OVERVIEW:
The King’s trial (chapter 26:57-27:26); the King’s suffering and death (chapter 27:77-66); the King’s victory (chapter 28).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Based on Hebrews 9:16-17, we will actually enter the New Testament in our reading today: “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Though that is foreign to our typical thinking about the Gospels, we have learned that applying this biblical principle is key to keeping our bearings in what we commonly refer to as the New Testament.
Today’s reading is rich and full and running over with many things worthy of commentary. Because most of those comments you could make yourself, perhaps the best investment of our time today would be in discussing the time factors involved in the last week of our Saviour’s life on the earth.
Traditionally, most have taught through the centuries, that Jesus died on what we call “Good Friday”. The tradition was handed down, however, through the Roman Catholic Church. That, in and of itself, does not necessarily make it wrong (because they also believe and teach concerning the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, His bodily resurrection, etc.) but anything handed down through that church should always raise about ten trillion red flags!
Note: May I go on record here by saying that I absolutely love Roman Catholics…but I absolutely hate their church! To date, a full one-sixth of the world’s population professes to be Roman Catholic. While this system refers to itself as “Christian” (the word Catholic actually means “universal Christianity”), they propagate what 2nd Corinthians 11:4 calls, “another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel”! The Roman Catholic Church damns people’s souls to Hell, while its followers think they are following the Jesus of the Bible! This church is damnably deceptive, and that is the reason for such strong, and seemingly harsh sounding statements. (See how Jesus’ commends the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-2 for their “harsh” stance against such false teaching!) Our hearts truly should break for people trapped in that system, and we must constantly be looking for and praying for opportunities to be able to love them past the blinders (2nd Corinthians 4:4) the enemy is using to hold them captive in his snare (2nd Timothy 2:26).
Now, back to the discussion at hand. The key problem with the death of Christ taking place on “Good Friday” is that Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas (Jonah) was THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (See also, Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:63; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33; 24:46; John 2:19). Obviously, if Christ died on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. and was in the grave before 6:00 p.m., there is not enough time for Him to have been in the grave for three days and three nights. The way that most well-meaning people who love God certainly as much as I do, (and to be quite honest, are much more intelligent than me!) get around this, is saying that in the Jewish mind of Jesus’ day, any portion of a day was considered the whole. That may well be the case, and may well have been what Jesus had in mind; I’ve just always had a hard time with how specific Jesus seemed to be about the whole “three days and three nights” thing!
Instead of “Good Friday,” however, let’s consider a “Bad Wednesday” scenario, which fits the biblical timeline far better. (Don’t worry, I’m not the kook that “invented” this line of reasoning, and there are many others who agree with this timeline that has been suggested by Warren Wiersbe and others.) Keep in mind as we walk through these final days of Jesus’ life, that the Jewish day began at sundown the previous day (i.e. “the evening and the morning we’re the first day” – Genesis 1:5).
• Friday: Jesus came to Bethany six days before Passover (John 12:1).
• Saturday: Triumphal Entry (John 12:12-19 – “on the next day”).
• Sunday: Temple cleansed, fig tree cursed (Mark 11:12-18).
• Monday: Parables, questions, Olivet discourse (Matthew 21:23-25:46).
• Tuesday: Preparation for Passover (Matthew 26:2 – “after two days”).
• Wednesday: Upper room events; Gethsemane; arrest; trials; crucifixion (Matthew 26:20-27:58).
• Thursday: The Passover Sabbath, “an high day” (John 19:31); in tomb.
• Friday: Women brought spices when Passover Sabbath was past (Mark 16:1).
• Saturday: The regular weekly Sabbath.
• Sunday: Christ arose sometime after sunset that evening (remember, “evening and the morning”), and the empty tomb is discovered early Sunday morning.
Certainly, the most important thing is not what we believe about WHEN Christ died, but THAT we believe Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. It’s just that this question surfaces just about every Easter. Hopefully, this will help.
In light of the fact that the “Friday” timeline was passed down through Roman Catholic tradition, be careful, because the 7th Day Adventists would like for you to believe that moving the day of worship from Saturday (the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week) to Sunday (the 1st day of the week) was also a tradition passed down through that false system, and that God never intended Christians to worship on Sunday, but on Saturday. That, too, is a false teaching! The “first day of the week” as the God-ordained day of worship for Christians, can be substantiated by the following biblical reasons:
- Because we’re Christians and not Jews. (Exodus 31:13 – the Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel)
- The Lord rose from the dead on “the first day of the week”. (Matthew 28:1)
- The Holy Spirit came down on the first day of the week. (Acts 2)
- The disciples met on the first day of the week. (Acts 20:7)
- New Testament giving is to be brought on the first day of the week. (1st Corinthians 16:1-2)