Matthew 27:62-64 - The Day In Between

We believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday and that He resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week. For years I struggled with how between Friday and Sunday there were three days, when according to my calculations this is only two days. Several verses in the Scriptures tell us that Jesus would resurrect on the third day. Jesus had told His disciples in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Jesus again told his disciples in Matthew 17:22-23, “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.” When the Apostle Paul was explaining what the Gospel was to the Corinthians he wrote: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) So how do you get three days between Friday and Sunday? We need to remember a Jewish day begins at sundown the day before. In Genesis 1 where we read the record of creation, we are told that “the evening and the morning were the first day… the second day…” and so on. God Himself defines our day as beginning the evening before. This means that Friday actually began on Thursday evening. That is the first day. Saturday which began on Friday evening, is the second day. And Sunday began on Saturday evening, is the third day! And on the third day, the first day of the week, Jesus resurrected! But there is “the next day” or “the day In between”.  We know the body of Jesus was laid in the empty borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The disciples were in the upper room and very much in terror and most likely were afraid they were next to be killed. All their hopes that the Messiah was going to establish His kingdom and run the Romans out of their country were gone. The day in between can be a very dark and discouraging day! Many of us might be in “the day in between”. We might have just experienced a tragedy or the loss of a loved one. Or a best friend has betrayed us. Or we have suffered a financial setback and have no ideal how we are going to pay our taxes or bills or keep us with inflation. Maybe we just receive the terrible news that we or a loved one has a terminal illness. It might seem to you that there is no hope for a better tomorrow. The “day in between” can be a dark, discouraging, dismal, desperate and bewildering time for us, as it was for the disciples of Jesus. But my friend, today we need to remember that while the body of Jesus laid in a tomb, “the next day”(Matthew 27:62), and all seemed loss, Jesus was actually very much alive and at work! He told the thief that was crucified with Him that they would meet later that day in Paradise. While the body of Jesus was in the grave, I believe He went to the Paradise side of Sheol and took all the Old Testament saints to the third heaven where the Father was seated on His throne. He had told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house. On the “day in between” in your life please remember that Jesus is alive and that He loves you and is working on your behalf. He is interceding for you right now! (Hebrews 7:25)  Today, it might be a Saturday in your life but never forget that Sunday is just around the corner!