Three days later?

One of our high school students sent the following question to me today via Facebook, and I thought it one worthy of sharing here:

Hey, Happy Easter! Could you break this quick question down for me? So if Christ died on Friday, and rose 3 days later, wouldn't that be Monday? If we're talking full 24 hour days, that is.

You might guess that he's already hinted at the answer in his question.

First, we don't say that Christ rose three days later, but that he rose "on the third day."

Second, to say "on the third day," does not mean a total of three full days, but simply some time of three days.

We must consider the Jewish reckoning of time that saw the new day begin not at midnight (as we see it) but at sundown.

We know that Jesus' boby was placed in the tomb Friday afternoon, because it would have had to have to been in the tomb when the Sabbath (Saturday) began at sundown. So we have the first day in the tomb: Friday.

The second day in the tomb was Saturday.

Sunday, the third day, began at sundown on (what we would call) Saturday. Hence, Jesus rose "on the third day," Sunday.