It is said that Jesus died at 3 p.m. on Good Friday. According to the Gospel of Mark we know exactly when Jesus died on the cross. The last 24 hours of Jesus’ life are described in eight segments each of three hours.
The story begins approximately at 6 p.m. when the sun went down “when it was evening.” Then, it was about 9 p.m. Mark knew that the duration of the Passover meal was three hours and that it ended with the singing of a hymn. “And when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives” Then Jesus and his disciples go to the garden of Gethsemane. Peter, James and John were not able to stay awake. “Could you not watch one hour?” It was now midnight. Then next came the act of betrayal, occurring at the stroke of midnight.
Jesus was then led away for trial before the high priest and other senior priests and elders. That governing body judged him to be worthy of death on the basis of his messianic claim. It was 3 a.m. Peter denied Jesus three rimes, once each hour until the cock crowed. That marked the end of the night. That made it 6 a.m. At that time, or “as soon as it was morning” Jesus was led by the chief priests, scribes and elders to Pontius Pilate for judgment.
It was 9 a.m. when they crucified Him, “It was the third hour.” When “the sixth hour had come,” in other words noon, darkness covered the whole earth reflecting the betrayal at midnight. After three hours of darkness, Jesus said “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was 3 p.m.
He was buried in the final period from 3 to 6 p.m. before the sun went down. 6 p.m. on Friday evening reflects the beginning of the passion on 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.
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