Many object to the idea Jesus died on Friday because He had said He would rise again on the third day, as indeed was written in prophesy. Can we not be free from dogma to look into this with honesty and not feel guilty for questioning long held tradition ('Good Friday')? The gospel says there was a Sabbath meaning His body had to be inspected to ensure He had died as evening (start of Sabbath) approached. This is probably where some have assumed it was Friday with the usual Sabbath being Saturday and starting Friday evening at sunset. Yet the gospels on closer inspection are clear this was not a usual Sabbath buf Passover which could make it whatever day it happened to be that year couldn't it (I'm no expert)? So it was also a rest day for the disciples in addition perhaps to the usual Saturday rest day (unless it happened to be Passover on Saturday that year). They did not return to the tomb despite urgency to anoint the body until the command allowed which is clear was Sunday early morning - no cause to question this. My thinking is to conclude they rested at least one day but perhaps two with no working day between (no day they could go to the body). Unless the coming Saturday Sabbath prevented them returning to a dead body the day before Sabbath but then the gospels would probably say so and this leaves either Friday plus Saturday being a special two day Sabbath because of Passover plus a usual Sabbath the next day - or the tradition of just the usual Saturday Sabbath. No day of work until Sunday as the gospel implies either way. So He could have died Thursday rather than Friday, it seems to me. So this makes it more certain the word He said and its evocation of the scripture that He would "on the third day rise again according to the scripture".
