Commentaries:
<< Mark 15:47 Mark 16:2 >>
Mark 16:1
If Joseph barely had time to bury Jesus' body before sundown, how much less time would the women have had to do all that they needed to do!
The harmonized accounts show that when Joseph took Jesus down from the cross, the women followed him to see where he would place the body. They then returned to their lodging and observed the holy day Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread. The day after the holy day, they went to a shop, bought spices and oil, took them back to their lodging, prepared them for use on the body, and "they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56).
There were two Sabbaths within that 72-hour period!
These women bought and prepared spices "when the Sabbath had past" and then "rested on the Sabbath"! They rested twice: once on "a high day" and once on the weekly Sabbath two days later.
This can mean only one thing! Jesus was crucified and buried on a Wednesday, the holy day fell on Thursday, the women prepared spices on Friday, and our Savior was resurrected at sunset on the Sabbath as the day ended! The events cannot be worked out any other way with the plain evidence provided in the Holy Scriptures!
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
'After Three Days'Related Topics: Days of Unleavened Bread | Jesus Christ's Crucifixion | Jesus Christ's Death | Jesus Christ's Second Coming | Resurrection of Christ | Sabbath | Sabbath | Sabbath within Days of Unleavened Bread | Sabbaths, Annual
<< Mark 15:47 Mark 16:2 >>
Join 135,000+ readers
A Verse and a Thought, Every Morning
The Berean delivers one scripture and a short, insightful commentary to your inbox each day — a starting point for reflection and study.
What Does Mark 16:1 Mean?
After the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to anoint Jesus' body, as noted in Mark 16:1. Following Jesus' burial by Joseph, the women observed where the body was placed, then returned to their lodging to rest on the holy day Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread. The next day, they purchased and prepared spices and oils, resting again on the weekly Sabbath two days later. Within this 72-hour period, two Sabbaths occurred—a high day on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday—indicating the women prepared spices on Friday after the first Sabbath had passed.