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Scriptural Background and Traditional Understanding

A pivotal claim about Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the phrase “three days and three nights,” referred to in Matthew 12:40. This passage draws a parallel to Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish as a foreshadowing of Christ’s time in the grave. Some interpret this to mean a full seventy-two hours. However, an examination of the Gospel accounts reveals that Jesus spent less than seventy-two hours in the tomb.

The Timing of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Jesus was crucified and died on Passover, Nisan 14, and was buried shortly before sunset on what is now known as Friday. By early Sunday morning, He was resurrected, as detailed in Mark 16:2-6 and John 20:1. If we were to count back seventy-two hours from Sunday morning, it would place His burial on early Thursday morning, which conflicts with the scriptural record of His crucifixion around 3:00 p.m. on Friday (Matthew 27:46, 50).

The Cultural Context of Counting Days

The Hebrew way of counting days often included any part of a day as a full day. Thus, “three days and three nights” in Jewish understanding could include parts of three days. This principle is observed in several cultural and religious practices, where part of a day counts as a whole (1 Samuel 30:12-13). The Jewish Encyclopedia underlines that partial days are often counted as whole days in Jewish communal life.

Harmonizing the Gospel Accounts

Analyzing when spices were bought and used by the women who visited the tomb helps clarify the timeline. Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 indicate that spices were purchased after the Sabbath, with the women visiting the tomb early on Sunday. This timeline suggests they observed the weekly Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening, immediately following the high Sabbath of the Festival of Unfermented Cakes, which started on Friday evening.

Resurrection on the Third Day

Several scriptures reinforce that Jesus rose on the third day, according to Jewish inclusive time reckoning, not necessarily after three full days (Matthew 16:21; Luke 24:7; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4). This interpretation aligns with the Jewish understanding of partial days being considered as full days and is consistent across multiple New Testament references.

Reconciling the Chronology

The question of the exact timing of Jesus’ crucifixion year also plays a role in understanding the chronology. According to Luke 3:1, John the Baptist started his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, around 28-29 C.E. Jesus began His ministry shortly thereafter and was crucified three and a half years later, around 33 C.E. This places His crucifixion and resurrection precisely within the timeline where Nisan 14 coincided with a Friday, supporting the sequence of events as described in the Gospels.

Analysis of Sabbath Observances

Matthew 28:1 uses the plural “sabbaths” to describe the time frame surrounding Christ’s resurrection. This term does not necessarily indicate multiple Sabbaths but reflects a linguistic usage where the plural form can refer to a single Sabbath period or a week (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1). Thus, the period from Jesus’ death to His resurrection includes parts of three days, encapsulating the crucifixion day, the Sabbath, and the morning of the resurrection.

Conclusion on Scriptural Interpretation

In summary, the phrase “three days and three nights” as used in Matthew 12:40, when viewed through the lens of Jewish time reckoning and scriptural harmony, does not require a literal seventy-two-hour period but rather spans part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday—fulfilling the prophetic sign of Jonah and aligning with the broader scriptural narrative of Christ’s death and resurrection.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is the CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored more than 220 books and is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).