First off, we must remember that the Jewish day begins at 6:00 pm. They count the evening first, and the morning second. Just like God did in Genesis 1
Our story begins in Gethsemane on Tuesday night.
Mark 14:32- And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
Christ had already had the "last supper" with the disciples. Judas had already left to betray Christ to the Religious leaders. And Christ went to get one last prayer in with the Father before all this started.
Mark 14:36- And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Christ did not want to have the sins of the whole world put on him. During his life, he never sinned; and though he lived in a sin filled world, he didn't have the stain of sin upon his person. Like we should today, Christ told the Father, "You're will". We should always submit to God's will, even when we don't like it or understand it.
Mark 14:43-46- And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him.
Judas had told the Religious leaders that he would show them who Jesus was by betraying him with a kiss. Proverbs 27:6 warns us Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
A friend will tell you what you need to hear, if they're a true friend, not what you want to hear. An enemy will flatter you to your face while destroying your life. The sad part is that instead of looking at how the enemy is destroying their lives, most people focus on the flattering words until it's too late!
Matthew 26:57, 59-66- And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
Christ was tried in a court with false witnesses. It was only when they asked him whether he was the Son of God that they found something to condemn him on. The holy, spotless, selfless, righteous Son of God would not lie- He was completely innocent! But to a sinful, self-righteous, tradition holding, religious leader that was something that was blasphemous and worthy of death!
The chief priests proceeded to torture him a bit. Then they took him away to Pilate. This is now our Wednesday morning.
Mark 15:1- And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
Here's where it gets interesting. You see from about 6:00 am, Jesus was bounced between Pilate and Herod. While they tried to figure out what the Jews were doing and who would take the blame.
Luke 23:6-7- When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.
Herod wanted to see a miracle performed by Jesus, but Jesus would play for him. So Herod had his men of war torture Jesus further, and then sent him back to Pilate.
Luke 23:11- And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
Pilate was not very happy about this:
Luke 23:13-15- And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
I find it interesting that neither Pilate nor Herod found anything worthy of death, yet it was worthy of torture! You might wonder just how ruthless the Romans were!
Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, but the religious leaders wouldn't hear of it. They would rather release a murderer and seditioner than to let the man who healed the sick, and helped the blind to see go free. That'll tell you a little bit about those religious leaders!
Luke 23:23-24- And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
So, Christ was hung up during the daytime of Wednesday.
Matthew 27:33, 35- And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
He was on the cross from the sixth hour to the ninth hour of the Jewish day, in Gentile time that's noon until about 3pm.
John 19:28-29- Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
Why did Christ say “I thirst” before giving up the ghost? I believe it’s because of the hyssop (used to give him the vinegar to drink).
Exodus 12:21-22 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Christ came to be the perfect sacrifice for sin, and he was the only one who could fulfill every requirement the law demanded.
Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Luke 27:45,46- Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Christ died around 3:00 pm on Wednesday.
Now remember, the Jewish day began and ended at 6:00 pm.
Matthew 27:57-60- When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
So, when the sun was going down, Joseph of Arimathaea took Christ's body, wrapped it and put it in his tomb.
Here's where all the confusion comes in.
John 19:31- The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
It assumes that the sabbath was always Saturday. The Jewish word Sabbath means special day. And the Jews had many special days.
Leviticus 23:4-7,32- These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
There were many holy sabbath days, which means they wouldn't all fall on a Saturday. There are many more examples, but for the sake of time, we'll use just this one.
So, the sabbath that was an high day was not Saturday.
Christ was in the tomb by Wednesday night 6:00 pm. And now for our 3 days and 3 nights. Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Christ arose on the Jewish beginning of Sunday, which would be Saturday evening at 6:00 pm.
Matthew 28:2- And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
An angel rolled back the stone. Why? So that people could see inside and find the body missing.
Matthew 28:1,5,6- 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 to see the sepulchre. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
The women showed up on Sunday morning around 6:00 am to find that the tomb was empty.
There were many more things that happened, I just went to the basics. You can study this exhaustively. But many people wonder why would Jesus have to die?
Leviticus 17:11- For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
God's law to the Jew was that only blood could atone for the soul. There had to be sinless blood shed to take away our sins. But that blood had to be powerful enough to pay for the sins of the world! Only the blood of God himself could do that.
John 20:15-16- Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Christ didn’t ascend from the grave to heaven immediately. In fact, He told Mary not to touch him (because she would defile his sinless offering to God which hadn’t been presented at that moment in time).
John 20:17- Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
So, what was He doing for those 12 hours after he arose? And, why did Mary suppose Him to be the gardener?
Hebrews 9:19-20- For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Christ fulfilled every part of the law! The same process Moses followed to solidify the Old Testament is what Christ accomplished to solidify the New Testament. He was gathering these items from the garden to take to heaven and present with His blood to God the Father.
Guess what book He sprinkled? I'll leave that for you to study out!
Now, each time a person prays and asks Christ to save his soul and apply His sacrifice for sin to their account they get spiritually sprinkled which seals their salvation.
Hebrews 9:23-24- It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Hebrews 10:10- By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22- Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
No other offering could possibly be accepted by God for the payment of sin because no other person could ever have offered and presented the sacrifice in the required manner!
Romans 10:9, 13- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Christ died for all. He said whosoever shall call. Shall is present tense, and whosoever means anybody! Praise God! I don't have to try to pay for my sins. I just accept what Christ has done for me on Calvary (which is only found in the KJV), and I live everyday by thankfully telling others!
