RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-04-10	“Good Friday” Purchase Spices
		“Good Friday” Purchase Spices This is FRIDAY, two days after Christ was crucified. So this is day two in the grave. What happened on this day in relation to Christ's crucifixion week? This is the day most Christians believe Jesus was crucified on. It is a long standing tradition. The only problem is that it does not follow the Biblical text at all. This is not a matter to break fellowship over. As long as anyone personally believes that Jesus died for their sins, we should have fellowship with them. It may not matter for fellowship, but it does matter for Biblical integrity. This is one of the traditions many Christians have embraced by default. That is, they just go along with the rest. Some may claim that it does not matter what day you believe Jesus was crucified on. O, but it does! When you read Scripture and things seem contradictory, it has a negative influence on your faith. And something as significant as the death of Christ we should take seriously. Many, if not most, have heard the term “Good Friday”. The term comes from the Roman Catholic Church. It is based on an overly simplistic view (Mk.15:42) that ignores the Feasts also occurring that week. Mar 15:42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Yes, Jesus was crucified the day before a sabbath (called “the preparation”). It was NOT the weekly sabbath, but the Feast of Unleavened Bread sabbath. The traditional view ignores the fact that Jesus was fulfilling Bible prophecy. Specifically, Jesus fulfilled the 'Feast of Unleavened Bread' in His burial, and the 'Feast of First Fruits' in His resurrection three days later. So what did happen on Friday the week Jesus was crucified? Mar 16:1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. When the Sabbath was past, what Sabbath? The Feast of Unleavened Bread which was Thursday. So after Thursday, that is on Friday, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and Salome bought spices. Friday was not a sabbath so they had the opportunity to purchase the spices. Now notice the next verse (Mk.16:2). Mar 16:2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. There is an indefinite amount of time between verse 1 and verse 2. In verse 1 they purchased spices after the sabbath making it Friday. In verse 2 the text tells us some time has passed, because it is now the first day of the week (Sunday). It was very early in the morning on Sunday. They would not have been able to purchase spices because of the early hour. So what they purchased in verse 1 was done on Friday, the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread sabbath. So by way of application, it looks like we should all go out and buy spices. Well, maybe not. The women bought spices to anoint Jesus' physical body. It was an act of adoration. We should raise holy hands and worship Jesus spiritually for all He has done for us. We are building up to our Resurrection Sunday message. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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