SUBJECT: Mark 16:9 and
Luke 24:21
QUESTION: Can you
explain these verses as they seem to support a Sunday
resurrection
ANSWER:
Someone is sure to notice
Mark 16:9, thinking this text says the resurrection was upon
Sunday. But if you read the whole sentence, it does not say
that at all. The expression "was risen" is in the perfect
tense. What was Jesus' condition early the first day of the
week? Does it say he "was rising" or that He "did rise" from
the grave? No, early the first day of the week, at the time
He appeared to Mary Magdalene, He WAS RISEN. Of course He
was! He had risen the late afternoon before, so naturally He
WAS RISEN Sunday morning. The text does not in any way
refute the scores of other texts we have given.
Another passage that might
confuse, is Luke 24:21:" ... and besides all this, today is
the third day SINCE THESE THINGS WERE DONE." "These things"
included all the events pertaining to the resurrection --
the seizing of Jesus, delivering Him to be tried, the actual
crucifixion, and, finally the setting of the seal and the
watch over the tomb the following day, or Thursday. Study
verses 18-20, telling of "these things" and also Matt.
27:62-66. "These things" were not completed until the watch
was set, Thursday. And the text says Sunday was the third
day SINCE THESE THINGS were done. These things were not done
until Thursday, and Sunday truly was the third day since
Thursday. But it was not the third day since FRIDAY, so this
text could not prove a Friday crucifixion OR a Sunday
resurrection.
KEY
VERSES
Mark 16:9
Now when Jesus was risen
early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Luke
24:21
But we trusted that it had
been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all
this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
REFERENCE
VERSES
Luke
24:18-20
18 And the one of them,
whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou
only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things
which are come to pass therein these days?
19 And he said unto them,
What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before
God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests
and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and
have crucified him.
Matthew
27:62-66
62 Now the next day, that
followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and
Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember
that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three
days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that
the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his
disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto
the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error
shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye
have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made
the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Add this to all the proof we
have that Jesus was resurrected on the late afternoon of the
Sabbath and everything should be clear. This information is
available upon your request.
See:
Jesus--dates, days, months, years, times and durations
regarding birth, ministry, death, time in tomb and
resurrection
Now this…
The Greek word
for "since" after "the third day" in Luke 24:21 actually
means "away from". Away from is the same as our "after".
Yeshua died late on a Wednesday afternoon and was laid in
the grave at sundown on Wednesday as Thursday was beginning.
He was in the grave 3 days and 3 nights on Wednesday night,
Thursday night, and Friday night and Thursday day, Friday
day, and Saturday day using our reckoning of days and
nights. He rose as the Sabbath was ending. So He was in the
grave 3 days and 3 nights and rose after 3 days and 3 nights
while the Sabbath was ending. So He rose on the third day.
Sunday is therefore the 4th day. The actual literal Greek
translation of Luke 24:21 is:
But surely
also together with all these things, it brings a third day
away from which all these things occurred.
Translators
take the cumbersome literal translation and make it flow,
taking some liberty with it, but trying to retain accuracy.
The 4th day is "away from" the third day. So it is apparent
that the verse is literally saying they were walking and
talking after the third day, which was Sunday. However, have
other translators understood this point too? Yes, let's look
at 3 of them. (Luke 24:21)
Moffatt
Translation--by James Moffatt
....but he is dead, and that is three days ago!
The New Berkeley Version in Modern English-- Gerrit Verkugl
Moreover, three days have already passed, since all these
events occurred.
The Syriac
New Testament Translated Into English From The Peshitto
Version -- James Murdock
...and lo, three days have passed since all these things
have occurred.
The Syriac
Reading can be confirmed by 2 of the oldest manuscripts in
Estrangelo Aramaic: the Sinaitic Palimpset and the
Curetonian Syriac.
There is exceedingly ample evidence that the correct
translation for
Luke 24:21 is
that the KJV should read, "today is after the third day
since these things were done."
As the information above shows, the oldest and multiple
original manuscripts show that "away from" is the correct
word for since, and shows us that they were talking about
Sunday being the 4th day since Yeshua was laid in the grave.
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