How Long in the Tomb?
Jesus described how long he would be in the tomb. The words and phrases He used as He did this have often troubled Bible students. Those who focus only on the words of Matthew 12:40 usually concluded that these words demand that He was crucified on Thursday and raised up on Sunday. In their understanding this is the only way Jesus could have been in the tomb for three nights.
Then, there are those denominations whose emphasis is on the Sabbath. One such group says that Jesus was raised precisely 72 hours later and that resurrection was on Saturday just precisely at the same time He was buried three days before. To them, the resurrection was “discovered” on Sunday morning.
Other Sabbath keepers use the words of Matthew and conclude that he was crucified on Wednesday and raised on Saturday morning. To them the three nights are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. Is there any way to know just what happened?
Remember that Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus often mentioned the time He would be raised but uses two other phrases to describe that time. He only once spoke of “three days and three nights,” but in the gospel accounts He used the phrase “the third day” at least eight times. Both Peter and Paul also use this phrase (Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:4). The accounts of His resurrection show He was raised on Sunday morning. Those disciples walking on the road to Emmaus said, “Today is the third day” (Luke 24:21). If Sunday was the third day, then Saturday and Friday were the other two. This does not solve the problem of the three nights of Matthew, but it shows one cannot simply read the one account. He must deal with every word Jesus spoke. Consider what Jesus said in His message to Herod. “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold,’ I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow and the third day I shall be perfected’” (Luke 13:32).
Jesus also used another phrase which complicates this matter. In Mark 8:31, Jesus said that “He must…be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” There is no way to take the phrase “on the third day” and “after three days” literally and not make the Bible contradict itself.
So, what is the solution? Was He literally in the tomb three nights, raised on the third day, or after three days. Atheists and unbelievers use this problem to say that the Bible contradicts itself. What is the solution? Was it on the third day or after the third day? We will look at the solution in next week’s article. It may not be as hard as it appears.