Help! Question on Matt. 12:40

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filiae

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I have a question that I hope someone out there can help me with.

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Now if He died on Friday and rose on Sunday, that’s only two nights. Where does the third night come in?

My son asked me this question. He has been out of the Church for several years and is searching and asking me many questions. I’m helping him the best I can but this one has me stumped.
How can I answer him?
 
Found here:
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12:40. For as Jonas was in the whale’s belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
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Three days, etc… Not complete days and nights; but part of three days, and three nights taken according to the way that the Hebrews counted their days and nights, viz., from evening to evening.
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The interpretation is that Christ did not mean 3 whole days and 3 whole nights.

More on the Hebrew day - Not sure that the author is Catholic, but the Hebrew day is explained here.
 
Thanks very much, briang72. I also found some more info on another thread.
I’m learning a lot from my son asking me questions about the faith. All of his searching is good for me as well as him!
 
I agree, in explaining the Faith to others we learn so much ourselves. My Catholic School experience was to be given facts and expected to believe them because Sister - or Father - said so.

My (many) questions were discouraged and I was regarded as just being contentious. It wasn’t until I had been out of the Church for a few years that I decided to hunt for the answers myself. That’s what brought me firmly back into the Church.

And 30+ years on I am still learning.
 
any part of a celemortial day is considered a full day. Jesus died just before a holy day.
 
It sure helps to know something about the Jewish faith, too. I did not know that they counted days and nights when mentioning days. Now I do! Thanks.
 
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