Bible Study

“The Heart of the Earth” and the Garden:

Rethinking the 3 Days and 3 Nights

For years, I believed the same thing many believers still do today, that Yeshua (Jesus) had to be physically buried in the ground for exactly three days and three nights to fulfill Matthew 12:40. But the math wasn’t mathing for me. Friday to Sunday morning doesn’t add up to three full days and nights, no matter how you slice it. –Stay with me on this!

Like many, I chalked it up to a mystery or a poetic expression. But deep down, something didn’t sit right, until I began praying, studying, and asking the Holy Spirit for understanding. And what He began to show me flipped my understanding completely, in the best possible way.

It started with a couple of questions:

What if “the heart of the earth” wasn’t about a tomb, but about the spiritual depths of human sin and suffering?

What if the “three days and three nights” didn’t begin at burial, but with Yeshua’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane?

The Garden Wasn’t Just a Prayer Stop, It Was the Beginning of His Descent

Let’s go back to that moment in Luke 22:44:

“Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

— Luke 22:44, HCSB

This wasn’t symbolic. Yeshua was literally suffering under such emotional and spiritual weight that He experienced hematidrosis, a rare condition where extreme stress causes blood to mix with sweat.

Why? Because He had already begun to bear the sin of the world. The betrayal was underway. The weight of wrath and separation from the Father was pressing in. This was the beginning of His descent, not into the tomb, but into the heart of the earth.

What Is “The Heart of the Earth,” Really?

Genesis 11:1

“Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.”
The “earth” refers to the people inhabiting it, not the physical terrain.

Isaiah 24:4–6

“The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes… The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants…”
Again, “earth” symbolizes the people, especially those who corrupt it through sin.

Let’s re-read Matthew 12:40 with new eyes:

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

Many interpret this literally, that “heart of the earth” means burial. But the Greek word for “heart” is kardia (καρδία), often used metaphorically to describe the core, center, or inner life of something.

So what is the “heart” of the earth?

Scripture tells us exactly what’s at the heart of mankind (and the world):

Jeremiah 17:9 –

“The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?”
Genesis 6:5 –

“The Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time.”
Mark 4:15 –

“These are the ones along the path where the word is sown: as soon as they hear, Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.”

In these verses, the “earth” is not dirt. It’s the fallen, corrupted state of mankind’s heart and mind.

So when Yeshua said He would be in the “heart of the earth,” He wasn’t just talking about a grave.

He was speaking about descending into the depth of human sin, rebellion, betrayal, and wrath.

Matthew 26:38–39 (HCSB) – The agony in Gethsemane

38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.”

39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Explanation:
Yeshua was already entering the weight of mankind’s sin before the cross. His suffering began in the garden, a spiritual descent that continues through His arrest, mocking, abuse, and crucifixion.

4. Matthew 12:40 (HCSB) – The original “heart of the earth” passage

Cross-reference with Jonah 2:2–6

Jonah 2:2 (HCSB): “I called to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me. I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol…”
Jonah 2:6 (HCSB): “I sank to the foundations of the mountains, the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever…”

Explanation:
Jonah equates being in the fish with being in Sheol, a place of spiritual darkness and judgment. Yeshua referenced Jonah not to point to burial in a tomb, but to descending into the experience of judgment, pain, and separation from God—the “heart” of fallen humanity.

The Timeline: When Did the 3 Days and 3 Nights Begin?

As I continued to seek the Holy Spirit’s understanding, not Western interpretations or traditions, I was led to this powerful moment in Luke 24 that confirmed what had been stirring in my heart. The Scripture says:

Luke 24:17–21
17 Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.
18 The one named Cleopas answered Him, “Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” He asked them.
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people,
20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him.
21 But we were hoping that He was the One who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened.

This passage struck me deeply. The disciples were reflecting on everything that had taken place—His suffering, His trial, His death—and they clearly say, “it’s the third day since these things happened.”

They weren’t referring to the third day since He was buried, but to the culmination of everything—His suffering, crucifixion, and even the hope of redemption. It was all happening within three days, just as Yeshua said. This opened my eyes to understand that “three days and three nights” doesn’t have to be counted as 72 literal hours in the grave, but as a prophetic fulfillment of redemptive events, just as Scripture and the Spirit had been showing me.

If we count from His betrayal and anguish in the Garden (Thursday night), everything aligns:

Thursday Night: Gethsemane — Yeshua begins to suffer emotionally and spiritually.

“My soul is swallowed up in sorrow — to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38)
Friday Day: Falsely accused, scourged, mocked, crucified.
Friday Night: Laid in the tomb before sundown.
Saturday: Sabbath rest in the grave.
Saturday Night: Still in the tomb.
Sunday Morning: Risen before dawn — just as He said.

That gives us:

🌙 Thursday night

☀️ Friday day

🌙 Friday night

☀️ Saturday

🌙 Saturday night

☀️ Sunday morning (resurrection)

Three nights and three days, just as prophesied.

Why This Matters

When we read the Bible with a Western mindset, we tend to think in straight lines—everything has to happen in exact order and in exact time. But the way the Hebrews understood things was different. Their way of thinking was more spiritual, full of meaning, and often seen in patterns or cycles. In their culture, even part of a day could be counted as a full day. But when we slow down and let the Bible explain itself, we start to see something deeper and more powerful come to life.

Yeshua didn’t just lie in a tomb for three days.

He descended into the darkest parts of our world and soul — starting in the Garden.

“He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:21, HCSB

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.”

— Philippians 2:8, HCSB

My Final Thoughts

I used to see “heart of the earth” and think only of a tomb.

Now, I see the invisible war Yeshua entered on our behalf.

I used to count the days and feel confused.

Now, I see a Savior so in love with us that He entered our pain the moment His betrayal began.

Let’s not miss the beauty of what He endured. Not just His death, but His descent into the very heart of our darkness.

If this opened your eyes or stirred your spirit, I’d love to hear from you. And if you’ve been taught a different timeline, I encourage you: go back to Scripture. Read slowly. Pray deeply. The Spirit still teaches — and He is faithful to guide us into all truth.