Was it when they drove the nails into His hands? That was certainly part of it, but the starting point was actually before the crucifixion.Īccording to Hebrew law, the sins of the people were placed upon the Passover lamb before it was slain. These were part of paying the penalty for sin-having died on the cross and placed in the tomb, His suffering had ended. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15).īut when exactly were the sins of the world placed upon the Lamb of God? Was it when He died on the cross, or when they laid His body in the grave? The answer is no. Then at His baptism, Jesus began His life of public ministry. When He turned 12, He became aware of His life calling as the Lamb of God and His special relationship with the Father. The life of Jesus is marked by several pivotal moments. In other words, in Matthew 12:40, the Lord is telling His disciples that just as Jonah was in the belly of a great fish, so the Son of Man would be in the central clutches of the world. So the phrase “in the heart of the earth” can easily be translated as “in the midst of the world”-or in the grip of this lost planet-that Jesus came to save! It literally means soil, a region, or the solid part or whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application)-including country, ground, land, or world. Additionally, the Greek word for “earth” is ge. In Matthew 12:40, the word “heart” comes from the Greek word kardia, which is where we get the word “cardiac.” According to Strong’s, kardia means the heart (i.e., thoughts or feelings ) it also can mean the middle. Does that mean they will inherit the tomb? Jesus also says, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). We easily recognize here that “in the earth beneath” does not mean in the grave, but rather in the world. In the second commandment, we read, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). Rather, it means His will among the people of earth-the nations of the earth-as it is done among the angels in heaven. For instance, in the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Does this mean we’re praying for God’s will to be done in the tomb as it is in heaven? No, of course not. The phrase “in the earth” appears 66 times in the King James Bible, but none of these refers to the grave. Since the term “heart of the earth” is found only in Matthew 12, and nowhere else in Scripture, we need to find similar verses to reference. This allows the Bible-the inspired Word-to interpret itself. Whenever we attempt to gather the meaning of a passage in Scripture, we must compare it with other similar or related passages. The problem springs from our misunderstanding of the phrase “in the heart of the earth.” And others attempt to accommodate the “three nights” verse by adopting the belief that Jesus died on Wednesday or Thursday-still others reason that Jesus did not really mean three literal nights.įrankly, it’s very sad to see Christians expend so much energy struggling to explain something that the Bible clearly explains itself! The problem is not in “the three days and three nights” at all. Many people I’ve met felt that the Bible just could not be trusted because of this supposed discrepancy. Noting this, no matter how you cut it, Jesus was not in the tomb for three nights-even though Scripture distinctly states “three nights.” We’ll assume, as commonly believed, that Jesus died Friday and rose Sunday. Jesus says that the Son of Man will “be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”-meaning in the tomb. By dealing with the popular “three days and nights” conundrum regarding the story of Jonah, we’ll be able to peacefully come to a logical conclusion. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."īecause of a simple misunderstanding, this particular passage in Matthew has managed to cause confusion, frustration, and even division among laypersons, clergy, and scholars alike. The controversy surrounding this issues stems from a Bible verse, found in Matthew 12:40: However, I do believe the Bible gives us very important clues about the day of the week that Jesus died.Īnd once again, no matter what you believe on this issue, if you disagree with me or anyone else, do so respectfully and with a Christian spirit. I want to be clear that I don't believe what you think about this issue affects your salvation. Pastor Doug: I have received a lot of questions about the specific weekday on which Jesus died and have realized that it can be a controversial subject. I've heard that Jesus did not die on a Friday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |