Multiple Sabbaths in One Week
Now, armed with the knowledge that the 15th of the month is a special Holy Day, let’s go back to John’s gospel:
Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. (Joh 19:31 NAU)
The Greek word ‘megas’ is translated here as “high”. The Sabbath in question is a “Megasabbath”. Surely John is differentiating this Sabbath from a weekly Sabbath (the 7th day of the week.)
So there were two Sabbath days that week: the Megasabbath falling on the 15th of the month, and the weekly Sabbath falling on the 7th day of the week. Jesus was killed before the Megasabbath, and raised on the day following the weekly Sabbath.
Three Days in the Grave Explained?
Depending upon the year these events occurred, there would be any number of days between the Megasabbath and the weekly Sabbath (admittedly including zero). As we do not know which year these events occurred, let us speculate that the week went like this:
Wednesday the 14th – Jesus was crucified and buried as the Passover feast begins.
Thursday the 15th – The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a ‘megas’ (high) Sabbath
Friday the 16th – Jesus’ second day in the tomb
Saturday the 17th – Jesus’ third day in the tomb, the weekly Sabbath
Sunday the 18th – Jesus is risen!
The empty tomb was discovered early in the morning. Jesus may have been dead exactly three days and three nights, rising from the dead near twilight of the Sabbath (the start of the first day of the week according to the Hebrew reckoning), and exiting the tomb during the night.
John’s gospel is consistent with this timeline: whereas Mark’s gospel falls short. This also means that the traditional Passion Week also falls short. If this analysis is correct, Jesus was NOT crucified on “Good Friday”. Ultimately, tradition follows Mark’s narrative and ignores the clues found in John’s narrative.
Even more to come on this topic,