What Time Jesus Christ Died

What time was Jesus crucified? What time did Jesus die on the cross?

Answer The gospel writers make a number of references to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion in their writings. When we put all of these references together, we can get an idea of what time of day Jesus died. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) will be used in this article because it provides a literal translation of the time references recorded in the original Greek. We know that Jesus was arrested in the middle of the night and brought before Pilate the following morning. “Now when the morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conferred together against Jesus, deciding that He should be put to death; and they bound Him, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate the governor,” Matthew 27:1–2.

Pilate, on the other hand, had to make the final call.

Pilate realized he was accomplishing nothing and that a riot was about to break out.

Then he released Barabbas for them.

” When it was about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ (Who is like God?) that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.

But the rest of them said, ‘Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
So according to Matthew, Jesus died “about the ninth hour.” Luke 23:44–47 agrees with Matthew about the darkness at the sixth hour and Jesus’ death about the ninth hour.
So, putting Synoptic Gospels’ accounts together, Jesus was crucified at the third hour.
Jesus was on the cross for about six hours, three of those in total darkness.
However, the Jewish day started at sundown, but hours were counted from sunup, which would be roughly 6:00 AM.
The sixth hour when darkness descended would be roughly noon, and the ninth hour when Jesus died would be about 3:00 PM.
John 19:13–14 says, “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
There are several possible solutions to the seeming discrepancy.
This solves the problem of chronology; however, D.
Carson, citing research by Henry Morris, thinks this unlikely, as this reckoning was normally reserved for Roman legal documents (Pillar New Testament Commentary, “John,” Eerdmans, 1991, p.
Merrill Tenney points out that this “Roman” method would be inconsistent with John’s other notations of time (NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 2, New Testament, “John,” Zondervan, 1994, p.

Andreas Kostenberger also notes that John appears to use the traditional sunup-to-sundown frame of reference when referring to time in John 1:39 where the tenth hour seems to refer to late afternoon (4:00 PM), not 10:00 AM (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, “John,” Baker Academic, 2004, p.

So the “Roman time” solution seems to be unlikely.
In this theory, an early copyist of John mistakenly wrote Ϝ (the Greek numeral digamma, or6) instead of Γ (the Greek numeral gamma, or3) (the Greek numeral gamma, or3).
606).
606).
Kostenberger, although he does not necessarily endorse the idea, suggests that John may be making a theological point here and is not attempting to give a literal indication of the time (op cit, p.
(op cit, p.
The Paschal lamb selection would normally take place at noon on the day before Passover.

However, this solution has its own chronological difficulties.

The fact that Jesus had already eaten the Passover with His disciples would seem to indicate that the meal itself has already occurred.

538) and Carson (p.

Before the use of watches and other precise timekeeping devices, the day was usually divided up into three-hour blocks, and people often estimated and rounded off the time.

In this solution, there is no discrepancy, just a difference in the way each writer estimated the time.

It is possible that John and Mark “rounded off” the times in keeping with custom.

Carson puts it this way: “More than likely we are in danger of insisting on a degree of precision in both Mark and John which, in the days before watches, could not have been achieved.

If the sun was moving toward mid-heaven, two different observers might well have glanced up and decided respectively that it was ‘the third hour’ or ‘about the sixth hour’” (p.

(p.

Taking all the evidence together, Jesus was crucified at some time in the morning, and He died at some time in the afternoon.

He would have spent somewhere between three and six hours on the cross, with a good portion of that time in total darkness. The gospel writers were not overly interested in precision in this matter. They were far more concerned with the theological implications, which they faithfully recorded.

When Did Jesus Die? The Year, Day & Time

There has been much speculation concerning the day and year of Christ’s crucifixion and death, owing to the absence of clear day-to-day linkage in the stories of the four Gospels. We know that Jesus died on Preparation Day because it is mentioned in each of the four Gospel narratives. But was it a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday when that happened? In addition, what hour did Jesus die? There has even been discussion over the year in which he passed away. To figure out the day of Jesus’ death on the cross, we must piece together the evidence from his four Gospels and our understanding of his historical period and cultural context.

Cultural Information to Keep in Mind

1. The gospel writers were more concerned with depicting Jesus as a person than they were with the precise chronology of his appearance. Dates have become increasingly important in today’s environment in order to provide proper news coverage. However, the Gospel authors were more concerned with the events themselves than they were with the precise date of the occurrences. They were attempting to introduce Jesus to a variety of audiences rather than providing a thorough biography. It was the day before the Sabbath that was designated as the Day of Preparation.

This is the day on which Jews prepared meals and completed all of the tasks that were prohibited from being completed on the Sabbath but that still needed to be completed.

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What the Gospels Say about Jesus’ Burial

The Gospel of Matthew contains the most detailed account of Jesus’ death and burial (Matthew 27:31-62). In this tale, we learn about Joseph, a wealthy man from Arimathea “who had himself become a follower of Jesus,” according to one piece (Matthew 27:57 b). In Matthew 27:58-61, it is said that Joseph approached Pilate and begged for permission to bury Jesus’ body. “The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate,” we are told in Matthew 27:62. Joseph followed out this plan on Preparation Day.

In the Jewish calendar, it was Preparation Day (i.e., the day before the Sabbath).” (Matthew 15:42 a.) … Consequently, Joseph purchased some linen material, brought the corpse down from the casket, wrapped it in the linen, and buried it in a tomb dug into the rock.

Jesus died on the Day of Preparation, as confirmed by Luke and John: “Then he carried it down, wrapped it in linen fabric, and buried it in a tomb cut into the rock, in which no one had yet been lain.” As it happened, it was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin” (Luke 23:54).

As it happened, they placed Jesus there since it was the Jewish day of Preparation and because the tomb was close by (John 19:42).

What Day Did Jesus Die? Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?

Over the years, academics have developed a variety of hypotheses about what occurred during the days of the week preceding up to Jesus’ death on the cross. These versions each offer a different day for Christ’s death, such as Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

Wednesday The fact that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday permits for Him to have been buried for three full days and nights
Nevertheless, this also means that He resurrected on the fourth day. Furthermore, the Triumphal Entry would have taken place on Saturday, the day of Sabbath rest
Instead, it took place on Thursday. With a Thursday crucifixion, the Triumphal Entry is moved to Sunday, which makes more sense and removes the necessity for a “quiet day” (a day during thePassion Weekwhen no events were recorded). On the other hand, we know that the Pharisees hurried to put Jesus in the tomb on The Day of Preparation (John 19:34-42), which is Friday, and before the Sabbath began at nightfall (the Jews timed days from the beginning of the nightfall to the beginning of the nightfall). Upon closer examination of the facts, we find that Friday is the most consistent with the Gospel narratives and the historical context. According to the New Testament, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day—not necessarily after three complete, literal days—and was buried on the third day (e.g.,Matthew 16:21
Acts 10:40). As previously stated, Jesus had to be hustled inside the tomb on the day of preparation because of the crowds. In contrast to a Friday crucifixion, which would demand a “quiet day” (most likely Wednesday), this day gives the Sanhedrin the opportunity to make plans for Jesus’s arrest and following trials. As a result, the day is just “quiet” since we haven’t documented anything significant

What Time Did Jesus Die?

According to Matthew Henry’s interpretation, Jesus was nailed to the crucifixion between the third and sixth hours, which corresponds between nine and twelve o’clock in the morning. After then, he died shortly after the ninth hour, which was sometime between three and four o’clock in the afternoon. Commensurate with the aforementioned practice, the Jews throughout the time of Christ measured days from dusk to nightfall. The Matthew 27:46 KJV, which is the “ninth hour,” can be translated into the Matthew 27:46 NIV, which is the “three o’clock in the afternoon,” according to Bible experts.

Timing of Jesus Death in Mark, Luke, and John

The Gospel of Mark 15: 33:34, 37 “At midday, darkness descended across the entire region, lasting until three o’clock in the afternoon. Also, about three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus said, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” in an obnoxiously loud voice. (which translates as ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’). “Jesus breathed his last with a piercing scream.”
Matthew 23:44-46 ” It was now around midday, and darkness descended upon the entire region until three o’clock in the afternoon since the sun had ceased shining. And the temple’s curtain was split in two by the earthquake. I put my spirit into your hands,’ Jesus said with a resounding voice, calling out to the Father. At the moment he stated this, he exhaled his final breath.” (See also John 19:14-16.) “It was approximately midday on the day of Passover preparations, and it was the day of Passover preparations. ‘Your king has arrived,’ Pilate said to the Jews. They, on the other hand, cried out, “Take him away!” Take him away from me! ‘Put him to death!’ ‘Do you want me to crucify your king?’ Pilate was the one who inquired. ‘We do not have a monarch other than Caesar,’ the leading priests responded. Eventually, Pilate gave him over to them, and they crucified him.”

What Year Did Jesus Die?

During this video, Doug Bookman, a New Testament professor at Shepherds Theological Seminary, shows why biblical academics have reached an agreement about the year Jesus died. “It all boils down to this. Pilate served as prefect of Judea and Samaria from 26 A.D. to 36 A.D., according to the evidence we have. So that’s our view out the window. The following question is: On what day of the week did Passover occur during the year that Jesus died? In the opinion of the majority, it occurred on Thursday or Friday.

Given all of this, the vast majority of researchers will agree that it leads to one of two conclusions: ” Theory 1: Jesus died about the year 30 A.D.

“At this point, the argument becomes pretty technical,” says Bookman of the situation.

I am convinced that the year 33 A.D.

3 Significant Events Shortly After Jesus’ Death

Matthew 27:51-54, Matthew 27:51-54 As a result of this, the temple’s curtain was split in half, from top to bottom. The ground trembled, the rocks cracked, and the tombs burst into flames. Many pious persons who had died were brought back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit. They emerged from the graves following Jesus’ resurrection and proceeded to the holy city, where they appeared to a large number of people. They were startled and cried, “Surely he was the Son of God!” when the centurion and others with him who were guarding Jesus witnessed the earthquake and everything that had transpired.

The temple curtain had been ripped in half.
We know from the laws of the Old Testament that entering God’s presence was a severe matter.
The fact that this curtain was destroyed represented the completion of Jesus Christ’s accomplished work on the cross, which eliminated the barrier between sinful humans and holy God by becoming the ultimate High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all people.
2.
John Gill’s remark on the event states that “this was a demonstration of Christ’s authority over death and the tomb.” When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his death, he demonstrated that he had destroyed both the power of death and the permanence of the grave.
In addition to its grandiose claims, this event is noteworthy because it is a narrative predicting Christ’s second coming to collect the remainder of his people.
3.

Jesus is brought back to life from the dead. This text in Matthew glosses over such a remarkable occurrence, but Christ’s resurrection is told in greater detail in Matthew 28, which is the gospel of Matthew (as well as inMark 16,Luke 24, andJohn 20). Photograph courtesy of Joshua Earle via Unsplash.

What time of day did the crucifixion happen?

Earlier in the day, about 6 a.m. or shortly afterwards, the Jewish leaders arrived to Pilate’s office (see John 19:14). It was approximately seven o’clock in the morning on Friday when Herod was summoned to court. Jesus’ second trial before Pilate began about 8 a.m., and according to Mark 15:25, it concluded with the crucifixion taking place at “the third hour,” which corresponds to nine o’clock in the morning using the Jewish way of counting. It was approximately 3 p.m. when Jesus cried out, “It is done,” and died on the crucifixion, which occurred around noon when He was hanging on the cross (see Matthew 27:45).

The trials of Jesus

Around 6 a.m. or shortly thereafter, the Jewish leaders arrived to Pilate’s headquarters (see John 19:14). It was approximately seven o’clock in the morning on Friday when Herod was summoned before him. As recorded in Mark 15:24-26, Jesus’ second trial before Pilate began at 8 a.m., finished at “the third hour,” and the crucifixion took place at “the third hour,” which corresponds to nine o’clock in the morning according to the Jewish system of counting. It was approximately 3 p.m. (see Matthew 27:45) that Jesus cried out, “It is done,” and died on the cross, and absolute darkness enveloped the region around him about midday (John 19:30).

7 Clues Tell Us Precisely When Jesus Died (the Year, Month, Day, and Hour Revealed)

When it comes to the killing of Jesus, how detailed can we be? Is it possible to pinpoint the precise date? We are in the midst of our yearly commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which began on Easter Sunday. All of us are aware that something like this occurred in Jerusalem during the first century. That distinguishes Jesus from mythological pagan deities, who were said to have lived in places and at times that no one could pinpoint precisely. When it comes to the killing of Jesus, how detailed can we be?

We have the ability to do so.

Clue1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas

According to the gospels, Jesus was executed at the behest of Caiaphas, a high priest from the first century who was known for his ruthlessness (Matthew 26:3-4,John 11:49-53). Based on previous accounts, we know that he served as high priest from 18 to 36 A.D., which places Jesus’ death at that time period. However, we may be a little more particular. There’s a lot more.

Clue2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate

All four gospels agree that Jesus was killed on Pontius Pilate’s orders, according to the New Testament (Matthew 27:24-26,Mark 15:15,Luke 23:24,John 19:15-16). Due to information from other sources, we know when he served as governor of Judea — from A.D. 26 to 36 — and hence can restrict the time period down by several years. Nevertheless, how are we going to narrow the scope to a single day and year?

Clue3: After “the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar”

The beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry is specified in the Gospel of Luke as follows: In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign.the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert, where he remained for forty days. This specifies a certain year, namely A.D. 29. Because all four gospels represent Christ’s ministry beginning after that of John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1), we may trim a few more years off our estimated time frame for his birth.

The death of Christ has to take place within a seven-year time span: between A.D. 29 and A.D. 36.

Clue4: Crucified on a Friday

There is unanimous agreement among the four gospels that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:42), immediately before a Sabbath, which was just before the first day of the week (Luke 23:54; John 19:42). (Matthew 28:1,Mark 16:2,Luke 24:1,John 20:1). Due to the fact that Friday was designated as “the day of preparation,” we know it was a Friday. This means that it was the day on which Jews made the preparations they required for the Sabbath, as they were not permitted to work on that day.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia: Friday is referred to as ‘Ereb Shabbat’ since it is the day before Shabbat (The Eve of Sabbath).
In Josephus’ Antiquitiesxvi.
The day is referred to as “Yoma da-‘Arubta” in Yer.
1 of the Jewish calendar (Day of Preparation).
29 and 36, despite the fact that six days of the week were eliminated.

Clue5: A Friday at Passover

It is also agreed upon by the gospel writers that Jesus was crucified in connection with the yearly festival of Passover (Matthew 26:2,Mark 14:1,Luke 22:1,John 18:39). We get into a slight snag here since the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke characterize the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover feast (Matthew 26:19,Mark 14:14,Luke 22:15). That would imply that Good Friday occurred the day after Passover was observed. On the other hand, while recounting the morning of Good Friday, John makes it clear that the Jewish rulers had not yet eaten the Passover meal.

It was still early in the morning.
As a result, Pilate walked out to meet them.
There are a variety of options for dealing with this situation.
Another possibility is that Jesus simply moved the date of the Passover celebration for him and his disciples forward a few days.
In the event that he announces, “We’re celebrating Passover today,” and it happens to be a day earlier than most people are used to, they would just accept it.
No matter what Jesus’ movement did, we may use John’s remark about the kidnappers of Jesus to determine what the Jewish authorities or mainstream Judaism were like in those days: They were beginning their Passover celebrations on Friday evening, which is what we would call Friday.

Because of this, we can reduce the range of probable dates down to only a handful. The following is a comprehensive list of the days between A.D. 29 and 36 on which Passover began in the evening:

Monday, April 18, the year 29
Friday, April 7, the year 30
Tuesday, March 27, the year 31
Monday, April 14, the year 32
Friday, April 3, the year 33
Wednesday, March 24, the year 34
Tuesday, April 12, the year 35
And Saturday, March 31, the year 36

As you can see, there are just two candidates remaining on the table: Jesus was crucified on either April 7th, A.D. 30 or April 3rd, A.D. 33, depending on the source. Which one was it, exactly? The year A.D. 33 is generally accepted as the date. There are a significant number of people that support the A.D. 30 date in today’s world. Do the gospels provide us the option of choosing between the two?

Clue6: John’s Three Passovers

During Jesus’ career, the Gospel of John mentions three separate Passovers: the first, the second, and the third.

Jesus’ first public appearance was during the Passover Seder, which was described in John 2:13, towards the beginning of his career. 2nd Passover: This event is mentioned in John 6:4 and takes place in the midst of Jesus’ career. Passover3: This is mentioned in John 11:55 (and has been referenced several times thereafter), and it occurs near the conclusion of Jesus’ career.

That implies that Jesus’ ministry had to have lasted at least a couple of years longer than that. An in-depth examination would disclose that it lasted around three and a half years; yet, even if we believe that it began immediately before Passover1, the inclusion of two additional Passovers demonstrates that it lasted at the very least more than two years. That indicates the A.D. 30 deadline has passed. A ministry of at least two years cannot be accommodated in the period available between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar (A.D.

The numbers don’t add up in this case.

Is it possible to be any more specific?

Clue7: “The Ninth Hour”

Jesus died about “the ninth hour,” according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Matthew 27:45-50,Mark 15:34-37,Luke 23:44-46). The “ninth hour” is what we would regard to as 3:00 p.m. in our modern day. This permits us to narrow down the time of Jesus’ death to a very particular point in history: approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33, on the third day of the first month of the first century. Of course, there are a slew of thorough counter-arguments that I haven’t had time to address in this article.

This is the exact moment it occurred.

What Now?

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You Asked: What Time Did Jesus Die?

Attention: Please send any theological, scriptural, and practical ministry questions to with your complete name, city, and state included. We’ll forward them on to the members of The Gospel Coalition’s Council and other friends in the hope of receiving a response we can share with you. Zack B. from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has the following question: According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was crucified at the “third hour” (Mark 15:25), whereas according to the Gospel of John, the sentence of crucifixion was carried out at “around the sixth hour” (John 19:14).

It was Justin Taylor, vice president of the book division at Crossway, and co-author with Andreas J.

In order to address this question, we must first revisit some fundamental concepts regarding how “time” was seen in the first-century Mediterranean society.

The danger is that we will become anachronistic and will import or insist on degrees of detail that were not in use at the time of the original context.

How Jews Understood Time in the Day and Night

First and foremost, we must keep in mind that we, in the Western world, are exceedingly time sensitive, and we keep track of the passage of time down to the second. “Time notations from the time of Christ and earlier were extremely inaccurate, having little or no similarity to the current sense of timeliness,” explains Johnny V. Miller. Sundials were not often used in the first century, and there was no time unit smaller than the “hour” that was widely accepted. Second, Jews believed that a day consisted of 12 hours, from sunrise to sunset, and that this indicated the length of a day.

Third, Jews used to split the day into three halves using three reference points.
20:1-9).
27:45;Mark 15:25,33;Luke 23:44;John 19:14).
The Lord instructs his followers to remain alert when discussing the approaching return of the Messiah, saying, “For you do not know when your lord ofthe house will arrive, in the evening or at midnight, or at first light of the dawn, or in the morning” (Mark 13:35).
Kevin Lipp created the following useful graphic assistance for us:

What Is Going on in Mark 15:25 and John 19:14?

When we come to a passage like Mark 15:25, it is probably best to understand the expression “the third hour” not as a precise reference to 9 a.m., but rather as an approximate reference to midmorning—from 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. until 10 or 10:30 a.m. When we come to a passage like Mark 15:25, it is probably best to understand the expression “the third hour” not as a precise reference to 9 a.m., but Similarly, the “sixth hour” might refer to any period between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m.

Note that the “hours” were only rough estimations of the sun’s location in a quadrant of the sky, so keep that in mind.

and two witnesses were to look at the sun in the sky, one may round down to “about the third hour” and the other could round up to “about the sixth hour,” depending on other factors they would want to emphasize during the sentencing (for example, if John wants to highlight in particular the length of the proceedings and that the final verdict concerning the Lamb of God is not far off from the noontime slaughter of lambs for the Sabbath dinner of Passover week).

At the end of the day, there is no final contradiction, especially given the fact that John provides an estimate (“approximately”) of something that was never intended to be accurate to begin with.

Verse by Verse Ministry International

According to what I heard Pastor Armstrong preach, Jesus gave up His life at 6 a.m. on Thursday, however the scriptures declare that He gave up His spirit at night time. But it also doesn’t make sense to be at 3 p.m. because it never becomes dark at that time of day, and the gospels claim that there was darkness over the region as Jesus cried out to his Father. So, what time was it in the actual world? Unfortunately, we do not teach that Jesus died at 6 a.m. on Thursday, and we are not sure whatever doctrine you are referring to.

Rather than referring to our modern-day clock hours, the time references given in the Gospels pertain to the Jewish and Roman systems of calculating time, respectively.

It’s critical to grasp this in order to correctly evaluate the time references that appear in the text.

12 midnight	Roman start of day	Jewish 6th hour of night
3:00am	Roman 3rd hour	Jewish 9th hour of night
6:00am	Roman 6th hour	Jewish start of day (sunrise)
9:00am	Roman 9th hour	Jewish 3rd hour of day
12 noon	Roman 12th hour	Jewish 6th hour of day
3:00pm	Roman 3rd hour	Jewish 9th hour of day
6:00pm	Roman 6th hour	Jewish start of night (sunset)
9:00pm	Roman 9th hour	Jewish 3rd hour of night

Three Gospel writers (Luke, John, and Matthew) utilized the Jewish technique of measuring time, whereas Mark used the Roman method of reckoning time. When we compare the four Gospels and perform the required conversions in the appropriate time frame, we find that they all agree: When Jesus died on the death at 3 PM, He was lifted from the cross and buried before the sun set at 9 AM. He was crucified at 9 AM, hung on the cross for 6 hours, and was removed from the cross again at 6 PM. In other words, Jesus died at 3 PM on Thursday and was buried the same day, prior to the start of the Sabbath at sunset (see Luke 23:53-54).

Please see the following article for a more in-depth discussion of the day of Jesus’ death: What day of the week did Jesus die?

April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died

In our book, The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived, Justin Taylor and I make an educated guess as to the date of Jesus’ crucifixion, but we do not argue for or against it. For a variety of factors, virtually all academics think that Jesus was executed in the spring of either AD 30 or AD 33, with the majority preferring the former. As a result of the astronomical data, the alternatives are reduced to AD 27, 30, 33, or 34). However, we would want to present our case for the date of Friday, April 3, AD 33, as the precise day on which Christ died in our place as atonement for our sins.

However, this does not rule out the possibility of understanding or importance.

No one makes this argument more forcefully than Luke, the Gentile physician who became a historian and inspired recorder of early Christianity. No other Gospel writer makes this point more forcefully than Luke.

The Year John the Baptist’s Ministry Began

In Luke’s account, John the Baptist began his public ministry soon before Jesus did, and the author provides us with a historical reference point for when the Baptist’s ministry began: “in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign.” (See Luke 3:16). It is known from ancient Roman history that Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor on August 19, AD 14 and was approved by the Roman Senate on the same day. He reigned until the year AD 37. “The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign” appears to be a straightforward date, but there are some ambiguities, beginning with when one begins the calculation.

Most likely, Tiberius’ reign was measured from the day he assumed office in AD 14 or from the first day of January of the following year, AD 15 (whichever came first).

So John the Baptist’s ministry began anywhere between the middle of AD 28 and the beginning of AD 29.

The Year Jesus’s Ministry Began

Because the Gospels appear to suggest that Jesus began his ministry not long after John, the most likely date for Jesus’ baptism would be late in AD 28 at the absolute earliest, according to the calculations above. Nevertheless, it seems more likely that it occurred somewhere around the first half of the year AD 29, because a few months had probably gone between the beginning of John’s career and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (and the year AD 30 is the latest possible date). As a result, Jesus’ career must have began somewhere between the end of AD 28 and the beginning of AD 30 at the earliest.

The most plausible dates for Jesus’ birth are 6 or 5 BC, which means he would have been roughly thirty-two to thirty-four years old in late AD 28 to early AD 30.

The Length of Jesus’s Ministry

To determine how long Jesus’ public ministry lasted, we must first determine how long Jesus’ public ministry lasted. If Jesus’ public ministry lasted two or more years, it appears that the spring of AD 30 cannot be considered as a plausible date for the crucifixion. The Gospel of John records that Jesus attended at least three (perhaps four) Passovers, which were held once a year in the spring and were as follows:

In Jerusalem, at the beginning of his public ministry (John 2:13–23)
In Galilee, at the midpoint of his public ministry (John 6:4)
And in Bethlehem, at the end of his public ministry (John 6:4). In Jerusalem, at the conclusion of his public ministry, that is, at the time of his crucifixion (John 11:55
12:1), there was a final Passover celebration. And it’s possible that Jesus attended another Passover that wasn’t recorded in the Gospel of John, but was recorded in one or more of the Synoptic Gospels (i.e., Matthew, Mark, and Luke)

This would make a date of a.d. 30 all but impossible as the date of Jesus’ crucifixion, even if there were only three Passovers in all. As previously stated, the earliest possible date for the beginning of Jesus’ career, according to Luke 3:1, is late in the first century AD. The first of these Passovers (which occurred at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry; John 2:13) would happen on Nisan 15 in the year 29 (since Nisan is in March/April, around the beginning of a year), which would be the first of these Passovers in the year 29.

If Jesus’ ministry corresponded with at least three Passovers, and if the first Passover occurred in AD 29, this suggests that he could not have been executed in ad 30, as previously thought.

Assuming, however, that John the Baptist began his career in AD 29, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus began his mission in late AD 29 or early ad 30. The Passovers in the book of John would thus take place on the following dates:

Nisan 15	AD 30	John 2:13
Nisan 15	AD 31	Either the unnamed feast in John 5:1 or else a Passover that John does not mention (but that may be implied in the Synoptics)
Nisan 15	AD 32	John 6:4
Nisan 15	AD 33	John 11:55, the Passover at which Jesus was crucified

Jesus Was Crucified on the Day of Preparation for the Passover

It is also mentioned by the apostle John that Jesus was crucified on “the day of Preparation” (John 19:31), which corresponds to the Friday before the Sabbath of the Passover week (Mark 15:42). Earlier in the day, on Thursday evening, Jesus had a Passover meal with the Twelve (Mark 14:12), which is referred to as his “Last Supper.” Passover always falls on the fifteenth day of Nisan (Exodus 12:6), according to the Pharisaic-rabbinic calendar that was generally used in Jesus’ day. According to this calendar, Passover begins on Thursday after sundown and finishes on Friday after nightfall.

33, the year in which the crucifixion is most likely to have occurred, the most likely date for Jesus’ crucifixion is April 3 in the year a.d.

Accordingly, we created the following chart in The Final Days of Jesus to indicate the dates for Jesus’ final week in the year a.d.

April 2	Nissan 14	Thursday (Wednesday nightfall to Thursday nightfall)	Day of Passover preparation	Last Supper
April 3	Nissan 15	Friday (Thursday nightfall to Friday nightfall)	Passover; Feast of Unleavened Bread, begins	Crucifixion
April 4	Nissan 16	Saturday (Friday nightfall to Saturday nightfall)	Sabbath
April 5	Nissan 17	Sunday (Saturday nightfall to Sunday nightfall)	First day of the week	Resurrection

Conclusion

The computations in the preceding section may look difficult, but in a nutshell, the reasoning goes as follows:

HISTORICAL INFORMATION	YEAR
Beginning of Tiberius’s reign	AD 14
Fifteenth year of Tiberius’s reign:Beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry	AD 28
A few months later:Beginning of Jesus’s ministry	AD 29
Minimum three-year duration of Jesus’ ministry:Most likely date of Jesus’s crucifixion	AD 33 (April 3)

While this is, in our opinion, the most plausible scenario, it should be noted that many people think Jesus was killed in the year AD 30, rather than the year AD 33, as we have said. If, on the other hand, the beginning of Tiberius’ rule is set at the year AD 14, it becomes nearly difficult to fit fifteen years of Tiberius’ reign and three years of Jesus’ ministry between AD 14 and AD 30, as is the case. As a result, some have speculated that Tiberius and Augustus shared co-regency (combined rule) during the last few years of Augustus’ reign.

As a result, we believe that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, AD 33, as previously stated.

Because of this, when we celebrate Easter and walk with Jesus every day of the year, we may be certain that our faith is founded not just on subjective personal confidence, but also on solid historical evidence, which makes our faith a perfectly rational faith.

Crossway’s executive vice president and publisher for books, Justin Taylor, holds this position.

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Christians pay particular attention to the passion of Jesus Christ throughout the Easter season, particularly on Good Friday. The Lord’s final hours of torture and death on the cross lasted around six hours in duration. This chronology of Jesus’ death lays down the events of Good Friday as they are recounted in the Bible, including the events that occurred right before and immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus. Many of the actual timings of these occurrences are not recorded in Scripture, which is an essential point to emphasize.

The following timeline depicts an approximation of the events that took place. Take a look at thisHoly Week Timeline to get a more comprehensive picture of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and to walk those steps with him.

Timeline of Jesus’ Death

The Last Supper (Matthew 26:20-30
Mark 14:17-26
Luke 22:14-38
John 13:21-30)
In the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46
Mark 14:32-42
Luke 22:39-45)
In the Garden of Gethseman Jesus is betrayed and arrested (Matthew 26:47-56
Mark 14:43-52
Luke 22:47-53
John 18:1-11)
The Religious Leaders Condemn Jesus (Matthew 27:1-2
Mark 15:1
Luke 22:66-71)
Jesus is crucified (Matthew 27:1-2
Luke

Good Friday’s Events

Before the religious leaders could execute Jesus, they required the approval of the Roman government to carry out their death sentence. Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, who determined that there was no basis for charging him. Pilate ordered that Jesus be sent to Herod, who was present in Jerusalem at the time. Jesus refused to answer Herod’s inquiries, and as a result, Herod had him returned to the custody of Pilate. Despite the fact that Pilate deemed Jesus to be innocent, he was afraid of the people and condemned him to death.

He was forced to bear his own cross and was dragged away to the cross of Calvary.

6 AM

Jesus Is Put on Trial Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14
Mark 15:2-5
Luke 23:1-5
John 18:28-37)
Jesus Is Put on Trial Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14
Herod was summoned by Jesus (Luke 23:6-12)

7 AM

Luke 23:11 describes Jesus’ return to Pilate
Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:23-24, and John 19:16 describe Jesus’ death sentence. Luke 23:11 describes the return of Jesus to Pilate.

Jesus being scourged across the face, around 1897. Jesus was humiliated, tried, and tormented after his arrest and throughout the week leading up to his crucifixion, which took place during the week of his Passion. He gets chained to a post and whipped in the face in this scene. James Tissot is the artist behind this piece. Getty Images / Print Collector / Print Collector

8 AM

In Matthew 27:32-34, Mark 15:21-24, Luke 23:26-31, and John 19:16-17, we see Jesus being led away to Calvary.

The Crucifixion

To secure Jesus to the crucified, soldiers drove stake-like nails into Jesus’ wrist and ankle joints, securing him to the cross. He was given the title “The King of the Jews” and an inscription was erected above his head. For roughly six hours, Jesus hung on the cross, until he exhaled his last breath. Soldiers took turns drawing lots for Jesus’ garments while he was hanging on the cross. Onlookers hurled obscenities and jeered at the performers. Two criminals were nailed on the cross at the same time.

After then, the area was enveloped in darkness.

9 AM – “The Third Hour”

Jesus is crucified, according to Mark 15:25. “It was the third hour when they nailed Jesus on the cross” (NIV). According to Jewish time, the third hour would have been 9 a.m.
Father, Forgive Them(Luke 23:34)
The Soldiers Cast Lots for Jesus’ Clothes(Mark 15:24)

10 AM

Jesus is slandered and mocked by the people. “And the people who passed by yelled insults and laughed, shaking their heads in mocking.” Matthew 27:39-40 “So! Is it true that you can demolish the Temple and reassemble it in just three days? So, if you are the Son of God, please save yourself and come down off the cross!” (NLT) Likewise, in Mark 15:31, the chief priests and professors of religious law insulted Jesus and his followers as well. It was said that “he saved others,” but “he can’t save himself!” they sneered. (NLT) Luke 23:36-37- The soldiers made fun of him as well, bringing him a glass of sour wine to drink. “If you are the King of the Jews, spare yourself!” they cried out to him from the crowd. In Luke 23:39, one of the convicts who was hanging there shouted accusations at Jesus, according to the New Living Translation “Isn’t it true that you’re the Christ? Save yourself as well as us!” (NIV)

11 AM

Jesus and the Criminal – Luke 23:40-43 – Jesus and the criminal The other criminal, on the other hand, scolded him. “”Don’t you have any fear of God,” he said, referring to the fact that they were both serving the same sentence. We are being punished fairly, since we are receiving the consequences of our actions. This individual, on the other hand, has done nothing wrong.” “Jesus, please keep me in mind when you come into your kingdom,” he continued. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise,” Jesus said in response to his question. (NIV)
Mary and John are addressed by Jesus in John 19:26-27.

Noon – “The Sixth Hour”

Jesus cries out to the Father (Matthew 27:46-47). And at about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?” says the speaker. (NKJV)
John 19:28-29: Jesus Is Thirsty (John 19:28-29)

2 PM

It Is Completed – John 19:30a- After tasting it, Jesus declared, “It is completed!” (NLT)
Father, I surrender my spirit into your hands, says Jesus in Luke 23:46. “Father, I commit my spirit into your hands,” Jesus said with a loud voice. When he had finished speaking, he took his last breath. (NIV)

The painting ‘The Descent from the Cross’ was created about 1890. From James Tissot’s The Life of our Savior Jesus Christ, we learn that Christ was carried down from the cross on which he had been crucified after he had been dead for three days. Collected prints, contributed images, and worked for Getty Images.

3 PM – “The Ninth Hour”

The Earthquake occurs, and the Temple Veil is torn in half – Matthew 27:51-52 The temple’s curtain was split in half from top to bottom at that same time. The ground trembled, and the rocks cracked open. The graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy individuals who had died were brought back to life by the might of God. “Surely Jesus was the Son of God!” said TheCenturion (New International Version). Jesus is nailed to the cross (Matthew 27:54
Mark 15:38
Luke 23:47)
The Soldiers Break the Thieves’ Legs (John 19:31-33)
The Soldier Pierces Jesus’ Side (John 19:34)
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (Matthew 27:57-61
Mark 15:42-47
Luke 23:50-56
John 19:38-42)
Jesus Rises from the Dead (Matthew 28

How Long Was Jesus on the Cross?

Anyone who is familiar with the Easter story recognizes that Jesus’ death on the cross was a terrible event for a variety of reasons, including his humanity. There are few things that can be said about the crucifixion that do not make you cringe at the physical and mental suffering that Jesus went through, let alone witnessing it in person through a Passion Play or film such as “The Passion of the Christ.” Although we are familiar with the events surrounding Jesus’ death on the crucifixion, we may not fully comprehend the length of time Jesus was forced to suffer the agony and humiliation of the cross.

We can, however, discover the solution by investigating the Easter tale through the lens of numerous stories in the Gospels.

on a wooden beam and then hanged on a cross for three hours: 22They took Jesus to a spot known as Golgotha (which literally translates as “the place of the skull”).

24And then they nailed him to the cross.

25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus on the cross.

And the temple’s curtain was split in two by the earthquake.

When he had finished speaking, he took his last breath.

As a result, Jesus was crucified for almost 6 hours.

According to historical records, it was customary for victims of Roman crucifixions to remain on their crosses for two or three days before succumbing to their injuries and dying.

So, what caused Jesus to die in such a short period of time, only six hours?

One hypothesis is that Jesus was subjected to a tremendous amount of suffering and abuse at the hands of the Roman soldiers before being nailed on the cross of Calvary.

What ever the circumstance may be, we must never forget that nothing was taken away from Jesus on the cross.

All He did was offer His life consciously and freely so that everyone might have an equal shot at experiencing forgiveness from the consequences of their sins and spending an eternity with God in paradise. This is the gospel’s message to the world.