What is the meaning of Luke 23:54? It was Preparation Day Luke reminds us, “It was Preparation Day”, the term Jews used for the sixth day of the week—what we call Friday. - This day was devoted to getting everything ready for the Sabbath, when no work could be done (Exodus 16:5; Mark 15:42). - Food was cooked, lamps filled, and tasks finished so families could rest in obedience to the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8–10). - In the unfolding drama of Luke 23, Joseph of Arimathea had only a narrow window to request Jesus’ body, wrap it in linen, and lay it in the tomb (Luke 23:50–53; John 19:38–40). - The urgency highlights God’s precise timing: Christ’s death occurred just before the weekly day of rest, foreshadowing His finished work and the rest He offers (Hebrews 4:9–10). and the Sabbath was beginning Immediately after sunset on Friday, the Sabbath officially “was beginning”. - Jewish days run from sundown to sundown (Genesis 1:5; Leviticus 23:32). As darkness fell, markets closed and city gates were shut (Nehemiah 13:19). - For the women who had watched the crucifixion, the Sabbath pause meant delaying their return to the tomb with spices (Luke 23:55–24:1; Mark 16:1). - The solemn stillness of this Sabbath underscores the contrast between death’s apparent victory and the coming resurrection dawn (Matthew 12:40; Acts 2:24). - God’s Law required rest, yet His plan was moving: while the disciples rested, the Father was preparing to vindicate His Son (Psalm 16:10; Romans 6:4). summary Luke 23:54 roots the crucifixion narrative in real time: Friday afternoon, just before the Sabbath began at sunset. The verse stresses urgency—Jesus must be buried quickly—and certainty—God’s redemptive timetable never slips. Preparation Day work ends, Sabbath rest begins, and the stage is set for the empty tomb that will greet the women at first light on the first day of the week. |
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