There are actually THREE views, for some say Wednesday, others say
Thursday, and most say Friday. It would take too much space for us to go into all the details of these three views. Though all do not agree on the day Jesus DIED, they all agree on the day He was RESURRECTED, which was the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK (Sunday). In Matthew 28:1 we read, “Now after the Sabbath (Saturday), as the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” They saw the stone at the door rolled away and the body of Jesus was gone (verse 2 with Luke 24:3) and two angels then told them, “He is not here, but is RISEN” (Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6). No one disputes this fact. What is in question is the day Jesus died. There are several verses which help us to determine that day. Jesus had told His disciples on a few occasions that He must “be killed, and be RAISED THE THIRD DAY” (See Matthew 16:21 with Mark 8:31 & Luke 9:22). Now all we need to do is “count back three days” and that would be the day Jesus died on. If He died on Friday the “THIRD DAY would be SUNDAY, the first day of the week.”

That would SEEM to solve the question, but others have a problem with that based on Matthew 12:40 where Jesus said, “For as Jonah was THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be THREE DAY AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth.” Those who espouse the other two views (He died on Wednesday or on Thursday) claim that if He died on Friday, He was NOT in the tomb THREE nights, but TWO nights (Friday night and Saturday night). If we do take this thinking literally, them the view that He died on Wednesday would also be ruled out, for that would mean He spent FOUR nights in the tomb (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights). So, did Jesus die on Thursday (which would mean He spent THREE literal nights in the tomb)? Because of the language we use today we would probably conclude it was on Thursday. But Matthew was a Jew, and he used the language of the Jew, which computed time differently than we do. To the Jew “any part of a day could be counted as a whole day” (“a day and a night”).  So, in Jewish reckoning He was buried for “three days and three nights.”   

Another passage that confirms He was crucified and buried on Friday is Mark 15:42-43, “Now when the evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.” The “Preparation Day” as the PASSOVER, the “day BEFORE the Sabbath.” We know that the Sabbath is on Saturday (the “seventh day” …see Genesis 2:1-3 with Exodus 31:13 & 17). Joseph wanted to take the body of Jesus and bury it in his tomb before the Sabbath (see John 19:38-42), since no work was allowed on the Sabbath. We also know that Jesus had to be killed on the day of the Passover, for He was “the Passover Lamb” (see John 1:29 with 1 Corinthians 5:7).

In closing, let’s never forget what really matters is 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). This is the “good news” that saves sinners who believe (John 3:16; Romans 1:16; Acts 16:31). He took our place on the cross and bore the judgment we deserved (1 Peter 3:18). He laid in Joseph’s tomb for 3 days.  That proved He truly died and on the third day God raised Him from the dead to show us He accepted His sacrifice as the payment for our sins and that the believer in Jesus Christ is now declared righteous in His sight (see Romans 3:26; 4:1-3, 23-25).  (DO)  (668.5)