Why did King Jesus need to be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights just like Jonah was in the belly of the whale? Well, at the time of Lazarus’ resurrection, the Jews believed that when a man dies, his spirit hovers over the body and he could be magically brought back to life after one or two days. But after 3 days it would be impossible to raise a man from the dead. This is why King Jesus stayed where he was for two days bringing the total number of days Lazarus was in the tomb to four days before he was resurrected. Therefore, no one could say that King Jesus has performed a magic act. They could only give credit and glory to God.

Similarly, King Jesus needed to be in the tomb for three days and three nights otherwise a small shadow of doubt would have been cast on His death and resurrection. Even today there are stories among non-believers that King Jesus didn’t really die but someone else died in His place.