Essay 11-e
The Crucifixion of Christ:
Did the Crucifixion occur at the 3rd hour or the 6th Hour?
Scholars say the hour of Christ's Crucifixion in John's Gospel contradicts that of the other gospel accounts. And they think that the gospels show confusion on timing of Passover in its association with the Crucifixion. But the scholars aren’t men of faith and don’t discern scriptural subtleties that become evident only when we trust in our sovereign God
Mark
15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
John
19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth
hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king!
19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him…
19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.
Daylight hours were reckoned from 6:00 AM, so the 3rd hour ended at 9:00 AM, and the 6th at 12 noon. The Crucifixion began in the 3rd hour. This is the hour in Mark's gospel, as other synoptic gospels indicate; they speak of Crucifixion events occurring before the 6th hour, soldiers offering to Christ vinegar to drink at Luke 23:36, and crucified thieves railing on the Lord at Luke 23:39 & Matthew 27:44. Further, Matthew 27:45 & Luke 23: 44 tell us the 6th hour is when darkening of the sun occurred, which was well after the Crucifixion began. Why then does John 19:14 indicate the Crucifixion began at about the 6th hour? It’s said the 6th hour figure refers to an alternate time system, but John uses the same time frame as other gospel writers, as in John 1:39 where two men join Jesus as the day nears an end at about the 10th hour (~4 PM).
First we note that the Savior observed an old Passover on a first Passover day with His disciples on the day before the Crucifixion. This Passover day was directly followed by a first New Passover observance, (communion supper) signifying superseding of the old by the new (Mt.26:17-28).
John 19:14 says And it (Crucifixion day) was the preparation of the Pass- over, telling us Crucifixion day was a preparation day for a second Passover day after the Crucifixion. Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42 & Luke 23:54 all likewise say Crucifixion day was a preparation day when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Thus all four gospels show us Christ was crucified on a prep- aration day for a second Passover day.
The gospels clearly reveal two old Passover days, and contrary to scholars, the two are not discordant accounts of one Passover day. As noted, all the gospels say Christ was crucified on the day before a Passover supper day, and Lk.22:7-20, Mt.26:17-29 & Mk.14:12-25 note another Passover supper that Christ & His disciples observed the day before the Crucifixion. This latter was on a first day of unleavened bread in Passover week. The day beg- ins at evening after lamb-slaying preparation. It continues to the next even- ing, so Christ and His disciples observed a first Passover, and He was cruci- fied the next morning ~9:00 AM on the same Passover day. Thus, a latter part of first Passover day was Crucifixion Day and a lamb-slaying prepara- tion day for another Passover day soon to begin that evening (Jn.19:31), ty- ing Christ and His cross to both old Passovers. He died somewhat after 3:00 PM (Lk.23:44-46), which is when killing of Passover lambs began. His body was taken off the cross before the second Passover day began.
John’s gospel presents a contrast of the two old Passover suppers. John 13:2 notes a supper not called passover supper, but it’s the first one, for the next chronological event, after Jesus’ discourse to His disciples in Jn.14-17, is Judas’ betrayal preceding the Crucifixion on the 2nd Passover/preparation day. The subtle identification serves to emphasize the 2nd Passover day (Jn. 18:28,39) as Crucifixion Day establishing Jesus as the ultimate Passover. The synoptic gospels note the second day, but emphasize the signifying role of the first day. John reverses the emphasis, and the ultimate Passover that was signified is now actualized. Thus, the gospels emphasize both days.
Summarizing these Passover events, a dual old Passover day was provident- ially ordained. Jesus identified with old Passover in an observance with His disciples. His subsequent communion supper with His disciples (Lk.22:19- 20) signified New Testament Passover superseding the old. He ended the legitimate old Passover forever by His sacrifice on normal Passover prepar- ation day. Three successive passovers relate our Savior to the Old and New Passovers and designate Him as the ultimate superseding Passover Lamb. Afterward, He became the Passover of Christians (1 Cor.5:7).
Now what circumstances would cause two Passover-day observances? Luke 23:54, Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42 and John 19:31 say that the day after the Crucifixion was a Sabbath day. Saturday after Crucifixion Friday was both a weekly & Passover Sabbath. Passover began at 6 PM on Friday the solar day, (which begins Hebrew Saturday) as John 19:31 notes, calling the Sabbath day soon to begin that Friday evening, an high day. This contrasts with the weekly Sabbath day that began Saturday morning at the 1st hour of the solar day, or 6:00 AM, as seen by Mt.28:1 that says…in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (Sunday). Thus, Saturday weekly Sabbath ended at morning as Sunday began (Note: Berry’s Interlin- ear incorrectly renders dusk; dawn is correct in this context, as even modern versions have it). The Jews utilized Passover time-frame with a full day starting at 6 PM and morning hours starting at 6 AM.
At the subject Passovers, two Sabbath days overlapped, extending from 6PM Friday to 6AM Sunday. An issue of Sabbath work-prohibition results, work on preparation day (Crucifixion Friday) being required of the people. If Pass- over & weekly Sabbath days overlap, the two Sabbath days join unavoid- ably in one extended observance in which the days lose individual identities. Now weekly Sabbath work prohibition includes a 12 hr. period of 6PM Friday to 6AM Saturday, or Passover-Sabbath work prohibition includes a 12 hr. period of 6PM Saturday to 6AM Sunday. Each Sabbath day is unique, the weekly type honoring God’s rest from creation work, and the Passover type honoring God’s deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. The Sabbaths become an unorthodox overlapped observance of two days that are individ- ually important to the Jews. Thus, at some point in history, perhaps not long before the Crucifixion, the priests would view preparation day as a problem when the two Sabbaths overlapped.
Emphasis on Sabbath work prohibition during Jesus’ ministry tells us work- prohibition times would be of great concern, but with overlapped Sabbath days, is work-prohibition governed by the time limits of a distorted Passover Sabbath, or a distorted weekly one? In other words, is Passover Sabbath limi- ted to an abnormal 6PM Friday – 6AM Saturday period so that weekly Sabb- ath can be a normal 6AM Saturday - 6AM Sunday one, or is weekly Sabbath limited to an abnormal 6PM Saturday – 6AM Sunday period so that Passover Sabbath can be a normal 6PM Friday – 6PM Saturday period?
A logical solution is to include one earlier day in the total period to create two Sabbaths separated by a brief interval. The people observe an early Pass- over Sabbath of 6PM Thursday - 6PM Friday, then 12 hours later, begin observing a weekly Sabbath of 6AM Saturday - 6AM Sunday, honoring both Sabbaths, while avoiding all suggestion of Sabbath-day work. The priests observe a normal 6PM Friday - 6PM Saturday Passover Sabbath, directly followed by a brief weekly Sabbath of 6PM Saturday - 6AM Sunday (work was normal in their Passover Sabbath observance). The early observance for the people would be the one that Christ observed on the evening before the Crucifixion. Pertinent Mt.26, Mk.14 and Lk.22 wording on participation in the Passover deals only with the people, mainly the disciples, while that of Jn.18:28 appears to deal only with priests & their associates.
This approach to the problem is natural since, in locales far from Jerusalem, a dual Passover was observed due to lunar-calendar variance and no input by Jerusalem on the right day. And it accords with Sabbath work-prohibition zeal during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Pharisees, famous for such things, would favor a special Passover. Their fence around the law was an elaborate system of their own rules designed to prevent violation of the law itself.
A change in normal Passover day to confine it to the priests fits teaching of scripture on Christ’s exclusive high-priest status in the New Testament era. Once a year, in the temple Holy of Holies, the old high priest sought God’s provision for Israel. Christ became the ultimate high priest, providing the sacrifice for priests to make them one with the people before God. He ended the levitical priesthood as the veil of the Holy-of-Holies in the temple rent in two at His sacrificial death, opening the way to God the Father. At this point the high priest’s ministry in representing God’s people transferred to Christ, and individual access to the Father, in the name of Jesus, ended lawful human priestly mediation. Christians are priests in a spiritual sense (Heb. 13:15‑16, 1 Tim.2:5). Any unlawful levitical-priesthood practice ended at destruction of the temple in 70 A.D, and rabbinical Judaism later prevailed, and Christ became the unchallenged priestly mediator for God’s people.
A new 24-hour Passover Sabbath day for the people, of 6PM Thursday - 6PM Friday, parted from the old 24-hour day of 6PM Friday - 6PM Saturday for priests, producing a 48-hour day that marks a setting aside of priests from the people, for the coming end of their office in the New Testament order. Later, the two groups would join, without differentiating them, by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. The lone 24-hour day marked a move toward uniting the people & former priests in Christ’s one Passover to atone for the sin of all who trust in Him. This process was finalized on preparation day of a final lawful Old Passover Day, to create one New Passover superseding the old.
As the 3rd hour relates to the 24-hr. day, so the 6th hour relates to the 48-hr. day. John’s 6th hour doubles the 3rd hour in other gospels to emphasize that a new 24-hr. Passover Day for the people began in the form of a 48-hr. day joining two old Passover days, one for the people and one for the priests, recognizing the elitism of the priestly class at that time. A subtle interim 48-hr. day providentially began to end the elitism, and a later lone 24-hr. one for laity & former priests prefigured a magnificent coming change by New Passover superseding the Old. Christ, the ultimate High Priest, sacrificed Himself, fulfilling sacrificial-lamb typology to finalize justification of Old Testament saints, and by His resurrection, to fulfill eternal life in all faithful servants of God in all eras of time who repent of sin, even the priests at the Crucifixion who hated Jesus, demanding that He be crucified.* (Lk.23:34)
*John was selectively given unique scriptural matters like the 6th hour figure, and while other disciples were martyred, John was just exiled to Patmos where he recorded the unique Revelation book. Evidently, John’s greater faithfulness to Christ, such as his identifying with Christ during the interrogation/accusation period in the high priest’s palace shortly before the Crucifixion, (Jn.18:15-18) was recognized.
