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Introducing the issue of the three days and three nights of Jesus entombment. Discussing the problems with the traditional view and the goals to be attained by this writing.
Dealing with the literalness of the sign, the circumstances in which it was given, and to whom it was spoken.
The meal that Jesus and his disciples took on the night of his betrayal and arrest was the traditional Passover Seder, observed on the 14th day of the first Jewish month, Nisan. Also that John reports the same meal on the same night, but in a different manner.
Stating the fact that during the week of Passover, there were two Sabbaths. This is a key element to a proper understanding of the chronology of events.
The first day of the week must be understood from a Jewish background, and not Roman.
A time-frame based upon the evidence given, and taking into account the full three days and nights of Jesus entombment.
I would like to give a fresh perspective to the debate concerning Jonah and the "great fish" that transported him to the shores of Ninevah.
I have searched the many commentaries and forums that can be found on the www that debate whether the story of Jonah and the fish is allegorical1 instead of factual, and if factual, what kind of fish it may have been that swallowed Jonah. In my humble opinion, there is too much energy and time spent on these issues.
For those who confess to believe in Jesus as LORD and Christ, these issues should be a mute point. The only thing that as believers we should ask ourselves is, "what is Jesus' opinion of the matter"? Seeing that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, I think that his perspective on the issue should settle the matter once and for all.
There cannot be found one hint, not a scintilla of evidence that Jesus doubted the veracity of the account of Jonah and the fish as found in the Scripture. As a matter of fact, he accepted the truthfulness of the story so well, that he linked his own prophetic claim of resurrection on the third day according to it.
for as Jonah 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.
In another place in this site, I have already dealt with the Greek particulars of this verse, but I will restate them briefly here.
In the verse above, taken from Matthew 12, the phrases for as and so work together to confirm the validity of the matter stated. We are dealing with two different events that are linked together as occuring in a similar manner. Plus the veracity of the second event is dependent upon the reality of the first.
We have two distinct events here: (1) Jonah in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, (2) Jesus in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. According to the Greek grammar used here, the veracity of the second event is dependent upon the truthfulness of the first. The grammatical construction demands that "In the same manner, Just like" Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, "so shall" the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
I have to wonder if Jesus would link such an important and monumental event as his own resurrection to an allegory or fable. I think not.
It appears from what we can see, that Jesus accepted the factualness and reality of the account of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish and remaining inside that fish for three days and three nights. He states with great clarity, "Just as Jonah was, so shall I be".
As far as what kind of fish it may have been that actually swallowed Jonah, why is that such a sticking point? What does it matter? One of the points of the whole account of Jonah is that this was a miraculous event. The Scripture points out that God had prepared a fish for Jonah. If God had prepared a minnow to swallow Jonah, that would be God's choice.
I think we only like to debate these type of issues because somewhere is gives us a sense of superior intellectual prowess. To debate the miraculous, which by its very nature is outside the norm of this time and space, is an exercise in futility. Professing ourselves to be wise, we have become fools.
As regarding the issue of the three days and three nights, this also seems to be an accepted fact by Jesus. Those to whom Jesus spoke this prophecy, didn't seem to have a problem with it either. The members of the Great Sanhedrin who went to Pilate requesting that he secure the tomb until the third day, seemed to accept the literalness of the statement also [Matt. 27:64]. They wanted the tomb guarded and secured until the third day, not for two nights and a day or any other combination of time. They specifically requested "until the third day", meaning up to and including the end of the third day.
As stated elsewhere, this is why you will search in vain for any Christian scholar or commentator who takes Jonah's three days and nights as literal. Because if we accept Jonah's time as literal, then it demands that we take Jesus' time as literal also. And if we do that, the Friday to Sunday morning scenario completely falls apart. So in order to maintain the sacredness of our Friday to Sunday tradition, we must sabotage the literalness of Jonah. Hence we find it best to relegate it to the catagory of myth, fable or allegory. By doing this, we can salvage and maintain our own man-made traditions.
What Jesus said to the pharisees, applies to us also,
Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.