The day Jesus died QUESTION from william pickering on March 6, 2002 As a Catholic I was thinking that Jesus died on Friday. This is what my protestant friends have to say,can you help ?
Jesus wasn't crucified on Friday... the world rashly assumes that the Sabbath that followed the next day was the weekly Sabbath. But it wasn't. The next day was the first day of Unleavened Bread, a commanded ANNUAL Sabbath of the Passover - (Lev.23:6-7).
It fell that week on our Thursday... our Wednesday evening at sunset would have begun the preparation for it.
And it was the preparation of the Passover... (John 19:14) on our Wednesday evening... not the preparation of the weekly Sabbath, our Friday.
In other words, there were TWO SABBATHS that week. The Feast of Unleavened Bread on Thursday... and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday.
Men have assumed that the preparation was Friday... but John 19:14 clearly says that the preparation was for the Passover....Thank You
ANSWER by Mr. Troy Martz on March 29, 2002 Mr. Pickering:
Again, we have a problem of taking someone else's claims at face value and assuming that they are right. How do you (or they) know that that year the Preparation Day fell on our Wednesday?
Scriptural evidence is very strong that the Crucifixion occured on the day before the Sabbath and that the Resurrection occured on the day after the Sabbath. (see Luke 23:54 - 24:2, Matthew 27:62 - 28:1) Now which Sabbath was this -- both! Since the Gospels are clear that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Sunday). That day He appeared to two Disciples on the road to Emmaus and the Disciples state in Luke 24:21 that this was the third day since [Jesus' death]. If Sunday was the third day after Jesus died, then He died on Friday (Friday is the first day, Saturday is the second, Sunday is the third).
Of course, nothing in Scripture (or in life) happens without a purpose. After His death, Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath -- a rest that gives us peace in the knowledge that he has conquered both sin and death. His death and resurrection fulfill both the weekly Sabbath marking the Covenant God made with Adam (on the Seventh day of Creation) and the Covenant God made with Israel at the Passover. Jesus is both our Sabbath Rest and our Pascal Lamb.
Praise be to God forever!
Pax Christi, Troy
PS -- Encourage your Protestant friends to read all of the Gospels before trying to discredit them.
Note: My apologies for the delay in answering this question, we have had some technical difficulties. The problem has been fixed hopefully will not recur.
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