Good Friday? Good Wednesday!

Okay, Friday plus Saturday then rise on Sunday ... 3 days? It must be three days because we have Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Surely, my priest can count. They learn that stuff in divinity school, don't they? Well, maybe the math doesn't work but ... hmmm. I know. It must be one of those “faith” things. We just have to believe that somehow God squeezed three whole days in there ... somehow.

Sound familiar? I think I can clear this thing up for you.

Every significant event in the Bible is centered around one of God's Holy Days or Appointed Times (Moedim in Hebrew מועדים). The moedim fall into two sections with three appointed times coming in the Fall and three occurring in the Spring of the year. The word "moedim" first appears in Genesis 1:14 where we find that the sun, moon, and stars were placed in their orbits for the theological purpose of letting us know when we were to observe the appointed times.

For the purposes of this discussion we will concern ourselves with the Appointed Time of Pesach or Passover only. The Passover has to do with freedom. Freedom from slavery in Egypt. Freedom from slavery to sin. Freedom from bondage in prison as in Peter's case. The Passover is symbolic in every way of the Messiah. Let's begin with this scripture in Exodus 12 - “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month (Nisan) each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.” The 10th of Nisan is the day that Yeshua (Jesus) rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The Passover Lamb had to be picked out on the 10th of Nisan.

The seder of the Messiah was then and is still practiced today by Rabbis who are teaching their students how to do the Passover seder. This practice seder is eaten the day before Passover on the 13th of Nisan. This is the seder that Yeshua ate with his disciples at which he proclaimed the matzo to be His body and the wine (the 3rd of 4 cups referred to as the cup of redemption) to be His blood. Incidentally, this is the place where most Christians believe that Jesus invented communion wafers and grape juice. He then told them that whenever they have the Passover seder that they were to eat it in remembrance of Him.

The Passover Lamb must be slaughtered between 3 and 6 in the afternoon on the 14th of Nisan. This is the exact time when the Messiah is hanging on the execution stake (usually referred to as the cross). This particular year the 14th day of Nisan fell on a Wednesday and not on a Friday. Wait for it ... I can't give away the ending too soon.

The seder must be eaten at twilight on the 14th into the nightfall which is the beginning of the 15th which is known as the first day of Passover. The 15th of Nisan is a Sabbath rest day when no work is to be done. This is why Yeshua had to be down from the stake and in the grave before sundown on the 14th. This particular 15th day of Nisan happened to be a Thursday.

The seder itself is filled with symbolism which points us to the Messiah. From the stripes on the matzos to the breaking of the middle matzo and the hiding and redemption of the Afikomen; it all points us to the Messiah.

You are allowed to return to normal work on the 16th of Nisan unless it falls on a regular Sabbath day. This one did not, however, because it was Friday. You probably want to call it Good Friday although the people who had to go back to work on that day probably weren't very excited about it and the family, friends and disciples of the Messiah did not think it was very good as they were still in mourning. At sundown on Friday begins the regular Sabbath rest day and this lasts until sundown on Saturday. Saturday was the 17th day of Nisan. After sundown on Saturday, referred to as Motzei Shabbat, begins the first day of the week ... Sunday.

Yeshua was free at Motzei Shabbat to do the work of resurrecting from the dead since the Sabbath was over. Of course, it was dark outside and everyone was in their homes so nobody would notice the stone rolled away until daylight. You can call this day Resurrection Sunday which has nothing to do with eggs or bunnies or the sex goddess Ishtar (Easter).


Wait, now we should count these days to make certain that I am right.

• Yeshua is in the grave by sundown on the 14th of Nisan


• From sundown on the 14th to sundown on the 15th = one 24 hour period – we call this a “day”


• From sundown on the 15th to sundown on the 16th = one 24 hour period – “day” two


• From sundown on the 16th to sundown on the 17th = one 24 hour period - “day” three


• Sundown on Saturday officially begins Resurrection Sunday.

For those of you who still want to argue that he arose “on” the third day I will give you the words of the Messiah. Luke 11:30 “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Mark 8:31 ”He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Three witnesses should be enough.

Passover 2009 (biblical year 5769) fell on exactly the same days of the week as Yeshua's Passover. So, Good Wednesday may not sound as catchy as Good Friday but at least it doesn't have mathematicians scratching their heads and saying things like “if you want to be a Christian you have to check your brain at the door”.

Please enjoy Resurrection Sunday as an integral part of the Feast of Passover and eat some matzos instead of your chocolate bunny ... okay, eat your matzos with your chocolate bunny!