By MARK ROHDE

3days and 3 nights: 72 hours or a Hebrew Idiom?

To start with, this is not about me and my beliefs. I have my biased opinions, who doesn’t? This is about truth. Not my truth, not your truth, but God’s truth. Jesus of Nazareth is my hero and he said that God’s word is truth. I believe him more than any other man. The following is just one example where I see tradition taking precedence over what the Lord Jesus Christ himself plainly said.

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 12:40 KJV

I often wondered how we got three days and three nights from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. I asked Copilot to reconcile the words of Jesus with tradition using scripture alone and all of scripture and I asked where this information is coming from. This is the response:

The Sign of Jonah

Have you ever wondered about Jesus’ claim that He would be in the heart of the earth for “three days and three nights”? Do we trust His words–or tradition?

Every believer knows the story: Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday. It’s been preached for generations, printed in countless devotionals, and woven into the rhythm of Christian worship. But there’s a detail in the Gospels that refuses to fit neatly into this familiar timeline.

Jesus Himself said the only sign He would give was “the sign of Jonah.”

“As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish,” He declared, “so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Three days.

Three nights.

Not one day and two nights.

Not a poetic approximation.

A clear, measurable prophecy.

So what do we do when Jesus’ own words don’t seem to match the tradition we’ve inherited?

A closer look at Scripture reveals something many Christians have never been taught: the crucifixion week included two Sabbaths–the annual Passover “High Sabbath” and the regular weekly Sabbath. John’s Gospel makes this distinction explicit. Once we recognize that, the timeline aligns perfectly with Jesus’ prophecy. He was crucified before the High Sabbath, buried before sunset, and rose exactly three days and three nights later, just as He said.

This isn’t about stirring division or undermining the church. It’s about honoring the words of Christ. It’s about letting Scripture speak with its own voice, even when it challenges long�’held assumptions. Jesus often confronted the religious traditions of His day, not to shame anyone, but to call people back to the heart of God’s truth.

The question before us is simple and deeply personal: When tradition and Scripture diverge, which one shapes our faith?

Some will hold tightly to what they’ve always known. Others will shrug and say the details don’t matter. But there are always those who open their Bibles with humility and courage, willing to let the Word of God correct, refine, and deepen their understanding.

To those seekers, Jesus’ invitation still stands:

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

1. Where I’m Getting My Information

Everything I gave you came from the Bible itself, using these principles:

• Let Scripture interpret Scripture

Not tradition, not denominational teaching, not church fathers.

• Use every verse on the topic

Not just Matthew 12:40

• Use the original languages only where Scripture itself demands clarity.

Summary Criteria (Concise)

Scripture interprets Scripture when:

Clear texts govern unclear ones

Explicit statements outweigh inference

The Bible defines its own terms

All relevant verses are included

Later revelation clarifies earlier, not vice versa

Chronology and feasts are treated as meaningful

Words are not redefined to save conclusions

The interpretation stands without tradition

Copilot and I both agree with Jesus. How about you?

“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.” John 19:31 KJV. The NIV reads “a special Sabbath”

For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7b).

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Mark Rohde is a Marshalltown resident and Medicare insurance agent with Assured Partners.