[Biblemat] Is this really "Good Friday?" gr

[Jerry Blount]

Jerry Blount to the list. 

I had sent this article out on my email list enjoy

This weekend all over the world "Easter" will be celebrated.  Christians
have many questions come to mind as this celebration progresses.  One of the
obvious is, "How much of this holiday is real. and how much is myth?"  How
much is pagan and how much is Christian? 

 

That is not always as easy a question as it seems.  

For example even the day of Jesus' crucifixion is debated.  I am sharing an
article below that was sent to me.  It was forwarded. I don't do many
forwards, this one is so well done I am making an exception. It's a little
technical but not too bad. You might wish to save it.  

 

The word "Easter" isn't Christian, but pagan.  It comes from Astarte (known
to the Greeks as Aphrodite) the goddess of fertility, sexuality and war. Any
guesses as to how "Astarte" bunnies got into the mix?

 

That said, literally 2000 years ago today. Jesus was hung on the cross.  We
know nothing of the day of His birth, but today is the day of His death.
Yet, in the Bible, today is not the day to celebrate, that will come on
Sunday. That day is known in the Bible as the "First Day," or the "Lord's
Day."  Each week Bible believing Christians remember the day of Jesus'
resurrection in the manner He asked us to.  

 

What will your church do this Sunday?

Will you be focused on hype or substance?

This Sunday, This Lord's Day,  I will preach on the open tomb. and present
the reason I believe this story to be true.  I have found that many are
admonished to believe, but often not taught on why they should believe.  So,
this particular Lord's Day, every year, we study the dying thoughts of Jesus
as He hung on the cross. from the Old Testament.  

 

I have found that in our society, most do not realize that God not only
admonished us to believe.  God also gave us an incredible reason, or
foundation to base that belief on.  He told us the final thoughts of His
beloved Son. He, in fact, revealed those thoughts 1000 years before His son
was born to Mary.  

 

How can a grown man believe this story? 

Let's see, the Son of God was born to a virgin. Got Himself killed then rose
from the dead.  Can a grown, intelligent man believe such a thing? 

Yes, because,  when you intelligently examine God's proof. there is only one
reasonable conclusion.  

The most incredible story ever told, is actually true! 

 

I would invite any of you that are in Wichita, to come and worship with us
as we examine God's most profound prophecy.  The dying words and thoughts of
Jesus as recorded in 1000 BC!  An "eyewitness" saw it and recorded it 1000
years in advance. Do you know what was on Jesus' mind as he died?  

 

Jesus, what were you thinking?

 

I Corinthians 2:16.  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

Jerry Blount

Pleasant Valley church of Christ

3317 Amidon rd. 

Wichita Kansas, 67204

3163204321

WWW.letJesusleadus.org

 

March 18, 2007

ON WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

By Bob Myhan

Traditionally, Jesus is believed to have been crucified on Friday and
resurrected two days later on the following Sunday. However, many sincere
brethren are now skep-tical of this view, affirming either a Wednesday or
Thursday crucifixion. The main problem they seem to have with the
traditional position is the time span between these two historical events.
But what does the Bible teach? 

First, Jesus said He would "be killed, and be raised again the third day"
(Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Mark 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7;
24:46). Second, Peter said, "Him God raised up the third day" (Acts 10:40).
Third, Paul said, "He rose again the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4). Any position
that is inconsistent with these statements is error!

Note: The way we reckon time, "the third day" would be "three days from now,
not in-cluding today." This can be illustrated, as follows: 

1.       TODAY

2.       TOMORROW - FIRST DAY

3.       DAY AFTER TOMORROW - SECOND DAY

4.       DAY AFTER THAT - THIRD DAY

    But this is not the way time was reckoned in the first century. Jesus
said, of Herod, "Go ye, and tell that fox, behold, I cast out devils, and I
do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following" (Luke
13:32-33). This can be illustrated, as follows: 

1.       TODAY - FIRST DAY

2.       TOMORROW - SECOND DAY

3.       DAY AFTER TOMORROW - THIRD DAY

    According to Mark, Jesus said He would "be killed, and after three days
rise again" (Mark 8:31). Matthew, however, tell us Jesus said He would "be
killed, and be raised again the third day" (16:21; see also Luke 9:22).
Thus, the two phrases, "after three days" and "the third day," were used
inter-changeably (see also Matthew 27:63-64). This can be illustrated, as
follows: 

1.       TODAY - FIRST DAY

2.       TOMORROW - [AFTER TWO DAYS] - SECOND DAY

3.       DAY AFTER TOMORROW - [AFTER THREE DAYS] - THIRD DAY

Some protest that this could not be "three days," because it is fewer than
seventy-two hours. But in Acts 10:30 a period of seventy-two hours was
called "four days." This can be illustrated, as follows:

1.       DAY ONE - Men Leave Caesarea - "FOUR DAYS AGO" (vv. 3-8, 30)

2.       DAY TWO - Men Arrive in Joppa - THREE DAYS AGO (vv. 9-22)

3.       DAY THREE - Peter Leaves Joppa - TWO DAYS AGO (v. 23)

4.       DAY FOUR - Peter Arrives in Caesarea - TODAY (vv. 24-30) 

Jesus further said He would "be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth" (Matthew 12:40). This phrase cannot mean "three full twenty-four
hour days," be-cause this would result in His being raised the fourth day,
rather than the third day! In or-der for Jesus to have been in the grave
"three days and three nights," and to be raised "after three days" or on
"the third day," the phrase "three days and three nights" must be a figure
of speech for a period of time less than sev-enty-two hours in length. 

The Bible specifically says, "Jesus was risen early the first day of the
week" (Mark 16:9). On this day, some of His disciples said, "today is the
third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:21). Since "the first day
of the week" (Sunday) was "the third day," the sev-enth day of the week
(Saturday) must have been the second day, and the sixth day of the week
(Friday) must have been the first day-the day of the crucifixion! This can
be illus-trated, as follows:

1.       FRIDAY - Jesus is Crucified - DAY ONE

2.       SATURDAY - Jesus is in the Tomb - DAY TWO

3.       SUNDAY - Jesus is Raised - DAY THREE

If Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday, Sunday would not have been the
third day; rather, it would have been the fifth day. If He had been
crucified on Thursday, Sunday would have been the fourth day. Therefore, He
must have been crucified on Friday, rather than on Wednesday or Thursday!. 

DEALING WITH OTHER DIFFICULTIES

Another point of confusion regarding the day of Jesus' crucifixion was its
occurrence with reference to the Passover. Was it the day before, the day
after or Passover it-self? One of the problematic verses is John 19:14. 

Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour.
And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 

Two verses later, Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Some say that "the
Prepa-ration Day of the Passover" refers to the day before Passover, on
which preparation would be made for eating the Passover meal. Luke, however,
tells us, "that day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near." (23:54)


The day before the weekly Sabbath was called "the Preparation" because on it
the Jews were to prepare for the Sabbath. There is no evidence that the day
before the Passover was ever called "the Prepa-ration." As a matter of fact,
the Passover was prepared and eaten on the same day - the fourteenth day of
the first month of the Jewish year (Ex. 12:1-6; Num. 9:1-5). This day could
fall on any day of the week. But the Sabbath always fell on the seventh day
and the preparation on the sixth. 

Some may legitimately ask, "Why would John use the phrase, 'Preparation Day
of the Passover'?" The answer is that, since the Feast of Unleavened Bread -
which lasted seven days - immediately followed the Passover, each was
referred to by both names, "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew nigh,
which is called Pass-over" (Luke 22:1). But, strictly speaking, Passover
preceded the Feast of Unleav-ened Bread by one day (Ex. 12:14-20).
Therefore, the "Preparation Day of the Passover" was the day before the
weekly Sabbath that fell within the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

Another problem, stemming from John 19:14, is the time marked by the phrase,
"the sixth hour." To the Romans this would be six a.m., but to the Jews this
would be noon. This is because the twenty-four hour Roman day was from
midnight to midnight, as it is today in most countries, while the
twenty-four hour Jewish day was from sunset to sunset and the twelve-hour
Jewish day [that is, the daylight half of the twenty-four hour day] would
begin at 6 a.m. Thus, when we are told, in Mark 15:25, "Now it was the third
hour, and they crucified him," it is meant that he was crucified at 9 a.m.

Neverthe-less, the NRSV translates "the sixth hour" (John 19:14) as "noon"
and "the third hour" (Mark 15:25) as "nine o'clock in the morning," leaving
many con-fused. Obviously, Jesus could not have been crucified three hours
before He was sentenced. 

Because of certain terms, which John found it necessary to translate (1:38,
41, 42; 20:16) and because of his references to "the Passover of the Jews"
(2:13; 6:4; 11:55), "a feast of the Jews" (5:1), "the Jews' Feast of
Tabernacles" (7:2) and "the Jews' Preparation Day" (19:42), it is obvious
that he was writing, initially, to a non-Jewish readership. Why, then, would
he use the Jewish method of timekeeping? Mark, however, uses the same method
as Matthew, who was writing primarily to Jews. Notice.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the
land. (Matt. 27:45)

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land
until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33)

Thus, Jesus was sen-tenced at six a.m. and crucified at nine a.m., on Friday
during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. *

 

 

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