BIRTH OF CHRIST’S MYSTICAL BODY - Easter Sunday (Cycle A)

Homily for Easter Sunday (Cycle A)

Based on Jn 20:1-9 (Gospel), Ac10:34a, 37-43 (First Reading) and Col 3:1-4 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

BIRTH OF CHRIST’S MYSTICAL BODY

 ‘When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory’ (Col 3:1-4)

The Gospel narrative for this Easter Sunday (Cycle A) is taken from Jn 20:1-9. Verse 1 says: It was very early on the first day of the week^a and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb. Footnote ^a says “This was to become ‘the Lord’s Day’, the Christian Sunday; cf. Rv. 1:10.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 28:1-8 - After the sabbath,^a  And towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary^b went to visit the sepulcher (v. 1). And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it (v. 2). His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow (v. 3).  The guards were so shaken, so frightened of him, that they were like dead men (v. 4).  But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, “There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified (v. 5). He is not here, for he has risen just, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he^c lay(v.6), then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and now he is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.’ Now I have told you (v.7)”  Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb^d and ran to tell the disciples (v. 8), Footnote^a  says “And not ‘On the Sabbath evening’ (Vulg.) Since the Sabbath was the day of rest, ‘the first day of the (Jewish) week’ corresponds to our Sunday (Rv 1:10), ‘dies dominica’, or ‘the day of the Lord’ so named in memory of the resurrection. Cf. Ac 20:7+; 1 Co 16:2.”; Footnote ^b  says “‘Mary of James’, Mk 16:1; Lk 24:10; cf. Mt 27:56 and 61.”; Footnote^c   says “‘he’; var. ‘the Lord’.”; and Footnote ^d says “Var. ‘came quickly out of the tomb’. Cf. Mk 16:8.”

2.       Mk. 16:1-8 - When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdala, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices with which to go and anoint him (v. 1). And very early in the morning  on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising^a (v. 2). They  had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  (v. 3). But when they looked they could see that the stone-which was very big - had already been rolled back (v. 4). On entering the tomb they saw a young man  in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement (v. 5). But he said to them, “There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See here is the place where they laid him (v. 6). But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as he told you (v. 7)’.” And the women came out and ran away from the tomb, because they were frightened out of their wits; and they said nothing to a soul,^b for they were afraid…(v. 8). Footnote ^a say “Var. ‘when the sun had risen’.”; Footnote ^b  says “According to Mt 28:8; Lk 24:10,22f; Jn 20:18, they did in fact tell the news. Mark, too, may have said so in a loss ending of his gospel (cf. following note); alternatively, he may have deliberately refrained from speaking of it to avoid having to append an account of the apparitions which he has made up his mind to omit.”

3.       Lk. 24:1-11 - On the first day of the week, at  the first sign of dawn, they  went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared (v. 1). They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb (v. 2), but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there (v. 3). As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant clothed suddenly appeared at their side (v. 4). Terrified,  the women lowered their eyes. But the two men said to them, “Why look  among the dead for someone who is alive? (v. 5).He is not here, he has risen. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee:^a (v. 6), that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day (v. 7)”And they remembered his words (v. 8). When the women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all the others (v. 9)  The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them also told  the apostles (v. 10), but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them (v. 11). Footnote ^a  says “Lk does not intend to speak of the Galilean apparitions; he therefore modifies Mk 18:7, just as earlier he omitted Mk 14:28.”

4.       Mt. 28:10 - Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid: go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there’.^e Footnote ^e says “Though they agree in recording the initial apparition of the angel (or angels) to the women (Mt. 28:5-7; Mk 16:5-7; Lk. 24:5-7; Jn 20:12-13), the four gospels show divergences when it comes to the appearances of Christ. Setting Mark aside (his abrupt conclusions presents a special problem, cf. Mk. 16:8+, and his ‘longer ending’ recapitulates the data of the other gospels) all the gospels make a clear distinction, both literary and doctrinal, between; 1. Appearances to individuals that help to prove the fact of the resurrection; to Mary Magdalen, either alone (Jn 20:14-17; cf. Mk 16:9), or accompanied (Mt 28:9-10); to the disciples on the road to Emaus (Lk. 24:13-32;  cf. Mk. 16:12), to Simon (Lk 24:34), to Thomas (Jn 20:26-29). 2. A collective appearance that is coupled with an apostolic mission (Mt. 28:16-20; Lk. 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-23; cf.  Mk 16:14-18). As well as this distinction there two traditions as to where the appearances took place: 1. All in Galilee (Mk. 16:7; Mt 28:10,16-20); 2. All in Judea (Lk and Jn 20). By way of appendix, Jn 21 adds an appearance in Galilee which though it bears the character of an appearance to individuals (it is for Peter and John predominantly) is nevertheless coupled with an apostolic mission (given to Peter). The primitive apostolic preaching that Paul reproduces in 1 Co 15:3-7 lists 5 appearances (apart from the appearance to Paul himself) which are not easily harmonized with the gospel accounts; in particular he mentions an appearance to James of which the Gospel to the Hebrews also speaks. All this gives the impression that different groups, which cannot now be easily identified, have given rise to the different strands of tradition. But these very divergences of tradition are far better witnesses that any artificial or contrived uniformity to the antiquity of evidence and the historical quality of all these manifestations of the risen Christ.”

Verses 2 to 5 says: And came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple running faster than Peter reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.^b Footnote ^b says “The disciple acknowledges that Peter has some title of precedence. Cf. 21:15-17.”

Parallel texts for verse 2 are:

1.       Jn 13:22-23 - The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus.

2.       Jn 18:15 - Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace.

Verse 6 says: Simon Peter, who was following  came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground.

Parallel text fot verse 6 is Lk 24:12 that says: ^bPeter, however, went running to the tomb. He bent down and saw the binding cloths but nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened.

Footnote ^b says “Om. v. 12.”

Verse 7 says: and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 11:44 - The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face, Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free’.

2.       Jn 19:40 - They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom.

Verse 8 says: Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

Parallel text is Jn 21:7 that says: The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord’. At this word ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water.

Verse 9 says: Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of the scripture,^c that he must rise from the dead. Footnote ^c says “Cf. Ps 16:8-11; 2:7; Ac 2:24-31; 13:32-37; 1 Co 15:4.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 5:39 - You study the scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life, now these same scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life!

2.       Jn 14:26 - But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.^r Footnote ^r– says “In place of the departed Christ, the faithful will have the Spirit, 14:16,17; 16:7; cf. 1:33+; He is the Paracletos, who intercedes with the Father cf. 1 Jn. 2:1, and whose voice is heard in human courts, 15:26,27, cf. LK. 12:11p., Mt. 10:19-20p. Ac. 5:32. He is the Spirit of truth, leading men to the very fullness of truth, 16:33, teaching them to understand the mystery of Christ – fulfillment of the scriptures, 5:39+, the meaning of his words, 2:19+, of his actions, and his ‘signs’, 14:26, 16:13, 1 Jn. 2:20f,27, all hitherto obscure to the disciples, 2:22, 12:16, 13:7, 20:9. In this way the Spirit is to bear witness to Christ, 15:26, 1 Jn. 5:6,7, and shame the unbelieving world, 16:8-11.”

The First Reading is from Ac10:34a, 37-43 under the title “Peter’s address in the house of Cornelius.”

Verses 34a and 37 say:  Then Peter addressed them: You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea,^k about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism.^l Footnote ^k  says “Vv. 37-42 sums up the gospel story, cf. 1:21-22; 2:22+, emphasizing the same points as Luke brought out in his own gospel”; and Footnote  ^l says “Lit. ‘Jesus from Nazareth, how he began (var. ‘how it (all) began’) in Galilee after the baptism proclaimed by John’.

Parallel text for verse 37 is  Lk. 4:44+ says: And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.^l Footnote ^l says “Mk reads ‘Galilee’. Lk uses ‘Judaea’ in the wide sense: the land of Israel. So also in 7:17; 23:5 (?); Ac. 10:37; 28:21.”

Verse 38 says: God has anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on youⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k Footnote ⁱ  says  “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.”; Footnote ^j  says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.”; and Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.”

2.       Ac 4:27  - ‘This is what has come true: in this very city Herod and Pontius Pilateⁱ made an alliance with the pagan nations and the peoples of Israel, against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed.^j  Footnote ^h says “‘Anointed’ ; the Greek word is ‘Christ’; it is explained here, v. 27. According to its etymological sense.”; Footnote ⁱ  says “Representing respectively the ‘kings’ and ‘princes’ the Psalm mentions. For ‘Herod’, cf. Lk. 23:6-16.”; Footnote ^j  says “The ‘anointing’ that has constituted him King Messiah, ‘the Christ’, cf. Mt. 3:16+.”

3.       Is. 61:1 - The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh has been given to me, for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison…

4.       Mt. 3:16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened^l and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.^m Footnote ^l  says “Add ‘for him’, i.e. before his eyes.”;  and Footnote ^m says “The Spirit which hovered over the waters at the first creation (Gn 1:2) now appears at the beginning of the new creation. It has two functions; it anoints Jesus for his messianic mission (Ac 10:38) which it is guide (Mt 4:1 p; Lk4:14,18: 10:21; Mt 12:18,28), and, according to the patristic view, it sanctifies the water, thus preparing the way for Christian baptism, cf. Ac 1:5+.”

5.       Ac. 2:22 - Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say;ⁿ Jesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. Footnote ⁿ  says “The content of the earliest apostolic preaching (the ‘kerygma’) is here summarized for the first time; cf. the five discourses of Peter, Ac. 2:14-39, 3:12-26; 4:8-12, 5:29-32, 10:34-43, and the discourse of Paul. 13:16-41. The kerygma is 1. a witness, 1:8+, to Christ’s death and resurrection, 2:24+, and to his exaltation, 2:33+; 2:36+, 2. It also provides certain details of Christ’s ministry; how it was heralded by John the Baptist, 10:37, 13:24, inaugurated by teaching and miracle, 2:22, 10:38, completed by the appearances of the risen Christ, 10:40,41, 13:31, and by the gift of the Spirit, 2:33, 5:32. 3. It places this story in its wider setting: it appeals to the past, adducing the OT prophecies, 2:23+; 2:35+, and it surveys the future, the advent of the messianic era, inviting Jews and pagans to repentance, 2:38+, so that Christ’s glorious return may come the sooner, 3:20-21. The gospels, which are development of the primitive preaching, adopt the same theme.”

6.       Mt. 8:29 - They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?’^j Footnote ^j  says “Until the day of Judgment, the demons are to some extent free to work their mischief on earth, Rv. 9:5; they do this normally by taking possession of men, 12:43-45+. Such possession brings disease with it because disease- consequence of sin, 9:2+- is another manifestation of Satan’s dominion, Lk. 13:16. It is for this reason that the gospel exorcism though sometimes described simply as expulsions, cf. 15:21-28p; Mk. 1:23-28p; Lk. 8:2, often take the form of cures, 9:32-34; 12:22-24p; 17:14-18p; Lk. 13:10-17. By his power over the devils Jesus destroys Satan’s empire, 12:28p; Lk. 10:17-19; cf. Lk.4:6; Jn. 12:31+, and inaugurates the messianic era of which, according to the prophets, the gift of the Holy Spirit is the distinctive mark, Is. 11:2+; Jl. 3:1f. Man may refuse to recognize it, 12:24-32, but the demons see it all too well, cf. this passage and Mk. 1:24p; 3:11p; Lk. 4:41;Ac. 16:17; 19:15. This power to exorcise is given by Jesus to his disciples simultaneously with the power of miraculous healing, 10:18p, with which it is connected, 8:3+; 4:24; 8:16p; Lk. 13:32.”

Verse 39 says: Now, I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judea and in Jerusalem itself; and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree,

Parallel text is that says: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.ⁱ and then you will be my witnesses^j not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth’.^k(1:8) ‘…someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptizing until the day when he was taken up from us- and he can act as a witness to his resurrection.’ (v. 22). Footnote ⁱ  says “The Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1 Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent  from God by Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac 2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom, 6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt. 10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides the Church in her major decisions: the  admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without obligation to observe the  Law, 15:28; Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt. 3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit  as received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.”; Footnote ^j  says “The primary functions of the apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac 2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.”; and Footnote ^k says “nothing can limit the apostolic mission.

Verse 40 says: Yet three days afterwards God raised him to life^m and allowed him to be seen. Footnote ^m  says “Lit. ‘raised him on the third day’; stereotyped formula of the Christian preaching and faith. It appears as early in 1 Co. 15:4 (a first stage of the creed) with the addition ‘according to the scriptures’. The formula echoes Jon 2:1 (cf. Mt 12:40); see also Ho. 6:2. It occurs in Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Lk. 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46”

Parallel text is Ac 2:23 that says:  This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention^o and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law.^p You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades;^q Footnote ^o says “The OT prophecies demonstrate this divine plan: Ac 3:18; 4:28; 13:29; cf. 8:32-35; 9:22; 10:43; 17:2-3; 18:5,28; 26:22-23,27; 28:23; Lk 18:31+; 22:22; 24:25-27,44.”; Footnote ^p says “In this case, the Romans. The primitive kerygma accused the Jews is the same way, and confronted them with that act of God whish raised up Jesus, 2:32,36; 3:13-17; 4:10; 5:30-31; 7:52; 10:39-40; 13:27-30; 17:31; Mt. 16:18+.”; and Footnote ^q  says “‘of Hades’ Western Text; ‘of death’ Text. Rec. Cf vv. 27 and 31. ‘Hades’ in LXX is Sheol, Nb 16:33+; Mt 16:18+.”

Verse 41 says: not by the whole people by only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with himⁿ after his resurrection from the dead. Footnote ⁿ  says “Add (West.) ‘and were his companions for forty days after his resurrection from the dead.’”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 1:3-4 - He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the Kingdom of God.^d When he had been at table with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. Footnote ^d  says “The kingdom of God, Mt 4:27+, must be the main subject preached by the apostles, cf Ac 8:12, 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31, as it was the main thing preached by Christ, cf. Mt 3:2+.”

2.       Jn 14:22 - Judas - this was not Judas Iscariot - said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’

3.       Lk. 24:41-43 - Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.

4.       Ac. 13:31 - And for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people.

Verse 42 says: And he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people^o and to tell them that God had appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.^p Footnote ^o  says “I.e. the Chosen People, Israel, 10:2; 21:28.”; and Footnote ^p  says “Those still alive at the glorious coming and those who have died before the coming but then rise for judgment. See 1 Th 4:13-5:10. By raising up Jesus, God has solemnly invested him as supreme Judge, Ac 17:31; Jn. 5:22,27; 2 Tm 4:1; 1 P 4:5; to proclaim the resurrection is therefore to invite men to repentance, Ac. 17:30-31.”

Parallel text is Ac 2:36 that says: For this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.^v Footnote ^v says “Conclusion of the argument from scripture. It is by his resurrection that Jesus has been constituted the ‘Lord’ of whom Ps 110 speaks, and the ‘Messiah” (Christ) to whom Ps 16 refers. From Ps. 2:7 (Son of God), Ac 13:33+; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Rom. 1:4+ develop a similar argument. Cf. also Ac 5:31 (leader and savior); 10:42 and Rom 14:9 (Judgeand Lord of the living and dead); Ph. 2:9-11 (glorified Lord).

Verse 43 says: It is to him that all the prophets bear witness: that all who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven though his name.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 2:23 - This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention^o and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law.^p Footnote ^o  says “The OT prophecies demonstrate this divine plan: Ac 3:18; 4:28; 13:29; cf. 8:32-35; 9:22; 10:43; 17:2-3; 18:5,28; 26:22-23,27; 28:23; Lk18:31+; 22:22; 24:25-27,44.”; Footnote ^p  says “In this case, the Romans. The primitive kerygma accused the Jews is the same way, and confronted them with that act of God whish raised up Jesus, 2:32,36; 3:13-17; 4:10; 5:30-31; 7:52; 10:39-40; 13:27-30; 17:31; Mt. 16:18+.”

2.       Ac 2:38  - ‘You must repent’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ^x for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Footnote ^x says  “Baptism is administered ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ (cf.1.5+) and the recipient ‘invokes the name of the Lord Jesus’ (cf. 2:21+; 3:16+): 8:16;10:48;19:5;22:16; 1Co 1:13,15; 6:11; 10:2; Ga 3:27; Rm 6:3;cf. Jm 2:7. Such expressions are not necessarily the actual liturgical formulae of baptism, cf. Mt 28:19, they may simply indicate its significance, namely, that the baptized profess their faith in Christ, and Christ adopts those who thenceforth are dedicated to him.”

3.       Ac 3:16 - And it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.^j Footnote ^j says “The ‘name’ according to the ancients, is inseparable from the person and shares his prerogatives, see Ex. 3:14+. By invoking the name of Jesus, 2:21+, 38+, his power is stirred to action, 3:6, 4:7, 10:30, 10:43, 16:18, 19:13, LK. 9:49, 10:17, se also Jn. 14:13,14, 15:16, 16:24,26; 20:31. Faith is of course required if this invocation is to be effective, cf. Ac. 19:13-17, Mt. 8:10+.”

The Second Reading is Col 3:1-4.

Verses 1 and 2 say: Since you have been brought back to the true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ep. 2:6 - And raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. ^e Footnote ^e  says “Here as in Col. 2:12, 3:1-4, the use of the past tense shows that the resurrection and triumph of Christians in heaven is considered as actually existing whereas the future tense in Rom. 6:3-11, 8:11,17f treats it as something that has still to take place. Treating the eschatological reality as already existing is a characteristic of Paul’s letters written from prison.”

2.       Ph 3:20 - For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ.

3.       Ac 2:33 - Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand,^s he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, ^t and what you see and hear is the outpouring of the Spirit. Footnote  ^s  says “Words borrowed from Ps. 118 (v. 16 LXX ‘ The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac. 4:11, 1 P. 2:7, Mt. 21:9p,42, 23:39, LK. 13:35, Jn. 12:13, Heb. 13:6. But it is possible to translate “Having been raised up to the right hand of God and to see in this an introduction to the quotation (v. 34) of Ps. 110), which is another theme of apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p., 26:64p., Mk. 16:19, Ac. 7:55,56, Rm. 8:34, 1 Co. 15: 25, Ep. 1:20, Col. 3:3, Heb. 1:3,33, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P. 3:22.”; and Footnote ^t says “According to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize  the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ.”

Verse 3 says: because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Col 2:12 - You have been buried with him, when you were baptized, and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

2.       Ph. 1:21 - Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more.

Verse 4 says: But when Christ is revealed – and he is you’re ^a life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him. ^b Footnote ^a says “Var. ‘our’.”; and Footnote ^b  says “Through union with Christ in baptism, 2:12, his followers already live the identical life he lives in heaven, cf. Ep 2:6+, but this spiritual life is not manifest and glorious  as it will be in the parousia.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Col. 1:27 - It was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory:ⁿ Footnote ⁿ  says “Previously, when it had seemed (to the Jews) that pagans could never be saved, as salvation was restricted to ‘Israel’, pagans had seemed to be without a Messiah and consequently to be deprived of all hope, Ep. 2:12. The ‘mystery’ or secret of God that had now been revealed was that the pagans too were, and had been, all called to be saved through union with Christ, and so to reach eternal glory , cf. Ep. 2:13-22; 3:3-6.”

2.       1 P. 5:1 - Now I have something to tell you elders:^a I am an elder myself, and a witness^b to the sufferings of Christ. and with you I have a share in the glory  that is to be revealed. Footnote ^a says “These elders are to be identified with the ‘presbyters’ of Tt. 1:5+; cf. note on 5:5 where ‘elders’ means older people.”; and Footnote ^b  says “This can mean either that as an apostle, 1:1, he witnessed the Passion of Jesus, or that through his own sufferings he is a witness to Christ.”

3.       1 Jn 3:2 - My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he truly is.

4.       Rm. 8:19 - The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons.^k Footnote ^k says “Lit. ‘ waiting for the revelation of the sons of God’. The material world, created for man, shares his destiny. It was cursed for man’s sin, Gen. 3:17, and is therefore now deformed: impotent and decadent, vv. 19-22. But like man’s body, destined to be glorified, it too is to be redeemed, vv. 21-23; it will share the glorious liberty of the children of God, v. 21. For the Greek philosopher matter was evil and the spirit must be delivered from it; Christianity regards matter as itself enslaved and to be set free. In other texts also salvation is extended to creatures (especially angels) other than men, cf. Col. 1:20; Ep. 1:10; 2 P. 3:13; Rv. 21:1-5.”

Homily:

Regarding our position that that there was a spiritual resurrection more than a bodily resurrection that occurred in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the birth of His Mystical Body - the Church- as is asserted by scriptures, we presently quote the doctrine stated in my earlier work “Pag-adal sa Biblia Bilang 16, Nabuhay-Liwat Daw Man Naggad Si Jesukristo Sa Pagkagadan?” (dated 25 April 1998) and also David C. Pack’s article “Christ’s Resurrection Was Not on Sunday” concerning the Christian celebration of Easter thus:

“An mga pruweba na makukua sa Bbliya: Enot, an Aparisyon kan anghel sa bakanteng lolobngan. An mga report kan apat na ebanghelista siring kaini:

An ikaduwang pruweba: an Aparisyon ni Jesus.  Magkaiba an mga report ni Markos (16:9-20) asin ni Pablo (1 Co. 15:3-8):

A.      Aparisyon sa mga indibidwal:

1.       Ki Maria Magdalena - (a) Jn. 20:14-17; (b) Mk. 16:9; (c) Mt. 28:9-10 – Duman sinabat sinda ni Jesus; An mga babae nagrani asin nagdarapa, kinugos an bitis niya^e.

2.       Sa duwang disipulo sa tinampo pa-Emmaus – (a) Lk. 24:13-35 (Hilnga an v. 16^d – Para sa kondisyon kan hawak na mamurawayon, hilnga an 1 Co. 15:44+; (b) Mk. 16:12 – Ipinahiling an sadiri sa ibang porma.

3.       Simon Pedro – (a) Lk. 24:34, 1 Co. 15:5 (Cephas); (b) Jn. 21 (Simon asin Juan).

4.       Tomas – Jn. 20:24-29.

B.      Aparisyon sa enterong grupo: Mt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16: 14-18; Lk. 24:36-49; Jn. 20:19-23.

C.      An apat na ebanghelista dai man uruyon kun saen nangyari an aparisyon na ini ni Jesus: sa Galilea (sosog sa Mt. 28:10, 16-20; Mk. 16:7); gabos sa Judea o Jerusalem (sosog ki Lk. 24 18, 47, 52; Gibo 1:8; Jn. 20:19) asin Jn. 21 – sa Dagat nin Tiberias.

Sa duwang pruweba biblikal na ini dapit sa resureksyon ni Jesus, an mga report kan mga nagsasabing sinda saksi dapit sa pagbangon ni Jesus sa mgagadan dai nagkakauruyon, dai nagkakasurubo0, asin an saindang mga datos nagbabaranggaan asin nagkukurontrahan. Kawasa ta an mga kagsurat kan ebanghelio nadedepisilan na ika-eksplikar kun ano talaga an kahulugan kan ‘resureksyon.’ Mas marhay talaga na an mga estoryang makukua sa bibliya dapit sa resureksyon ni Jesus dai magkauruyon, dai maglasurubo asin magbarangggan o magkuruntrahan, tanganing ining tunay na kahulugan kan ‘resureksyon’ tagoon sa mga parabasa kan bibliya dai maniningong makaintiyende, asin tangani padagos magin masakit tubudon an doktrina kan resulreksyon nin kadaklan na tawo nin huli ta an mga estorya ninda nasa pormang alegoría o parábola (mga estoryang sa tunay na buhay dai man nangyari kundi isinasaysay tanganing ikapaabot an sarong kahulugan, o mensahe, o katotoohan, o doktrina, o katukdoan). Kun kaya an mga datos na irinireport sa mga estorya kan pagbangon ni Jesus sa pagkagadan (resureksyon) na isinasaysay kan mga ebanghelista dai uruyon, dai surubo, o nagbabanggaan nin huli ta an intensyon ninda bako man talagang pag-report nin sarong insidenteng tunay na nangyari (na iyo an sarong gadan na tawo nabuhay-liwat sa pagkagadan) sa totoong buhay kundi ipaabot o isabi ninda ining sarong biblikal na katukdoan dapit sa kamugtakan nin tawo pagkatapus na siya Magadan (an resureksyon). Ining mga estorya igwang hararom na kahulugan asin itinatago kan para-estorya sa sarong dai nanggad makatutubod na estoryang depisil masabotan o tubodon.

An katotoohan dapit sa estorya kan resureksyon ni Jesus iyo ini: an tataramon na’resureksyon’ sa tataramon na Griyego ‘anastasis’ (hilnga Gibo 17:18^k, na iyo man an ginikanan kan Griyegong tataramon na ‘anastesai’ na an kahulugan ‘pagrestorar,’ ‘restaurar,’ o pagbalik o pagsulit (Hilnga Job 19:25-27 asin komentaryo ^h). An tema kan gabos na profeta sa AT iyo an restorasyon (Zec. 9:11-17, An Mesias asin an Restorasyon nin Israel; Is. 60 , An mamurawayon na resureksyon kan Jerusalem; Ezk. 37:1-14, “Luminaog sainda an hinangos, nabuhay sinda liwat asin tuminirindog, sarong dakula asin mahibog na hukbo^d. Boot kong bangonon kamo sa saindong lolobngan, banwaan ko, asin darhon kamo pabalik sa daga ni Israel’; Daniel 12:2-3, ‘Dangan sa mga kasusupgan, na an iba sa daing kasagkoran na buhay. An mga may inadalan (Hilnga 11:35) makintab na maliwanagon siring sa baul nin kalangitan, asin idtong nagtutukdong katanosan sa kadaklan maliwanag siring sa mga bitoon sa gabos na daing tapos na panahon^d; Siring mana n Libro nin Karangahan ni Jeremias, 30 asin 31, 33; Bar. 5:1-9; Ho. 2:16-17; 3:5, 11:10, 12:10; 14:2-9; Joel 4:1; Amos 9:14-15; Micah 7:11-12. Sa mga libro nin Kadonongan 3:1-9, 4:7-5:24 asin mga Salmo 16:10+, 49:15, 104:29-30 makukua an temang resureksyon-restorasyon. Para sa mga profeta, an pagbalik kan Israel hale sa pagkadesterro pasiring sa Dagang Panuga iyo an dakulang restorasyon na gigibuhon nin Dios para sa saiyang banwaan, siring kan pagpabalik niya kaidto kan mga aki ni Jacob hale sa daga nin kaoripnan asin kagadanan, an Ehipto, ilinuwas niya sinda pasiring sa desierto sagkod sa Dagang Panuga sa Dakulang Exodo. Ginibo naman ini nin Dios sa panahon pa ni Abraham. An gabos na pagbabalik na ini pasiring sa dagang itinao nin Dios, iyo an manipestasyon kan saiyang intensyon na ikabalik an tawo sa saiyang dating kinamugtakan nin Dios saiya, an Parasio kan Eden, na pinierde kan enot na mga tawo huli sa kasalan. Sa lugar na ni ni Paraiso, an tawo nabubuhay sa sarong hawak nin liwanag, sarong mamurawayon asin malinig na hawak (body of light o astral body) namayong iba kundi tubig na alen sa hawak na laman (dalipay). Alagad kan siya magsuhay sa Dios, pinalayas siya sa Paraiso asin tinawan nin Dios nin bagong gubing, an hawak na laman (anit sa Gn. 3:21) na hawak na malalapaon (1 Co. 15:42-43) na may kagadanan (Col. 2:23, Jn. 6:27, Rm. 7:5). Alagad kan si Jesus Magadan para sa kasalan nin tawo, an saiyang diosnon na kamugtakan ibinalik nin Dios saiya (Ph. 2:6-11) huli kan pagbangon nin Dios saiya sa pagkagadan (Ph. 2:9) asin pagsakat sa langit. Ini an kahulugan kan ‘resureksyon’ ni Jesus: an saiyang pagbalik (restorasyon) sa dati niyang kinamumugtakan antes siya magsalaman nin tawo. Kun siring, huli kan restorasyon-resureksyon na ini ni Jesus, ibinabalik nin Dios sa tawo an posibilidad na makabalik man giraray siya sa dati niyang kinamumugtakan antes na magkasala si Adan, an Paraiso, asin isagubing liwat an hawak nin liwanag, o astral body.

An doktrinang ini malinaw na makukua sa BT: dapit sa diosnon na kamugtakan ni Jesus – Ph. 2:6-11), asin an saiyang pagsalaman – 1 Tm. 3:16; an pagbalik kan saiyang dati o orihinal na kinamumugtakan – Col. 2:11) bilang hawak nin liwanag o mamurawayon na hawak – 2 Co. 5:1-5. Dapit sa resureksyon nin tawo – 1 Co. 15:44+, 2 Mc. 7:9-14+, 12:38, 43-46, Mt. 22:29-30 (Hilnga 1:7+, Rm. 2:6, Rm. 1:4+, Gibo 1:6-7, 2 P. 3:12, Gibo 3:20-21^o, Jr. 15:19, Rm. 8:11, 1 Th. 4:14-18, 1 Co. 6:14, 1 Co. 15:20, 2 Co. 4:14, 16-17, 2 Co. 5:1-10, 2 Co. 13:4, Rm. 6:5-11, Ep. 2:6^e, 2 Tm. 2:8-11, Heb. 9:23-28, 1 P. 3:18-22, 4:1-6.

Kun siring, sa pagkagadan nin tawo kaipuhan na baklason niya an hawak na laman (Col. 2:11, 3:1-4) asin ibalik in isa daga tanganing malapa (1 Co. 15:42-43). An babangunon sa pagkagadan iyo an hawak nin liwanag na iyo an tubig, an yaon nang dati sa tawo alagad kaidto binadoan nin laman (2 Co. 10:3-5, Col. 3:9-14, 2 Co. 5:1-10). Dapit sa hawak nin liwanag, Hilnga Dan. 12:3, Kad. 3:7); an hawak nin liwanag iyo an tubig, an elementong isinalak nin Dios sa dalipay tanganing magpormang tawo n asa paghayop niya kan saiyang hinangos nagin buhay na linalang (Gn. 1:2, 2:7). Kun siring, tanganing mabuhay an tawo sosog sa kagustuhan nin Dios, kaipuhan niyang pakakanon an hawak nin liwanag kan kakanon na langitnon, Kad. 16:20. Kaipuhan na linigon mana n hawak na laman tanganing an hawak nin liwanag (tubig) iyo an mabuhay (Tal. 25:4, Kad. 3:5).  Kun siring, an bautismo, sa paagi nin paglugbo satubig iyo an saklamento (tanda) na an tawo minalinig kan saiyang hawak na daganon sa paggi nin pakikisumaro sa kagadanan ni Cristo ( Gal. 2:19-21, Col. 2:12) tanganing an nalinigan na hawak na laman magdan sa irarom kan tubig asin an magbutwa iyo an nalinigan na hawak na mamurawayon o maliwanagon na iyo si Cristo mismo (Ph. 3:21, Col. 3:1-4). An masakat sa langit iyo an hawak nin liwanag na ini (Apo. 11:11-12, 20:4). Dapit sa “Universal Restoration”, hilnga an Gibo 3:21, 7:55-56, Sal. 122:3, 126:2ª, Jr. 16:14-15.

                Dapit sa satong hawak nin liwanag na yo an tubig, ini kaya an dahelan kun tano ta si Jesus nagsabi sa Jn. 6:27 “Dai kamo magpagal para sa kakanon na nalalapa kundi magpagal kamo para sa kakanon na minadanay sagkod sa buhay na daiing kasagkoran.” Ining kakanon na nalalapa iyo an kakanon para sa awak na laman. An kakanon para sa buhay na daing kasagkoran iyo an kaknaon para sa hawak nin liwanag na sinabi man ni Jesus sa LK. 10:41 “Marta, marta, naghahadit asin nasisibot k asa dakul na bagay, alagad kadikit sana an kaipuhan, an totoo satro lang.” An sarong bagay na ini na kaipuhan nin tawo tanganing mabuhay iyo an tubig, na iyo an kakanon para sa hawak nin liwanag o mamurawayon nin huli ta an hawak na ini tubig man sana. Dangan masabi kamo, “mayong siram an buhay kun puro tubig sana an tutumaron nin tawo.” An simbag: ‘Dai man kaya kita linalang nin Dios para magpasiram-siram. Hapot: “Tadaw ta linalang pan in Dios an siram kun dai t aman palan pakikinabanagn?” Simbag: “Ginibo nin Dios an siram para duman sa mga tawong boot niyang mapierde para sa buhay na daing kasagkoran. Ini an dahela kun tano ta mahalaga an ‘ayuno’, ta sa pag-aayuno tinutukdoan kitang mabuhay sa tubog sana ma iyo an pinakakakanon na mahalaga para sa tubig tang hawak.

Christ’s Resurrection Was NOT on Sunday

by David C. Pack

Did Jesus rise from the grave on Sunday morning? Had He been there for three days and three nights? He said this was the only sign (Matt. 12:40) that He was the Messiah! Does—can—this sign coincide with the tradition of a Good Fridaycrucifixion near sunset and a sunrise resurrection on Easter Sunday?

What proof did Christ offer that He was the Messiah? The Pharisees challenged Him on this very point and He gave them an answer—His sign that He was true: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:39-40).

How, then, does the “Good Friday-Easter Sunday” tradition fit? Can 72 hours (three days and three nights) be made to fit into a period between late day Friday and early Sunday morning? Why do so few even seem to question this only sign that Christ said He would give that He was the Messiah? Could He have been wrong on this single great proof of who He was and still have been the Messiah?

Since no one directly witnessed His Resurrection, we must examine the only available authority on this great event—your Bible! The apostle Paul said to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thes. 5:21). The Bible is the revealed Word of God. It is His written revelation to mankind. Prepare to be shocked at what the Bible does and does not say on this vital point!

While professing Christians willingly accept the common traditions of men, true disciples (learners, students) of Christ want to know what HE says. Christ warned, “In vain do they worship Me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:7-8).

What standard will you use? Will you accept the recorded facts of history found in God’s Word—or continue with the familiar, comfortable traditions of men?

The Tremendous Importance of His Sign

Is it any surprise that Satan the devil would want to deny that Christ was the Messiah? Is it any surprise that he would seek to relegate the story of Jonah and the “whale” to folklore, myth, symbolism and superstition? If this miracle never occurred, then Christ’s sign, based entirely upon it, is nothing more than hollow and pointless allegory.

Consider what is at stake in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 12:39-40. Jesus placed His ENTIRE IDENTITY on the line with His sign. If He failed His only sign, then He is not our Savior and nothing He said can be trusted. In effect, if His prophecy of this sign failed, then He must be considered a false prophet. He would be a fraud and should not be followed—and MANKIND HAS NO SAVIOR!

Do not confuse the fact of the resurrection’s occurrence as being the sign, with the question of “how long”—the precise length of time—He would be in the grave before His resurrection took place. This was the test of His sign.

Be under no illusion about the position of Bible critics—sometimes known as “higher critics.” While it is embarrassing to watch them try to explain away Christ’s only sign, they really have no choice. If Christ’s sign remains intact, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition would be exposed as groundless—false—and collapse in a heap!

Some Bible commentaries nearly leave one breathless in astonishment when they assert that three days and three nights, in the Greek language, can actually mean three periods of time—either day or night. Friday night, Saturday daylight and Saturday night are portrayed as these three “periods” of time.

At least some are honest enough to acknowledge that the Friday-Sunday tradition is, in fact, only about half the length of time that Christ said He would be in the grave.

What Are Days and Nights?

Can we know for certain or must we speculate on the meaning—the definition—of a day or the meaning of a night? Does the Bible leave this definition open to opinion—with one man’s opinion as good as another?

Jonah 1:17 plainly says, “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Here, scholars face a dilemma when they explore the phrase “three days and three nights.” Some of these same “scholars”—who are actually critics—acknowledge that the Hebrew language must mean a 72-hour period of time. There is no room for any “periods of time” theories in the Hebrew.

Here is the problem! Christ said His time in the grave would be “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish’s belly…” The word “as” sets the standard of comparison. It leaves no room to “negotiate” the meaning of the Greek. The margin of Jonah 2:2 even compares Jonah’s time in the “great fish” to “the grave.” In this verse, the Hebrew word translated “hell” is Sheol. It literally means “the grave.” The comparison of Christ to Jonah—in a grave—becomes complete.

Did Christ understand the length of a “day” or the length of a “night”? He did! In John 11:9-10, He asked, “Are there not TWELVE HOURS in a day?…But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles.”

The Bible mentions in several places that Christ rose “the third day.” How long was this? The first half of the creation chapter, in Genesis 1:4-13, plainly says that God “divided the light from darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the first day…And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the second day…And the evening [now THREE periods of darkness called night—three nights] and the morning [now THREE periods of light called day—three days] were the third day.”

This is the Bible’s definition of the length of time accounted for within the phrase “the third day.” It spanned three periods of darkness and three periods of light. We have proven that each of these periods is twelve hours. Six times twelve hours equals 72 hours! What could be more plain?

The Source of the Problem

We have now established the exact duration of Christ’s time in the tomb as a 72-hour period. He was there for three days and three nights “as Jonah was…” We will shortly examine four additional scriptures that prove the same thing.

In Mark 7:13, Christ strongly warns against “making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” How is it that intelligent, well-educated Bible scholars seem to “know” that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday? What is it about Christ’s clear, straightforward sign that they cannot accept? The answer lies in the comfort of long-held but clearly FALSE traditions!

One of the most important rules of Bible study is to gather all of the scriptures on a subject to get the complete picture of that subject. There are other scriptures that prove the 72-hour duration of Christ’s time in the tomb.

John 2:19-21 states, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…But He spoke of the temple of His body.” Clearly, the use of the phrase “in three days” means that Christ’s time in the tomb could not exceed 72 hours—or it would not be within the three-day period.

Conversely, Matthew 27:63 establishes Jesus’ time in the tomb as not less than three days, or 72 hours, for it says, “After three days I will rise again.”

Examining two additional verses in Mark’s gospel account prove the same parameters of John 2 and Matthew 27. Notice Mark 8:31: “And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” A late Friday afternoon entombment means a late Monday afternoon resurrection. It is as simple as counting one, two, three! Finally, in reference to this verse, if it stood alone without other scriptures to qualify it—it must be plainly admitted that Christ’s use of the word “after” does not, by itself, limit His time in the tomb to 72 hours. He could still be there longer. He just could not be there one bit less than 72 hours. This much should now be clear.

We are now ready for Mark 9:31: “They shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day.” This verse presents another limitation on Christ’s time in the tomb. Consider! This verse, if taken by itself, places His time in the grave between 48 and 72 hours. The phrase “the third day” caps the duration at 72 hours—but it also creates a minimum of 48 hours—or the period would be somewhere in the second day! Again, if this verse is to be taken alone, a Friday afternoon crucifixion requires a resurrection sometime after late Sunday afternoon and no later than late Monday afternoon.

Establishing the Time of the Resurrection

The following fact should be clear. The exact moment and time of day when Christ was placed in the tomb had to coincide with the exact time of day of His Resurrection. We must establish precisely when Christ was placed in the tomb. We will then know precisely when He left the tomb. Plainly, any time of day or night—morning, noon, afternoon, evening, midnight, etc.—that Christ would have entered the tomb would have to be the very same time He would depart it by His resurrection!

While on the stake, after “the ninth hour” (three o’clock in the afternoon), Jesus “cried out” (Matt. 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46) and died. Luke 23:44 also makes a reference to “the sixth hour, and there was darkness in all the earth until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour is six hours after sunrise—or noon! This would make the ninth hour three o’clock.

These events occurred on the day before “the Sabbath”—the day called “the preparation” (Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54). We should recognize that the Bible counts days as the period from evening to evening (Lev. 23:32) or sunset to sunset. Recall Genesis 1: “…the evening [night or darkness] and the morning [day or light]…”

John 19:42 explains, “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day.” Jewish burial law (vs. 31) forbade the bodies of the dead remaining unburied at the outset of any Sabbath day or feast day. Remember, Luke 23:46 explained that Christ died at, or shortly after, three o’clock in the afternoon. He would have been buried soon thereafter—prior to sunset.

We have not yet established the day of the week that the crucifixion  occurred. However, our previous computation and comparison of related scriptures reveals that Christ must have risen sometime after three o’clock in the afternoon—on whatever would have been the day that was three days later.

A brief summary is in order at this point. Again, Christ’s Messiahship is at stake. Based on when He was buried (sometime between three and six o’clock on the day of His crucifixion), His sign as our Messiah was that He must—I repeat He must—rise at the same time 72 hours later. Otherwise, He is an impostor and a fraud, and we have no Savior. Unless we wish to make “the word of God of none effect through [our] tradition,” we must now admit that a popular, great tradition has crashed in a heap of rubble. Some honest questions remain.

The Crucifixion Preceded a Sabbath—But Which Sabbath?

We have now reached the important issue of when to start counting the 72-hour period of Christ’s sign. It involves the Sabbath. But which Sabbath? Could this question lie at the heart of why people assume a Friday crucifixion? We have already proven from all four Gospels that the day of Christ’s crucifixion was called “the preparation.” John 19:14 explains “it was the preparation of the Passover.” However, verse 31 goes further by stating, “for that sabbath day was an high day.” What does this mean?

What is a Sabbath that is a high day?

Any Jew will tell you that a “high day” is a FEAST DAY or an ANNUAL HOLY DAY! Leviticus 23 describes seven of these days that the nation of ancient Israel was commanded to keep year by year. A simple review of this chapter (verses 24, 26-32 and 39) reveals that God considered these days to be Sabbaths. Notice that Leviticus 23:2 refers to all of these Sabbaths as “the feasts of the LORD” and “even these are myfeasts.” This same verse also calls them “holy convocations”—meaning commanded assemblies. These days do not fall on the same day, year after year, any more than do the common pagan holidays that most people observe today.

Matthew 26:2 states, “You know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” (Leviticus 23 shows that the Passover was the one feast that was not also a Sabbath, wherein work was prohibited.) There is no doubt that Christ was crucified on the Passover. (Read our free booklet How Often Should the Lord’s Supper Be Taken?)

The original Passover is described in Exodus 12. A lamb was slain and the blood of this lamb was struck over the doorposts of all the Israelite houses. It was this blood that caused the death angel to pass over any particular house, thus saving the firstborn of that house from death! Hence, the term “passover.”

The Old Testament Passover always preceded the annual Sabbath called the first Day of Unleavened Bread. This day was a high day or a feast day to be celebrated each year, again, on the day immediately following the Passover. Notice Numbers 28:16-17: “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is thepassover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast.” This feast was the first Day of Unleavened Bread.

Jesus Christ was slain by crucifixion on the exact same day that the Passover lamb had been slain every year. While the above referenced booklet will take the reader into greater detail on this point, suffice to say that I Corinthians 5:7 plainly states, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” John the Baptist called Christ “the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Christ was crucified on the Passover and this day then would automatically be a preparation day for the feast day, or annual high day Sabbath—which was to begin almost immediately after His burial.

As mentioned, annual Sabbaths could occur on any day of the week. Tuesday and Thursday are more common than any other day for the first Day of Unleavened Bread, following the Passover. Thursday is probably the most common of all. For instance, in the thirty-six years (counting inclusively) between 1998 and 2033, the first Day of Unleavened Bread occurs on a Thursday 12 times, and on a  Tuesday 10 times. All other days are less often during this period. In the year of Christ’s crucifixion, according to the Hebrew calendar, the Passover occurred on a Wednesday! This means that the annual Sabbath had to be one day later—or Thursday! It was, in fact, THIS SABBATH that was approaching, thus requiring the swift burial of Jesus’ body prior to its arrival. The weekly Sabbath, or Saturday, was to occur two days after that.

Which Was the Day of the Resurrection?

If Christ’s Resurrection was not on Sunday, then when was it? The world commonly believes that it was Sunday morning. Does the Bible say this, or have millions made an assumption?

John 20:1 says, “The first day of the week comes Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” Compare this verse with Mark 16:2 andLuke 24:1.

It is now very early Sunday morning (it is still dark) and the tomb is open. Do these verses supply the supposed proof for the Sunday resurrection tradition? Do they support “Easter sunrise services”? A problem already presents itself. Christ is gone from the tomb before sunrise!

Now notice Luke 24:6. Mary Magdalene, and the others with her, are described as finding two angels standing before them. These angels stated plainly to these women, “He is not here, but is risen.” Also see Mark 16:6 and Matthew 28:5-6.

Christ was GONE—He was already risen! Notice the past tense of the two angels’ statement.

We can now establish the day of Christ’s resurrection. We have already established the time of day of His death and the burial soon thereafter and, therefore, also the time of His resurrection. It was late afternoon, between 3 and 6 p.m. Obviously, Christ was already risen, by this time, in the darkness of Sunday morning—because He had been gone from the grave since late afternoon on SATURDAY! Let us state this plainly. Christ died on the late afternoon of a Wednesday Passover and was resurrected three days later on the late afternoon of the very next Saturday.

Thus, the resurrection did not even occur on Sunday—period!

Christ’s Sign Fulfilled

Who will you believe? Will it be theologians, scholars, higher critics and other traditionalists, who love to profess Jesus, but reject the sign that He gave? Or will you believe the words of your Bible—that Jesus Christ rose from the dead exactly as He said He would?

It is now time to read a different Gospel account of the two angels’ statement to the women at the tomb. This time notice Matthew 28:6. It states, “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.” This would be impossible if Christ had been in the grave one second more or one second less than 72 hours. The One who said, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” was well aware of exactly how long His sign required that He remain in the “belly of the earth”—the grave.

Not only did Christ state that He would fulfill His sign but it was also established by the mouth of two witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15), who happened to be mighty angels of God.

Paul adds a final, great, corroborating proof that Christ did spend three entire days and three entire nights—from late Wednesday afternoon until late Saturday afternoon—in the tomb. In I Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul validates the words of Christ and the two angels who witnessed His fulfillment. Notice: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again THE THIRD DAY according to the scriptures.”

Further, the prophet Daniel gave a prophecy he described as “seventy weeks” (Dan. 9:24-27). In this prophecy, the Messiah was foretold to be cut off “in the midst of the week.” Wednesday is literally the fourth, or middle day, of a seven-day week. So then, it was in the “midst of the week” that Christ was “cut off.” (It should be noted that this prophecy in Daniel was a foretelling of Christ also being “cut off” in the midst of His ministry—after 3 1/2 years [Fall A.D. 27 to Spring A.D. 31]—if the biblical application of “a day for a year” is properly applied to the seventieth week of that prophecy.)

Are There Other Questions for Examination?

Some will say, “But what about this scripture or what about that scripture or this point or some other point?” Are there other questions that should be examined?

Some ask about Mark 16:9. Certain people suppose that this verse proves the Sunday resurrection theory. Does it? Simply reading the verse makes plain that it does not say Christ “was rising” but rather He “was risen” from the grave. Take time to read the verse. It uses past tense because, as we have seen, Christ had been gone from the grave for about twelve hours (since late Saturday afternoon) by this time on Sunday morning.

But what about Luke 24:21? It states, “…and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.” The phrase “these things” is a reference to all the events related to the crucifixion.Verses 18-20 describe the particulars of “these things” to be Christ’s delivery to Pilate, His trial, His crucifixion, His beating, His death, up to the setting of the seal and the watch over His tomb, which occurred the following day—Thursday. This discussion occurred on Sunday, and Sunday was the third day since all of “these things” were completed (on Thursday) with the setting of the watch on Christ’s tomb. Therefore, this is not a verse which can be used to set aside everything that all of the other scriptures on this subject have proven.

A Final Proof

Matthew 28:1 contains an important statement that bears examination before this subject can be laid to rest. Notice that this verse begins with the phrase “In the end of the sabbath.” Most versions render it this way, but some use the phrase “After the Sabbath.” The Ferrar Fenton translation correctly renders this phrase. Fenton translates this phrase with “after the Sabbaths” (plural). Fenton is possibly the only translator to note that the original Greek has the word “SABBATHS” in the plural. This is important. We will see why.

Notice Mark 16:1: “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices.” Their purpose was to anoint the body of Jesus. They were not able to buy their spices untilafter the Sabbath was passed. Yet Luke 23:56 explains that they prepared these spices “and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” While this may appear confusing, it need not be if these two passages are studied carefully.

Only one possible explanation emerges. It is that these women bought and prepared their spices on Friday, after the Thursday annual high day Sabbath—or the first feast day of Unleavened Bread—and then rested on the weekly Sabbath, which was Saturday according to God’s plain command found inExodus 20:8-11.

Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 must refer to two separate Sabbaths of that crucifixion week—with a day in between, Friday. Any other explanation creates a contradiction of scripture and the Bible nevercontradicts itself.

Sunday is Not “The Lord’s Day”

There is another very important reason why theologians and many others must conclude that the resurrection was on Sunday! Sunday is commonly referred to as “the Lord’s Day.” While the true Lord’s Day of the Bible is actually the Day of the Lord—the DAY OF HIS WRATH (Joel 2:1-11; Rev. 1:10; 15:1, 7)—the term “the Lord’s Day” has come to be synonymous with Sunday. But why? The reason is simple. If Sunday can be established as the day that Christ was resurrected, it can be a means of validating and “authorizing” the keeping of Sunday by the churches of the world, in place of God’s true Sabbath.

You have already seen references to the Sabbath day in this booklet. Exodus 20:8-11 shows that the keeping of the Sabbath is the Fourth Commandment! It was always the seventh day of the week and God never authorized Sunday—which would be keeping the first day instead. God hallowed it at creation—long before there were any Jews or Israelites to keep it (Gen. 2:1). The Sabbath was to be kept “forever”—“continually”—and “throughout the generations” of Israel, God’s intended model nation (Ex. 31:12-17). Christ kept it (Luke 4:16) and said that He was Lord of it and that it was “made forman” (Mark 2:27-28). He did not say it was “made for the Jews only.” Paul observed it (Acts 13:42, 44;17:2; 18:4).

The subject of keeping the Sabbath as God’s command for true Christians is a big subject requiring its own book to explain it. Therefore, more than the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition collapses if Christ was in the grave for 72 hours instead of 36. The largest single reason for the unscriptural tradition (recall Mark 7:7) of Sunday-keeping collapses at the same time. God has always said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). He has never said, “Remember Sunday to keep it holy—and just call it the Lord’s day!” The reader is left to ponder this. What is the Source of Your Beliefs?

Herbert W. Armstrong concluded his booklet “The Resurrection Was Not On Sunday” with:

“For proof of the pagan origin of such long-cherished days as Easter and Christmas... The shocking truth is that nowhere can you find sanctions for those two holidays in the Bible. It is time we discovered the source of our religious beliefs and found out whether we ought to observe them.”