Transformed by the MessiahSample

Day 2: Risen on the Third Day

How was the Messiah in the tomb three days and three nights if He was buried on a Friday afternoon and resurrected on a Sunday morning? It’s a good question that is answered by understanding a few technicalities of Jewish law.

The seven-day shiva period of mourning begins on the afternoon of the first day the deceased person is buried. So even if they are buried right before sunset, that counts as day one (even though it’s not a full twenty-four-hour period). According to Jewish law, one can stop mourning and resume certain aspects of “normal life” after morning prayers on the third day of shiva (again, not a full twenty-four hours).

Jesus’ entombment on Friday was day one. And we know He was in the tomb all day Saturday (day two). On the third day, after morning prayers, the disciples would be returning to a more regular life, as shiva ends the mourning period on the third day. Jesus rose that morning. So according to the Jewish understanding of “sitting shiva” and the other avelut (laws) of mourning, technically three days had passed, and Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of being “in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40).

The number three has tremendous significance in the Bible and in the life of Jesus. It is associated with redemption, going back as early as the exodus. There were three sprinklings of the blood of the Passover lamb applied to the top and the two sides of the doorposts of the Israelites’ houses. Also, the third of the four cups in a Passover Seder is known as the Cup of Redemption. It’s no coincidence that He lifted this third cup to inaugurate the Lord’s Supper. He prayed three times when He was arrested. He was nailed to the cross at the third hour. He died in the ninth hour, which is three o’clock in the afternoon. And, of course, the Lord was resurrected on the third day.

Jesus was raised on the third day to fulfill this promise and bring healing and restoration so we might live in God’s presence in the messianic kingdom for all eternity.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord Jesus, Yeshua, for fulfilling the prophecy and rising on the third day to save me from the power of sin and death and to deliver me into Your family! Amen.