In the last year months of his life, when he had come to believe that he would die, Jesus frequently spoke about a prophecy regarding a resurrection ‘on the third day.’ But if you would ask the apostles what they meant with the idea of a resurrection “on the third day” their answer would probably depend on whether you asked it before or after the reports of Jesus’s resurrection. Early Easter Sunday morning, no one expected the grave to be empty. In fact, the women who went there, had made preparations to anoint his dead body (Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1). And when the first reports of a resurrected Jesus came in, the initial reaction was confusion and disbelief (Mark 16:8-12, Luke 24:11). How is that possible?

Why did no disciple expect the resurrection on the third day?

Perhaps this comes from the fact that the only verse in the Bible that speaks about a resurrection on the third day is Hosea 6:2, where the language is metaphorical and about Israel as a whole. 

The words of the Lord in Hosea are like those of a deceived husband who is torn between different emotions: should I repudiate my wife and kids, or should I continue to care for her? Should I fight her like a lion, tearing to pieces everything I love, or let her go and wait? This metaphorical lion is not using real claws and jaw. He is fighting with language: “I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth.” In the end, God does not want an outward religion that brings offerings, but an inner transformation: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

His people know that: “He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us.” God’s ‘anger’ never lasts longer than our drive to self-destruct. As we return to our senses, he stands there with wide open arms to restore life, light and love: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence.” As surely as the sun rises, and as surely as the rain returns in spring, - they know, - the Lord will manifest himself to restore light, life and love for his people.

Hosea lived in norther Israel (to which he refers as “Ephraim”). He is a fascinating and complex prophet whose dramatic marriage with Gomer was a prophetic drama in itself. The story has inspired quite a number of novelists, play-writers and performance artists. The story with Gomer is found in the first three chapters. We do not know whether this is metaphor or biography. And if it is biography, we don’t know whether the prophecy interprets the marriage retrospectively or actually leads to the marriage. But let’s picture Hosea as a man of God madly in love with a former prostitute with whom he has three children, - if they are indeed his, for she still has relationships with other men.

It comes as no surprise therefore that in chapter 3 his wife seems to have run off. Perhaps Gomer returned to the brothel where she once worked. Perhaps she ran up debts leaving the owner with a claim on her. Again, Hosea hears the words of the spirit: “Go, love her.” But he is not ready. He purchases her freedom but keeps her at a distance (Hosea 3:1-3):

The Lord said to me again, “Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine. And I said to her, “You must remain as mine for many days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have intercourse with a man, nor I with you.”

Why did Jesus quote Hosea?

Jesus expected the coming of the Lord and the resurrection of Israel. If thinking about Hosea comforted Jesus in the last months before his crucifixion, it will have been because Hosea had learnt something about the endless love and faithfulness of God, despite our sins and shortcomings. The third day in Hosea 6:2 was not a definitive timespan, but a way of saying how eager God will always be to resume a relationship of love and to restore the life of his people - including the life of his suffering servant. This explains why Jesus’s friends remembered him as speaking of a resurrection on the third day, but had not marked the day on the calendar for his resurrection.

But, as it so happened, the women were forced to wait for the third day. He died late on a Friday afternoon and his loved ones could not properly take care of his body because of the Sabbath that had started at sundown. They had to wait until Sunday, the first day of the new week, to buy the spices they needed to embalm his body:

Mark 16 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went on their way to the tomb. 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

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Suggestions for dialogue

A moderator can explain the dialogue steps and invite people to contribute:

• Check in with yourself. Share with each other how you are in this moment. Then take a moment again to seek stillness, humility and openness. 
• First round: Share something from the text or image(s) that stood out to you and that you would like to explore with the group, briefly indicating the thoughts and feelings that it evoked within you. Listen to the others do the same: what resonates with you? Responses in this round should be limited to questions for clarification.
• Second round: Name one or two things that resonated with you from the things that others just shared. 
• Third round: Having heard the group, the moderator names the main topics for exploration. The moderator may also propose a common thread that emerged in several topics. The exploration normally starts with asking the person(s) who brought up the topic to expand on it.
• Leave room for silence and contemplation. 
• Check out by sharing what you take home from this dialogue.

These suggestions are an adaptation of the Estuary protocol. Look for more at https://www.estuaryhub.com