How do we get three days and three nights if Yeshua was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday?

In my last video, I talked about Yeshua eating Passover with His disciples on Thursday evening, being crucified on Friday, and resurrecting on Sunday. But you asked, how is that three days and three nights? So, let’s dig into what the Bible says about it.

The Bible is very clear that the resurrection happened on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, very early in the morning.

Some people try to say that Yeshua rose at the end of the Sabbath, before the first day of the week, but the Bible says He rose on the first day of the week.

“Now when HE ROSE EARLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”
– Mark 16:9

We also see in the Gospel of Luke that later that day, when Yeshua was talking with the disciples and they didn’t yet recognize Him, they said, “today is the third day since these things happened.”

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY since these things happened.”
– Luke 24:21

Now, let’s work backward to establish the timeline. If Sunday is the third day, that makes Saturday the second day, and Friday the first day. That’s how we get three days.

But what about the three nights? The three nights are Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night.

I already know what you’re going to say. “If He died on Friday afternoon, why are you counting Thursday night?”

Let me explain, but first, we need to look at the Sign of Jonah.

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
– Matthew 12:40

Some people have taken this verse to mean that Yeshua had to be buried for 72 hours, and they do some serious Scripture gymnastics to make that happen.

Notice this verse does not say Yeshua will be dead for three days and three nights, nor does it say He would be buried for three days and three nights. That’s what people assume, but that’s not what the Bible says.

The sign of Jonah is a reference to the Resurrection, but does the phrase “heart of the earth” refer to His burial? That doesn’t really make sense because He was placed in an above-ground tomb.

That isn’t the heart of the earth. He wasn’t even in the ground.

So, let’s examine the Greek words used here for “heart of the earth”.
The first word is heart, “kardia” which means “mind, character, will, or intention.” In no way does this word refer to a grave.

The second word is earth, which in Greek is “ghay” and means “earth, world, soil, land, or religion, it can also refer to the inhabitants of a particular land or religion.” This word doesn’t refer to a grave either.

The phrase “heart of the earth” refers to the mind, will, or intention of the world or the people of the world.

Now, consider the context of this verse. Who is this sign for?

“Brood of vipers! How can you, being EVIL, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the HEART the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of HIS HEART brings forth good things, and an EVIL man out of the EVIL treasure brings forth EVIL things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An EVIL and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the HEART of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”
– Matthew 12:34-41

It’s a sign to the evil and adulterous generation that Yeshua will be in the heart of the earth. Meaning He will be under the “mind, will, and intention” of that evil and adulterous generation. This refers to everything from the moment of His arrest on Thursday night to the moment of His resurrection on Sunday morning, and I’m gonna explain why.

He was under their control and under their desire to crucify Him. They did what they wanted to do to Him for three days and three nights, but Yeshua rose on the third day.

First, I want to look at what the angels said to those at the empty tomb about the three days.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF SINFUL MEN, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'”
– Luke 24:5-7

Notice it begins with Yeshua being “delivered into the hands of sinful men.” So, it begins with Judas’ kiss, when Yeshua was betrayed and arrested. This is a reference to what He said to them when they were in Galilee.

“Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be BETRAYED into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”
– Matthew 17:22-23

Yeshua began with the betrayal, not the death when He spoke about the resurrection on the third day.

Now, let’s keep reading in Luke 24, and skip down to the disciples’ description of what happened during the three days.

“and how the chief priests and our rulers DELIVERED HIM to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY SINCE THESE THINGS HAPPENED.”
– Luke 24:20-21

They said today is the third day since these things happened, and the things they described included the arrest, torture, and crucifixion. Now, skip down to verse 46, where Yeshua explains what happened during the three days.

“Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to SUFFER and to rise from the dead the third day,”
– Luke 24:46

He included His suffering in the three days timeline, not just His death. When did His suffering begin? In the Garden when He was betrayed and arrested.

There are several times when Yeshua spoke about His resurrection on the third day, and they all include some mention of the events leading up to His death.

“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and SUFFER MANY THINGS from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
– Matthew 16:21

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must SUFFER MANY THINGS, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
– Mark 8:31

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be BETRAYED to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will CONDEMN Him to death, and DELIVER Him to the Gentiles to MOCK and to SCOURGE and to CRUCIFY. And the third day He will rise again.”
– Matthew 20:18-19

“Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be DELIVERED TO THE GENTILES and will be MOCKED and INSULTED and SPIT UPON. They will SCOURGE Him and KILL Him. And the third day He will rise again.”
– Luke 18:31-33

So, from an abundance of Scripture references, we see that Yeshua did not prophesy that He would be buried for three days and nights. He said He would be betrayed, tortured, killed, and buried, but that He would also resurrect on the third day.

“Three days and three nights” is not a reference to 3 days in the grave, it’s a reference to everything from the time He is betrayed by Judas until the moment of His resurrection on Sunday morning. That’s how we get three days and three nights.

Yeshua ate Passover with His disciples on Thursday evening. Then He was betrayed by Judas in the Garden later that night. He was arrested, put on trial, condemned, beaten, spat on, tortured, and finally crucified on Friday. He was buried on Friday evening, and He was resurrected on Sunday morning.

That’s three days and three nights.

Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night. Three nights.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Three days.