I'll go with the Holy Scripture..
I was taught that the 3 Days mean that it was on Friday {1st Day} Saturday{2nd day} and Sunday{3rd Day}. It means it fell on 3 separate days of the calender not necessarly exactly 72 hours of 3 days.
Does the day matter? Or does the reality of the cross and resurection matter?
It helps to actually understand the Bible. I wish Protestants did. It’s interesting to me how so many of fallen for this latest Protestant fad tickling their ears.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08377a.htm
Some Protestants still get it right: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2200
Well....the Catholic/Protestant fairy tale of a Friday crucifixion/Sunday morning resurrection can be dismissed entirely without too much investigation. The scenario begins to fall apart almost immediately. But....the mythology of a 72 hour period of time [Matthew 12:40] in the tomb is also in error.
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The scripture says.....Heart of the Earth....not the tomb. This is a metaphor describing The Savior's time under the control and custody of mortal mankind. Until His arrest in the garden, after the Last Supper....probably about 3:00/4:00 A.M. on the 14th of Nisan (Passover Preparation).....He was untouchable.
The Jews had been plotting to kill him for some time but were never able to pin Him down. His time had not yet come. He was to be the Passover Lamb slaughtered on the 14th of Nisan as the other lambs were being slaughtered in the temple [Exodus 12:6]. He allowed Himself to be taken into custody at the time of His choosing [John 2:1-4; 5:18; 7:6; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1]....just to name a few passages.
Notice what He himself told us what must happen [Matthew 16:21][Matthew 17:22][Matthew 20:18][Mark 8:31][Mark 9:31][Mark 10:34][Luke 9:22][Luke 18:31][Luke 24:7]. All these scriptures, in essence say....He must be betrayed into the hands of mankind, and they shall mock Him...reject Him...He will suffer many things...be spit upon...beaten and tried by the Chief Priests, Elders and scribes who will kill Him. He will then arise the third day.....after all these things [Luke 24:13-21] Therefore....the 72 hours begins with His arrest and mock trial by the Sanhedrin early on the morning of the 14th [Leviticus 23:5]. He is then brought to Pilate...hustled off to Herod, returned to Pilate and then turned over to the Jews for crucifixion. He has already been in the "Heart of the Earth" for about nine hours. After He dies he is placed in the tomb by Joseph and Nicodemus at sundown of the 14th....and the Passover Seders of the First Sabbath of Unleavened Bread (the 15th) [Leviticus 23:6] are just now beginning throughout Jerusalem.
It is now Wednesday night (our time) the 15th of Nisan A.D.30 and He is spending his first night in the tomb. He will resurrect 72 hours after entering the "Heart of the Earth" about 15 hours earlier. This would put His resurrection on "The First of the Sabbaths" (as scripture confirms) early in the morning of the 17th [Matthew 28:1][Mark 16:2][Luke 24:1][John 20:1].....the First weekly Sabbath (of seven) between Passover and Pentecost [Leviticus 23:15-16]. He had spent His first Day in "The Heart of The Earth" on the Passover, Nisan 14. His first night would be the 15th (Wednesday)...the second day Thursday the 15th and the second night, Thursday the 16th. His third and final day would be Friday the 16th and His final night would be the Sabbath of the 17th. He arises before dawn after spending 72 hours in "The Heart of The Earth".