Was Jesus Crucified on ‘Good Friday’?

Last Updated on April 22, 2025 9:42 PM by herald

The short answer to that question is “No!”.  In the rest of this presentation we show why and indicate the day on which Jesus was actually crucified. By the way Jesus was not born on 25 December either but perhaps most people know that by now!

You will NOT understand the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, unless you take time to understand two related things (1) the mission of Jesus and (2) Jewish law and customs. That is why we are advised to study the Word of God and not just read selected portions of it.

Mission Critical

Jesus’ mission was to act as a sacrifice for the sin of the human race. For this reason, he was born into the Jewish nation, to whom God in advance, had given many prophecies, laws and customs that mirror or were to be associated with his sacrifice. 

That is why Jesus said,

“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44 NIV

In the first instance, Jesus was to be “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29. According to the Bible, God instituted the law of a daily sacrifice of animals for sin until Jesus, the once-and-for-all, eternal sacrifice, would come.

Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. Hebrews 7:27 BSB

At the same time, Jesus was to be the Passover lamb which was sacrificed and eaten on the evening of the exodus from Egypt. His blood, similar to that of the Passover lamb, was to provide an eternal cover for the sins of the people.

Hebrew/Jewish Law

The celebration of the exodus from Egypt through the Passover was part of the Hebrew/Jewish law instituted from the time of Moses.  It is important to understand that the Passover was part of a period of days of celebration or feasting called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To implement this, God first commanded them to treat Nisan (roughly equivalent to April) as the first month of their year:

This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Exodus 12:1 NIV

On the tenth day of that month, the people were to prepare for the Passover by selecting a lamb that met God’s specification (See Exodus 12:5).  On the 14th day of the month (Nisan 14) the people were to sacrifice the lamb as a reminder of the death angel’s passing over Egypt.

In addition to celebrating the Passover with the sacrifice of a lamb, the people were to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread (leaven is yeast) to remind them of the haste with which they were to leave Egypt. Everyone knowns that bread made with yeast must be left for a time to allow the yeast to ferment. So, on the night of the exodus from Egypt, the people ate a hurried meal of roasted lamb and unleavened bread.

But the festival of unleavened bread was to be celebrated, not for one day only, but over a period of seven days:

18.In the first month [Nisan] you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. Exodus 12: 18 -19

Which day is the Passover?

Jesus kept the law in all its details. So which day was the Passover at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion?  From Exodus 12, we know the Passover is held on the 14^th day of Nisan.

The Passover is what we call a fixed festival. In other words, the specific day of the month (date) is fixed but not the day of the week. Such a festival might occur one day in the week in one year but on another day of the week in another year. Christmas is an example of a fixed festival or holiday.  It is important that we understand this concept.  

According to the Hebrew calendar and historical records, the 14^th day of the month of Nisan at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion was a Wednesday.  So, if Jesus was to be the Passover Lamb, he had to be crucified on Wednesday evening to parallel the evening sacrifice. 

It follows then that the Last Supper was NOT the Passover meal per se because that (Passover) meal was eaten on the same night as the slaughter of the Passover lamb according to the law God had given the Israelites in Exodus chapter 12.  

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Exodus 12:8 NIV

This was one Passover meal Jesus was not going to be able to eat as prescribed because he himself was to be the Passover lamb! Therefore, the Lord’s Supper, occurred on the Tuesday. It was his way of celebrating the Passover, reminding us of his death for our sins, and more importantly, at the same time, transitioning us to the communion under the New Covenant (See Matthew 26: 17 -26). That is why he said this to his disciples beforehand:

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. John 6:53 NKJ

Three Days Three Nights

As we explained above, Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday. As Jesus himself had prophesied, he would be in the grave for three days and three nights like Jonah was in the fish’s belly. According to Strong’s lexicon, a Hebrew day is sunrise to sunset. Therefore, night is the period between sunset one day and sunrise the next day.

Therefore, the three days and three nights can be counted as follows: Thursday (day/night), Friday (day/night) and Saturday (day/night).  Hence, Jesus was resurrected early on the first day of the week, Sunday.  That is why the women found his body gone at that time. 

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Matthew 28:1 NIV

We get the same basic result if we use the western notion of a 24 hour day. Note that the Hebrew day ends technically at 6.00 PM and another one begins at 6.01 PM (sixth hour).

Jesus died just after 3.00 PM on Wednesday (see  Matthew 27:45).  It follows therefore, that the three days and three nights might be counted in a 24-hour day as follows.

Conclusion

Although we are trying to set the record straight here, the important thing to remember, is that Jesus died for us all, because we are all sinners and under condemnation as John 3:18 explains.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  John 3:18 NIV

Some people are incapable of understanding God’s love because some people just do not know what true love is.  They associate love with erotic “love” and mushy feelings.  God’s love (we call it perfect or agape love) is described in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. There is nothing about mushy feelings there!  John 15:13 sums up God’s love this way:

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 NIV

God is not asking you to understand all the complexities of the Passover or the crucifixion. What He is asking you is to do is accept his gracious offer of forgiveness for ALL of your sins by accepting that Jesus died to pay the deserved penalty for those sins.  It is that simple! If you wish to do so now, please say this prayer sincerely to God:

Sovereign God, I recognize I am a sinner and because I am a sinner I now realize I stand condemned, as John 3:18 declares. I admit my need for your forgiveness.  Although I do not understand all the details, I accept your offer of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus.  I believe he is your one and only Son and I accept him both as Saviour and Lord from here on. Amen! 

Questions? Please use the comments section. Your email is required but not shown publicly.