When did it Happen?
The Crucifixion and The Resurrection
by John Hommersen

When did the crucifixion and the resurrection take place? In our search for an answer, let us keep these points in mind.

The important month in the Jewish calendar, for the purpose of this article, is NISAN, which is equivalent to our March-April.

Passover falls on the 14^th day of Nisan

Jewish days begin at twilight of the previous day; thus, Nisan 14 begins at twilight of the 13^th and ends at twilight of the 14^th.

Our Pasen (Easter or Passover) falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. In the Jewish tradition, the months begin as soon as the new moon appears, and since this follows a cycle of 28 days, it is easy to see why Passover dates move with the appearance of the moon and are not fixed dates on our calendar.

But why question the Passover or Easter dates at all? As Christians, we remember the suffering and agony of our Lord throughout the year. The biblical and historical accuracy is an important consideration for people who are involved in the proper dating of archeological records. As such, they are also interesting to us.

Now then, what does the Lord say? Matthew 12: 39-40 (NIV) states "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Gen. 1: 5 states, "And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day."

From twilight to dawn was called "night," and from dawn to twilight was called "day."

Many people are not aware that there are two Sabbaths during Passover week. One is the regular Sabbath (Saturday); the second is the High day, the Feast of unleavened bread. Both Sabbaths had their own days of preparation. Refer to Leviticus 23 for a listing of the Jewish High days.

The Passover week looked like this: The last supper was held on Tuesday evening, just before twilight on Nisan

13^th; just after twilight on Nisan 14^th (Wednesday), the Lord was arrested, and the trial happened during the night. He was crucified on the third hour (that is our 9 o’clock) Mark 15: 5. He gave up the ghost at the ninth hour (or our 3:00 p.m.).

Nisan 14^th was also a day of preparation for the High day on Nisan 15^th, so before twilight, the body of the Lord had to be taken down—this was done by Joseph of Arimatheam.

Apart from the sealing of the tomb by the Roman soldiers, Nisan 15^th was a quiet day. Nisan 16^th (beginning at sunset on Nisan 15^th) was the day of preparation (Friday) for the normal weekly Sabbath. Nisan 17^th began at twilight on Nisan 16^th.

According to the sign of Jonah, the three days were to be counted from the time of the Lord’s entombment, which was just before sunset on Nisan 14^th. At sunset (twilight) of Nisan 17^th, the three days and nights were over, and the first day of the week was starting. At this point, the first day of resurrection officially started. It was Nisan 18^th (Sunday), and the Lord rose from the dead. Praise the Lord!

References: NIV Bible, Armageddon by Grant Jeffrey, The Armstrong Error by Charles deLoach, The Church Herald, April 1990, page 7.

John Hommersen is a member of First Reformed Church (Hamilton, Ont.) and a member of The Pioneer editorial committee.