Day 7,8 & 9
"A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah" Matt 16:4
"But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." Jonah 1:17
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt 12:40, see also Luke 11:29
Since so much of the message of Jesus life, death, and resurrection is tied to prophetic fulfillment, I have problems with interpreters who minimize or rationalize this prediction. The sign of Jonah was THE SIGN, which Jesus was willing to provide to prove his messianic claim. I do not think it is unreasonable that a Biblically based version of events should have the sign of Jonah, fulfilled to the letter, at it core.
The largest argument against the necessity of a literal fulfillment is, as one commentator says:
"The period during which He was to lie in the grave is here expressed in round numbers, according to the Jewish way of speaking, which was to regard any part of a day, however small, included within a period of days, as a full day."
This sounds very "knowing" but these commentators provide only a few Biblical historical examples from the time of Samuel and Esther, which "appear" to support the case. Do a few examples spread over the course of a thousand years, by any stretch of the imagination make a "way of speaking"? This is subjective diversion with very little depth in what one looks for in objective scholarship.
The prophecy of Jonah is not an historical reckoning of a scribe but prophecy from the Lord's own mouth. Is Jesus fast and loose with prophecy? Does he see fulfillment it in terms of "round numbers" or will he fulfill everything down to the finest detail (Matt 5:17)? How much trouble has he endured so far accomplish all that must be fulfilled concerning him? Is it reasonable to assume he will drop the ball here? The bottom line is that we have within our reach a solid Biblical interpretation which does not undermine the detailed fulfillment Jesus prophesied about himself. Why should I settle for less?
"The Sign of Jonah"
As the sun set on Wednesday evening, the official Passover Feast and the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread simultaneously begin. Since Jesus is in the tomb, the Gospel writers don't say very much about this period. There are, however some notable scriptures and events.
Day 1 - Wednesday evening to Thursday evening
The official Passover meal on Wednesday evening is now ended. The leaders now feel free to enter the Praetorium and speak with Pilate. No one does ordinary work according to the scriptural imperative.
On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work" Leviticus 23:5-7
"The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." "Take a guard," Pilate answered. 'Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.'" Matthew 27:62.
Day 2 - Thursday evening to Friday evening
The women prepare spices (between the two "Sabbaths")
"Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment." Luke 23:56
The women would not have had time to prepare spices before the sun went down on Wednesday evening before the High Sabbath or the 15th began. They most likely prepared spices on Friday and again rested on Saturday "in obedience to the commandment." If the Day of Preparation and crucifixion were on Thursday, as is perhaps possible, Friday would be the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a special Sabbath and Saturday would be a weekly Sabbath. In this case, spice preparations would have to wait until Saturday night.
Day 3 - Friday evening to Saturday evening
When was Jesus raised from the dead? The prophecy of the Sign of Jonah suggests that Jesus be raised from the dead just before dark at the end of the Sabbath (Saturday). However, there were no human witnesses. From a scriptural point of view, I find no prophetic significance in a Sunday morning resurrection. Given our chronology, a Sunday resurrection contradicts "on the third day" which ended just before dark at the end of the Sabbath. A Sunday resurrection would push it into "the 4th day".
What about those other people raised from the dead?
"The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." Matt 27:53
This "strange" verse is not puzzling at all from a Jewish perspective. The priests, just before the sun set on the Day of Preparation, would go over to the Mount of Olives and tie off bundles of barley. God also "marked his Firstfruits" by opening the graves on the 14th. On the Day of Firstfruits, these bundles of barley were then cut and harvested, taken over to the temple and offered as first fruits "wave offerings."
The law has it that, " he shall bring a sheaf with the first-fruits of your harvest, unto the priest; and he shall wave the Omer before Jehovah, to be accepted for you."
One source I found says: Traditionally, this Passover-sheaf was reaped in public the evening before it was offered. Already on the 14th Nisan the spot whence the first sheaf was to be reaped had been marked out, by tying together bundles while still standing. The barley that was to be cut down when the time for cutting the sheaf had arrived, that is, on the evening of the 15th Nisan even though it was a Sabbath. Just as the sun went down, three men, each with a sickle and basket set to work. Clearly to bring out what was distinctive in the ceremony, they first asked of the bystanders three times each of these questions, "Has the sun gone down?" "With this sickle?" "Into this basket?" "On the Sabbath?" Shall I reap?" Having each time been answered in the affirmative, they cut down barley.
Matthew is simply telling us that Jesus fulfilled the Firstfruits "rehearsal" and had Firstfruits offerings to God. Firstfruits were presented, according to the Sadducees, on the 1st Sunday after Passover. Jesus had to remain ceremonially clean until he offered this "wave offering" and his priestly duties were complete. This fulfilled the Law in terms of "First fruit offerings." This explains why:
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" John 20:17
And yet he says later - after the Firstfruits had been taken to heaven:
"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side." John 20:27
"The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer." Hebrews 8:1
Apparently the thief on the cross received a special deal.
"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
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