Passion Week Reading Guide

 

Monday - Cleansing of the Temple

To start off our week of reading through Holy Week, read Mark 11:15-19.

If you remember back to our sermon yesterday, we looked at how Jesus cleared out the temple to make room for what was truly important - teaching God's word. What is something God might be leading you to move out of the way to make room for God's word today?

Tuesday

Continuing in our week of reading through Holy Week, read Matthew 25:1-13.

After Jesus cleaned the clutter out of the temple, He made room for the teaching of God's word. He taught in a pattern that had become typical for Him — parables. In this parable, some of the wedding party was unprepared and missed their chance to celebrate with the bridegroom. The warning of the parable is to always be prepared for the master to return. Are you ready if Christ were to return today?


Wednesday

Today's reading is an immediate follow up to yesterday's reading. Today, read Matthew 25:14-30.

This is another parable taught by Jesus. In this one, a master gives his servants different sums of money with the expectation that the servants would invest and bring the master a return on that investment. Likewise, God has blessed us with all sorts of things to bring glory to Himself. How are you using the blessings God has given you to glorify God?

Thursday - Upper Room Discourse

Today's reading is the longest passage of the week. Read John 13-17 today.

This was the last interaction that Jesus had with His disciples. John took the best notes and has the most detailed account of the evening. In this conversation, Jesus covers a lot of ground with His disciples. What topic stands out to you the most?

Friday - Trial and Crucifixion

Today's reading might be the heaviest passage of the week. Read Luke 22:47-23:56.

This covers the events from nightfall Thursday until mid day Friday. As you read, consider this question: "Why do we call this Friday, 'Good Friday'?" Fight the urge to steel yourself and detach these events from yourself. Feel the weight of what Christ suffered that day, and keep in mind, he suffered all that so that all may believe and not have to suffer eternally. We call today Good Friday, not because what happened was "good," but because of the Goodness of God shown in His mercy to us by not giving us what we deserve.

Enjoy that mercy today, but bear in mind the cost of it.

Saturday

The day between Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection must have been one of the darkest days for Jesus's followers. To get an idea of how the followers felt, read Luke 24:13-35.

As you read, notice the hopelessness that these followers felt. You can see it highlighted in verse 21, "but we had hoped..." They were hopeless because they had missed Jesus's claim that He would return on the third day. We don't have to live with this hopelessness because we can see the resurrection in the rearview mirror, but we can still lose our hope sometimes. Like Paul says in 1 Thessalonians, we do not need to live as those who have no hope, because our hope is in Christ. For some bonus reading, check out 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

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