Three Days and Three Nights

Three Days and Three Nights
By
James Trimm

We read in the Gospels:
[29] And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
[30] For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
[31] The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
[32] The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
(Luke 11:14-36 KJV)
And:
[38] Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
[39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
[40] 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.
[41] The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
[42] The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
[43] When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
[44] Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
[45] Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
(Matthew 12:31-45 KJV)
However, some Greek manuscripts of Matthew have a marginal note to this passage which says the "Jewish version" of Matthew read differently here:
το ιουδαικον ουκ εχει τρεις η [μερας και τρεις νυκτας] >>

The Judaikon (Jewish version) has not “three [days and three nights]” there [in the heart of the earth].
So the reference to "three days and three nights" does not appear in Luke, nor did it appear in the "Jewish version" of Matthew.  So it is unclear whether this passage actually belongs to the original.
Howeveer we do read elsewhere in Luke:
[13] And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
[14] And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
[15] And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
[16] But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
[17] And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
[18] And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass therein these days?
[19] And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
[20] And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
[21] But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
[22] Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
[23] And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
[24] And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
[25] Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
[26] Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
[27] And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
[28] And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
[29] But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
[30] And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
[31] And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
[32] And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
[33] And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
[34] Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
[35] And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
(Luke 24:13-15 KJV)
Notice in Luke 24:21 we read "to day is the third day since these things were done."
The phrase "three days and three nights" leaves us with questions of inclusive or exclusive counting. For example, the apparent contradiction between Matthew and Mark on the one hand:
And after six days, Yeshua took Kefa and Ya’akov, and Yochanan his brother, and
brought them up to a high mountain, apart.
(Matt. 17:1)
And after six days, Yeshua took Kefa, and Ya’akov, and Yochanan, and took them up
into a great mountain privately: and was changed before their eyes.
(Mark 9:2)
And Luke on the other hand:
And it happened that about eight days after these words, Yeshua took Kefa, and
Ya’akov, and Yochanan, and ascended a mountain to pray.
(Luke 9:28)
In fact this supposed contradiction is easily resolved.  This is merely the difference between exclusive and inclusive counting.  Matthew and Mark use exclusive counting and only counts the days which fell between the starting and ending days, while Luke uses inclusive counting and includes the starting and ending days in his count.
But Luke 24:21 avoids any question of inclusive or exclusive counting of the three days in the tomb . As a matter of math, this verse points to a Thursday crucifixion, despite popular theories of either a Friday or a Wednesday crucifixion.. This statement is clearly made during the day on Sunday (the First Day of the Week). Thus if we count backwards using this verse as a basis we find:
Sunday (1st Day of week) is the third day
“since all these things happened”
Saturday (7th Day of week) is the second day
“since all these things happened”
Friday (6th Day of week) is the first day
“since all these things happened” (This day was the 15th of Nissan- An annual Sabbath)
Thursday (5th Day of week) is the day
“all these things happened”