The majority christians believe that Jesus died on good Friday and rose Sunday. Yet when we compare this to what Jesus himself said about how long he would be in grave we see we have little problem. Jesus was always being inquired of by the Jews for a sign. He gave them one in reference to His death and resurrection. He told them that just like Jonas, He would be in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. In the Gospel of John Jesus again gave the Jews a sign by telling them if this temple was destroyed He would raise it up in 3 days. Jesus was referring to His body.
(Matthew 12:38) Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 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.
So we are going to pretend Jonas wasn't in the belly of a whale. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three night. (Jonas 1:17)
Let's take another look at it (John 2:18) Then answered the Jews and said unto him, “What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?” (19) Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (20) Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? (21) But he spake of the temple of his body.
Jesus makes it clear the time between His death and resurrection would be 3 days and 3 nights.
Cannot Get 3 Days And 3 Nights
Now despite the fact that Jesus Himself said that He would be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights, man has come up with the tradition of Jesus dying on Good Friday and rising early Sunday morning. In following this tradition, not only does one not observe one of God's Holy Days, which is the Passover, they directly deny the words of Jesus. It was Jesus who gave the sign of being in the grave 3 days and 3 nights. The tradition of Good Friday and Easter clearly does not line up with scripture. Because following this tradition the maximum one has Jesus in the grave is 1 day and 2 nights.
According to tradition, if Jesus had died on Friday, He would have been in the grave Friday night, Saturday day and Saturday night. One would not count Sunday because in John (20:1) it states that the 1st day of the week which is Sunday, Mary came to the grave site when it was still dark. In Luke (24:1-6) They find that the stone which was placed in front of the sepulcher had been removed and an angel tells them that Jesus had already risen.
Tradition Man - Good Friday to Easter Sunday Morning S U M T W TH F S
Days 1
Nights 1 1
(John 20:1) The first d ay of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. (2) Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
(Luke 24:1) 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. (2) And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. (3) And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
(5) And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (6) He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,