The Crucifixion - Good Friday or Wednesday
By Clovis E. Miller
(Revised 4-14-2012)
There are differences of opinion as to which actual day of the week Jesus was crucified and buried on. Most Christians hold to the "Good Friday - Easter Sunday" tradition. Others hold that Jesus was crucified on a Thursday, and still others believe he was crucified on a Wednesday. We may not all agree on the timing, but we are all in agreement that those things did happened!
In this study, we shall take a look at how a Wednesday crucifixion may better explain some verses of Scripture that appear to be contradictions in some people's understanding.
First off, it is important that we understand the order of a normal day, as set by Scripture. That order was established by Gen. 1:5, "...the evening and the morning were the first day." Unlike the day we observe (midnight to midnight); a full Biblical day extends from one evening to the next. The crucifixion of Jesus (the slaying of the Passover lamb) was a prophetic fulfillment of the first of the seven holy days established in Leviticus Chapter 23, all of which were set in accordance with the Biblical day (Evening to Evening).
Jesus proclaimed that the only sign He would give to "an evil and adulterous generation" was, that He would be in the "heart of the earth" for three days and three nights (Matt. 12:39-40). This is a precise quote from Jonah 1:17. The structure of this phrase is identical to that which is used in Gen. 7:4,12, pertaining the the flood of Noah's day ("forty days and forty nights"); and also of Moses, when he went up on Mount Sinai twice for "forty days and forty nights" {Ex.24:18 ; Ex. 34:28}. The word for "days" in all of these passages, in Hebrew is, "Yom" (Strong's #3117), meaning: "...a day (as the warm hours), whether lit. (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next),". The word for "nights" in the same verses is, "layil" (Strong's #3915), meaning "...a twist (away from the light), i.e. night...)". So, we are dealing primarily with the number of days spoken of, and not with a difference in phraseology, or of definition for the words used. In defense of a Friday crucifixon, it is often cited, that the Jewish people refer to portions of a day as a full day. Following that understanding, we could count part of Friday, all of Saturday and part of Sunday, in order to arrive at the three days time frame. If Jesus had said only, that He would be in the heart of the earth for three days, this might be a valid consideration. In this case however, He specifically stated that the length of time would be "three days and three nights": therefore, it doesn't appear to be a valid conclusion for this particular situation, since there is no way to get three days and three nights out of a Friday-Sunday time frame.
A Wednesday crucifixion addresses this problem, and would provide the following order for the fulfillment of the Jonah prophecy:
1) The crucifixion of Jesus would have began on Wednesday, 14 Nissan, about 9 AM. Scripture refers to it as, "the third hour" (Mark 15:25). That was the same hour in which the major oblation, or sacrifice, of the morning had just been offered up in the temple; and the Passover lamb, previously selected by the High Priest on the 10th day {Ex. 12:3} to be sacrificed for the nation, was tied to the altar of sacrifice. The High Priest, being required to stand and observe all of the temple activities on that day; would slay the lamb tied to the altar, that afternoon.
Ceremonially speaking, in Judaism, there were two evenings. The first began about 12 PM when the sun had reached its high point, and began to set. It was generally considered to be in its waning stage by about 12:30 PM. The "minor oblation of the evening" was normally offered up in the temple at about this time. Secondly, the evening began about sunset, with the ensueing darkness commencing the start of a new day. The major sacrifice in the temple, for the afternoon period was normally conducted at about 2:30 PM; the time period being referred to as, " bain haarbayim" (ben ha-'arbayim) -- meaning, "between the evenings". During Passover, the normal daily sacrifices in the afternoon, were moved back somewhat to make allowance for sacrificing of the Paschal Lambs that were to be killed on the 14th of Nissan, each year. According to Jewish Historian, Josephus, who lived prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, Passover lambs were sacrificed between the ninth and eleventh hour (3 PM to 5 PM). Jesus, of course, died about the 9th hour (Matt. 27:46, 50).
2) After Joseph of Arimathea secured permission from Pilate to take the body of Jesus (Matt. 27:57-58): He was taken down from the cross, wrapped in linen, and layed in the tomb, which was then sealed, at or near dusk (Luke 23:53-54). Some declare that the Biblical day ends at sunset; therefore Jesus had to be put in the tomb before that time; otherwise the approaching first "sabbath" of Unleavened Bread would have been violated. However, when we look at the first chapter of Genesis, where it is stated that the, "...evening and the morning were the first day.", the Hebrew word used there for evening is 'ereb (Strong's #6153), which is defined as,"dusk+day, even (-ing, tide, night.)". Bear in mind too, that the sun was not created until the fourth day (Gen.1:14-17,19), so there was no sunrise or sunset during the first three days of creation. The light which illuminated the earth from the first day through the third day, had to be a supernatural light from God; which lasted until He created the sun, moon and stars to assume the role of dividing the light from the darkness. This light appears to have served the same purpose, as far as the creation of the day/night cycle; but was apparently not intended serve as a factor for determining times and seasons, as with the sun, moon and stars.
Even today, in modern Judaism, Sabbaths and Feast Days are said to end, not at sunset, but rather when, "three stars of the second magnitude" become visible. From this, we can understand that the light, and therefore the time, between sunset and dark, rightfully belongs to the former day; and the light, between dark and sunrise, belongs to the current day. Scripture doesn't state that a day consist of: light (after sunset), then darkness and then light again. By the standard of Gen.1:5, darkness, and the following light, are what constitute a daily cycle. The order in which it is to be observed is stated as,"...the evening and the morning were the first day.": darkness first, then light. This may seem like "splitting hairs", but the timing is crucial for Jesus to prophetically fulfill the Feast Days of the Lord precisely, as set forth in Scripture.
Jesus, as that "corn of wheat", or barley (John 12:24), was sealed in the tomb in the fleeting light of 14 Nissan, as "Chag Ha-pesach" (Festival of the Paschal Lamb), was giving way to the darkness which commenced the first "sabbath" of Unleavened Bread (Chag Ha-matzot -15 Nissan). He was that seed which would spring up and bring forth that sheaf of firstfruits (Lev. 23:10-11 ; I Cor. 15:20). The verse in John, appears to set the point for counting the time involved in the "three days and three nights" ("...when a corn of wheat falls into the ground..." - that is to say, when the body was closed up in the tomb, at burial). As one would cover seed with soil to start the germination process, so was it with His burial; causing the birth process of the new plant (the resurrected body) to be initiated. In another sense, the earth swollowed up the body of Jesus, just as the great fish swollowed up the body of Jonah. After being swollowed, Jonah went into the belly of the fish; and in like fashion, the spirit of Jesus went into the heart of the earth (Col. 2:15).
3) Wednesday night and Thursday day (the first "sabbath" of Unleavened Bread) would constitute the first full day for the body of Jesus in the tomb (15 Nissan).
4) Thursday night and Friday day would be the second full day (16 Nissan).
5) Friday night and Saturday day (the weekly Sabbath) would be the third full day (17 Nissan).
Three full days and nights (Matt. 12:40).
Jesus stated that he would rise "the third day", which by the prophecy of Jonah and the calculation shown above, would need be, during the fleeting moments of light following the sunset, which announced the ending the weekly sabbath. The resurrection of Jesus would first be apparent to His disciples on Sunday morning (Firstfruits) as shown by Lev. 23:11; fulfilling the third of the prophetic feast days.
If we take the words of Jesus as literal, then the "three days and three nights" of which he spoke, contained exactly 72 hours; from the sealing of the tomb after sunset on 14 Nissan, to His resurrection after sunset, on the 17th of Nissan. (John 11:9)
14th Nissan 15th Nissan 16th Nissan 17th Nissan 18th Nissan 19th Nissan 20th Nissan 21st Nissan
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday1 Friday2 Saturday3 ( FF Sunday) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
The above table shows where Firstfruits ("...the morrow after the sabbath." - brown color) would fall within Passover; relative to which day of the week the 14th of Nissan (the day of crucifixon) fell on. For example, if the crucifixion occurred on a Wednesday (14 Nissan); then firstfruits that year would have fallen on Sunday (18 Nissan). That would be in accordance with the Sadducees reckoning of Firstfruits (the morrow after the weekly Sabbath). On the otherhand, if the crucifixion fell on a Friday (14 Nissan); then Firstfruits would have been on 16 Nissan. This is in keeping with the Pharisees reckoning of Firstfruits (the morrow after the first day of unleavened bread, which they called a "sabbath"). To literally fulfill both, the 'three days and three nights" of Matt. 12:40, and the feast of firstfruits of Lev. 23:10-11: it would have been necessary for Jesus to have been crucified on Wednesday, the 14th; sealed in the tomb after sunset; and remain there until after sunset on Saturday evening; the 17th; being resurrected at the very time the sheaf of firstfruits (FF) would have been cut by the temple priests.
We tend to view the resurrection as the time when Jesus came out of the tomb; not the time when His spirit came back into His body. There was probably some span of time between His actual resurrection, and His coming out of the tomb. Jesus kept the Law of God and the feast days perfectly. The timing of His resurrection, at the end of the weekly Sabbath, coincides perfectly with the ceremonial practice of cutting the sheaf of the firstfruits of the barley harvest at that time.
That single grain of barley, which had been planted three days and three nights earlier, with the sealing of the tomb, had now germinated and sprang up as a new plant. Though a seed comes to life through germination under the soil (out of sight), we do not see the results of that germination, until the seedling breaks thru to the surface of the soil. Then, and only then, can we be sure that the seed planted was a viable seed. The confirmation of that occurred by the light of the next morning, as Jesus first appeared to the women at the tomb.
So, in these things we can see that Jesus was in his glorified body on "the third day" {Matt.16:21}: He rose from the dead in the waning moments of the Sabbath's light; and came out of the tomb, at some point, after darkness had arrived, "after three days" {Matt.27:63}, which was the beginning of the first day of the week. Scripture nowhere tells us that anyone actually saw Jesus come out of the tomb. The stone which covered the opening of the tomb was not rolled away to let Jesus go out, but to allow the woman who came to the tomb early Sunday, to go in {Matt. 28:1-6}. We know from the Gospel accounts, that after His resurrection, Jesus was able to appear and disappear at will. Even physical barriers , such as doors, or the tomb, were unable to restrict His movement {John 20:19 ; Luke 24:30-31}.
In Mark 16:1-2 (NKJV) we read,
1) "Now when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, that they might come and annoint him.
2) Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun was risen."
Then in Luke 23: 55 - Luke 24:1 we read:
55) "And the women who had come with him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how his body was laid.
56) Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.
24: 1) Now on 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."
At first glance there seems to be a contradiction here. How could the women prepare the spices and then rest the Sabbath, according to Luke; and purchase and prepare the spices after the sabbath was finished, according to Mark?
It's relatively easy to explain if we following the idea that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday, rather than Friday.
Jesus would have been in the tomb, Wednesday evening and Thursday day (the first sabbath of Unleavened Bread). After that sabbath had past, the women bought and prepared the spices: sometime between Thursday evening and Friday evening - which would also have been the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath; and the second day Jesus was in the tomb. They then rested on the weekly Sabbath, "...according to the commandment..." (Deut. 5:12), before going to the tomb the next morning, after the third day. So the preparation of the spices would have taken place on 16 Nissan, between two sabbath days: the first sabbath of Unleavened Bread (15 Nissan), and the weekly Sabbath (17 Nissan).
Some have taken issue with the idea, that if Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, and the women prepared the spices on Friday (the day between the two sabbaths), why did they wait until Sunday morning before taking them to annoint His body? The answer is quite simple: the chief priest and the Pharisees went to Pilate on the day after the crucifixion (Matt. 27:62-65, 66), and secured permission to set a seal on the tomb, and post guards around it. Scripture doesn't tell us if the women went to the tomb on Friday or not; but if they had gone to the tomb and attempted to enter it they would surely have been arrested. The seal made it illegal for anyone to open the tomb, and any tampering with it would have been obvious. So, going to the tomb on Friday was not a workable option for the women. At best, the guards would not have been withdrawn before the third day was finished; and that day was the weekly Sabbath. Only then, would the women have had permission to annoint the Lord's body. So the first opportunity they would have had to annointed the body was on Sunday morning (the obvious reason they went to the tomb so early). Having the love for Jesus, as the women did, it probably was of little concern to them, with regard to the physical state of His body (i.e. the smell).
In light of the rapid approach of the first "sabbath" of the seven days of Unleavened Bread, there appears to be some evidence, wherein the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke, suggest that the woman may have observed that the body of Jesus was not properly prepared for burial. This may possibly explain why they returned to the tomb on Sunday Morning with the spices.
In the accounts of Matthew 27:59-60, Mark 15:45-46 and Luke 23:51-53, it is recorded the Joesph of Arimathea took down the body of Jesus from the cross, wrapped it in fine linen cloth, and layed it in the tomb. There is no mention in these three accounts that Joseph of Arimathea used spices in the burial process, as was the custom of the Jewish people. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary observed these proceedings, and seeing the body of Jesus put in the tomb, departed for their dwelling places. John's account (John 19:39-42) however, is conspicuous by the fact that he doesn't even mention the women's presence at this point. Were they already gone when Nicodemus showed up with a hundred pounds of spices to be used in Jesus' burial; wherewith they bound His body, "...in strips of linen with spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury"? (NKJV) The women may have been totally unaware that Nicodemus had arrived with the spices, and that the men had given Jesus a proper burial. With the first "sabbath" of Unleavened Bread at hand, the women rested; the day following they were very busy, going to buy, and then prepare the spices. It was also the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath which began that evening. So, all in all, they probably had no time, or opportunity, to converse with either Joseph or Nicodemus; between leaving the tomb at the burial of Jesus, and returning there with the spices three and a half days later.
At this point, it would be appropriate to briefly dwell on the passage of Matt. 27:62-64.
:62) "Now the next day, that followed the day of preparation, the chief priest and Pharisees came together unto Pilate.
:63) Saying. Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
:64) Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first."
Those who hold to a Friday crucifixon, feel that the "...next day, that followed the day of preparation...", was a weekly sabbath on which, the first "sabbath" of unleavened bread, also fell in that year; making it "...an high day...", according to John 19:31. If that were the case, it was certainly a round about way of stating it. No where in Scripture is the weekly Sabbath ever referred to as the "...day that followed the day of preparation..." The very fact that this day was not called a "sabbath" is consistent with the idea that it was the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. In Ex.12:16, God commanded the people to rest on that day, yet Moses refrained from calling it a "sabbath" day. Furthermore, if that day was the weekly Sabbath, then the wording of verse Matt. 27:64, was terribly stated. This is said because, if the next day was a weekly Sabbath, and Sunday was the third day on which they said, the prophesied resurrection was to take place; why didn't the chief priest and Pharisees say, "Command therefore that the sepulchre be "made sure until tomorrow lest his disciples come tonight, and steal him away?" No, the indication here is, that there was more than one day remaining before prophesied resurrection was to take place, hence the statement, "...be made sure until the third day..."; not: be made sure until tomorrow. That day was a "sabbath" only because it was one of the seven "high days" which occurred annually. Every high day was, and still is, a day of rest.
If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, and the conversation stated above, took place the "next day" (Thursday); then there would have been two more days before the "after three days" statement would have been in effect. So from the burial of Jesus, at the end of "preparation day": three days would have culminated at the end of the weekly sabbath, as Sunday was about to begin.
Some say that the chief priest and Pharisees would never have gone before Pilate during the morning following the crucifixon, because it was a high sabbath day. They would have waited until evening when the sabbath was finished before doing so. If that's the case, then they would not have gone to Pilate on, "the next day, that followed the day of preparation...", as the Scriptures state: it would have been the next day which followed the Sabbath; and it clearly does not state that. If we follow a Friday crucifixon, and count the preparation day, the sabbath and Sunday as the three days in which the resurrection was to take place, this also presents a problem. If Jesus was crucified on the preparation of the weekly sabbath (Friday), and the chief priest and Pharisees waited until the sabbath was finished; then the tomb would have been sealed, and the guards posted as Sunday was beginning, which seems rather late to tend to the matter if it was such a great concern to them. At that point, the Feast of Firstfruits, which Jesus was to begin fulfilling, would also have been just moments away from beginning. If on the otherhand, the first sabbath of unleavened bread fell on Wednesday night - Thursday Day, the chief priest and Pharisees could have waited until the first "sabbath" of unleavened bread was finished before going to Pilate. At that point, there would still have remained two days before the "third day" was finished (Thursday Night - Friday Day, and Friday night - Saturday Day).
The phrase, "the next day, that followed the day of preparation...", was probably used to distinguish between the normal weekly sabbath, which occurs on the seventh day of each week; and the first "sabbath" of Unleavened Bread, an annual "high day", which could fall on a different day of the week. The seventh day of the week is consistently referred to in Scripture as the "sabbath". What possible reason could be found for using the phrase, "...the next day, that followed the day of preparation", as a reference to the weekly sabbath. If the next day was indeed the weekly sabbath, why not use the word "sabbath" to describe it? There is no other example in Scripture where such a phrase is used in place of the word, "sabbath". Either way, those who went to Pilate on that day, violated either the weekly sabbath, the first sabbath of unleavened bread, or both, by their actions.
In Scripture there are seven "high days" which occur annually. They are:
the first and last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also called Passover) - Lev. 23:6-8
the day of Pentecost (also called the Feast of Weeks, or firstfruits) - Lev. 23:11,15 ; Lev.23:21
the Feast of Trumpets - Lev. 23:24-25
the Day of Atonement - Lev. 23:27-28,31-32
the first and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles - Lev. 23:39
On all of the days named above, there is to be no work done; effectively making them sabbaths (days of rest). These however, are annual ceremonial days of rest, to be kept in addition to the normal weekly sabbaths. They may, or may not fall concurrently with a weekly sabbath day. A weekly sabbath doesn't become a "high day" simply because one of these ceremonial days fall upon it. They are set aside days, and regardless of which day of the week they fall on, they are considered to be high days because of the ceremonial duties performed, and the fact that no ordinary work was to be performed on them.
There were also three times each year, that all the males of Israel were to present themselves before the Lord. They were the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 16:16). The first day of Passover; Pentecost and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles were high days (special days, or holy convocations) and "sabbaths" (Lev. 23:6-7 ; Lev. 23:16, 21 ; Lev. 23:34-35 ; John 19:31). It it also true, that in Matt. 28:1, the sabbath mentioned there is, in Greek, in the plural form. It can therefore, be reckoned, that there were two sabbaths during that week: the first "high day" of Unleavened Bread (15 Nissan), and the weekly Sabbath (17 Nissan). The differences between the accounts of Mark and Luke, as cited above, help us to understand that each sabbath fell on a seperate day, not both on the same day. Also, the day Jesus first appeared to the women, was not only the "first day of the week"(Sunday); but also the "first day of the weeks" (plural): meaning that it was the first day of the seven weeks to be counted to reach Pentecost; the next Feast day of the Lord (Lev. 23:15-16).
One additional point related to this time is, that Pilate told the chief priest and Pharisees, themselves, to go and make the tomb secure as they could (Matt 27:65-66). So "...they went..." (the chief priest and Pharisees), to the tomb; setting a seal on the covering stone, and posting guards there to secure it. If it was a weekly Sabbath, then those who had so often accused Jesus of violating the Sabbath, were, by their own actions on that day, guilty of doing that very thing. Posting guards and setting a seal on the cover stone of the tomb, would have constituted "work"; and would therefore have made them guilty of breaking the Sabbath; the penalty for which was Death (Ex. 31:12-14). So, for these apparent reasons, the word structuring in this passage, does not lend itself well to the idea that the day following the preparation, was a reference to a weekly Sabbath.
As shown above, Firstfruits always occurs on the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath, which falls during Passover week {Lev. 23:11}. This can also be determined by the fact that in Hebrew, a distinction is made in using the word "Sabbath" when referring to the weekly sabbath, or one of the annual feast days designated to be sabbaths. The Hebrew word for the weekly Sabbath is pronounced as "shab-bawth' " (Strong's #7676). Except for Firstfruits and the Day of Atonement, the word for sabbaths as applied to the other feast days is, "shab-baw-thone' " (Strong's #7677). When we look at Lev. 23:11, the word "sabbath" found there is, "shab-bawth' ". So we know that Firstfruits always follows a weekly Sabbath. Lev. 23:15-16 confirms this as the people were count seven Sabbaths (shab-bawths) until the next feast day, which was to occur on the day following the seventh Sabbath. They were also told to count the time (50 days) from the time the sickle was put to the grain. The fiftieth day was to fall on the morrow after the seventh sabbath, which would also be the morrow after the seventh week had ended; hence the term, "Feast of Weeks".
The resurrection of Jesus was the 'first step' in the fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits, which occurred during that Passover week (Lev. 23:10-11). We may gain some insights into this by looking at the very time the ceremonial enactment of this was carried out.
During this period, according to the Mishnah, the sheaf to be waved in the ceremony was reaped from the field as the Sabbath was ending and the next day was beginning. "R. Hananiah, Prefect of the Priests, says, ‘On the Sabbath it [the barley] was reaped.' . . . On the Sabbath, he [the priest] says to them, ‘[Shall I reap on] this Sabbath?' They shall say, ‘Yes'" (Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah: A New Translation, "Menahoth," p. 753-754). So, at dusk at the end of the Sabbath, the priest "put the sickle to the grain".
Scripture states:
"Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such a time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn." (Deut.16:9)
When was the sheaf of firstfruits waved? Histories of the time show that it was waved early in the morning on, "the morrow after the sabbath" (Sunday). Four days before, at about the same time, the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb of God (the dying Jesus) was offered up. Now, the firstfruits of the barley harvest (the resurrected Jesus) was also being offered up to God. The reaping and waving of the sheaf symbolized Israel giving the first and best of the harvest to God and its subsequent acceptance by Him.
It is this symbolism that Jesus fulfilled! Exactly 72 hours transpired, from the sealing of the tomb (the covering of the grain of barley), until the Priest would have put the sickle to the grain (at the end of the weekly Sabbath); beginning the Feast of Firstfruits. Just as the priest was reaping the firstfruits of natural grain: God was reaping the firstfruits of the planted (buried) human family (I Corinthians 15:23)
Scripture also tells us, that after Jesus died, many graves of the saints were opened; and after His resurrection, those saints arose and went into the city, appearing to many {Matt. 27:52-53}. When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, on that Sunday Morning, He told her,
"...Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to My brethern and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God'." NKJV (John 20:17 - KJV)
Jesus ascended to heaven two times after His resurrection: on that Sunday; and then forty days later {Acts 1:3,9}. There is an obvious reason why His ascension in this passage, is not a reference to that which was to happen forty days later. There would have been no real purpose for Him to have made such a statement, at that time, to Mary Magdalene, since He could tell the disciples Himself, that evening, or during the next forty days He would be with them. Instead, there is a sense of immediacy about His proclamation to her. He had a mission to fulfill: Firstfruits. So, it appears, that at the time (early Sunday Morning) that the High Priest would have been taking the "Omer", made from sheaf of firstfruits of the natural grain, up into the temple in Jerusalem, to be waved as an offering before God: Jesus would be ascending to the heavenly temple, with another sheaf of firstfruits (the resurrected saints); to make a wave offering to the Father. He thus fulfilled the Old Testament type of Firstfruits, which pointed to Himself as the High Priest, who would finish the work. {Lev. 23: 10-11}.
Sometime before the birth of Jesus, a controversy erupted between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, concerning which day to begin counting the fifty days leading to the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). You can click the link at the bottom of this page for more on this issue; but for the short course, a brief statement is in order.
The Sadducees, who generally represented the Priestly class, held that "firstfruits" should be conducted on the "morrow after the sabbath" (Sunday of the Passover week). However, since the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15 Nissan) was considered to be a "sabbath" by the Pharisees; they declared that firstfruits should always be on the following day (16 Nissan). The Historical evidence we have, shows that it was the Pharisees which prevailed in the controversy, and the 16th of Nissan became the day on which firstfruits was offered up. Modern Day Rabbinic Judaism, which evolved from the Pharisees sect, stills maintains that firstfruits is to be observed on the 16th of Nissan. Is this, in fact, the correct day for firstfruits; or did Jesus contradict their teachings once again, with His ascension to heaven on that Sunday? We know that Jesus fulfilled Firstfruits {I Cor. 15:20}, and that He first appeared to some of His disciples on Sunday, immediately following His resurrection.
If He was crucified on Wednesday (14 Nissan) and buried that evening between sunset and dark, then firstfruits, according to the Pharisees, would have been cut just twenty four hours later, as the 15th was ending and the evening of the 16th of Nissan was beginning. So, if Jesus fulfilled Firstfruits according to this timing, then His resurrection would have occured to early (before daylight on the 16th) to count it as happening on "the third day", as proponents of the Good Friday - Easter Sunday viewpoint advocate. I have read that under Jewish law, a person must remain in the grave for three days to be considered as legally dead. This may account for the reason that Jesus waited until the fourth day before raising Lazarus from the dead {John 11:17}; just to be sure that no one could dispute what happened.
An alternative to this may well be, that Jesus came out of the tomb after the weekly sabbath had ended (three literal days and nights after burial); went to the opened graves (Matt. 27:52-53) and reaped the firstfruits (the saints who came out of their graves). The following morning, after speaking to Mary Magdalene, He took those saints to heaven, and as our High Priest, offered them up before the Father; returning to be with His disciples latter that day {John 20:17-19}. The firstfruits cut, and offered up by the High Priest that year, and the years afterwards; were nullified and rejected, by reason of the sheaf offered up by Jesus. The true sheaf of souls which the grain sheafs had represented, all of those centuries since the days of Moses, was finally fulfilled by the work of the promised Messiah. One might also wonder if these saints, offered as firstfruits, are the twenty four elders seen in Heaven, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation {Rev. 4:4 ; Rev. 5:9 ; Acts 2:5}.
We also read in Ephesians 4:8 and Psalm 68:18, that when Jesus :"ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." Those who had waited for Messiah in "Abraham's Bosom" (Paradise) {Luke 16: 20-23 ; Luke 23:43}; some of which, it appears, went into Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27: 53}, and were later taken up to heaven to be presented as firstfruits unto the Father, by our High Priest, Jesus. The gifts unto men were given 50 days later, as the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks) and empowered the church {Acts 1:8 ; Acts 2:1-4}.
The "Good Friday - Easter Sunday" tradition, as we know it, was set up under the Roman Emperor Constantine, at the Council of Nicea in the year 325 A.D., almost 3 centuries after the resurrection of Jesus. His letter, to the Bishops not present at the Council, was highly anit-Jewish in its sentiment; even going so far as to accuse the Jews of being the murders of Jesus. The fact of the matter is: that the Jews condemned Jesus, but it was the Gentiles (Romans) who nailed Him to the cross. So we all had a part in His death. It was our collective and individual sins, which required Him to be put to death; otherwise there could be no redemption found for a single person on earth.
At that Council, the timing of the "Resurrection Day" (which had been identified with Sunday, or firstfruits of Passover week - found in Lev. 23: 10-11) was altered. Afterwards Firstfruits, or Easter as we call it, was to be celebrated, not necessarily, on the Sunday following the beginning of Passover; but rather on "...the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox". That's the way it was worded by the Council of Nicea. Simply put, that meant that Easter, which most Christians now celebrate as the resurrection day is to occur on the first Sunday after the first full moon of Spring. So now, the timing of Easter does not always agree with the Biblical dating of Firstfruits.
One of the complaints against the Jewish observance of Passover was that it was possible for the 14th of Nissan to fall after the vernal equinox in one year and fall before the equinox the next time, therefore creating a situation where there were two Passover within a one year period. Subsequent to the Council of Nicea, christians were taught that any simultaneous occurance of Easter and Passover (or Firstfruits) was to be regarded as merely coincindental, and not to be viewed in any way as connected. Christians were to have nothing further to do with the Jews; or as Constantine put it, "...Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries..."
Does it really matter which day Jesus was crucified on? Do the Feast Days of the Lord have any relevance to us; or should we shun anything perceived, or understood, as being Jewish, as Constantine said? In Lev. 23, they are called the Feast Days of the LORD (not the feast days of the Jews; or, the feast days of Israel). He gave us those days as prophetic markers of His divine plan for the redemption of mankind. Three feast days are yet unfulfilled (Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles). Should we reckon them to be irrelevant; or embrace them as events which can heighten our Christian understanding and experience?
The Apostle Paul said, "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5). If we know the truth, we should walk in it, even if it runs contrary to the traditions of man!
“All that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them” - Matthew 23:3. {NKJV}
For A Chronology of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Click Here The Pharisees/Sadducees Controversy concerning firstfruits Click Here For a more indepth study of the Feast Days of the Lord Click Here
