The Resurrection WAS on Sunday!

For most Christians and Biblical scholars, the title of this post would not need an exclamation point. However, for most members of the Armstrong Churches of God, the title of this post will evoke anger and dismay. "With his background in the Worldwide Church of God, how can he say that the resurrection was on Sunday?" they will say.

Many years ago now, Herbert Armstrong published a booklet entitled The Resurrection was not on Sunday. He opened his treatise by asking two questions: "Was Jesus three days and three nights in the grave, as he said in Matthew 12:40? Can you figure three days and three nights between sunset 'Good Friday' and sunrise Easter Sunday?" see https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbklet&InfoID=1319658718 According to Armstrong, in order for the math to work, the crucifixion had to occur earlier in the week - before sunset on a high day, not on the Friday before the weekly Sabbath. He then went on to assert that Christ was actually resurrected Saturday afternoon, not on Sunday!

While some traditionalists have argued for a different way of reckoning the time between the crucifixion and resurrection, this blogger is of the opinion that Armstrong was probably correct about the timing of the crucifixion. Nevertheless, his reasoning around the timing of the resurrection is clearly NOT in agreement with what is recorded in Scripture.

In his booklet, Armstrong even acknowledged that Jesus had stated that "the only sign HE would give to prove He was the Messiah was that He should be just three days and three nights in the rock-hewn sepulcher in 'the heart of the earth.'" Notice that this time period applies to the time he would spend in the grave - it has nothing to do with the period between his death and resurrection!

In other words, the countdown for this period begins when Christ is placed in the tomb. Hence, the time of his death (whatever day of the week that happened) has no bearing on when he would be resurrected. So, the thing that we need to focus on in this regard is the time of day in which Christ was placed in his tomb.

We read in the Gospel of John that after Jesus died: "And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." (John 19:38-42, KJV)

In this account of the events, Joseph and Nicodemus undertake a fairly elaborate preparation of the body of Jesus. This is obviously important in terms of the time element. In short, it had to take some time to prepare the body in this fashion. Notice also the location of the tomb is noted as being close to the place where Christ was crucified - this is important because it was "the Jews' preparation day" (in other words, the sunset that would inaugurate the high day was rapidly approaching).

Now, let's notice Luke's account of the same event. We read: "And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on." (Luke 23:50-54, KJV) The New Living Translation renders this passage as "the Sabbath was about to begin."

Once again, we notice that it was the preparation day, and the sabbath was imminent. Likewise, Luke confirms that Joseph engaged in at least some preparation of the body prior to placing it in the tomb.

In Matthew's account, we read: "As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching." (Matthew 27:57-61, NLT)

And, finally, the Gospel of Mark records that "when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre." (Mark 15:42-46)

Taking all four accounts of the burial together, the sense is that Joseph and Nicodemus placed Christ's body in the tomb just in the nick of time - immediately prior to sundown and the beginning of the Sabbath/high day. Given that Christ was supposed to remain in that tomb for 72 hours (3 days and 3 nights), that suggests that Christ must have been resurrected around sundown on whatever day that happened to land. And, when we consider the Divine attitude regarding the Sabbath noted in the Pentateuch (not to mention the zealousness of the Scribes and Pharisees of the time), it is hard to imagine that Christ would have been resurrected on the Sabbath day itself. And, if he was resurrected even one second after sundown, according to the Jewish reckoning of time, it would have occurred on Sunday - the first day of the week!

In his well-written book, The Thread - God's Appointments with History, Pastor Ron Dart (a well-known minister within Armstrong Church of God culture) supplies another reason for believing this timing. He wrote: "Remember that I have been telling you that the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are all about Christ. There was, at this season, a little noticed ceremony in the Temple service that was also all about Christ. This was the season of the first ripe barley. But the people were not allowed to eat any of that year's crop until a small portion of it had been offered to God by the priest. It is called "the wave sheaf" in the King James Version, and the ceremony is described in Leviticus." (page 64 of The Thread by Ronald L. Dart; Wasteland Press, 2006)

After quoting the scripture in question (Leviticus 23:9-11), Pastor Dart continues: "This could not be done on the Sabbath because it was an act of work...So, just after sundown, at the end of the three days and three nights that had passed since Jesus was buried, a noisy little procession of people made their way down from the Temple carrying torches...They came to a field that had been selected ahead of time where there were several bundles of grain already tied together, but not yet cut from the ground. One of the sheaves was selected, and a man stood over it holding a sickle over his head. He shouted a series of questions to the crowd gathered around him and they shouted their answers back at him: 'Is the sun down?' he shouted. The crowd answered, 'Yes!' 'Shall I reap?' 'Yes!' And with a stroke, he cut the sheaf from the ground. That may have been the moment that Jesus, who is also called 'the Firstfruits,' opened his eyes in the tomb. Through that night, the sheaf was prepared for offering..." (pages 64-65 of The Thread by Ronald L. Dart; Wasteland Press, 2006)

This would explain all of the references to the first day of the week in the gospel accounts surrounding the resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-2, Luke 24:1 and John 20:1). Now Jewish Christians would have certainly understood the nuances of this timing, and that Saturday evening was the beginning of the first day of the week. It is also easy to understand that Gentile Christians wouldn't have understood the ins and outs of Jewish traditions and time keeping. To them, it simply happened on Sunday, and that is exactly why they regarded that day with such reverence!

In the final analysis, it is disheartening to think that so many folks have placed such emphasis on timing and have neglected the actual spiritual significance of the event itself. For First Century Christians, the joy was attached to the fact that their Savior had risen. Hopefully, Christians of today can all agree that that event is worth celebrating any day of the week! If you can't, just try to imagine what that event means for you!