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What day of the week was Jesus crucified?  What day did He rise?

 

It's important to remember that, back in Bible times, they didn't have the same names for the days of the week that we use today.  However, they did use the same 7-day weekly cycle that we do now, with Sunday being the first day and Saturday being the seventh and last day of the week.  In fact, God Himself set up this system way back at the creation of the world.  The Lord began creating on the first day (Sunday), He continued His work for six days (thru Friday), and then God rested on the seventh day (Saturday), which is the day He blessed and sanctified as His Sabbath (See Genesis 1-2:3).

This is significant when we're talking about the timeline of the cross because the Bible often refers to Friday as "the sixth day" or "the preparation day" because this is the day when God's people are supposed to prepare for the Sabbath (Exodus 16:5).  Saturday is referred to as "the seventh day" or "the Sabbath" (Exodus 20:8-11, Matthew 24:20).  Sunday is simply called "the first day of the week"  (Acts 20:7).

All four of the Gospels point out that Jesus was nailed to the cross and died on Friday or "the preparation day".  You can find this in Matthew 27:12, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:31.

The Scriptures go on to explain that Christ's body rested in the tomb on Saturday while the women who had prepared spices and fragrant oils "rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." (Luke 23:56)

The next verses, Luke 24:1-7, tells us that the women returned upon "the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,  saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
(See also Matthew 28:1-7, Mark 16:1-8, John 20:1)

This passage shows us that Jesus rose up from the grave very early on Sunday morning, the first day of the week.  The words that Christ spoke in Luke 9:22 were fulfilled: "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

According to the Bible, our Savior died on Friday, He was in the tomb on Saturday, and His resurrection took place on Sunday.

What's really important is not what day He died or rose, but the fact that Jesus died for our sins on that cross and now He is alive!  That's the real issue!  "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
(Hebrews 7:25)


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