Biblical Congruence (Update #1)

Is the Bible consistent inside itself (ie. doesn't contradict itself, is congruent)?

While working on another Bible study for another purpose (more on that later), I had a need to compare the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for the period around Passover and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

When I saw the following, I stopped a minute, thought about it, and had a private smile between God and me.

Here is what made me smile in appreciation of Bible accuracy, comprehensive detail, and congruency:

Jesus died at 3:00 pm on Preparation Day, then was buried.  At Jerusalem on 14th day of 1st month, sunset is at 7:00 pm.  After sundown is Passover and High Sabbath of Unleavened Bread upon which no work can be done.  Passover must be all cleaned up & over with before next sunrise.

In Mat 12:40 Jesus said:

"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

 Therefore Jesus said He would be "in the heart of the earth" for 3 days & 3 nights.


Matthew 28:1 says:

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Mark 16:2 says:

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

Luke 24:1 says:

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

John 20:1 says:

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Bible Analysis

Mat 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1 all agree that Mary & other women came in the dark, early in the morning of the first day of the week (Sunday) at sunrise, discovering that Jesus was gone, He had risen.

While they all agree, they are not all the same.  All give the same information, but some give additional information.  By this we can be reasonably assured there is no plagerism, nor collusion.  None of them conflict with the others.

The results of this analysis is generally true throughout the 4 Gospels.  Similar analysis is generally true in all other books of the Bible.

Detailed Analysis:  What Day was Jesus Crucified?

Sunrise in Jerusalem at that time of year is 6:26 AM.

We don't know how much earlier Jesus rose from the dead before Sunday sunrise, & before the women arrived; it could have been as short as a few minutes, or as long as many hours.

*** Begin Update #1, 2019-12-10 ***
The following conclusion only considered the Bible verses shown above.  When Luke 24:21 (Jesus on the road to Emmaus) is considered, we are forced to interpret the verses as "days or parts thereof", causing Jesus' crucifixion, death, & burial to have occurred on Thursday, not Wednesday.  For further info on this, see the following Blog posting Crucifixion & Resurrection Timeline   All of the other data and conclusions stand as stated here.
*** End Update #1, 2019-12-10 ***

Counting backwards from Sunday sunrise for 3 days & 3 nights, we get Thursday sunrise.  Therefore Jesus had to be buried some time before Thursday sunrise to meet the 3 day 3 night prophecy. [Update #1 adds "Luke 24:21 however forces us to move away from the interpretation of Mat 12:40 as "full 3 full days and 3 full nights".  Instead we are forced to interpret Mat 12:40 as "3 days (or part thereof) and 3 nights (or part thereof)"]

Roman Catholics (and many other popular cults and sects) erroneously insist that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday, yet claim He was dead and buried for 3 days and 3 nights.  They must be using New Math to calculate.  No matter how I count it, there is 39.5 hrs (Friday 3:00 pm to Sunday 6:30 am), more or less, which is 1.65 days duration.  I couldn't make 1.65 days into 3 full days, no matter how hard I tried. [Update #1 adds "It doesn't meet the minimal criteria of 3 part days (unless you assume Jesus rose sometime after sunrise on Sunday, contrary to Mat 28:1), but cannot get 3 nights (or part thereof) in any possible way.]

Therefore Jesus had to have died 3:00 pm Wednesday [Update #1, see above, changes this to Thursday] (not Friday as others assume incorrectly), then the preliminary burial was done Wednesday [Update #1 changes this to Thursday] afternoon & night, but completed before Thursday sunrise [Update #1 changes this to "just before sundown on Thursday"].

If you handled a dead body, Jews were ceremonially unclean according to Numbers 9:6-12, and 19:1-22 for at least 7 days, thereby preventing you from celebrating Passover. However, you could celebrate the 2nd Passover on the 14th day of the 2nd. Month (ie. 1 month later).

All of them were expected to finish all work before sundown, the starting point of Passover.  That gave them no more than 4 hrs. from when Jesus died.

Did they make it, or did they have to go into mandatory overtime?  Nobody alive today knows.  We'll have to wait till we get to Heaven for that answer. [Update #1 forces Jesus' burial team to have Jesus "in the heart of the earth" prior to sundown on Thursday so as to achieve a part day in accordance with Jesus' prophecy of "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth"].

Assuming that Jesus was buried at 7:00 pm Wednesday [Update #1 changes this to "before the 7:00 PM sundown on Thursday"], that means His 3 days and 3 nights would be completed as of 7:00 pm Saturday [Update #1 changes this to "before 6:30 AM sunrise on Sunday"].  That is why Jesus was already gone when the women arrived at 6:30 am Sunday morning.

Accurate and consistent.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, God ensured His Holy Word was accurate, sufficient, and preserved through the years.