Happy Resurrection Sunday! May the eternal blessings of our Great and Mighty King rest ever upon you within His wondrous shalom.
Here are a few fun facts to consider as we ponder this wonderful day:
The Hebrew day begins at sundown on the evening before the daylight hours in question, and has since the beginning of time. As such, our Lord and Savior Yeshua emerged from the tomb at Sundown, Sabbath evening - or "Sunday morning" as it is known on the Hebrew calendar even to this day.
Contrary to popular teachings handed down over the centuries, here are a few important facts of Passion Week that you may find of interest:
Math doesn't lie - and there are less than 48 hours between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning (even as reconciled on the Gregorian calendar). So how could "Good Friday" somehow provide the promised 3 days and 3 nights that Jesus prophesied for Himself in the grave? Words mean things - scripture is infallible - and Jesus doesn't exaggerate. He said "3 days and 3 nights" - and that is exactly what He meant.
So here is a rough-draft on how the week actually shook out:
1. The "last supper" was shared with His disciples on Tuesday evening at sundown (which is actually Wednesday morning to Jews).
2. Jesus was betrayed by Judas and subsequently arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane late Tuesday night (Wednesday morning).
3. It is a whirlwind, horrible night for Yeshua - beyond our imagination, bad. By 9am Wednesday morning he has had nearly every inch of flesh stripped from His back, endured several beatings, a crown of thorns, at least four inquisitions, and a humiliating public rejection at the hands of those who a couple days before were screaming His name in adulation. At 9am our Lord and Savior is crucified.
4. After six grueling (unfathomable) hours on a cross, Jesus gives up His Ghost at 3pm, Wednesday Afternoon. The temple veil is torn and the skies rip open with terrible storms as an earthquake ravages the old city.
5. Here is where we miss our mark if we've ignored Hebrew Passover laws. During Passover week there wasn't just ONE Sabbath but TWO - the first of which is called a "high Sabbath" on which no work may be done. To keep the day from being defiled, Jewish leaders convince Pilot to break legs in order to hasten death for those who were crucified. By sundown Wednesday evening (Thursday morning to Jews) Jesus is officially in the tomb.
6. From Wednesday night (Thursday morning for Jews) to Thursday Sundown (Friday morning for Jews) is night / day #1 for Jesus in the Grave (tending to the devil and his minions). This concludes the first (or high) Sabbath day in Passover week.
7. Thursday night (Friday morning for Jews) to Friday evening at sundown (Saturday morning for Jews) is night / day #2. This is the day known as (and referred to in scripture as) "the day of preparation". Sabbath begins at Sundown Friday evening (Saturday morning for the Jews).
8. Friday evening (Saturday morning for Jews) to Saturday sundown is the weekly Sabbath - and is night / day #3.
9. Saturday evening (Sunday morning for Jews) is one of the greatest moments in all of history. At sunset Yeshua rises from the grave in triumphant glory. Remember - when the women arrived at the tomb the following morning they found the stone ALREADY rolled away and the tomb ALREADY empty... They did not witness His emergence.
And there you have it. Three days, three nights, just as foretold. As you can see - we should be celebrating "Good Wednesday" - not Good Friday.
And how (you may be asking) did our churches come to know Friday as the day of our Lord's crucifixion and burial? That is a subject for another time - but the short answer is thus:
The meeting in 325AD ordered by Emperor Constantine had an interesting edict tethered to it as a condition: The men conducting that meeting (canonizing our Bible among other things) were strictly ordered to abstain from appealing to Hebraic traditions (true story - look it up). This clearly illustrates the deep animus that existed between Jews and Christians at the time. Because of this, actual Passover traditions were ignored, and Friday was given as a sloppy answer to this vital equation.
So Happy Resurrection Sunday!! Much Love to each and every one of you in Yeshua's Holy and precious Name!
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Mark Scott Grimmett GoldenLight Ministries www.YeshuasArmy.com