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Both. To understand when the women bought the spices, we must first understand the chronology of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday afternoon, the day of Passover. This is symbolically important because the blood of the Passover lamb spared the Israelites from the angel of death, and likewise the blood of Jesus, who is called the lamb of God, pays the price for our sins, thus sparing believers from eternal death.

Ten times in the Bible it is specifically stated that Jesus would rise from the dead on the “third day” (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19; Mark 9:31, 10:34; Luke 9:22, 13:32, 18:33, 24:7, 24:46). Specifically, Christ himself said he would be in the grave “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40).

Therefore, Jesus was in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday day, Thursday night, Friday day, Friday night, and Saturday day. He rose from the dead on Saturday evening, which is during the “third day” (Thursday being the first day, Friday the second, and Saturday the third). Wednesday does not count as the first day because Jesus was crucified in the afternoon, so the day was mostly over by the time he died.

According to a common misconception, Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning. But actually, the Bible is quite clear that when the women arrived at the tomb on Sunday morning, the tomb was already empty... Jesus had already risen and left the tomb! He had risen from the dead the previous evening.

Now that we understand the chronology of Christ’s death and resurrection, let’s examine the chronology of the Sabbath days to better understand when the women bought spices.

The Sabbath usually occurs on Saturday, but on that week, Thursday was also a Sabbath day because it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As commanded in Leviticus 23:5-7, the day of Passover (the fourteenth day of the first month) is immediately followed by seven Days of Unleavened Bread (“seven days ye must eat unleavened bread”) and “in the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” This first of the seven days Days of Unleavened Bread is “the fifteenth day” of the month, which is the day immediately after Passover (Leviticus 23:6). Since Passover was on a Wednesday, this special Sabbath for the Feast of Unleavened Bread was on a Thursday.

Luke 23:54 states that “that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on,” which means the Sabbath was approaching. This day was Wednesday, the day before the special Thursday Sabbath marking the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. By evening on Wednesday, Jesus was already in the tomb, having died that afternoon. The next verse tells us that the women “beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.” This agrees with Mark 15:46-47, which also states that the women “beheld where he was laid.” And then, according to the next verse, “they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.”

So the women beheld the tomb on Wednesday, but they did not anoint Jesus that day. Instead they returned home, planning to prepare the spices and ointments, and return at a later date to anoint the body of Christ. How long did it take the women to prepare the spices and ointments? They could not have prepared them on Wednesday, for it would already be late evening by the time they returned home. They also could not prepare them on Thursday, for it was a Sabbath day, and work was forbidden (Leviticus 23:7). Therefore, the women rested on Thursday, and bought the spices and ointments on Friday. Luke 23:56 tells us that the women “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”


This chronology agrees with Mark 16:1, which tells us that the women “had bought” the spices “when the Sabbath was passed.” The past tense form “had bought” indicates that they had already bought the spices before the Saturday Sabbath. They had also purchased the spices after the Thursday Sabbath which marks the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on which day they could not purchase the spices because of the commandment recorded in Leviticus 23:7. Once the Thursday Sabbath was over, the women were able to purchase the spices. After purchasing the materials on Friday, they spent the day preparing the spices and ointment, so that the spices and ointment were ready by the next day. However, the next day was Saturday, another Sabbath! The women therefore had to wait until Sunday, “the first day of the week” (Luke 24:1, Mark 16:2). By the time they showed up, he was already risen!

Luke and Mark are in perfect agreement that the women purchased the spices and ointment after the first Sabbath (the Thursday Sabbath) yet before the second Sabbath (the Saturday Sabbath), and they brought the spices and ointment to the tomb after the second Sabbath (the Saturday Sabbath), on “the first day of the week,” which is Sunday.

Here’s a review of the chronology:

• Wednesday: Passover. Day of Preparation for Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus is crucified in the afternoon, dies in the late afternoon or evening, and is buried in the evening. The women behold the tomb and return home (Mark 15:46, Luke 23:54-55).

• Wednesday Night: Jesus is in the tomb (1st night).

• Thursday: First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Special Sabbath. Women are unable to buy spices because of the Sabbath. Jesus is in the tomb (1st day).

• Thursday Night: Jesus is in the tomb (2nd night).

• Friday: Women purchase and prepare spices and ointment (Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56a). Jesus is in the tomb (2nd day).

• Friday Night: Jesus is in the tomb (3rd night).

• Saturday: Sabbath Day. The third day after Christ’s death. The women have the spices and ointment ready, but are unable to anoint Jesus because it is the Sabbath (Luke 23:56b). Jesus is in the tomb (3rd day).

• Saturday Evening: Jesus rises from the dead toward the end of the third day after his death. Having died Wednesday evening, and risen Saturday evening, he was in the grave for about 72 hours.

• Saturday Night: Jesus is already risen. At some time before dawn, he exits the tomb.

• Sunday Morning: The women bring the spices and ointment to the tomb to anoint Jesus, but they find the tomb empty (Mark 16:2-20, Luke 24). Jesus had already risen and left the tomb!