14:1 after two days; This statement is taken from the standpoint of the discourse on the Mount of Olives. After finishing the discourse, Yeshua said, "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion" (Matthew 26:2). Yeshua said this on Monday afternoon. Tuesday would add up to "after one day" and Wednesday would add up to "after two days", but then counting inclusively it would be "the third day". The reason for this curious chronological statement has to do with hinting that the Passion connects with Hosea 6:1-2, and also Genesis 40:19-20, in which passage the type of the crucifixion is also "on the third day".
14:12 concerning; see corresponding note on Matthew 26:17 for technical note on the translation. The disciples approached Yeshua with the preparation question at the beginning of Nisan 14, which was before the Passover. Nisan 14 would have been after it, and quite tardy to be asking any questions or seeking a place for Passover. The disciples were not asking "on" the first day of unleavened bread. They were asking "concerning" the first day of the feast.
14:12 the passover; there were actually two passover offerings. The one most people know about is the lamb slain in the afternoon of Aviv 14, and then eaten that night. But there is also a festive offering called "the passover" which is slain toward sunset on the 15th of Aviv, and eaten in the night following the day part of the 15th. This was the only Passover offering slain on the first day of unleavened bread. cf. Deuteronomy 16:4.
15:42 toward Sabbath; the textual tradition is divided hear on the exact reading between προσαββατον and προς σαββατον (πριν σαββατον D). It makes little difference which reading is correct as the day prior to the annual Passover Shabbat was called "the preparation of the passover" (John 19:14; 19:31). The Sabbath referenced here is the annual feast day (cf. Lev. 23:11; 15), the 15th of Aviv. The Passover was celebrated during the night of this Sabbath, and the Exodus during at the close of it, at the going down of the sun (Deut. 16:4-8).
Sunday Christianity insists that we interpret this text as "the preparation, which is a day before the Sabbath" as meaning that it defines preparation to only mean Friday before a seventh day Sabbath. However, F.F. Bruce, tells us that the earliest use of "preparation...in the sense of 'Friday' is in the Martyrdom of Polycarp 7.i" (page 381, The Gospel of John).
16:1 the Sabbath; This was the annual rest day on the first day of unleavened bread (Lev. 23:7; Lev. 23:11, Lev. 23:15). The day is called "The Sabbath", but it means "rest day" irrespective of which day of the week it falls on. This annual "Sabbath" fell between sunset Wednesday and sunset Thursday in the year of the crucifixion. This was the day when they caused yeast to take a Sabbath (cf. Exodus 12:15). Yeshua was crucified on Wednesday afternoon, the afternoon just before the Annual Sabbath, and then after the annual Sabbath, on Friday, the women bought spices.
16:2 the first of the sabbaths; This is the first weekly Sabbath after the annual Rest Day on the first day of unleavened bread. (Lev. 23:7; Lev. 23:11, Lev. 23:15). The counting of Sabbaths is explained in Lev. 23:15. This was March 27th, AD 34.
16:2 as the sun rises; ανατειλαντος του ηλιου. The mistranslation, "at the rising of the sun" tends to contradict John in the English. John said "while still dark", σκοτιας ετι ουσης (John 20:1). It is evident that the AV translators wanted to make people think, as much as possible, that the resurrection was after sunrise. But this was not the case. Here the Greek states no more than the fact that the sun is rising. The sun is rising even when it is below the horizon at the earliest Astronomical twilight from the earth-bound perspective. The problem with the English "at the rising of the sun" is that it tends to technical meaning like "sunrise", a meaning based on usage that refers to the time only when the sun's disk is crossing the horizon. It is unlikely that the Greek contained such specificity. Writing and communication in those days was not supported by mass media or literacy, and therefore did not specialize as much as modern man may expect. The phrase ανατειλαντος του ηλιου, covers all aspects of sun rising from the earliest twilight up to practically noon, and the context supports this conclusion. Mark says, Και λιαν πρωι, which means "and very early". This is supported by Luke, ορθρου βαθεως, (Luke 24:1) "deep dawn", and Matthew's τη επιφωσκουση εις μιαν σαββατων, "at the dawning into the first of the Sabbaths" (Matthew 28:1). Matthew and Luke have avoided the idea of sunrise altogether right along with John.
Constantinian Christianity teaching a Friday Crucifixion and Sunday resurrection wants Christians to assume that the resurrection was after sunrise on Sunday, as it is necessary to barely have three days. But it is not to be. The resurrection was clearly before sunup, and that amounts to only two nights and two days for them, even when inclusive counting is allowed.