Time of Beginning the Sabbath

Question:

I am fully convinced that Saturday, the seventh day, is the Lord’s Sabbath, but I am not convinced about the time when the Sabbath begins. Please explain why Matthew 28:1, “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn,” does not mean that the Sabbath ended at daybreak? And if this is the case, should the Sabbath begin at dawn?

Answer:

The beginning of the day as outlined in Genesis 1, as intimated regarding the yearly sabbaths in Lev. 23:32, a comparison of Matt. 8:16, Mark 1:32, Luke 4:40, and Neh. 13:19 clearly show that the Sabbath began and ended with the sun’s setting. The Jews would not come to be healed during the Sabbath, but as soon as the Sabbath had closed, at sunset, they came in great multi­tudes. The phrase “began to dawn” (Matt. 28:1) means began to come–the Sabbath was approaching. “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,” meant that immediately after the Sabbath closed, the next day began to draw near.

What is better than this to our mind is to read Matthew in connection with Matthew 28. In the original, there is no division between chapters and verses. In fact, there is no division between words in the most ancient copies. The Jews were very anxious that Christ’s words should be made false. They went to Pilate on the Sabbath day and said that this Man had declared that He would rise after three days, and they asked that before that time, Pilate command that the tomb be made sure. Pilate told them they had a watch, or a guard, to go their way and do as they had pro­ posed. “So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch, in the end of the Sabbath.” It was right down in the very closing part of the Sabbath day they did these things. Then, when the morning dawned, “as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher;” that is, in the light part of the day, often called the day in distinction from the night. The other scriptures we have cited show very clearly when the Sabbath day itself began.