Please read Matthew 27:57-28:15, Mark 15:42-16:11,
Luke 23:50-24:12 & John 19:38-20:18
Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had also become a disciple of Yeshua. This man went to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. Then Pilate ordered it to be given up.
And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. And he laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone up to the door of the tomb and went away.
Now Miriam from Magdala was there, and the other Miriam, sitting opposite the tomb. Matthew 27:57-61 TLV
And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was surprised to hear that He should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether He was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where He was laid.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
Mark 15:42-47, 16:1 ESV
And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a Council member, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their counsel and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God; this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.
It was Preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Now the women, who had come with Him from Galilee, followed and beheld the tomb and how His body was laid. Then after they returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:50-56 LSB
Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; … … …
Now after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, requested of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission.
So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred litras weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:14a, 38-42 NASB
Joseph from the Judean town of Arimathea, which means “heights”, stepped forward courageously and risked everything to give Yeshua an honourable Jewish burial. He went to Pilate to request Yeshua’s body and, with another esteemed member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, immediately began to wrap the body in strips of linen mixed with myrrh and aloe to prepare it for burial. They worked quickly to get everything done before sundown which began the new day of Nissan 15, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread and thus a Sabbath, a high holy day in which such work was forbidden. Joseph and Nicodemus hurriedly placed Yeshua‘s body in Joseph’s own tomb, located in a garden near the place of His crucifixion. This was a new tomb, so no other bodies had been buried there, there could be no confusion as to which body had risen on the first day of the week. Thus was fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy written hundreds of years before: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked (killed between two violent criminals), and with the rich in his death (laid in a wealthy man’s tomb), though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). This is another aspect of the Isaiah 53 prophesy which confirmed Yeshua’s identity as the Messiah and Son of God.
Hag Hamatzot, Feast of Unleavened Bread, is a weeklong festival which immediately follows Passover, beginning at twilight on 15th and ending on 21st Nissan – both high holy days / Sabbaths (regardless of which day of the week they fall on). Preparation of meals is allowed on these Sabbaths, but this is the only work permitted (For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do. Exodus 12:15-16), in contrast with a weekly Sabbath where no work is permitted. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two separate yet adjoining feasts that by second temple times had become a combined pilgrimage feast with the result that either festival name could designate the entire feast time.
“These are the feasts of Yahweh, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is Yahweh’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh. On the first day (Nissan 15) you shall have a holy convocation, you shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh for seven days. The seventh day (Nissan 22) shall be a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23: 4-8, see also Exodus 13: 4-10; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16: 2-4, 8).
Mark and Luke refer to this day on which Yeshua died and was buried as: “the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath” and “Preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin“. The Greek word translated “day of preparation, or preparation day“, παρασκευή paraskeué is a noun that refers to “the day on which the Jews made the necessary preparation to celebrate a sabbath or a feast” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Josephus, ‘Ant.,’ 16:06. 2). John’s gospel specifies what Sabbath they were preparing for on this day: “Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover.” (John 19:14a NASB). It was the day before Nissan 15th began the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first and seventh days of which were special sabbaths.
There are three main views on which day of the week Yeshua was crucified. The most widespread and commonly accepted of these is the traditional view.
The traditional view, expressed in the Good Friday/ Easter Sunday celebration, holds that the holy convocation/sabbath of Nissan 15th also fell on the weekly Sabbath that year (that is, Saturday), which would mean that Yeshua was crucified on Friday. According to this view Yeshua was in the tomb for three days through the ancient’s practice of reckoning part of a day as a full day: He was buried just before sunset that marked the end of Friday (Day 1) and was entombed all night and day Saturday (Day 2) and some of the night which begins Sunday (Day 3).
For verses such as Matthew 16:21 and Luke 9:22, saying that Yeshua would rise “on the third day” they interpret the ‘first day’ as Friday, ‘second day’ as Saturday/Sabbath and ‘third day’ as Sunday. According to this theory, the “three days and three nights” prophecy of Matthew 12:40 was fulfilled in that both Yeshua and Jonah were “confined” in difficult situations where they could not move about freely for three periods of darkness (night) and three periods of light (day). The three nights of confinement for Yeshua were His arrest on the night which began Friday (14th), and His time in the tomb on the night which began Saturday (15th) and on the night which began Sunday (16th). To get the three days – all day Friday, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday – they have to assume that Yeshua did not rise from the dead until after the sun had come up on Sunday morning. Another challenge with the Friday theory is that it leaves a ‘silent’ Wednesday where no activity is recorded in the chronology of Yeshua’s final week before His crucifixion.
Some scholars see greater harmony with the scriptures in the theory of a Thursday Nissan 14th crucifixion, the “Preparation Day” being the day that the Passover lamb was killed and prepared for consumption on the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a High Sabbath (John 19:14). The high holy day for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was thereby on Friday Nissan 15th, followed by the weekly Sabbath on the Saturday. In this interpretation there is no “silent” Wednesday, every day of Yeshua’s last week is described in the Gospel accounts. This provides the three days and three nights sign Yeshua prophesied in Matthew 12:40:
Further, Matthew 28:1 says that the resurrection occurred “after the Sabbaths” (Berean Literal Bible) – the plural sabbaths (In Greek: sabbatōn) being in the original, confirming there was more than one Sabbath between the crucifixion and the resurrection. So, the “Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread” Sabbath was followed immediately by the “weekly” Sabbath, resulting in the first opportunity for the women to prepare the body for burial being on the first day of the week and walking to the tomb to arrive as the sun began to rise: Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. (John 20:1 LSB) Now after Shabbat, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Miriam of Magdala and the other Miriam came to look at the tomb. (Matthew 28:1 TLV) Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb (Luke 24:1-2 LSB).
Thursday advocates also point to several passages that indicate the number of days between the crucifixion and the resurrection. For example, in John 2:19, Yeshua says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Three days from Thursday is Sunday. In addition, when Jesus appears to the two men on the road to Emmaus on resurrection Sunday, they state that “it is the third day since all this took place” (Luke 24:21). A natural reading of this sentence would place the crucifixion on Thursday.
Those who argue for a Wednesday crucifixion agree with the Thursday view that there were two Sabbaths that week, but they separate them by a day. The first Sabbath, in this view, was the Passover Sabbath starting Wednesday evening following the crucifixion (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:52–54). Then came a non-Sabbath day (Friday) and then the weekly Sabbath starting Friday evening. The women purchased spices after the Sabbath, according to Mark 16:1—meaning the Passover Sabbath. Luke 23:56 says that, after the women saw where Jesus was buried, “they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” The Wednesday argument states that the women could not purchase the spices after the Sabbath and prepare those spices before the Sabbath unless there were two Sabbaths that week, separated by a day.
A difficulty with the Wednesday view is that the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus did so on “the same day” of His resurrection (Luke 24:13) and, referring to the crucifixion, state “today is the third day since these things happened” (verse 21). Wednesday to Sunday is four days. A possible explanation is that they may have started their count on Wednesday evening at Christ’s burial, which begins the Jewish 5th day, and 5th Day to 1st Day could be counted as three days.
While the day of the crucifixion is debated, what’s more important is knowing that Yeshua died for our sins and that He conquered death for us by rising from the dead. He is truly the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Putting our trust in Yeshua results in eternal life (John 3:16, 36)! This great salvation truth remains whether the day of His crucifixion was Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
Now on the next day, which is after the preparation, the ruling kohanim and Pharisees were gathered before Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember how that deceiver said while He was still alive, ‘After three days I’m to be raised.’ Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, so His disciples do not come and steal Him away. They will tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first!”
“You have a guard,” Pilate said to them. “Go, make it as secure as you know how.”
So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone along with the soldiers of the guard. Matthew 27:62-66 TLV
It was Preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Now the women, who had come with Him from Galilee, followed and beheld the tomb and how His body was laid. Then after they returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:54-56 LSB
The first thing we notice here is that Yeshua‘s followers were diligent to rest on the Sabbath in accordance with the Torah, while these Pharisees had more important things to do. The women had departed as soon as they had seen how His body was laid in the tomb so as to be able to buy burial spices and perfumes before the Sabbath began (Luke 23:56). Only Matthew adds the details about the tomb guards. Interestingly, in describing the actions of the chief priests and Pharisees he does not directly refer to this day as a Sabbath, but rather designates it as: “the next day, which is after the preparation“. The emphasis being that it was after the day of Preparation, the day on which the Passover lambs were slain and Yeshua was crucified, had come to an end. As each new day began at sunset, it may have been that they sort this audience with Pilate that very evening, once they found out where Yeshua had been buried. How quickly they went from congratulating themselves at disposing of Him to fear of His declarations that He would be raised after three days. Words they had tried to ignore now kept resonating in their heads.
“You have a guard” The Greek verb may be either imperative “take ye a guard” or indicative “you have a guard“. It could be a command or a statement. The “guard,” was a body of Roman soldiers who could not be set to such a task without Pilate’s permission. Matthew uses the Latin term custodia referring to a detachment of Roman soldiers. It is only used here in v 65-66, and in 28:11. While providing a contingent of Roman soldiers for the task, Pilate leaves the responsibility for ensuring the King of the Jews doesn’t leave His tomb in the hands of those who fear such could happen – the priests and Pharisees petitioning him: “Go, make it as secure as you know how.” They would not be able to come back and complain to him if the body went missing.
Thus, these men who had denounced Messiah for healing on the sabbath, thought nothing of marching to Joseph’s garden, making the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch, which were servile works not to be done on a sabbath day.
Now after Shabbat, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Miriam of Magdala and the other Miriam came to look at the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of Adonai descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And those keeping watch were shaken for fear of him and became like dead men.
But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Yeshua who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly now and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. And behold, He’s going before you to the Galilee. There you will see Him. See, I have told you!”
They quickly left the tomb, with fear yet with great joy, and ran to bring news to His disciples. And behold, Yeshua met them. “Shalom!” He said.
They drew near, grasped his feet, and worshiped Him.
“Don’t be afraid,” Yeshua said to them. “Go tell My brothers to head for the Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Matthew 28:1-10 TLV
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back – it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. Mark 16:1-11 ESV
Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing, and when the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
And they remembered His words, and when they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
Now Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the rest of the women with them were there; they were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they were not believing them.
But Peter stood up and ran to the tomb; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen wrappings only. And he went away by himself, marveling at what had happened.
Luke 24:1-12 LSB
Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.
And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but folded up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
So the disciples went away again to where they were staying.
But Mary was standing outside the tomb crying; and so, as she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you seeking?”
Thinking Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. John 20: 1-18 LSB
Since the women were obeying Torah and resting on the Sabbaths they would not have seen, or known about, the Roman guard placed at the entrance to the tomb. There is no indication in scripture as to what time Yeshua was resurrected as His resurrection body was not limited by stones, doors, locks or the like. God in His mercy sent an earthquaking angel at dawn to both scare the soldiers away and roll the huge stone from the tomb’s entrance to enable the women to safely approach and look inside to see that Yeshua’s body was gone – He was no longer residing in the place of the dead.
The Sabbath finished at sunset on Saturday. Any further purchases and preparation of spices and perfumes could then be completed in readiness for the women to approach the tomb as the sun began to rise Sunday morning. Matthew tells us these women included Miriam (Mary) of Magdala and the other Miriam (Mary), whom Mark and Luke describe as “the mother of James“; Mark also adds Salome; and Luke adds Joanna “and the rest of the women with them“; while John just focuses on Miriam (Mary) of Magdala. All four gospels record that when the women arrived the very large stone had already been rolled away from the entrance to the tomb and that Yeshua’s body was no longer laying there. Matthew tells us that this removal of the stone had been performed by an angel of Adonai and accompanied by a great earthquake, something everyone in Jerusalem would have trembled at.
Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the angel(s) announcement to the women with Matthew and Mark including the instruction to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to meet their risen Lord, even as Yeshua had told them on the way to the Mount of Olives the night He was betrayed: ” after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” None of the disciples believed the women or travelled to Galilee at this time.
Luke and John tell us that Peter ran to the tomb to see for himself, with the author of the Gospel according to John adding that he also went to the tomb with Peter. Mark and John both record that the first person Yeshua appeared to was Mary Magdalene.
FIRSTFRUITS
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf (a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthways and tied together after reaping) of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.
You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. Leviticus 23: 9-14 NIV
FESTIVAL of WEEKS / PENTICOST
“‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.
From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest.
On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
Leviticus 23: 15-21 NIV
There are two different opinions on when the wave offering, tenufat HaOmer, was presented in the Temple, depending on whether people think the Sabbath in this verse refers to the first weekly Saturday Sabbath after Passover began, or the high Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread. The first has both Firstfruits and the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) falling on a Sunday – the day Yeshua rose from the grave. The second has Firstfruits falling on Nisan 16 (regardless of which day of the week this is – two days after Yeshua was crucified) and the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) falling on that same day of the week, seven weeks later. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Cor. 15:23 LSB). Just as the Firstfruits offering was not a single stalk of grain but a sheaf (bundle of grain stalks), so also Yeshua did not resurrect alone but rather: And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the kedoshim (holy ones) who were sleeping were raised to life. And coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:52-53 TLV).
After His resurrection, Yeshua (as our ultimate High Priest) would shortly be ministering in the heavenly tabernacle (Heb. 9:11) of which the Temple in Jerusalem was meant to be a representation. Even as the Firstfruits offering was being waved before God in the earthly Temple, so Yeshua presented Himself as the firstfruits of the resurrection before God in the heavenly tabernacle as He had said to Mary when she clung onto Him that morning: “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” .
Now the main point in what is being said is this: we have such a High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the holy places and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. …
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the trespasses that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” And in the same way, both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter Holy Places made with hands, mere copies of the true ones, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy places year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. …
By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies are put as a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. …
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 8:1-6, 9:11-26, 10:10-14, 19-22 LSB
Yeshua‘s role as prophet was carried out during His earthly ministry. His role as High Priest was fulfilled as He offered His own life as our Passover lamb and presented His own blood in the heavenly tabernacle inaugurating the New Covenant by which we are cleansed from all sin. After that He was crowned as king and given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Yeshua is our great prophet, priest and king!
Now while they were going, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the ruling kohanim all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of silver to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we were sleeping.’ And if this is heard by the governor, we’ll appease him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story was spread among the Judeans to this day. Matthew 28:11-15 TLV
Matthew, who as a tax collector had a long history of working with the Romans, included this detail in response to a tradition history of assertion and counter-assertion:
Follower of the Way: ‘The tomb is empty – the Lord is risen!’
Jewish leader: ‘No, his disciples stole away his body.’
Follower of the Way: ‘The guard at the tomb would have prevented any such theft.’
Jewish leader: ‘No, his disciples stole away his body while the guard slept.’
Follower of the Way: ‘The chief priests bribed the guard to say this – the truth is Yeshua is risen!’
Reference List
1. HELPS Ministries. The Discovery Bible. [Online] https://thediscoverybible.com/.
2. Stern, David H. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). 1998.
3. Holy Bible. New International Version. s.l. : Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
4. HCSB. Holman Christian Standard Bible. s.l. : Holman Bible Publishers, 2009.
5. Holy Bible. New American Standard Bible. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, 2020.
6. Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars. Holy Scriptures Tree of Life Version (TLV). s.l. : Baker Books.
7. Translation Committee. The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB). LSB. [Online] https://read.lsbible.org/
8. Bible Commentaries. Matthew 27:9. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: January 20th, 2024.] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/27-9.htm.
9. NASEC, Thayer’s, Strong’s & Englishman’s. 4616. sindón. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: January 13th, 2024.] https://biblehub.com/greek/4616.htm.
10. Fillion, L. C. The Life of Christ: A Historical, Critical, and Apologetic Exposition, Volume III. s.l. : Herder Book Co., 1929.
11. NASEC, Thayer’s, Strong’s & Englishman’s. 3162. machaira. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: January 13th, 2024.] https://biblehub.com/greek/3162.htm.
12. Abbott, Shari. Jesus’ Last Days Timeline: the Cross and the Resurrection. Reasons for Hope* Jesus. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/jesus-last-days-timeline/.
13. —. Was Jesus Crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? Reasons for Hope* Jesus. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/crucified/.
14. Bible Study Webmaster. Last Days of Jesus Timeline. Bible Study. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/last-days-of-jesus-timeline.html.
15. Köstenberger, Andreas. April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died. Centre for Biblical Studies. [Online] April 8th, 2020. https://cbs.mbts.edu/2020/04/08/april-3-ad-33-why-we-believe-we-can-know-the-exact-date-jesus-died/.
16. Blue Letter Bible Minister. Christ :: The Three Days and the Three Nights. Blue Letter Bible. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/crux.cfm.
17. Bible Info staff. Was Jesus in the tomb for three days and three nights? Bible Info. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/jesus-in-tomb-for-three-days-nights#.
18. ‘Dating the Death of Jesus’: Memory and the Religious Imagination. Bond, Helen. 04, s.l. : New Testament Studies, 2013, Vol. 59. 461-475doii: 10.1017/S0028688513000131.
19. Bookman, Doug. A time line and chronology of the Easter Passion Week that includes Gregorian dates, First Century Jewish day/night cycles, and Galilean Jew cycles. Christianity. [Online] June 19th, 2023. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/a-time-line-of-the-passion-week.html.
20. Brannan, Rick. The Last Week of Jesus’ Life on Earth: a Closer Look. Logos. [Online] April 3rd, 2012. https://www.logos.com/grow/jesus-final-week-a-closer-look/.
21. MDiv, Rick Lanser. THE HEBREW CALENDAR OF THE SECOND TEMPLE ERA. The Shiloh Excavations. [Online] March 17th, 2023. https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/5035-the-hebrew-calendar-of-the-second-temple-era.
22. S. Michael Houdmann. If Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation, why had He already eaten the Passover meal? Got Questions.org. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2023.] https://www.gotquestions.org/Day-of-Preparation.html.
23. Bible Hub compilers. 3904. paraskeué . Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://biblehub.com/greek/3904.htm.
24. Butterworth, Ray. Crucifixion/Resurrection Synoptic Time Table. R Butterworth. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://rbutterworth.nfshost.com/Tables/crucifixion-resurrection/.
25. Got Questions Contributor . On what day was Jesus crucified? Got Questions. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://www.gotquestions.org/three-days.html.
26. Reckart, Pastor G. Passover Crucifixion Dates. Jesus Messiah. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://jesus-messiah.com/html/passover-dates-26-34ad.html.
27. Kostenberger, Andreas. April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died. Centre for Biblical Studies. [Online] April 8th, 2020. https://cbs.mbts.edu/2020/04/08/april-3-ad-33-why-we-believe-we-can-know-the-exact-date-jesus-died/.
28. Myers, Jeremy. The Case for a Thursday Crucifixion. Redeeming God. [Online] [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://redeeminggod.com/case-for-thursday-crucifixion/.
29. Tabor, Dr. James. Jesus Died on a Thursday not a Friday. Tabor Blog. [Online] March 2016. [Cited: February 23rd, 2024.] https://jamestabor.com/jesus-died-on-a-thursday-not-a-friday/.
30. Joseph. How is it that Jesus could be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”? Biblical Hermeneutics. [Online] July 23rd, 2014. https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/2198/how-is-it-that-jesus-could-be-three-days-and-three-nights-in-the-heart-of-the-e.
31. Parsons, John J. Yom HaBikkurim – Messiah as the Firstfruits of the Harvest. Hebrew for Chjristians. [Online] [Cited: March 11th, 2024.] https://hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/First_Fruits/first_fruits.html#loaded.
32. Shurpin, Rabbi Yehuda. What Was the Omer Offering (Korban Ha’omer)? Chabad. [Online] [Cited: March 11th, 2024.] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4354506/jewish/What-Was-the-Omer-Offering-Korban-Haomer.htm.
33. Lenard, Joseph. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection – Chronology of the Women. Truth in Scripture. [Online] March 27th, 2017. https://truthinscripture.net/2017/03/27/jesus-death-and-resurrection-chronology-of-the-women/.
34. William Lane Craig. The Guard at the Tomb. Reasonable Faith. [Online] [Cites: March 12th, 2024] https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/scholarly-writings/historical-jesus/the-guard-at-the-tomb
In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…
* What are ‘burial’ the customs in your culture – how do your people deal with dead human bodies?
* Why do you think it was important to the women to take spices and perfumes to Jesus’ tomb when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already wrapped Jesus body in “hundred litras weight“, about 33kg, of myrrh and aloes?
* All our references to Nicodemus are in John’s gospel (John 3:1–2, John 7:51 and John 19:38) – what do we learn about Nicodemus and why do you think John is the only one to mention him?
* How did the Jewish festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread and the Firstfruits wave offering show the people what God would do through the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of His Son?
* What did Jesus accomplish through His death and resurrection?
* What evidence do we have that Jesus rose from the dead?