How Many Days and Nights was Jesus in the Grave?

In a recent video on the April 8th eclipse, the Sign of Jonah came up. This is because some people compared the path of the eclipse to the Sign of Jonah. Supposedly, its passing over several towns named Nineveh and one named Jonah are akin to “the Sign of Jonah.” However, this is not the Sign of Jonah. The Sign of Jonah was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here's what Jesus had to say:

But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights." Matthew 12:39-40 (NLT)

This caused more than one person to ask, “Wait… How is that possible? Friday to Sunday is not three days and three nights in the grave. This doesn’t make sense.” And they're right. It doesn't, and that's what we address in this article.

It’s the perfect time to do so, because this coming weekend we celebrate resurrection Sunday and what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's also one of the best times of the year to share the Gospel. Along with Christmas, this will be one of two days many people attend a church during the course of the year. Many of these people are open to hearing the Gospel message, but they're skeptical. They have questions, and they want truth (as they should). That's why it's extremely important to know the truth so you can correct any misunderstandings or answer any questions they have when it comes to the Bible.

One of those questions is the one we just addressed… Exactly how long was Jesus in the tomb? After all, as we just read, Jesus said He would be in the grave three days and three nights (Matthew 12:39-40). Yet many Christians insist Jesus was crucified on Friday (thus, the reason we celebrate Good Friday) and resurrected on Sunday. Such a scenario doesn't line up with what Jesus said. After all, Friday afternoon through Sunday morning is only two nights and one day. No matter how you look at it, the Friday through Saturday timeline doesn't add up to three days and three nights.

Does this mean Jesus was wrong? Did Jesus make an error? Did His prophecy go unfulfilled? Skeptics say yes. They think the traditional resurrection timeline proves the Bible is false. But if you actually read the Bible, you'll find the truth – it all happened precisely as Jesus said it would.

Was Jesus Placed in the Tomb on a Friday?

It’s true. An error has been made. But Jesus is not the one who made the error. Instead, the error at the center of this controversy is an error on the part of men - an error which insists Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Now bear with me, because that last statement is considered heresy by many. But I assure you it's not. At this point, you might say, “Now, wait Britt. Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Here’s the proof”:

"This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath." Mark 15:42 (NLT)

“See, in plain English, it says Friday.” But that’s the problem. This is an English translation, and it’s a mistake to translate the original language as “Friday.” The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was crucified on a Friday. What it does say is the day after the crucifixion was a Sabbath. Here’s a better translation based on the original language:

"It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin." Luke 23:54 (NIV)

It’s easy to understand how many modern translations get this wrong. Because the weekly Sabbath occurs on a Saturday, many of these translations automatically conclude Jesus was crucified on a Friday. At first glance, this seems reasonable. However, it's not that simple. Why? Because not every Sabbath occurs on a Saturday. In Leviticus 23, God outlined seven special Sabbaths in addition to the regular weekly Sabbath. And depending on the calendar cycle, these special Sabbaths can fall on any day of the week.

So if the day after the crucifixion was a special Sabbath, it didn't have to occur on a Saturday. And as it turns out, the day after the crucifixion was a special Sabbath. How can I be so sure? Am I just assuming it wasn’t? No. The Gospel of John flat out tells us. Read this verse (emphasis mine):

"It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover)." John 19:31 (NLT)

The Bible is clear. The day after the crucifixion was a "very special Sabbath." Why? Because in fulfillment of the Passover lamb, Jesus was crucified on Passover. And the day after Passover marks the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is important to note because God commanded the people to observe a special Sabbath on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

"On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly." Leviticus 23:6-7 (NLT)

In other words, the day after Passover is always a Sabbath, regardless of what day of the week it falls on. Because of this, it's not necessary to assume Jesus was crucified on a Friday. That said, we can't automatically assume He wasn't crucified on a Friday, because a special Sabbath could still fall on a Saturday.

We can only insist it was another day of the week if we have specific evidence. Fortunately, the Bible provides us with that evidence. But first we need to understand what counts as a day and what counts as a night.

Biblical Days and Sabbaths

To fully understand the timing of the resurrection, you need to understand the Jewish calendar. Not only did God decree seven special Sabbaths in addition to the regular Saturday Sabbath, but a day on the Jewish calendar begins and ends at a different time than the modern world is used to. This too has been a source of confusion.

On the Jewish calendar, a new day begins after sunset, not after midnight (Genesis 1:5). Each new day begins with nighttime which lasts from sunset to sunrise (one night). And after sunrise, daytime begins and lasts until sunset (one day). So a full day from sunset to sunset equals one night and one day. This is an important point to remember, because it's pivotal to understanding how Jesus fulfilled "the Sign of Jonah" (Matthew 12:39-40).

Those who believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday will often claim a biblical day includes any part of a day, and so Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning equal three days Jesus was in the grave before He was resurrected. But keep this in mind - Jesus specifically said He would spend three days and three nights in the grave. He didn't say He would spend part of three days. He said three days and three nights.

If that's the case, how do you reconcile a Friday crucifixion and a Sunday resurrection with the words of Jesus? You can't. If Jesus was buried at sunset on a Friday and resurrected before sunrise the following Sunday, the most you can squeeze out of that timeline is two nights and one day - well short of what Jesus said. This leaves only two possibilities - either Jesus was wrong or the traditional belief of a Friday crucifixion is wrong. I don't know about you, but I choose to believe Jesus. But either way, we don't have to speculate, because the Bible tells us what happened.

One Sabbath or Two Sabbaths?

In addition to the Friday to Sunday timeline, skeptics of the Bible love to point out two bible verses they claim contradict each other. In fact, they claim these verses prove the Bible is a fraud. However, it's just the opposite. These verses prove Jesus fulfilled His promise to rise after precisely three days and three nights in the grave.

So what are these supposedly contradictory verses? The Gospel of Mark reveals Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought burial spices to anoint the body of Jesus after the Sabbath ended. Here’s the verse:

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body." Mark 16:1 (NIV)

However, the Gospel of Luke says the women prepared the burial spices at home before the Sabbath began. Here’s that verse:

"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment." Luke 23:55-56 (NIV)

So which one is correct? Did they rest on the Sabbath and then prepare the burial spices? Or did they prepare the burial spices and then rest on the Sabbath? After all, it can't be both, right? That's what the Bible's skeptics want you to believe. They think they contradict each other. They think these verses are clear proof of a biblical error. But are they? Not if you understand a single week can have two Sabbaths. And believe it or not, the details revealed in Mark and Luke tell us two Sabbaths took place between the crucifixion and the resurrection. The first was a special Sabbath in honor of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Numbers 28:18), and the second was the regular weekly Sabbath on Saturday.

A normal day took place in between those two Sabbaths. This means the women bought and prepared the burial spices on a Friday (in this case, the day before and after a Sabbath). Understanding this is the key to discovering how Jesus perfectly fulfilled "the Sign of Jonah."

What Most Likely Happened

Based on these clues from the Bible, here's the most likely timeline of what happened:

Tuesday/Wednesday - Passover began on a Tuesday night at sunset. Shortly thereafter, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples. Later that night, religious leaders arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and brought Him before the High Priest, Caiaphas. In the morning, Pilate issued the order to crucify Jesus. This occurred at noon on Wednesday (John 19:14), which was still Passover. As sundown approached, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to hasten the death of those being crucified. They didn't want the bodies left on the crosses because the following day was a special Sabbath (John 19:31). Just before sunset on Wednesday, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and placed it in the tomb (John 19:38-42).

Wednesday/Thursday - The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread began at sunset on Wednesday evening. This was a special Sabbath, and the women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome) rested before buying and preparing burial spices for the body of Jesus (Mark 16:1). This special Sabbath marked night one and day one of Jesus in the grave.

Thursday/Friday – Sometime between sunset on Thursday and sunset on Friday, the women bought and prepared the burial spices for Jesus. At sunset, the weekly Sabbath began, and they rested once again (Luke 23:56). This day of preparing the burial spices marked night two and day two of Jesus in the grave.

Friday/Saturday – From Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset, the women rested because it was the weekly Sabbath. This second Sabbath marked night three and day three of Jesus in the grave.

Saturday/Sunday - Sometime between sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus occurred. Having spent three nights and three days in the grave, Jesus fulfilled "the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 12:40) as well as His promise to rise again after three days (John 2:19). We know Jesus rose sometime before sunrise on Sunday, because Mary Magdalene came to the tomb "while it was still dark" on Sunday morning (John 20:1), and she finds the stone rolled away from the entrance and the tomb empty (Luke 24:3). Here’s a graphic for those who find it beneficial:

Why Does It Matter?

So why should you care? After all, if you believe in the crucifixion and the resurrection, why should it matter when they precisely occurred? For those who already believe, it should matter because it shows once again the astounding accuracy of the Bible. If the Bible is shown to be in error, then it can’t be the Word of God as we claim. For that same reason, for those who have yet to believe, it means everything. Either Jesus rose after three days and three nights in the grave as He claimed He would, or He didn't. If He didn't, the Bible isn't true.

Fortunately for us, He did! And in doing so, Jesus fulfilled what was said about Him in the law and the prophets (Luke 24:44). The timing of His arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and resurrection were all a divine fulfillment of Scripture. And fulfilled prophecy verifies the Bible as God's Holy Word. While human beings are often mistaken in either translation or interpretation of the Bible, the Bible is never in error. You can put your full trust in the Bible as the holy, inerrant Word of God. And you can put your trust in Jesus. If you do, the Bible says you won't be disappointed (Romans 10:11).