Praise God for the third day! A day of hope, victory, and resurrection!
But why the third day?
It wasn’t random! (Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7, 21)
I’ve heard some good reasons for the third day…
- Much longer and His body would have decayed (Ps. 16:10; Act 2:27 13:35-37).
- It was enough time to confirm He was actually died.
- It was in fulfillment of Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:4, 20, 23; Luke 24:46; Leviticus 23:9-14).
- He rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:54-56).
But maybe the most important reason that Christ rose on the third day is that these three days tell a story, It’s a story of hope and deliverance. And it’s our story. Jesus modeled for us the journey that passes through suffering, and lingers in silence on the way to new life.
A Pattern: There is a Biblical pattern of deliverance in which the third day is significant!
Hosea 6:1-2 “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
In days one and two life is torn and struck down. On the third day there is healing and revival, rising up and living.
We live our lives in a three day story! And the third day is coming!
Jesus referred to the three day story as “the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:40).
Day 1: Jonah was caught in a storm of judgement, thrown into the sea and swallowed by a fish(1:7-17).
Day 2: Jonah was in the belly of a fish with nothing to do but praying and wait(2:1-9).
Day 3: Jonah was spit up on the shore(2:10).
That’s the pattern: Day 1 (The Crisis), Day 2 (The Wait), Day 3 (The Deliverance)
The stories of Jonah and Jesus aren’t the only three day stories in the Bible!
| Day 1- THE CRISIS | Day 2- THE WAIT | Day 3- THE DELIVERANCE |
| Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22: 1,2). | Preparations were made (Gen. 22:2). | God provided a sacrifice (Gen. 22: 4-14). |
| The imprisoned cupbearer had a troubling dream (Gen. 40:1-5). | He learned the meaning and waited (Gen. 40: 6-15). | The cupbearer was restored (Gen. 22:20). |
| Joseph accused his brothers of being spies (Gen. 42:9-17). | The brothers waited in custody (Gen. 42:17). | The brothers were released to prove their honesty (Gen. 42:18-20). |
| Ark of the Lord was captured (1 Sam. 5:1-20; 4:18). | Dagon fell but he was stood back up (1 Sam. 5:3). | The Ark or the Lord was returned (1 Sam. 5:4-12). |
| There was a decree to destroy all the Jews (Esther 3:13). | They fasted and prayed (Esther 4:16). | Esther found favor before the King (Esther 5:1). |
| Mary and Joseph lost Jesus (Luke 2:43-44). | They searched for Him, but didn’t find Him (Luke 2: 44-45). | They found Him in the temple (Luke 2:46). |
The third day is when God led the Israelis across the Jordan (Joshua 1:11; 3:2-3).
The third day is when the pursuers had gone so the Jericho spies were safe to return to the camp (Joshua 2:16. 22).
The third day is when “Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” (Exodus 19:11, 16-20).
The three day story is a pattern in the Bible and a pattern in our lives!
Day three is where we want to be but day one and day two are how we get there. We know what it is like to be in the first day of crisis and the second day of waiting. Let’s put our trust in the third day of deliverance.
Jesus told us our three day story in His death, burial and resurrection.
Day 1: THE CRISIS
A Day of Injustice: Neither Pilate nor Herod could find fault with Jesus (Luke 23:4,5,16 and 22). He was innocent (23:47) but they delivered Him to the will of the crowd (Luke 23:24-25).
A Day of Mocking: They taunted, “Prophecy, who hit you?” (Luke 22:63-56). And, “Save yourself!” (Luke 23:34, 36-37, 39). They even mocked Him for claiming that He would rebuild the temple in three days (Mark 15:29). But they didn’t get it. See, it was still the first day. It is easy to mock on the first day. But the third day was coming.
A Day of Abuse: They didn’t just crucify Him (Luke 32:33). They also beat him on the way to the cross (Luke 22:63).
A Day of Darkness: For three hours sun failed to give it’s light (Luke 23:44-45).
A Day of Forsakenness: Heaven was silent and Christ felt forsaken by the Father (Mark 15:34).
That is the first day. Nobody likes the first day. But there is no day three without day one. There is no resurrection without death.
We live our lives in a three day story… and the third day is coming!
Maybe you know that it’s coming but you are still in day one. You’re living in the injustice, the mockery, the abuse, the darkness, and the feeling of forsakenness. Maybe He rose on the third day, and not on the first, so that we wouldn’t feel alone in our first day experience. So that we could know that the first day is just part of our three day story. We can get through the first day by holding onto the God who rose to life on the third.
Day 2: THE WAIT
On the second day the violence was over but Jesus was still dead. Still, there were some bright spots. We see kindness in the waiting of the second day. Joseph of Arimathea cared for Christ’s body and provided a tomb (Luke 23:50-53). The second day was the Sabbath reminding us that God is faithful to provide rest in the waiting (Luke 23:54-56). But the second was not a good way.
A Day of Opposition: The second day is a day of quiet spiritual battle. Guards were placed at the tomb. They knew that the third day was coming and they wanted to minimize the damages (Matthew 27:62-65).
We know a bit about the second day from the emotions at the beginning of the third day.
A Day of Unbelief: Hope seemed like and idol tale(Luke 24:11,25).
A Day of Confusion: They couldn’t wrap their minds around what Christ was accomplishing (Luke 24:27, 45)
A Day of Grief: They wept (John 20:11).
A Day of Fear: Their doors were locked for fear of the Jews (John 20:19).
We live our lives in a three day story! And the third day is coming!
The second doesn’t feel like victory, but it’s so close. It’s a strange day, somewhere between the crisis and the deliverance. The action is over but reality is just setting in. In the waiting we battle unbelief, confusion, grief and fear. It may seem quiet but the enemy is at work to make the events of first day crush us in second day so that we don’t endure until the third. Maybe He rose on the third day, and not the second, so that we wouldn’t feel hopeless in our second day experience of waiting.
Day 3: DELIVERANCE
A Day of Life: There is an empty tomb and a living Savior (Luke 24:5-6).
A Day of Power: Matthew 28:2-4 “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”
A Day of Renewal: Their hearts were slow to believe (Luke 24:25, 11) but on the third day their hearts burned again (Luke 24:32, 34).
A Day of Understanding: The third day is when all the confusion finally makes since (Luke 24:27, 45).
A Day of Peace: Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36)
A Day of Calling: The difficult experience of the first and second days didn’t make the believers victims, it made them witnesses(v.48). Their three day story gave them a calling. Maybe He waited until the third day so that our experiences in the first two days could become a witness to the resurrection power of the third!
Day of Promise: The resurrection of the third day is a promise of life for every day to come after it (Luke 24:49 Ephesians 1:4).
How does the third day come?
- It came in history! Jesus really rose from the dead and made the realities of the third day possible.
- It comes personally! In our individual three day stories God is faithful to lead us through the crisis and the waiting to the third day of deliverance. We can find joy, peace and endurance for the first two days by holding onto the God conquered death on the third day. God brings many third days in our story and we should celebrate each of them!
- It comes ultimately! The resurrection of the third day guarantees a future resurrection when death is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 50-58) and the experiences of the first and second days are no longer part of our story.