a day is from sunset to sunset according to the Creator's Calendar. And when He says the '1st month of the year', it is not according to the modern day Gregorian calendar. With that in mind, lets review Yah's instructions for keeping the passover offering which is the start of the days of Unleavened Bread.

Exodus 12:15 - Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread... on the very 1st day (of the 7 days) you shall remove leaven from your houses... The first day and the seventh day are sacred occasions and no work is to be done, only whatever is to be eaten may be prepared. 

Exodus 12:17 - You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for on this very day (the 15th day of the 1st month) I brought you out of Egypt, to be observed throughout the ages as an institution for all time. 

Exodus 12:18 - In the first month from the 14th day at evening you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month at evening. No leaven is to be found in your houses - whether one is a stranger or a citizen of the country you shall eat nothing leavened. 

Exodus 12:24 - You shall observe this as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants. :25 And when you enter the land that I will give you, as I promised, you shall observe this rite... And when your children ask why and what does it mean, you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to YHWH Elohim because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses'.

In Leviticus the instructions are repeated:

Leviticus 23:4  - These are the set times of YHWH, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time: In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to YHWH and on the 15th day of that month YHWH's Feast of Unleavened Bread... for seven days.  

And again in Deuteronomy 16 we are given the details for keeping the feast in the years to come.  It reads that a passover offering is made to YHWH and slaughtered in the place Elohim will choose to establish His Name - For 7 days no leaven shall be found among you. You cannot slaughter the sacrifice wherever you choose but at the place YHWH chooses to establish His Name. In the morning you may start back home - on the 7th day of Unleavened Bread hold a solemn gathering, do no work.  

His people are instructed to do this so they remember the day of their departure from the land of Egypt as long as they live.  The blood of the lamb was a sign to YHWH and saved them from death - they were set free from being slaves to Pharaoh. Our acceptance of the shed blood of His Son is also a sign to YHWH, and sets us free from our old sin-nature.

These quotes from Scripture establish the fixed time of when we are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which begins immediately after the the twilight meal of the roasted lamb- the passover offering.  It was eaten as the daylight dwindled into twilight of the 14th day, which became the 15th day after the sun went down. 

Lets fast forward now to the final days of Y'shua as they are written in Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7 and John 13:1.  The time frame is the beginning of the Seven Days of Unleavened Bread.  The event is Y'shua gathered together with his disciples to eat the passover meal, observing the fixed time of YHWH as previously described. 

In the course of this study, I have learned that it was customary back in the day to interchange the words 'passover' and 'feast of Unleavened Bread' because the passover offering kicked off the feast of Unleavened Bread.  There was only one offering followed by the 7 days of Unleavened Bread. Passover was not really a feast day unto itself but the lead-in, the actions taken just before the Seven days of Unleavened Bread.  It is mentioned in Mark 14:12 as the 'first day of Unleavened Bread was when the lambs were slaughtered'. They were slaughtered on the 14th day, eaten at sunset, according to what YHWH said about this fixed time.

• Matthew 26:17 - Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples asked Y'shua where he wanted them to prepare the meal
• Mark 14:12 - And in the first day of the Unleavened Bread in which the Yehudeans slay the (passover offering lamb) the disciples were asking Y'shua where to go to prepare to eat.
• Luke 22:7 - And the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread arrived... Y'shua sent Peter and John to make preparations.
• John 13:1 - Now before the feast of the (passover) Y'shua had known that the time that he would depart this world to his Father had arrived.  He loved his own who were in this world and he loved them up until the end. :2 And when supper was done, Satan put in the heart of Judas to betray Y'shua...

Note it is written, 'when supper was done', referring to the passover meal just eaten.  It has been established that they are keeping the set time of YHWH, in the first month of the year and eat the passover meal together, at twilight, on the 14th day of the month, which has been the practice of the Israelites ever since they were set free from Egypt.

The lamb offerings for each household have been slaughtered, roasted and are eaten that evening.  John adds that Y'shua knew his time had come, knew it even before the feast of Unleavened Bread was to take place.

Moving along, after this passover meal was eaten, Y'shua and his disciples took a walk to the Mount of Olives. The sun has already gone down, so according to Yah's perfect timing, it is now the 15th day of this month (still dark), this also being the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.

While they are at the Mount of Olives, Y'shua tells them things that will happen soon according to what has been prophesied and they can't believe they could ever be offended by their Master Y'shua. He tells them there is sadness in his soul. They continue walking to the place called Gethsemane. The Apostles eventually fall asleep during the hour Y'shua is praying to his Father.

This record of events makes it possible to conclude that Y'shua was not killed during the time that the passover offering lambs were being slaughtered. Otherwise he could not have eaten with his beloved twelve.

It is still that same night, after they had arrived at Gethsemane, when Judas came back and betrayed Y'shua to the chief priests and elders. After a scuffle all the disciples left their Teacher - they ran away. Those who seized Y'shua wanted to take him to Caiaphas (Matthew 26:50-59) but they could not find him. So they take him to Pilate. This event is recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John:

Matthew 27 - And when it was morning the chief priests and elders took Y'shua to Pilate, who tries to argue for his life as he finds no guilt with him. Pilate realizes the accusers of Y'shua do so out of envy.  The angry mob wins.  Y'shua is scourged with whips and delivered to be put to death on a stake. He dies around the 9th hour.

Mark 14:53 - Then they took Y'shua to Caiaphas the high priest (but they could not find him) and the chief priests and scribes and elders were all gathered with him. 55 The chief priests and all their assembly were seeking testimony against Y'shua so that they might kill him.

Mark 15 - And immediately in the morning the chief priests with the elders and with the scribes, all of the assembly took counsel and they bound Y'shua and led him away and delivered him to Pilate.

Mark 15:15 - And Pilate desired to do the will of the crowds and released Bar Abba to them. Then after Y'shua was scourged, he delivered him to be executed on a stake.

Luke 22:54 - Then they seized him and brought him to the house of the high priest. 66 When the day dawned, the elders and the chief priests and scribes gathered and took him to their council chambers (and questioned him).

In Luke 23:6 he reports that Pilate sent Y'shua to Herod because Y'shua was from Galilee.  Herod was in Jerusalem in those days.  Herod questions Y'shua but gets no answers, gives him back to Pilate to deal with.

Luke 23:13 - Pilate calls to the chief priests and rulers of the people and says to them: You brought me this man as a deceiver of your people - I have examined him and have not found any fault with him 15 nor has Herod... nothing that is worthy of death has been committed by him.

Pilate desired to let Y'shua go but the people were crying out and saying 'Nail him to the stake!' 

In John 18:28 the account is about the same, although some details are added that are not reported by the other three.  Pilate tells the mob to take Y'shua and judge him according to 'their own' Torah and the Yehudeans reply, 'it is not lawful for us to kill a man'.

In John 19 Y'shua is scourged and mocked. At about the 6th hour Pilate turned him over to be executed.  Matthew says Y'shua died about the 9th hour. (The 6th hour is equivalent to mid-day).

Note: The passover meal was eaten at twilight of of the 14th day. After the sun went down it became the 15th day. The 9th hour is of that 15th day.

If we can agree that the capture, persecution and death of Y'shua occurred during the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which is the 15th day of the month), then following is the account of what happened before that day ended, after he died. You will see that we run into statements that just don't jive with the above established scenario.  If we could just stick with Matthew, all would be well. Let's carry on...

Matthew 27:57 - Now when it became evening, a rich man from Ramtha whose name was Joseph, who had been taught by Y'shua, asked Pilate for the body of Y'shua.  And he wrapped it in a shroud of fine linen and laid it in his new tomb.

Mark 15:37 - Y'shua cried out in a loud voice, and he died. 42 And when it became evening which is before the annual Shabbat, Joseph from Ramtha requested the body of Y'shua. He wrapped the body in linen cloth and placed him in a grave hewn out of the rock... and he rolled a stone upon the door of the grave.

Luke 23:50 - Joseph the counselor from Ramtha asks Pilate for the body of Y'shua, took it down and wrapped it in a shroud of linen and laid it in a hewn tomb.  And the day was setting and the Shabbat was approaching.

John 19:14 - And it was the eve of the paskha (translated 'passover' in most bibles, others read 'day of preparation') and it was about the sixth hour and he said to the Yehudeans: Behold, your King!"  (Matthew 27 says Y'shua died around the 9th hour.)

How can it be the 'eve of the passover' or even the day of preparation when Matthew, Mark and Luke claim they prepared and ate it already?  They ate, walked to the Mount of Olives, then on to Gethsemane where Y'shua spends time in the garden before he is betrayed by Judas.  He is taken captive and by the following daylight, taken before Pilate.  Pilate takes him before Herod.  Herod turns the matter back to Pilate.  Y'shua is sentenced to death. The 15th Day of the 1st month is a 'sacred occasion' according to YHWH, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Shabbat. Both the 1st and 7th days of the days of Unleavened Bread are considered Annual Shabbats. 

What on earth am I missing? Could it be 'terminology'? Could it mean I need to learn the ways of the Pharisees of Y'shua's day in order to figure this out and make all pieces fit?  Were they referring to the 15th day as a day of preparation or the 20th day?  My brain in hurting...

Quote from Andrew Gabriel Roth: Technically speaking a "day of preparation" is normally supposed to be the daylight period before a weekly sabbath.  However, when Annual and Weekly Shabbats hit as close together as they do here, this kind of distinction can easily go right out the proverbial window along with any clarity it might have also had. The fact of the matter is, we are not dealing with one preparation day in a week here, but three.

Y'shua ate with his disciples and their fellowship lasted well into the night - which became the 15th day which is when Y'shua was charged and sentenced to death (when day broke) according to Scripture.  This 15th day is the 1st day of Unleavened Bread - a Sabbath, which falls after the regular weekly Sabbath.  So this Sabbath on the 15th is one of the Annual Sabbaths referred to in Mark 15:42 as mentioned by Andrew G. Roth.

Taking all that into consideration, Y'shua was placed in the tomb before sunset- but when?  Can nobody know the day and the hour?

IF he was placed in the tomb before sunset on the 15th day (the day was setting), he was resurrected on the completion of the 18th day, which is 2 days before the next Annual Sabbath, the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which also falls on the regular sabbath day of rest). This can account for the tomb being empty when the ladies arrived with spices to tend to his body.

The next Set Apart time is Shavuot.

Acts 1:3 - With numerous signs for 40 days he was seen by them, and he spoke concerning the Kingdom of Elohim... 4 And while he ate with them, he commanded that "You should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, He whom you have heard about from me. 5 John immersed with water, and you will be immersed by the Ruach haKodesh 8 When the Ruach haKodesh comes upon you you will receive power and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and in all Yehuda and also among the Samaritan and to the ends of the earth."  After these things he was taken up and a cloud received him and he was hidden from their eyes.  

Ten days later was Shavuot (the 50th day) - all were assembled as one and the Twelve did receive power and understanding by the Spirit of Elohim = the Ruach haKodesh.  

Shavuot is the when the grain offering of the wheat harvest is made and also the date when the Ruach haKodesh immersed the disciples, as Y'shua told them he would.  AGAIN, Shavuot depends on the barley being ripe for harvest - which can be a day or two off each year -- and not pre-printed on any calendar.

I feel there is more to be revealed in the study, but I shall publish it for now. Please feel free to add your comments.

The short story is this:

• On the 14th day at twilight, they ate the passover meal together.
• They walked to the Mount of Olives together and then on to Gesthsemane.
• The disciples fell asleep while Y'shua was praying.
• Judas led the crowd to find Y'shua and he is taken captive.
• This is now the 15th day which is the 1st day of Unleavened Bread. Later this day Y'shua is sentenced to death.

If we ignore the supposed discrepancies in the above mentioned accounts, then "Three days and three nights" buried would mean being resurrected by the 4th day, after the completion of the 3rd night.  If we adhere to Yah's calendar, Y'shua is 'buried' before sunset on the 15th day. Resurrection would be after sunset on the 18th day of this first month, the beginning of the 19th day... two days before the last day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, which falls on the weekly sabbath, the 21st day of this month.

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In everything we discuss and study we must remain
firmly footed in His Word and Truth will be revealed.

YHWH set forth His Instructions for His Creation, which includes us.  We can read all about it in Genesis through Deuteronomy where He establishes Himself as the One True Living God. If we continue reading Scriptures we learn about what happens if we choose to do as He says.  He gives examples of what happens to people who turn their backs on Him.  In reading His Instruction Manual we either choose to have Faith or make excuses not to believe. In choosing Faith and having Trust in our Creator we naturally desire to obey and show our love and gain acceptance.  His Will Be Done - not ours.