Mark 15:22-32
I want to show you that there is a difference in the way time is kept in Matthew, Mark, and Luke versus John. Time is kept from the first morning hours in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and time is kept from midnight in the Gospel of John much like we keep time today.
We know that a new day begins with the light. The Bible is very clear on this. But, in the Gospel of John, time is kept from midnight. And I want to clearly show you this today. There is a difference in the way time is kept and it’s very important to know this as there will be confusion when reading the Gospels.
The Timeline of the Death of Jesus Christ in the Gospels
So, I want to start with the timeline of the death of Jesus Christ when He went to the cross to die and to pay for our sins. We’re going to start with the night before Jesus went to the cross.
Jesus goes into the garden of Gethsemane.
John 18:1-3
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. 2 And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. 3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot. That happens the night before Jesus is crucified.
The band and the captain of the officers took Jesus and bound him sort of like being put in handcuffs. They then led Jesus away to the Pharisees and the high priest. This is all being done at night in the darkness. They take Jesus into the palace.
John goes in with Jesus because John is known by the high priest. Peter is there and is questioned by the damsel at the door. Peter stands there warming himself with the other servants and officers.
The high priest begins to question Jesus. An officer strikes Jesus after He answers. Peter denies Jesus. Moving down to verse 23 in John Chapter 18.
John 18:28
Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
Look right there because the Bible says, “It was early.” Early in the day. In the Gospel of John, time is kept from midnight or 12 am just as we keep time today. I’m going to prove that without a shadow of a doubt using the Scriptures.
Something else I want you to see in that Scripture right there.
The Passover Begins on the 14th at Even
The Passover, as we have studied very recently, begins on the 14th day of the first month at even. Notice that the Bible says right there in verse 28 that “they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.”
We’re here in the middle of the night, very early in the day, so we’re past midnight. And the chief priest and Pharisees are saying they aren’t going into the judgment hall lest they will be defiled. If they are not clean, they can’t eat the Passover. If they go into the judgment hall, they won’t be able to eat the Passover.
This means, 100% without a doubt, that the Passover feast hasn’t begun. The Passover feast begins at even on the 14th day of the first month. Many people will teach that the Lord’s Supper happened at the Passover. That means the chief priest and the Pharisees would have already been eating the Passover the previous evening.
But the Bible is clearly showing that the Passover is still coming. It’s not there yet.
So, they lead Jesus to the hall of judgment early in the day. Pilate comes out unto them.
John 18:29-32
Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. 31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
Then Pilate enters into the judgment hall and calls Jesus in. Notice that the chief priest and Pharisees couldn’t go into the judgment hall or they would be defiles. Jesus goes in there. He wasn’t defiled.
Pilate asks Jesus, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” Jesus answers Pilate. Pilate questions Jesus some more. He goes out to the Jews and says, “I find in him no fault at all.”
John 18:38-39
Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
The Custom is to Release One at the Passover
Notice that the custom is release one at the passover. The passover begins on the 14th day of the month at even. They are on the 14th day of the month right now but the Passover hasn’t yet begun. It begins at evening. This is the day of preparation for the Passover that begins that evening.
I’ll show you this clearly here in a few minutes. So, remember, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane at night. Judas betrayed him that night. Jesus is taken to the palace of the chief priest and rulers of the Jews. He is then taken over to the judgment hall where Pilate is located. He is questioned by Pilate. Pilate wants to release Jesus. He found nothing wrong.
The time is moving right along.
The Jews do not want Jesus released. Pilate then takes Jesus and scourges him. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head, a purple robe, and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They smote Jesus with their hands.
Pilate brings Jesus forth again and tells the Jews he finds no fault in Jesus. The chief priests and officers cry out to crucify him. Pilate tells them to go crucify him yourself. “I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM.”
Pilate takes Jesus back into the judgment hall and questions him further. Remember, time is moving along. Pilate still wants to release him.
John 19:12-14
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
“It Was The Preparation of the Passover”
Now, I want to focus in on verse 14 right there. We’re talking about timing in the Gospels. I want you to see this.
John 19:14
And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
So, the Bible says it was the preparation of the passover. This means the passover hadn’t yet happened. The Lord’s Supper didn’t happen at the Passover feast. The Lord’s Supper happened the evening of the 13th day of the first month. Now, we are right here on the 14th day of the first month in the morning hours. The Passover is going to happen this day, the 14th, at even.
Jesus is the Passover.
Now, look closely. What time does the Bible say that it is right there in the Gospel of John? The Bible says it is the sixth hour. “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour.”
I’m telling you that this is 6 am. Many people will look there and say that it’s 12 pm or noon. It’s not noon because the Gospels tell us Jesus was crucified or hung on the cross around 9 am. Let’s search for this same term, “sixth hour” within the Bible. Now, remember where we’re at in the timeline here.
Jesus Hasn’t Been Crucified Yet
Jesus hasn’t been crucified yet. He’s been scourged. But he hasn’t been crucified. We’re in verse 14 of John Chapter 19. He is crucified in verse 18 but there are hours between verse 14 and verse 18. So, Jesus is not hanging on the cross yet and the Bible says it is the sixth hour in John.
We go to the first instance of the phrase “sixth hour” in all the Bible and it occurs in Matthew Chapter 27 when Jesus is already on the cross. Stick with me here. I want to show you that the way time is kept is different in Matthew, Mark, and Luke versus John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke keep time from the early morning. John keeps time from midnight.
Matthew 27:45
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
We see the same thing in Mark.
Mark 15:33
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
We see darkness over all the land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour. And then we see the same thing in Luke.
Luke 23:44
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour there is darkness. These three hours of darkness are not seen in the Gospel of John. So, at the sixth hour in John, Jesus is still being questioned by Pilate. He hasn’t been crucified.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus has already been hanging on the cross for several hours when we see the sixth hour. Matthew 27 verse 45 is where we see darkness from the sixth hour to the ninth hour. So the sixth hour is being kept differently between Matthew, Mark, Luke versus John.
Jesus Was Crucified in Verse 35 of Matthew 27
If we go backwards in Matthew 27, we see this in verse 35.
Matthew 27:35
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
That happened long before the sixth hour came. The sixth hour comes 10 verses later when hours have passed.
Matthew 27:45-50
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Jesus died after the ninth hour had come. But I want to go to the other Gospels. We get all of these different times within the Gospels that give us this account of the death of Jesus Christ. All of this is in the Bible so it’s very important. Every word of God is important.
In Mark, Jesus Is Crucified at the Third Hour
So, at what hour was Jesus crucified? The Gospel of Mark gives us that hour. And remember, we just saw where the timing in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is exact. They match the sixth hour to the ninth hour when there is complete darkness.
Mark 15:24-25
And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
At the third hour, Jesus is crucified. In John, it’s the sixth hour and Jesus hasn’t been crucified yet. Once again, we know 100% for sure that the timing in the Gospels is different. John is different than the others.
Mark 15:25
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
Mark 15:33
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mark 15:37
And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
3rd hour Jesus is crucified. 6th hour is darkness until the 9th hour. Right after the 9th hour ends, Jesus dies. That’s what the Gospel of Mark says. The 12th hour of the day is when the day is ending. The evening comes at the 12th hour. We know that the Passover begins at the 12th hour of the day.
We know that Mark is speaking of the day beginning around 6 am or when the day begins to dawn. The 3rd hour would be 9 am. The 6th hour would be 12 pm or noon. The 9th hour would be 3 pm. And about 6 pm would be the start of the Passover. Jesus is the Passover lamb. He was killed before the feast begins. A lamb must be killed before it can be eaten.
In John, Time is Kept from Midnight
Now, in the Gospel of John, time is kept from midnight as we keep time today. When you see the sixth hour, this means either 6 am or 6 pm.
Jesus was betrayed in the garden of Gethsemane at night. He is bound and taken to the rulers of the Jews. He is then taken over to Pilate. He is then taken to Calvary and crucified there. He is hanging on the cross for hours. We see darkness for three hours while Jesus is hanging on the cross. And then Jesus dies.
So, let’s put this timing together using the times given in the Gospels.
| Event | Time | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
| Judgment Hall w/ Pilate | 6 am | 6th Hour | |||
| Crucified | 9 am | 3rd Hour | |||
| Start of Darkness | 12 pm | 6th Hour | 6th Hour | 6th Hour | |
| End of Darkness | 3 pm | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | |
| Death of Jesus | 3 pm | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | |
| Burial of Jesus | 6 pm |
So, we know the Passover is a holy convocation and no servile work shall be done. We’ve been studying through these things using the word of God.
Mark 15:42-43
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
The Bible says it is the preparation day. The Gospel of John said that at the sixth hour it was the preparation of the Passover. We saw that in John Chapter 19 verse 14. At 6 am in the morning, the Bible says it is the preparation of the Passover. Then we see Jesus crucified. We see His death in the late afternoon or early evening.
Even Is Come And It’s Still the Preparation Right Before the Passover
And then we see the evening coming. We see it is still the preparation day or the day time right before the sabbath of the Passover that begins with the darkness. They were trying to get the body of Jesus buried because they weren’t supposed to do any work once the Passover began at even.
Now, watch this in the Gospel of John.
John 19:30-31
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Again, the Bible says it was the preparation. That means the Passover feast hadn’t yet begun. The Passover starts at night, that sabbath was an high day, a special day, a Sabbath that begins at night. The weekly Sabbath begins in the morning so this wasn’t talking about the weekly Sabbath day.
The weekly Sabbath day, according to Matthew 28:1 was ending when Jesus was about to rise from the dead. We know that Jesus was dead for 3 days and 3 nights. So we know this isn’t talking about the weekly Sabbath. It’s a special Sabbath, an high day.
Because the Passover feast was about to begin, they had to get the body of Jesus down from the cross.
The Timing in the Synoptic Gospels is Different
So, we know that the timing in the Gospel of John is different from the timing in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
| Event | Time | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
| Judgment Hall w/ Pilate | 6 am | 6th Hour | |||
| Crucified | 9 am | 3rd Hour | |||
| Start of Darkness | 12 pm | 6th Hour | 6th Hour | 6th Hour | |
| End of Darkness | 3 pm | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | |
| Death of Jesus | 3 pm | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | 9th Hour | |
| Burial of Jesus | 6 pm |
The sixth hour in John is hour zero in the other Gospels. Jesus was at the judgment hall around 6 am. Crucified around 9 am. Darkness on earth from 12 pm to 3 pm. The death of Jesus was right after 3 pm. We see the burial of Jesus by 6 pm. Jesus was crucified on the cross for about 6 hours. He hung on the cross for 6 hours and then died.
Now that you know how time is kept in the Gospel of John, I want to show you one more thing here. We see the phrase the sixth hour twice in the Gospel of John. Once in John Chapter 19 when Jesus is at the judgment hall with Pilate. We know that was early in the morning.
Meet Me At 6 Tomorrow. 6 am or 6 pm?
The sixth hour can be 6 am or 6 pm. If I asked you to meet me tomorrow at 6, you would say, “6 what? 6 am or 6 pm?”
John 4:6
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Many people think that this is the sixth hour from the morning, but we know 100% for sure that the Gospel of John keeps time from midnight. If this was the sixth hour and 12 pm or noon as most people believe, then the 6th hour when Jesus was with Pilate in the judgment hall would have been noon. But Jesus was already crucified by noon. So that can’t be correct.
The sixth hour right there in that verse wasn’t 6 am. Jesus was wearied or tired because of his journey. Was it 6 am or 6 pm? It’s 6 pm. His disciples went away to buy meat for dinner. They worked hard all day. It’s time to rest and eat.
It wasn’t noon because the timing of the judgment, crucifixion, and death of Jesus wouldn’t make sense in John Chapter 19.
So, keep this fact in mind as you read and study the Bible.
Timing in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is kept from the morning. You could say 6 am is the start of the day. The third hour would be 9 am. The sixth hour would be 12 pm or noon. The ninth hour would be 3 pm. The twelfth hour would be 6 pm.
In John, time is kept from midnight as we do today. The sixth hour in John is either 6 am or 6 pm. It’s not noon or 12 pm as in the other Gospels. If John says it is the ninth hour, that would be 9 am or 9 pm.
There are many more Scriptures that support this that we will study in the future.
Hope you’ve learned something day. Timing in the Gospels is very important in understanding the Scriptures.
Let’s pray.
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