Can women be elders in the church?

Absolutely!  I must be crazy right?  Haven’t I read the Bible?  Well, yes I have and that is why I believe what I believe.  Especially from the view point of having the Bible define my beliefs, rather than just taking what I believe and using the Bible just to defend it. There is a big difference between those two, but I will leave that to the diligent student.

So let’s take a look at why I believe what I have stated, and then the challenge is to search the scriptures to prove these things.  Individuals, not organizations, need to be convinced of what is true or not, and then take responsibility for the truths.  Yes, “the truth will set you free” and I believe can radically change the church to make it more Christlike.

Of ants and elders...

What do ants have to do with elders?  Let's take a look...

Proverbs 6:6-8  "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7  Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8  Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

Nothing, right?  In the contemporary church, the elders are viewed as the leaders of the church.  And the pastor is commonly the head elder, even though many might say he is just one of the elders.  The elder who does the teaching is usually called the pastor/teacher.  If one asks what the qualifications for an elder are, he would be referred to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  We are good so far.  Elders are also called overseers.   Do you see it?

The pastor/teacher elder would be like a guide, elders are called overseers, and elders are leaders or rulers.

Seems straight forward, but when I read the passage in Proverbs, I thought why the list?  Is a guide the same thing as an overseer, is a guide the same thing as a ruler, is an overseer the same thing as a ruler or a guide?  Well, maybe, but then again maybe not.

When I think of the three, I think the following...

Guide = knows the way

Overseer = makes sure everyone is moving along

Ruler = manages, protects

Who knows the way, pastors.

Pastors (Guide)

Ephesians 4:11 is the only NT reference with the term “pastor.” 

Ephesians 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

It's significance is that God “gave some” they are not “ordained” or appointed.  To be a pastor is a gift from God and it is not related to elder/bishop/overseer.  Yes an elder could be a pastor, but a pastor does not need to be an elder or a bishop.  And what do apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers do...

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Jeremiah is the other place in the bible that the term “pastor” is used.  Interesting that even in Jeremiah God “give[s] pastors… .”  In this passage it also provides the responsibility of the pastor.

Jeremiah 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Also in Jeremiah, it seems as though pastors bear a huge responsibility in the eyes of God for the flock.

Jer 23:1-2 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

Pastors are given, and gifted, by God.  Those who are called to be pastors need to exercise that gift properly.  As with all spiritual gifts, others should recognize the giftedness and give heed.  But that is a whole other topic...

Elders (Overseer)

Never called an office in scripture.  If “elder” in the new testament refers to an office, then we might have a slight problem with…

1 Timothy 5:2  The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

Of course, in this case we say it refers to older.  But why, because it refers to younger in the same sentence?  What would be the basis for changing from older to office in any of the cases where elder/elders appear?

Maybe Titus 1:5 comes to mind?

 "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:..."

See "elder" it is an office.  No, this means select from the elders available those that are qualified to be in the position that Paul is referring to, which in this case is the same as 1 Timothy or that of bishop.

It seems that the term elder refers to those that are older.  Whether they are just physically older or are the spiritually older can be debated.  In either case, those who are younger are to treat their elders as fathers and mothers.  And the passages that describe an elder also contain responsibility...

Elders in Acts 20:17,28 are “overseers” 

 17 "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church."

 28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

1 Peter 5:1-5 “oversight” and age

 "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

Bishops (Ruler)

Ordained elders (elders that are appointed to an office, put in order) are bishops.  Bishop is an office, specifically called that in I Tim 3:1 and implied by Acts 1:20 and Psalm 109:8.  

1 Tim 3:1  This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Ac 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Ps 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Ps 69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

Ps 109:10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

And they are chosen by qualities that men can measure as outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  What is their purpose? 

I Timothy 3:4-5  One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;  5  (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

Taking care of, or ruling over, the church of God as he would his own family.

Summary

I believe a distinction can be made between pastors, elders, and bishops (ordained elders).  How might that help the church in general?  Older men and women who are spiritually mature are, and should be, respected as elders, but they might not qualify for the office of bishop.  That is reserved for men that can rule and take care of the flock.  Elders with certain specific qualifications are ordained as bishops.  The head of a household does not necessarily have to be a bishop, but he or she is by default the elder for the family and responsible for the family.  Pastors, on the other hand, can be young or older and are gifted/given by God for a specific purpose, but are not called specifically to oversee or to rule.  They are to provide direction and guidance. Pastors can be men or women.

Perhaps another way to look at this is…

Elders deal directly with the flock of God to ensure growth (overseers).  Elders become elders by the passing of time, which is given by the grace of God.  Bishops keep the flock on track and protect the flock from outside influences (rulers).  Bishops are elders that are ordained by men based on criteria given in the word of God.  Pastors provide the knowledge and understanding for the elders to perform their function (guides).  Pastors are given by God and recognized by the elders, and others, as spiritually gifted men.

Qualification for an elder is one who is physically and spiritually mature.

Qualification for a pastor is one who is called by God.

Qualification for the office of bishop…

Titus 1:5-9

5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

 6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (not money/riches unjust gain, bribery  See Simon Acts 8:18-23)

 8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

I Tim 3

3:1 ¶ This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

By the way.  Deacon is an office also.  And by the qualifications it seems as if it should be filled by elders also and not just by young men who show promise…  I would even guess that Deacons could be Bishops…

8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

It seems as though the deacons are the ones who reach outside the flock to minister.  Terms like pure conscience, blameless, and boldness are applied to deacons.  Whereas elders tend to those in the flock.

So what's the point?  Change the church?  Yes, but not the organization that we call "the church," but the body of Christ.  This is a call to father's and mother's and those who are elder to step up and become examples to those who are younger.  They are "elders."  And to those who are today called "elders" to serve in the office as bishop or deacon as described in the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion…

Pastors are gifted by God and may or may not be elders, bishops, deacons.

Elders are the more mature believers amd are responsible for oversight of those that are younger.

Bishop is an office, a bishop is an elder who is appointed by men to the office based on qualifications given in God’s word.  They are to rule and manage the church.

Deacon is an office, a deacon may not be an elder, but interesting enough has nearly the same qualifications.  They appear to reach outside the church.

Each position comes with great responsibility.  Individuals need to grasp hold of what those responsibilities are and live accordingly by the grace of God.  The end goal being to fear God, give glory to God, and worship Him...

God is not like an egg?

One of my first posts was titled "Defining Beliefs" and the topic I mentioned was the Trinity.  So maybe it is about time that I closed that loop?

One of the most perplexing things to me is that Christians would agree that the doctrine of the Trinity is a foundational doctrine of the true church, but at the same time will argue that there is no clear statement in the Bible that claims that God is triune in nature.  I agree that the word Trinity is not used in the Bible, but it simply means three-in-one.  Without a clear definition most scholars will point to the evidence as presented in the Bible and come to a conclusion.  But since there is no clear Biblical statement, they are assuming what they are attempting to prove, which is also known as a circular argument.  One can certainly say there is more evidence for one belief about the Trinity than another; however, which is right?  And when does a teaching become a "tradition of men" rather than sound Biblical teaching.

As a side note, look at the young earth vs old earth argument.  If one were just to rely on the secular "scientific" interpretation of the evidence, he may be compelled to believe in an old earth.  Then scripture would have to be interpreted to fit the evidence.  This results in theories like the Gap theory, Progressive theory, Day-Age theory, Framework theory, etc...  But some held fast to a literal reading of the Bible and, after close review of the evidence, found that there were incorrect assumptions and errors in the "scientific" interpretation and that the evidence actually does point to a young earth.  For further information see www.icr.org or www.answersingenesis.org.  Without a clear Biblical statement the "evidence" can be misleading.

So is the Trinity defined in the Bible?  I think so, but again, many "scholars" will disagree.  Why?  Because of "manuscript evidence." I am not a scholar and the only information that I can get on any manuscripts is online.  Even if I could see the manuscripts it wouldn't help since I do not read Greek or Hebrew or Latin, and okay, I probably struggle with English also.  So does that qualify me as a plow boy?  From what I can tell the manuscript evidence is controversial.  There are probably as many different manuscript versions as there are English versions of the Bible and scholars argue back and forth which are valid and which are not.  So I am just going to stick with the English.

Let's say the Trinity is defined by 1 John 5:7 which reads:

"There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one"

Now ask yourself, why would anyone want to remove this verse from the Bible or from an early manuscript?  Is it because it is all too clear?  And if not this verse to make the claim, then what other verse.  And if there are no other verses, then what makes this such an important foundational doctrine?  And how would you deal with other verses like Rev 4:5 and Rev 5:6 which mention "the seven Spirits of God?"  Does that mean that God is really eight in one.  An eight is like a three with a mirror image....

There are two English versions of the Bible, currently in print, that have the above verse as stated above. They are the KJV and the NKJV.  Of these, only the KJV is consistent in how it addresses God.  What does that mean?  Both the KJV and NKJV and some other versions use Thee's and Thou's and you's and ye's.  There is a difference between the two, it is not just to give a reading a more "majestic" or "old english" feel.  In simple terms, the difference is that the "Thee" and its derivatives are singular, and "you" and its derivatives are plural.  Texans would say, "it is the difference between you and y'all."  But I haven't seen any versions with y'alls in it.  In the KJV, God is always referred to as Thee, Thou, Thy...  One God.

With 1 John 5:7 in hand, the claim,  one can look at all the evidence in the Bible and conclude that the Bible clearly supports that there is one God that exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

But is God like an egg, or water, or a three leaf clover.  Maybe, after all Romans 1:20 reads:

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

Of course the Bible never says that God is an egg, or water, or a three leaf clover.  Is there any other created thing that you can think of that God might be like?  How about light?  God created light on day 1 and 1 John 1:5 says...

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all"

Time to get a little technical.  Ever hear the term RGB?  That would be Red, Green, and Blue.  Monitors have red pixels, green pixels, and blue pixels.  From these three colors of light all the different colors can be made.  In fact, to get white, "no darkness at all," all three are set to their maximum intensity.  So when you see white, you are actually seeing red, green, and blue light combined.  Don't believe me (that is a statement not a question) prove it to yourself.  Get a magnifying glass and look at a monitor that is showing white.  Or find a paint program and go to where you can select or make colors.

Light does seem to clearly demonstrate the triune nature of God.

What is also interesting are the colors of the rainbow.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.  How many? Seven.  Like the seven Spirits of God?

The Bible defines the triune nature of God.  The Bible provides lots of evidence for the triune nature of God.  And light, a thing that was made, helps us to see and understand the triune nature of God.

You can decide which color belongs to which part of the Godhead.  But I like blue for the Father, green for the Holy Ghost, and red for the Son.  The Father is in heaven above (blue sky above), the Holy Ghost enables us to grow (green), and the Son shed his blood (red) for us.  Also, don't red things cause us to stop and think...  Red lights (well most of us), brilliant red sunsets, etc....

Be a Berean...

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11

Hidden Messages and Secret Codes

Someone asked me recently what Isaiah 40:12 meant. Also implied was that there was a hidden message in the text since the question also included the statement that most pastors don't know. I did not give an answer right away. Instead, I stalled and said that I would like to read the passage in context. I'm glad I did, because that gave me time to do some searching.  So where to start?
Almighty Google?
A commentary or many different commetaries?
A study Bible or mmay different study Bibles?
Google?
How about putting the letters into a computer program and performing a word seacrch or converting the letters to numbers and looking for special patterns.

How about this... Read it in context. Study, meditate on it, and pray over it?
Like the Bereans in Acts who, according to Acts 17:11, “ ... were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so...”
How would I answer the question regarding Isaiah 40:12 now?

"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"

"God IS bigger than the boogie man...." Thanks to Veggie tales for that one.
Here are other verses in this same chapter of Isaiah that seemingly ask the same question as above, but rhetorically:

vs18 “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” vs21-22a “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,...”
v25 “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
vs28-31 “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding...".   

Kind of sounds like Job38-41. And then comes the grace of God:

vs 29-31    "...He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

I've always liked that verse, but so much more now in context.

Do we get so enamored with finding hidden meanings and secret codes in the bible that we miss the bigger picture of who God is and what he requires from us or miss out on God's word altogether?
Who is God? Creator and Judge.
What does He require from us? Fear Him and give glory to Him and worship Him.
Is that a hidden message? If it helps it could be.  Here is the code to find it. "Revelation 14:7" It can also be found in previous blogs.

I like the following quote from William Tyndale...
'If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause that a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost.'  Yes, the plough boy did receive the Word.

People will find hidden messages and secret codes, but it also seems that most are retrospective and based on tragedy. If they result in fearing, glorifying, and worshipping our Creator and Judge, great!  But even without secret messages and hidden codes God still speaks to us through His word in the present using past examples to build our hope for the future. 

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1

Final notes on the timeline for the death and resurrection of Jesus

A Couple Loose Ends

John 19:14 uses the phrase “the preparation of the Passover.”  This has been taken to mean that the day was used to prepare for the Passover, rather than for the Sabbath.  Other bible verses, Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54, and John 19:31, state that the preparation day was the day before the Sabbath.  The only other use of the phrase “the preparation of the…” is in Eph 6;

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
 

In this case the gospel is complete.  Could it be that “the preparation of the Passover” is not preparation for the Passover, but a preparation day that occurs after the Passover meal, on the day that the Passover is completed, and is used to prepare for a weekly Sabbath that happens to be contained during the feast of unleavened bread?  That would better align it with the other gospels and Eph 6:15.

Another verse that was not addressed is ICor15:3-4

I Cor 15: 3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

This also supports the Friday to Sunday “traditional” view. He “died” the first day, the second day was the Sabbath, and the third day he rose again!

Did Christ die for our sins?  Absolutely.  Was He buried?  Absolutely.  Did He rise the third day?  Absolutely.  And according to the Scriptures...

Bottom line, once again…

Acts 16:31…”Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

A Time Line for the Death and Ressurection of Christ

Let’s look at what the Gospel accounts say regarding the time frame.  Days will be considered to start at night…

The Passover
Matt 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7 Cleary indicates that Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover meal.  It was the “first day” of unleavened bread.  John 13:1 does not contradict this, but adds commentary on Jesus’ love for His own and also adds a time frame for when Jesus knew that His hour had come. 

Day1 Night
John 13:31 indicates that “it was night” when Judas went out to betray Jesus. 
   
Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26 Following the feast they proceeded to the Mount of Olives…

Matt 26:47; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:47; John 18:3 Garden arrest.  Note that this may have been the point where Jesus took our sins.  His prayer in the Garden.  But He still was God.  Able to heal the soldiers ear.

John 18:28 indicates that some have not eaten the Passover yet.  At this point there is no indication of time other than early.  We will see that John’s time frame is midnight to 6am is the first part of the day.  Whereas in Matt, Mark, and Luke, 6am appears to be the morning.   Also remember from Exodus, the Passover meal needed to be finished by morning.  From Exodus 12:10
10  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Perhaps those who haven’t partaken of the Passover yet were waiting.

Day1 Morning
Matt 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 18:33 Now it is “morning” and Jesus is delivered to Pilate.  The first time Pilate is mentioned in John, he is just addressing the people.  Now he comes into the judgment hall to address Jesus.  The gospels now present specific times of events…

Day1 6:00am

John 19:14  And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

Day1 9:00am

Mark 15:25  And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

Day1 12:00pm

Matthew 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mark 15:33  And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:44  And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Day1 3:00pm

Matthew 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mark 15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Day1 Before the sabbath

John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Matt 27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
58  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

Mark 15:42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43  Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

Luke 23:52  This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
53  And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54  And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

From these passages it can be seen that Jesus was buried before the Sabbath day.  Yet Matthew and Mark use the phrase “when the even was come.”  “The even” did not start the next day.  There was still time to request the body, take the body off the cross, wrap it up, lay the body in the sepulcher, and roll a stone to the door.  Also of interest is that Nicodemus brought quite a large quantity of myrrh and aloes for the burial.

John 19:39  And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

So it is not hard to imagine that the women could have prepared their spices and ointments prior to the Sabbath.

Luke 23:56  And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

This verse does is not contrary to the passage in Mark.  The passage in Mark could be read either way, either spices bought prior to or following the Sabbath, but to be consistent with the rest of scripture the proper interpretation could be…the women had bought sweet spices prior to the Sabbath, that they might come and anoint him after the Sabbath.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Day2 The Sabbath

Something actually was recorded as occurring on the Sabbath.

Matt 27:62  Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

This passage was mentioned before.  The request was to secure the sepulcher until the third day so that the disciples would not come by night and steal the body.  From what we have seen, if they meant the third day from Wednesday that would be Friday, and the third day from Thursday would be Saturday.  Either way, the tomb would be unguarded Saturday night (Sunday), the critical night!

Day3 The Resurrection

Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

The other passages all deal with events that happened the first day of the week.

Matt 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

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.

John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Conclusion
Reviewing the days in reverse order…
Day3 is Sunday, the first day of the week, Jesus is risen from the dead and is alive.  It follows Day2 which would be Saturday, or the Sabbath.  Day1 is Friday, the day Jesus was crucified.  Based on what has been mentioned about the events, Friday was a pretty full day.

The traditional Friday/Sunday death and resurrection view holds and has been shown to be a biblical view.  But more importantly it is necessary to know that Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sins, and as the scripture says…“Whosover believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!”