Chapter 2  

The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ 

The Jewish Day 

    The Jewish Sabbath, and every day in the Jewish calendar, begins and ends at sunset (cf. Lev 23:32).

18

 The 

Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, but that day begins on Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday at sunset. This 

method of counting the beginning and end of each day worked well in ancient times. People did not have 

watches and clocks in their homes. Yet they had to know when the day began and ended in order to keep the 

Sabbath and to mark the beginning of certain feasts and holy days. Sunset was a clear and convenient starting 

and ending point for each calendar day. 

    It is clear from Sacred Scripture that the Jewish calendar day ends at sunset. For example, in the Gospel of 

Mark, Jesus taught and healed in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Mk 1:21 28).  That evening, at sundown, 

they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together 

about the door.  (Mk 1:32 33). The people saw Jesus heal in the synagogue hours earlier, but they did not 

bring the sick to Him until after sundown. The reason is that, on the Jewish Sabbath, it was prohibited to 

travel more than a short distance, or to do work, such as carrying something heavy (or someone heavy). The 

Sabbath ended at sundown on that day (Saturday), and then they were permitted to bring the sick to Him. 

Jesus Died on a Friday 

     And when evening had come, since it  was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 

Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of 

God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.  (Mk 15:42 43). 

    God's Holy Infallible Scripture clearly indicates that the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ occurred on a Friday. 

The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, a day on which devout Jews would do no work. The day of Preparation is the 

day before the Sabbath, that is, Friday. On that day, devout Jews prepare what they need for the next day, so 

that they can keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. All four Gospels tell us plainly that Jesus died on the day 

before the Jewish Sabbath, on Friday (Mk 15:42; Mt 27:62; Lk 23:54, 56; Jn 19:31, 42). 

     Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the 

sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they 

might be taken away.  (Jn 19:31). 

    The Jews wanted those who had been crucified to be removed from the crosses before the beginning of the 

Sabbath. Since the Sabbath begins on Friday at sunset, they asked Pilate to have their legs broken, so that they 

would die more quickly on their crosses and could be removed before the Sabbath began. When the soldiers 

went to break the legs of those who had been crucified, they found that Jesus was already dead, so they did not 

break His legs (Jn 19:32 33). Jesus died well before sunset, on a Friday. It is an indisputable teaching of Sacred 

Scripture that Jesus died on a Friday. 

Passover Began at Sunset on the Day Jesus Died 

    The feast of Passover begins on the evening of the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish sacred calendar 

(Exodus 12:1 14). That month in the Jewish calendar is called Nisan and it falls in early springtime. The first 

day of Passover is the 15th day of Nisan (which begins at sunset, at the end of Nisan 14). 

    The Gospel of John refers to the day that Jesus was crucified as  the day of Preparation of the Passover  (Jn 

19:14). The 14th of Nisan is the day on which Jews prepare for the beginning of Passover (Ex 12:6). Therefore, 

Jesus died on Nisan 14 by the Jewish calendar. 

    Jesus died on Friday, the Preparation day of the Sabbath, and that day was also the Preparation day of the 

Passover (Nisan 14). The next day, Saturday, was both the Sabbath and the first day (Nisan 15) of Passover. 

The Gospel of John makes a point of stating that this particular Sabbath was special,  for that sabbath was a 

19