Good Wednesday?

Matt 12:38-40 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil & adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.

Three days and three nights.

Jesus seemed to be pretty specific here.

So how is it that most churches talk about Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Let's see, that's one night, one day, one night. Huh.

We know from Scripture that Jesus was hastily laid in the tomb because the Sabbath (which began at sunset) was about to begin, so wouldn't that mean a Friday crucifixion? Not necessarily. In old Testament times there were Sabbaths to be observed in addition to the regular weekly Sabbath on the last day of the week (Saturday). During Passover, there were special Sabbaths built into the commemoration.

LEV 23:4 " `These are the LORD's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.' "

With the possibility of an extra Sabbath in this week, a Friday crucifixion isn't a necessary element. It also isn't necessary for Jesus to have been raised on Sunday morning. The Bible says the stone was rolled away then, but that may have been so the women could see that it was empty. As we learn later, Jesus didn't need a door opened to get out!
To find out the probable day of the crucifixion, let's look at what we know:
1. Jesus said he would be "in the heart of the earth" three days and three nights.
2. He was laid in the tomb as night was approaching, so the count has to begin with night and end with day.

If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, we would count the days like this: Wed. night (1 night), Thurs. day (1 day), Thurs. night (2 nights), Fri. day (2 days), Fri. night (3 nights), Sat. day (3 days). In this scenario, Jesus was then most likely raised as the sun set Saturday.

So why did the women wait until Sunday morning to go to the tomb? If Thursday was a Sabbath, then why not head out Friday morning? Perhaps because Friday was the preparation day for the regular Saturday Sabbath. It may be that early Sunday morning was their first opportunity, or it could be that God delayed them somehow because a Saturday morning discovery was what He had planned.

So what? you may be asking. Isn't it more important that Jesus was raised than the specific days he was crucified and resurrected? Isn't this just nit-picking about something completely unimportant.

Yes and no.

Absolutely, the most important information here is that Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead, and if your church observes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services, by all means participate. But there is something to be said for accuracy and truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It matters that we, as Christians, take time to sort out and know the truth.

The world wants the Bible to be a mixed up mess that contradicts itself at every turn.

We don't have to fuel this notion.