What Day Was Jesus Crucified?

Infallible Proofs on Sunday

The voice of one crying in the wilderness. That prophecy—spoken in Isaiah 40—was fulfilled 700 years later when John the Baptist appeared preaching, “Prepare ye the way of the LORD.” Prophecy upon prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Over the years, many powerful sermons and recitations have captured the drama of the crucifixion and resurrection. One famous sermon is “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming” by S. M. Lockridge. While its dramatization is memorable, let’s look carefully at what Scripture actually says about the timing of Christ’s death and resurrection.

What Day Was Jesus Crucified?

Mark 15:42 states that Jesus was crucified on “the day before the sabbath.” But was that sabbath Saturday?

The Jews observed annual sabbaths in addition to the weekly Saturday sabbath.

During Passover week, the first day—the 15th of Nisan—was considered a sabbath no matter what day of the week it fell on.

You can confirm this in:

• Exodus 12:16
• Leviticus 23:7
• Numbers 28:16–18

That particular year, the 15th of Nisan (the Passover sabbath) fell on Thursday.

John 19:14 tells us that Jesus was crucified on “the preparation of the Passover,” meaning the day before the Thursday Passover sabbath — which places the crucifixion on Wednesday.

John also tells us Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples the evening before, fulfilling the picture of Jesus Himself as the Passover Lamb.

At the very hour the Passover lambs were being slain on the 14th of Nisan, Jesus—
The Lamb of God,
The fulfillment of prophecy,
The One foreshadowed in Exodus 12:6—
was offered up for our salvation.

Three Days and Three Nights

Jesus died Wednesday near sunset.

Exactly 72 hours later—three days and three nights—He rose again just before dawn on Sunday, before the women arrived.

This perfectly aligns with Matthew 12:40, the sign of Jonah.

Even the two disciples traveling to Emmaus recognized the timeline:

“Today is the third day since these things were done.”
— Luke 24:21

They spoke those words on Sunday, and they referenced:

• Thursday (1 day),
• Friday (2 days),
• Saturday (3 days),
  with Sunday morning being the dawning of resurrection victory.

He Is Risen — SON‑Day Is Coming

Jesus was crucified.
Jesus was buried.
And Jesus rose on Sunday — S‑O‑N‑day.

The resurrection is not just an event.
It is the cornerstone of our faith, the infallible proof that:

• Christ fulfilled prophecy,
• conquered death,
• paid the price for sin,
• and lives forevermore.

SON‑day is coming.
   And because He lives, we have hope.