Tradition holds that Jesus went to the cross on "Good Friday." On a side note, I like to call this day "Black Friday" since he, who knew no sin, became sin for me. But did Jesus really die on a Friday? Many Christians have differing opinions on this. If Jesus died on Good Friday, there should be some Biblical and historical evidence. My purpose in this post is to review that evidence.
The Jews knew the year of the Messiah's death. According to Daniel 9:25-27, the Messiah would be "cut off" 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem once Babylon had destroyed it. According to history, King Artaxerxes issued the order to rebuild Jerusalem on March 14, 445 BC. The Messiah’s death would had to happen 483 years later. Using the Gregorian Calendar that we currently follow, Jesus death should have been in 38 AD, but neither Daniel nor the Jews followed the Roman Calendar. They followed the Julian Calendar, which has 360 days a year instead of 365. With this adjustment, we see that the Bible predicts the Messiah's death between late 31 AD to early 33 AD.
The High Priesthood of Caiaphas. The gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified at the direction of the first century high priest named Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3-4, John 11:49-53). We know from other sources that he served as high priest from AD 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus' death in that time frame.
The Governorship of Pontius Pilate. All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24-26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15-16). The Roman Empire records he served as governor of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36.
After "The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar." The Gospel of Luke tells us the ministry of John the Baptist began in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1-2), which was in AD 29. Since all four gospels depict the ministry of Christ beginning after that of John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this means that the death of Christ had to be after AD 29.
Crucified on a Friday. All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:42). We know that it was a Friday because it is referred to as "the day of preparation,” that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they needed for the Sabbath on Saturday. That eliminates the other six of the days of the week, but there were still quite a few Fridays between AD 29 and 36.
A Friday at Passover. The annual feast of Passover is held on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. According to the Gospels, Jesus died on a Friday that had a Passover feast (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39). Here is list of the days between AD 29 and 36 on which the Passover feast was celebrated:
Monday, April 18, AD 29
Friday, April 7, AD 30
Tuesday, March 27, AD 31
Monday, April 14, AD 32
Friday, April 3, AD 33
Wednesday, March 24, AD 34
Tuesday, April 12, AD 35
Saturday, March 31, AD 36
Therefore, Jesus had to have died in either AD 30 or 33.
John's Three Passovers. The Gospel of John records three different Passovers during the ministry of Jesus:
Since the ministry of Jesus spanned at least two years and more likely three and a half years. That means the AD 30 date is out. There is not enough time between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar (AD 29), and John's recording of three Passovers during the ministry of Jesus. As a result, the Messiah was “cut off” on Friday, April 3, AD 33. Can we confirm this?
"The Ninth Hour". Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus died about "the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45-50, Mark 15:34-37, Luke 23:44-46).” The ninth hour" is what we, today, would refer to as 3:00 p.m. This allows us to narrow down the time of Jesus' death to a very specific point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, AD 33.
The Eclipse. Jesus died after a three hour eclipse that blocked out the sun. According to NASA, a partial lunar eclipse took place on the afternoon of April 3, AD 33 at 3:00 PM for about 2 hours and 50 minutes, exactly when the Bible claims (Matthew 27:45). Please do not just take my word for it, click the image below and see what NASA confirms:
The Earthquake. Upon the death of Christ, a great earthquake took place that caused havoc in Palestine (Matthew 27:51-54). At the same time, the veil of the temple was ripped apart. Rocks were split in two. Many people were resurrected from the dead and began walking around Jerusalem. Such an event surely must have a historical record.
According to Stephen A. Austin, Ph.D., who is a scientist for the Institute for Creation Research, the disturbed sediment on the Dead Sea floor registers a 5.5 magnitude earthquake in 33 AD, leaving direct evidence to the crucifixion in Matthew 27 (http://www.icr.org/article/greatest-earthquakes-bible).
The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel 9:26 states that after the Messiah is cut off, “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary…” The wording suggests that the prince is not the Messiah, but rather someone who rules the people. The people rejected the Messiah and he was not their prince. When Christ was crucified, Palestine was under Roman rule. In 70 AD, the Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus (prince) besieged Jerusalem resulting in the destruction of the city and temple just like Daniel’s prophecy foretold.
The Jerusalem Flood. Daniel 9:26 also states, “and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” The intended antecedent of the pronoun is unclear. It can be either the leader with his invading army or the city with its sanctuary. If the antecedent is the prince, the verse could be implying the Roman Army “flooding” into Jerusalem and destroying the temple. Jesus did say, “there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). If the antecedent is the city and temple, the flood could be a reference to the destruction of the Third Temple during the Tribulation Period (Revelation 12:14-16). Both are after the crucifixion.
Therefore, Jesus dies 1984 years ago as of April 3, AD 33. Can there be any doubt that when God reveals his will for his people that the events he describe will be accurate, timely, and absolute? God keeps his promises. Exactly 483 years after after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given, the Messiah made atonement through his death burial, and resurrection. Oh yes, Jesus did die on the cross on Good Friday, but up from the grave He arose on Sunday! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
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