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Sabbath" -- also implying the weekly Sabbath. Now, if we drop down to Luke 23:56 we read --
"On SHABBAT the women rested, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENT." What "com-
mandment" is this? The FOURTH COMMANDMENT of course! In reference to this verse the
Jewish New Testament Commentary makes this clarifying statement: "It is sometimes claimed
that the New Testament says nothing about keeping the fourth commandment. This verse contradicts
that claim, so it is important for a Jewish understanding of the New Testament. On Shabbat the
Women rested, in obedience to the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy
5:12-15; also Exodus 16). Of course they did! They observed Shabbat every week" (by David H.
Stern. P. 150). Obviously, the WEEKLY SABBATH is the focus of verses 54 and 56.

Now that we have established the weekly Sabbath is the focus of these verses, let's go to
John 19:31 in the Jewish New Testament and read what the apostle John has to say: "It was the
Preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on SHABBAT,
since it was an especially important Shabbat." The New King James version makes it clearer:
"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on
the [weekly] Sabbath (FOR THAT [WEEKLY] SABBATH WAS A HIGH DAY)." What "high
day" was this? My Bible references it to Exodus 12:16 -- the first holy day of the Feast of Unleav-
ened Bread! Therefore -- and notice this -- we have here TWO SABBATHS ON THE SAME DAY
-- THE WEEKLY SABBATH AND THE FIRST HIGH OR HOLY DAY OF THE FEAST OF
UNLEAVENED BREAD. This is EXACTLY what we would expect if the Jews of Jesus' time
were keeping the weeks according to the lunar cycle! This particular day was Nisan 15 and, ac-
cording to the lunar reckoning, was ALWAYS a weekly Sabbath and a high day!

If we go to Matthew 28:1 we read: "After the sabbath, when it was growing light on the
first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to view the grave" (The Kingdom
Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures). At first glance there appears to be nothing un-
usual about this verse. However, if we consult the original Greek, we find a remarkable corrobo-
ration of the double Sabbath -- the word "sabbath" is in the PLURAL! Therefore, this verse should
read (in English) -- "After the sabbaths [plural], when it was growing light on the first day of the
week..." Also, the phrase "when it was growing light on the first day of the week" is translated
from the original Greek, which literally says "to the [day] lighting up into one [first] of sabbaths"
-- notice the plural form once again.

The same thing is found in Mark 16:2 where the Greek literally says: "And exceedingly
early to the one [first] [day] of the sabbaths they are coming upon the memorial tomb..." which in
English usage reads "And very early on the first day of the week they came to the memorial
tomb..." (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures).

The word "sabbath" is also in the plural in Luke 24:1 and John 20:1, showing that this par-
ticularly weekly sabbath was also a high day.

In case you think this is a coincidence, there are numerous other places in the gospels that
refer to a double Sabbath day. At the beginning of His ministry, right after the forty days in the wil-
derness, Christ went to his home town of Nazareth where He entered the local synagogue on the
Sabbath day and began to read. Notice! "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.
And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read"
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