The ‘Wednesday Discussion’ On Jesus’ Death
The ‘Wednesday Discussion’
On Jesus’ Death
By Jan Lilleby
A follow-up of my article “Which Day of the Week
Was Jesus Crucified?”
This little study may also work as a lesson in
Bible Logics, and is worth a study all by itself.
You can learn how logics must be applied to understand
and be able to read the Word of God!
When browsing the net on this topic one can find many opinions of how it was with the death of Jesus on the cross. Some say it happened in A.D. 30; the distinguished renowned Bible Expositor Sir Robert Anderson – back in the day – wrote that Jesus died in A.D. 32 (his book ‘The Coming Prince’), - others claims the year A.D. 29 or 31 as the right year of the Lord’s death. There is no end to it. I also held A.D. 32 for correct a few years ago.
And, to top it off: Here come I, claiming A.D. 28 as the correct year for His crucifixion.
I base my calculations and figurations on two specific main-sources: For one, the Bible itself, especially the historical four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; and secondly – the honorable and renowned astronomical organization of the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Dept.
Here we thus have a case up for discussion, in which it is impossible to win the debate with just the use of one single fact of truth. We can only get to grips with this, as we add ALL the known historical as well as astronomical (calendar) facts, which together points to the correct date of Jesus’ death: Wednesday 28 of April, A.D. 28. In Jewry this is 14th of Nisan.
The list of Passover days in ancient calendar
I am using 1 Nisan and 14 Nisan for each of the nine probable years to give you a wider sense of understanding dates, and the respective week-day names for each, and this gives us a certain calendar perspective to the topic.
I have underlined A.D. 28 plus A.D. 31 since those years is the only ones within that 9-year period listed which have Wednesday as 14th of Nisan, the Passover, as the week-day when Jesus was crucified.
It can only be one of those years, and it seem clear to me that only A.D. 28 comes right because of the information of Jesus’ age told in the Gospels. He ministered three years from age 30 till his thirty-third year. He would have been 33 late September in A.D. 28, but died in late April, about five months before He would have been 33.
26 AD - 1 Nisan is Monday 8th of April. 14th of Nisan Sunday 21th of April.
27 AD - 1 Nisan is Saturday 29th of March. 14th of Nisan Friday 11th of April.
28 AD - 1 Nisan is Thursday 15th of April. 14th of Nisan Wednesday 28th of April.
29 AD – 1 Nisan is Tuesday 5th of April. 14th of Nisan Monday 18th of April.
30 AD – 1 Nisan is Saturday 25th of March. 14th of Nisan Friday 7th of April.
31 AD – 1 Nisan is Thursday 12th of April. 14th of Nisan Wednesday 25th of April.
32 AD – 1 Nisan is Tuesday 1 April. 14th of Nisan Monday 14th of April.
33 AD – 1 Nisan is Monday 20th April. 14th of Nisan Sunday 3 May.
34 AD – 1 Nisan is Friday 9th of April. 14th of Nisan Thursday 22 April.
I have already dropped the ‘egg’ in the basket: It is only a Wednesday that will fit with all of the Gospels, due to several incidents and Pascal Jewish traditions etcetera.
But let us first study Sir Robert Anderson’s year of Jesus’ death, A.D. 32.
At once we see that this year will be totally impossible, given the written history of the four Gospels….the ‘three days and three nights’ in the grave, and the fact that the women arrived at the empty tomb very early on Sunday morning ‘the first day of the week’.
A.D. 32 had 14th of Nisan on our Monday the 14th of April. If then we count:
09.oo AM Jesus crucified – and His body given to Joseph for burial in his tomb, before sundown according to Jewish law. He hung on the cross till 15.oo PM it says. Jesus had His first night in the tomb, thus first day was then Thuesday 15th of April (an extra Sabbath, first day in the Unleavened Bread Week), then His second night between Thuesday and Wednesday, then His second day at Wednesday 16th of Nisan (our 16th of April); then followed by His third night between Wednesday and Thursday, and then finally arrived the THIRD DAY: Thursday 17th of Nisan, our 17th of April. The presumed day of resurrection if Sir Robert Anderson should be believed. His resurrection must take place before the day ends at sundown, which would have been around 19.30 PM plus/minus. My guess will be that He was raised shortly before sundown. Thus He fulfilled the prophesy of laying full three days and three nights in the tomb. Sundown is the Jewish shifts of days. A new day began as soon as the sun had gone below the horizon. This all would mean that the women arriving at the tomb in early morning, would have been at Friday morning, THE FOURTH DAY. We read in the Gospels that Jesus was already out of the tomb when the women arrived there. The angels told them: He is raised; he is not here, as He foretold you… (Mat.12:40;28:5-8).
But the old calculations made by Sir Robert Anderson, they failed because we read in the quoted verses that the women arrived at the tomb early the first day of the week, which of course was a Sunday. Jesus had already risen right before sundown at Saturday 1st of May in our calendar (17th Nisan A.D. 28) – thus the women arrived at the tomb…NOT at the third day, but at the fourth! We shall also see below, that the women in question, went to the tomb not only that Sunday morning, but they went there on a business-day which was Friday before that regular Sabbath. So they had been to the tomb TWO TIMES and not just once. This is a fact many believers forgets.
Yes, I know, I do feed you now using a teaspoon. I am sorry, but sometimes error and misconception sits so deep inside us that we have to make people ‘Unlearned’ before they can be learned. We have to wipe out all those confusing ideas which have been occupying their minds so long, and it is quite a heavy job.
Welcome to the Wednesday Club!
The Bible and its New Testament leaves us only with Wednesday as the correct day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
One of the strongest evidential historical and Biblical facts is that which I just pointed to above: The women arrived at the tomb in the early morning on THE FOURTH DAY, not the third day. Jesus was raised at the end of the third day, which MUST HAVE BEEN SATURDAY. Saturday ended around 19.20 in the evening, and thus Sunday started right after this. Jesus did not rise at the fourth day, but the third day according to Scripture. There exists no Bible prophesy of anyone visiting the tomb on the early morning the fourth day. But still, that was when the women got there.
But still, let us turn to another fact of Biblical historical truth, namely the comings-and-doings of the female group among His close followers. Which displays to us: a scenario which undoubtedly had TWO SABBATHS and ONE OPEN BUSINESS DAY between the Sabbaths.
Because, the three women went to buy herbs and perfume oils to care for Jesus’ body.
The first Sabbath is mentioned in Mark 16:1, which was the one High Sabbath always following the 14th of Nisan, thus it was 15th of Nisan, a Thursday in our calendar,
“And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary mother of James, and Salome purchased sweet-smelling spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus’ body.”
Had this Sabbath mentioned in Mark 16 just been the regular one, a Saturday, the shops had been closed.
Therefore we find the regular Sabbath mentioned in Luke 23:54-56 – one that these few women managed to get those spices/oils to care for Jesus’ body BEFORE it turned into a Sabbath, and this was the only day between the two Sabbaths which had open shops/business hours, namely Friday 16th of Nisan (our April 30th).
“It was the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, and the Sabbath was dawning (approaching).
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed closely and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
Then they went back and made ready spices and ointments. On the Sabbath day they rested in accordance to commandment.” (It is referring to Exod. 12:16; 20:10).
Notice above (v. 54) this so-called day of Preparation came every Friday the year around, since it was Sabbath every Saturday likewise.
That is also the reason for Mark not mentioning any ‘Preparation day’ – because in Mark 16:1 it is the extra Sabbath on Thursday he wrote of, and not the regular one on Saturday. Neither did Mark write of the visit to the tomb on Friday, before Joseph had it closed off by that big stone. They went there to check on Jesus’ body first, and then they saw that it needed proper care according to Jewish traditions for burials. No magic and mystical tricks here, just regular common sense and practices found in Jewry.
For this scenario to have happened, the comings-and-goings of the three faithful women, it could never have been any other day of week than Wednesday on which Jesus was crucified.
Welcome to the ‘Wednesday Club” – it is based on absolute Biblical facts and correct history made by the four Gospel writers.
There are several critics and opponents to the ‘Wednesday topic’ – some say the equinox calculations made by astronomical organizations (such as for example U.S. Naval Observatory, and other important institutions), are incorrect – writing mile long articles against these. But the appearing of diverse moon phases, among which the Vernal-Equinox are one, does not alter the fact I have just proven above: The hard evidence for Wednesday as day of crucifixion, is found in the Bible and not by studying New Moon Conjunctions (even if moon phases decides when it is Nisan 14th).
The birth year of Jesus was manipulated
by the Catholic ancient church Bishops
A majority of Bible scholars hold to the fact that manipulation of Jesus’ year of birth was manipulated by 5-6 years. Some of the scholars hold to 2-3 maybe 4 years.
I am personally holding to the 4-year model, because of the necessity of Wednesday as the 14th of Nisan. And also because of that well known Roman counting of Israel’s population (Governor Quirinius of Syrias’ enterprise, Luke 2), plus the fact that Herod the Great died four years before our erroneous birthdate of Jesus. This enrollment of the empires inhabitants was conducted four years earlier than our calendar.
Then we land at A.D. 28 for the year when Jesus died, in His 33rd year, and He would have been 33 years of age in late September (not December, mind you) same year. Isn’t it rather peculiar that both of these dates were manipulated? What made these Catholic Bishops commit such fraud?
If we go to the other year which also had Wednesday as the 14th of Nisan, A.D. 31 (see list above) – it would mean that Jesus would have died at the age of 35 years (April A.D. 31) – but would be 36 late September; which is way out of order. It is entirely correct that Jesus was about 30 years of age when He started ministry (Luke 3:23).
If we go to the 2 year model, He would have died at an age of 34 years, becoming 35 if He could have lived to late September that year, A.D. 30. And if A.D. 30 was the year, this would not have been possible still: Nisan 14th was then on a Friday 7th of April in our calendar. And it could not be right due to the facts of the four Gospel writer’s narrative, especially the ‘Two Sabbaths Constellation’ told by Luke 23 and Mark 16.
Thus I find that ALL ROADS ARE CLOSED, except the ‘Wednesday Road’ - so one can only get through to Wednesday as the correct day of Jesus death on the cross.