QUESTION ON CONCERNING THE DAY OF RESURRECTION AND JESUS' DESCENT INTO THE ABODE OF DEATH

The first icon depicts the Victorious Lord who has risen from the Dead trampling on Hell showing His absolute and total victory over Darkness and Evil. The second icon depicts the same Risen Lord saving the souls in Purgatory and bringing them to Heaven.

Anonymous said...

hello father, it's been a while. i have a question about Jesus' resurrection. why do we celebrate it on a Sunday? shouldn't it be Monday, the third day, counting from his death on friday? shouldn't it be 3 days and 3 nights just like what is written in Matthew 12:40? or maybe it's because He died on a thursday? i'm confused. thanks!

... and on some articles, they say he died on a wednesday 3pm. wandered for 3 days in paradise where he is busy moving souls to heaven then he went back to his tomb to be one with his earthly body and rose on saturday, not sunday.

richard

April 23, 2011 4:29 PM

Fr. Abe, CRS said...

[hello father, it's been a while. i have a question about Jesus' resurrection. why do we celebrate it on a Sunday? shouldn't it be Monday, the third day, counting from his death on friday? shouldn't it be 3 days and 3 nights just like what is written in Matthew 12:40? or maybe it's because He died on a thursday? i'm confused. thanks! richard]

Dear Richard,

O nice to hear from you again.

The confusion is rooted in our modern manner of counting days which was different from the manner of counting during the time of Jesus and the Apostles.

Let us always bear in mind that our modern education, enriched already by advanced technology and scientific discoveries, counts the day as 24 hours based on the orbit of the earth around the sun every year and the revolution of the earth daily for which there is a night and day. This is given to us by our watches, either hanging on our wall, carried on our wrists or on our cellphones.

We have to bear in mind though that the people of Jesus' time do not have the privilege of a modern clock. They count things by looking at the sun.

Jesus died on Friday 3:00pm when the sun was still high. So, it was one day for them. Then darkness followed and the sun rose the following day, that is second day for them. Then that second day disappeared with the coming of the darkness and early the next day Jesus rose from the dead. So, it was on the third day. It is a simply way at counting based on practical understanding of the simple people.

We must avoid using our modern way of thinking on the people of two millennium before us. Surely it wont fit in.

The Gospels are categorical in stating that Jesus rose from the dead on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK [SUNDAY] AFTER THE SABBATH [SATURDAY]. Here are the Biblical passages with the Commentary from Barnes:

Mat 28:1

In the end of the sabbath - The word “end” here means the same as “after” the Sabbath - that is, after the Sabbath was fully completed or finished, and may be expressed in this manner: “In the night following the Sabbath, for the Sabbath closed at sunset, as it began to dawn,” etc.

As it began to dawn toward the first day of the week - The word “dawn” is not of necessity in the original. The word there properly means as the first day “approached,” or drew on, without specifying the precise time. Mark says Mar_16:1-2 that it was after “the sabbath was past, and very early in the morning, at the rising of the sun” - that is, not that the sun “was risen,” but that it was about to rise, or at the early break of day. Luke says Luk_24:1 that it was “very early in the morning;” in the Greek text, “deep twilight,” or when there was scarcely any light. John Joh_20:1 says it was “very early, while it was yet dark” - that is, it was not yet full daylight, or the sun had not yet risen. The time when they came, therefore, was at the break of day, when the sun was about to rise, but while it was yet so dark as to render objects obscure, or not distinctly visible.

The first day of the week - The day which is observed by Christians as the Sabbath. The Jews observed the seventh day of the week, or our Saturday. During that day our Saviour was in the grave. As he rose on the morning of the first day, that day has always been observed in commemoration of so glorious an event.

[... and on some articles, they say he died on a wednesday 3pm. wandered for 3 days in paradise where he is busy moving souls to heaven then he went back to his tomb to be one with his earthly body and rose on saturday, not sunday. richard]

That Jesus rose from the day on Sunday is already settled and uncontested. Both Catholics, Orthodox, Jews and Protestant scholars unanimously agree on that. That is historically established. Never mind some people giving their different opinions otherwise.

The belief that Jesus went to the abode of the dead during 3 days is attested to by Sacred Scriptures:

1 Peter 3:18-20 "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water."

The Catholic Creeds states that after Jesus suffered, died and was buried He descended into the dead or in Hell... for what? to preach to the dead. To declare even there that He has defeated Sin and Death... And to those who are in Purgatory to announce the victory of God over Sin and that Paradise has been re-opened.

ACTUALLY, THIS DECISION OF THE LORD TO DESCEND INTO HELL OR THE ABODE OF THE DEAD IS A MANIFESTATION OF HIS TOTAL VICTORY OVER SATAN. THE LORD AS A CONQUERING WARRIOR CATEGORICALLY PROVED TO SATAN THAT HE DEFEATED HIM BY APPEARING RIGHT IN HIS TERRITORY. THE LORD DECLARES THAT HE IS THE LORD NOT ONLY OF HEAVEN AND EARTH BUT ALSO OF ALL SPIRITS... THAT EVEN HELL AND ALL WITHIN IT MUST BOW DOWN BEFORE THE VICTOR-KING - THE LORD JESUS. THUS, SATAN IS NOT THE LORD OF HELL BUT ONLY ITS PRISONER NUMBER 1.

IF YOUR ENEMY CAN ENTER YOUR HOME AT WILL WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT THEN IT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN OVERPOWERED. JESUS DID EXACTLY THAT.

Still, the Resurrection Day is Sunday and not Saturday.

May 4, 2011 8:41 AM