*Alward: Re: What Sabbath Day?
JAlw@aol.com JAlw@aol.com
Sat, 7 Nov 1998 23:30:49 EST (00910521049, c7d28731.36451e79@aol.com)
In a message dated 98-11-07 20:55:09 EST, you write:
<< Subj: What Sabbath Day?
Date: 98-11-07 20:55:09 EST
From: jftill@midwest.net (Farrell Till)
Sender: owner-errancy@infidels.org
To: errancy@infidels.org
TILL
A "prison minister" who says that he can't join our list because he has
limited access to the internet has sent me a solution to the
three-days-and-three-nights problem and challenged me to respond to it.
When it arrived today, I was very busy with the mailing of the latest issue
of *The Skeptical Review,* and after that project is completed, I will have
to spend the better part of this month getting the next issue ready for the
printer's deadline. I am going to paste below his solution. Perhaps some of
you would like to respond to it. I will send the responses to him, and when
I have time add any comments I want to make.
***********************************
THE DAY JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED, "according to the scriptures."
John 19:31 The jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the
bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day (*for that
sabbath day was an high day*), besought Pilate that their legs might be
broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the
other which was crucified with him.
The Lord was crucified on the preparation day for the sabbath, on the day
before the sabbath. But this "sabbath" was no ordinary seventh day sabbath,
"FOR THAT SABBATH DAY WAS AN HIGH DAY."
There were other sabbaths observed by the Jews according to the law of God,
and these sabbaths did not always correspond with the seventh day of the
week (Lev. 23:32, 39).
Lev. 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict
your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even,
shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seven month, when ye have gathered in
the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: ON
THE FIRST DAY SHALL BE A SABBATH, AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY SHALL BE A SABBATH.
The fourteenth day of the first month was the passover, and the fifteenth
day of the first month was the first day of the feast of the passover, also
called the "feast of unleavened bread" (Lev. 23:5-6). The LORD was
crucified on the fourteenth day of the month, the passover, as he is our
passover (1 Cor, 5:7). The following day was "an high day" (John 19:31), a
special sabbath; it was NOT the seventh day sabbath!
Lev. 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S
passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened
bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
This fifteenth day of the first month is called a "high day" and a sabbath.
Being always on the fifteenth day of the first month, it could not always
fall on the seventh day of the week, or the sabbath day (Saturday).
Isa. 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD...
It is clear that this sabbath was not necessarily Saturday, but could have
been on any day of the week. We must study the scriptures if we are to
determine what day of the week our saviour was crucified.
The great and definitive scripture which tells that the Lord would be "three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth," comes from his own lips,
and is the great and only sign of the resurrection, which Jesus said would
be given to an adulterous and sinful generation (Matt. 12:39-40).
Matt. 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but
the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; SO
SHALL THE SON OF MAN BE THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE
EARTH.
According to Jesus Christ, he would be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the
heart of the earth. That is clear!
Now, there is no doubt that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the first
day of the week (Mark 16:9).
Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he
appeared to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Furthermore there is no doubt that this "first day of the week" was the next
day after the normal Saturday or seventh day sabbath (Matt. 28:1).
Matt. 28:1 IN THE END OF THE SABBATH, AS IT BEGAN TO DAWN TOWARD THE FIRST
DAY OF THE WEEK, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
The sabbath day, which "was an high day" (John 19:31), and the seventh day
sabbath, cannot be referring to the same day on this particular week, for
Jesus Christ was in the tomb for THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS.
Using only the above information, one would conclude that the Lord was
crucified on Wednesday, and that the three days and three nights were
Thursday night and day, Friday night and day, and Saturday night and day.
Remember that Jewish days begin at 6:00 p. m. and end at 6:00 p. m. the next
day.
But all the scripture must be fulfilled! Two other scriptures clearly state
that the Lord rose again "THE THIRD DAY" after he was crucified (Luke 24:31;
1 Cor. 15:3-4).
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called
Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned,
Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye
have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him,
Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which
are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God
and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned
to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel:
and beside all this, TODAY IS *THE THIRD DAY* SINCE THESE THINGS WERE DONE.
1 Cor. 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, AND THAT HE ROSE AGAIN *THE THIRD DAY* ACCORDING
TO THE SCRIPTURES.
If Wednesday had been the day of the crucifixion, the first day after these
things would be Thursday, the second day after these things would be Friday,
and the third day after these things were done would be Saturday! But we
already know that the Lord rose again on the first day of the week, which is
Sunday!
The only conclusion which will satisfy every word of scripture is that the
Lord was crucified on Thursday. The three days and three nights would then
be accounted for as follows. The part of a day on Thursday was counted as a
day (this was done with years in the chronologies of the kings of Israel and
Judah many times, counting a portion of a year as a whole year), the other
two days being Friday and Saturday. The three nights would be Thursday
night (6 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday), Friday night (6 p.m. Friday to 6:
a.m. Saturday), and part of Saturday night (6 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m.
Sunday) counted as one night.
Farrell Till
Skepticism, Inc.
jftill@midwest.net
======================
Joe Alward:
The minister makes the point, I think, that there are "sabbaths" other than
the Saturday sabbaths, called "high days". He argues that the preparation day
before the sabbath was not Friday before the sabbath, but Thursday before a
different sabbath, or high day. If he can show this, he will have shown that
Jesus was in his tomb three days and three nights.
The minister seems to be arguing that the special sabbath was analogous to the
sabbath-day feast of the unleavened bread and that Jesus' crucifixion (HIS
passover) was analogous to the passover day. But, this can't be. How could
there already have been a special holiday--a special "Jesus
Passover"--commemorating his death just hours after he had died? Jesus'
divinity had not yet been established and already on the day of his death it
was called the "day of preparation"? I don't think so.
I think that the minister has made a good case that there were, indeed, days
other than Saturday which were special sabbath days, but doesn't seem to have
made a good case that Friday was a sabbath. It COULD have been a sabbath. If
he were to use the much-despised method of using contextual inference to
harmonize the problem, then he could get away with arguing that there MUST
have been some kind of "high day", or special sabbath, on Friday. The mystery
is, what WAS that day commemorating?