THE SIGN OF YONAH

Just as Yonah was three days and three nights
in the belly of the sea-monster, so will the Son of Man
be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth

(Matthew 12:40)

The sign of Yonah

After Yeshua had spent a considerable time teaching and healing in the Galil, he became frustrated with the people in many towns he visited because they did not listen to his message and do T’shuvah (repent) nor did they turn back to YHVH and Torah, inside they asked for a sign that he really was the Mashiach that they had all been awaiting. But his response was just those two verses. He was comparing what was soon to happen to him to the plight of Yonah (Jonah).

What Yeshua was saying was that he would lie dead in the tomb for three days and three nights and that is exactly what happened, according to all four Gospel accounts. However, that truth is only visible when the Gospels are read against the Hebraic background of 1st century Isra’el. During that period, it was the Aviv (Scriptural) Calendar, that was used in connection observance of the three spring Mo’adim. (details in the 3rd Panel) – Seven Mo’adim.

Why is this sign so important? It is because it determines how long Yeshua remained in the tomb, after his death. Rabbinical Judaism is silent about these matters because they still hold to the belief that Yeshua was not the promised Messiah. Therefore, for them there has been no fulfilment of the Sign of Yonah. By contrast the Churches of Christendom all hold fast to the belief that Yeshua, whom they call Jesus Christ, died on Friday and was resurrected on Sunday morning at dawn. However, Yeshua himself said ‘so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth. There is no valid justifiable reason to insist he died on Friday and rose on Sunday.

Christendom has distorted the whole narrative about Yeshua regarding that eventful final month of Aviv 30 CE. The foundation of the Christian narrative developed sometime after the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 CE, when the leadership of the 1st century Messianic Community passed into hands of Gentiles. As the Jewish membership slowly diminished the focus moved away from the Hebraic origin of faith in Yeshua and was progressively transformed into the life and teachings of the Greek Jesus. The Church Fathers wanted their Gentile followers to hear and believe a narrative that contained no traces of the true Hebraic content. Hence, the narrative surrounding the arrest, trial, death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah, became the narrative of “Jesus the Christ.”

It must be borne in mind that the narrative of the Gospels was set against a background of two different calendars. All religious events described in the four Gospels were observed in accordance with the Aviv (Scriptural) Calendar, while the Christian teachings that have been observed since the 2nd century are based solely on the Roman Calendar. For more details about the structure of the Aviv Calendar, see (4th panel - The Aviv Calendar)

The following three tables lay out the key events that occurred in relation to Yeshua during the month of Aviv in the year 30 CE.

Table 1 – Events leading up to the placement of Yeshua in the tomb (Month of Aviv 30 CE)

Rosh Hodesh Aviv 1st month of the year	1st Thursday 23 March 30 CE	Beginning of the month of Aviv, Yeshua and his followers on the road to Yerushalayim in preparation for Pesach
Beit Aniyah (John 12:1)	9th Friday 31 March 30 CE	Banquet held in Yeshua’s honour at the house of El’azar fell on Erev Shabbat and was the occasion for a meal in honour of Yeshua. That was the night before he rode into the city.
Shabbat Hagadol	10th Saturday 1 April 30 CE	Yeshua rode into Yerushalayim on a donkey, also the time when the Pesach lambs were being taken in to be examined.
Time of examination	Saturday to Tuesday 1 to 4 April 30	10th to 13th Aviv the time of examination of the Pesach lambs, also the time when Yeshua was challenged by the Torah-teachers and leaders of the Yerushalayim community.
Yeshua’s Last Meal (after 6:00pm)	14th Wed 5 April 30 CE	After sundown until about mid-evening, then time in Gat-Sh’manim (Gethsemane) praying before his arrest.
Arrest, trial, execution and finally death	14th Wed 5 April 30 CE	Arrested around mid-night, questioned by Kayafa then sentenced by Pilate, nailed to the stake and died at 3:00pm
The festival of Matzah Pesach (after 6:00pm)	15th Thurs 6 April 30CE	The first day of the seven-day festival of Matzah began at sundown on the Wednesday evening.

Table 2 – Yeshua fulfils the Sign of Yonah (Mattityahu 12:38-41)

14th to the 17th Days of Aviv.	Three days and three nights Yeshua lay in the tomb - Sign of Yonah
1st night (15th) Aviv	6:00pm Wednesday to 6:00am Thursday (5th to 6th April 30 CE)
1st day (15th) Aviv	6:00am Thursday to 6:00pm Thursday (6th April 30 CE)
2nd night (16th) Aviv	6:00pm Thursday to 600am Friday (6th to 7th April 30 CE)
2nd day (16th) Aviv	6:00am Friday to 6:00pm Friday (7th April 30 CE)
3rd night (17Th) Aviv	6:00pm Friday to 6:00am Saturday (7th to 8th April 30 CE)
3rd day (17th) Aviv	6:00am on Shabbat until sometime before 6:00pm (8th April 30 CE)
3rd day (17th) Aviv	Before sundown on Shabbat Yeshua rose from the tomb (8th April 30 CE)

Table 3 – Yeshua fulfils Bikkurim (Vayikra 23:9-11 and Yochanan 20:17 then Luke 24:39)

Encounter at the tomb	18th	Approx. 6:00am Sunday, women go to the tomb with spices
Miryam & Yeshua	18th	Miryam touches Yeshua, he rebuffs her contact at that time
Bikkurim	18th	Yeshua ascended to his Father, as a Firstfruits offering
Count of the Omer begins	18th	6:00pm Sunday the count of 50 days to Shavuot begins
Amma’us Encounter	18th	Late afternoon he met two followers in the road to Amma’us
Appears in the Upper Room	19th	6:00pm Sunday evening talmidim in the locked Upper Room
Seventh day of Matzah	21st	6:00pm Wednesday 5th April to 6:00pm Tuesday 11th April

The month of Aviv in 30 CE according to Worldclock.com www.timeanddate.com started with the sighting the first sliver of the new moon after 6:00pm on the Thursday 23rd March and ended at 6:00pm Friday 21st April. All the above events occurred in accordance with the dates found in both the Aviv and Julian calendars for the year 30 CE.

"This essay was written by Graeme Purdie – Founder of Talmidei Yeshua Messianic Ministry of NZ and may only be shared in full and must include this citation at all times. All scriptural references, unless stated otherwise, have been taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029 www.messianicjewish.net."