Firstly, in ancient Israel, a new day began and ended at sunset. The Hebraic idiom "three days and three nights" meant a period of approx. three days, rather than a literal seventy-two hours.
Secondly, when determining how long someone has been lifeless, you go by their time/day of death, not burial. According to the Evangelists, Jesus died at “the ninth hour” (3 pm) in the late afternoon on “Preparation day, the day before the Sabbath” (Friday) (
Matt. 27:46;50,
Mk.15:34;37;15:42, and
Lk. 23:44;46), and the women disciples found His sepulchre empty on “the first day of the week” (Sunday) when it was “beginning to dawn” (
Matt. 28:1,
Lk. 24:1,
Jn. 20:1).
Thirdly, the Evangelists don't mention the exact time of Jesus's resurrection, but based on their accounts of the time/day of death (3 pm on Friday) and discovery of the empty tomb (beginning of dawn on Sunday), we know that Jesus wasn't lifeless for seventy-two hours, and that corresponds with Jesus's use of the Hebraic idiom "three days and three nights", meaning any portion of the first day, all of the second day, and any part of the third day. This interpretation allows for variations from a strict seventy-two hour time frame.
While the exact time of Jesus's resurrection can't be determined from what we have of the Evangelist's accounts, Jesus has made that detail known through Maria Valtorta. She took dictation from Him and He said that His body had been lifeless for thirty-eight hours from His time of death of 3 pm on Friday (
The Poem of the Man-God: Vol. V), which places His resurrection around 5 am on Sunday, and this corresponds with the Hebraic idiom "three days and three nights", as well as the women disciples discovering the empty tomb at the beginning of dawn.
Thursday ends and Friday begins at sunset (day 1)
Friday 3 pm: Jesus dies
Friday 3 pm to sunset/Saturday: Jesus’s Body remained lifeless
Friday ends and Saturday begins at sunset (day 2)
Saturday: Jesus’s Body remained lifeless
Saturday ends and Sunday begins at sunset (day 3)
Sunday sunset to 5 am: Jesus’s Body remained lifeless
Sunday 5 am: Jesus resurrects