Building on the Foundation

Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John elaborates on some key events that followed Jesus' resurrection. It begins with the discovery of His empty tomb on Sunday morning by Mary Magdalene and other disciples, while it was still dark (John 20:1-10). Shortly thereafter, He appeared to Mary Magdalene alone (vv. 11-18). Next, we read, "Then, the same day [Sunday, the first day of the week] at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you'" (John 20:19). As in other Scriptures, we see a clear pattern of morning followed by evening. Evening had to be before the end of the day at sunset, or else it could not have been the evening of the same day! Therefore, evening in this passage can only be late afternoon before sunset. This weighs heavily on the discussion of evening and "between the two evenings." In turn, it weighs...

The account in 1 Samuel 20 not only tells us of King Saul's hatred for David, but it also unveils an important clue in determining the Biblical definition of evening. Is evening the beginning of the day, when the sun has already slipped below the horizon, or is it prior to sunset near the end of the day? From studying the Biblical use of "between the two evenings," we know that it can mean either one. Evening can mean either afternoon, as it does in Jer. 6:4, or it can mean nightfall, as it does in Prov. 7:9. The passage in 1 Sam. 20 gives us an example of the former. First, at the beginning of the chapter, David sought Jonathan's help after escaping one of King Saul's murder attempts (1 Sam. 20:1). Next, we read, "And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening" (1 Sam. 20:5). Here, the stage is set. David plans to ...