LESSON 36
CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST
1. What sign did Jesus give as evidence of His Messiahship?
Matthew 12:38-40
2. Was Jonah actually three days and three nights in the fish’s belly?
Jonah 1:17
3. How long did Jesus say that He would be in the grave?
Matthew 12:40
4. On what day did Jesus rise from the grave?
Matthew 18:1-6
Note: This visit was made to the tomb “in the end of the Sabbath”. The Sabbath ends at sunset, Leviticus 23:32. Jesus had already risen so His resurrection was in the end of the Sabbath.
5. On every subsequent visit did the disciples find the body of Jesus?
Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1,2
There were several visits to the tomb by the same persons and others, at different times, and diverse circumstances. Thus the Gospel writers do not contradict each other.
6. Did they believe that He had risen from the dead?
Luke 24:11, 16, 22, 37, 41
7. Do you think then that when the disciples were gathered together on the first day of the week they were celebrating the resurrection as some say?
John 20:19
8. Is it not plainly stated that Jesus was resurrected on the Sabbath and crucified on the Jewish preparation day?
Matthew 28:1-6; John 19:42
9. What day followed this preparation day?
John 19:31; 18:28
10. Was the second day of the Passover a Sabbath, no matter on what day of the week it came?
Leviticus 23:5-10 [Jesus was crucified on the PREPARATION of the PASSOVER SABBATH NOT THE WEEKLY SABBATH John 19:31
11. When did they BUY the spices to embalm His body?
Mark 16:1.
12. When did they PREPARE the spices?
Luke 23: 54, 55.
Note: Mark tells us that they bought the spices AFTER the Sabbath and Luke says they prepared the spices BEFORE the Sabbath. How could they prepare the spices before the Sabbath and not buy them until after the Sabbath if there was only one Sabbath day in that week?
Answer: They bought and prepared the spices AFTER the PASSOVER SABBATH and the day BEFORE the WEEKLY SABBATH, which is our present Friday. This clears up the apparent contradiction and also gives us the day of His crucifixion.
13. When was Jesus crucified, then?
Daniel 9:27; Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:25; John 19:14
14. When was He placed into the tomb?
Matthew 27:45, 46, 50, 57-62; John 19:42
Note: We see now that Jesus died the ninth hour of the preparation of the Passover and was placed into the tomb before the Passover Sabbath began.
15. Therefore, how long was Christ in the grave?
Answer: Jesus was betrayed and crucified on Wednesday, the middle of the week, was placed in the tomb just before Thursday, the Passover Sabbath began; He remained in the tomb exactly three days and three nights according to His own prophecy, and rose “in the end of the [weekly] Sabbath”. Thus He fulfilled all prophecy and became the “firstfruits from the dead”. [ 1 Corinthians 15:20]
16. What about Good Friday and Easter Sunday?
Answer: Both of these festivals are based on erroneous interpretation of scripture and stem from Catholicism. Christ’s death is remembered in the Lord’s Supper and His resurrection in water baptism.
1 Corinthians 11:26; Romans 6:3-11.
17. Is it important that we understand the truth about Christ’s crucifixion and His resurrection? In regard to His crucifixion the only sign Jesus gave to the Jews proving His Messiahship was His three days and three nights in the grave, and since Christ did not rise on Sunday, this removes the main support for Sunday observance and rather establishes the sanctity of the Sabbath.
