Here is a mystery: Jesus could not have been crucified on Friday. There is no “Good Friday” but is a tradition of man that does not look closely enough at the word of God.
We can prove that it was Thursday on calendar we use today by several things but I’ll use one way to prove it. Jesus told us that one sign would be given to the wicked generation that He is the Messiah. He said here it is: Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so must the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
Had He been crucified on what we would call Friday that week, Jesus would not have been in the earth three days and three nights. It has to be the day we call Thursday.
Keep in mind two things as we go forward: 1-God’s days begin with evening, then morning. This actually falls on two separate days on our calendar but on one day on God’s calendar.
2- God never names the days of the week, nor does He name the months. Rather, He numbers them. For example, the month Jesus was crucified was the first month of the new year on God’s calendar. He was crucified on the fourteenth day of the first month. They aren’t named.
We know Jesus was raised on the morning after the Sabaath, or the first day of the week. On our calendar that is what we call Sunday. God just calls it the 7th day.
We know that many times it is repeated in the gospels that Jesus was raised on the third day. That is intentional. God is showing us something if we look hard.
We also know that the men on the road to Emmaus who met Jesus unknowingly, after He was raised early that morning, Mark says, they said today is the third day since He was crucified.
But remember, the third night comes first. So the third day is after the third night. That is backwards to us but we are going by God’s order. Genesis tells us that it is evening then morning, the first day. And so it is here with the crucifixion.
So this means that He was raised early on the third day, Sunday. Let’s count backwards from there and we land on Thursday. Sunday is day three, so the night before was night three and so on. Just count and we can see He was crucified three full days and nights before Sunday morning.
Sunday was day three, the night before that was night three. Saturday was day two and the night before that was night two. Friday morning was day one and the night before that was night one, Thursday.
Now He was crucified beginning at the sixth hour which was noon, then died at the ninth hour, at 3 o clock. But that was still Thursday because remember God’s days are evening and morning, one day.
The amazing thing is that the sky went dark for three hours while He was on the cross and that was to fulfill the law. The lamb had to be crucified at sundown. Not evening but sundown. This is how He could share the Passover meal with the disciples on the 14th day at evening and still be the Passover Lamb on the same 14th day but in the daytime, and it was sundown. God is amazing.
Anytime you see something in the word that makes you pause please investigate it. God is always accurate and right. Wonderful mysteries are there to be discovered if you’ll search. He reveals secrets to His beloved.
Bless His name!