Easter is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, proving He was who He claimed to be – the Son of God. This miraculous event is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, giving believers hope in their own future resurrection. As Easter approaches, it’s a perfect time to dedicate focused study to this pinnacle moment. Here’s a suggested Bible reading plan for the 25 days leading up to Resurrection Sunday:
Day 1 – Mark 11:1-11
On this first day of readings, we’ll look at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before His death. This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 that the Messiah would come humbly and riding on a donkey. As Jesus entered the city, people lined the streets waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” in celebration. They saw Jesus as a king and conqueror, not yet understanding the spiritual nature of His kingdom. This crowd would soon turn on Jesus, calling for His crucifixion. But in this moment they acknowledged Him as Savior, not knowing what that salvation would cost.
Day 2 – Mark 14:1-11
Now we fast forward to two days before the Passover feast when Jesus would be crucified. The chief priests and scribes are plotting how to arrest Jesus secretly and kill Him. They don’t want to incite a riot among His followers. Into this tense scene enters an unnamed woman who anoints Jesus’ head with expensive oil. When others rebuke her for wasting what could have been sold to help the poor, Jesus commends her lavish gift in preparation for His burial. Immediately afterward, Judas goes to the chief priests and agrees to betray Jesus for payment – just a few coins.
Day 3 – Mark 14:12-25
It’s now Thursday, the day before Jesus’ death. He sends two disciples into Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal, which He will use to institute a new covenant with His followers. During the supper, He breaks bread and shares wine with them, saying the bread is His body and the wine is His blood, sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. He assures them He will not drink wine again until the coming kingdom of God. Jesus knows His betrayal is imminent, yet He arranges these last moments to share with His disciples.
Day 4 – Mark 14:26-52
After the Passover meal, Jesus and the disciples go to Gethsemane where He agonizes in prayer about His coming suffering. He asks them to keep watch, but they fall asleep. Into this scene arrives Judas to betray Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is arrested and brought before the chief priests while the disciples flee in fear. Jesus had foretold His betrayal and arrest, but the disciples are shocked when it happens. Though they promise loyalty, they scatter, unprepared to share in Christ’s suffering.
Day 5 – Mark 14:53-65
Jesus undergoes a sham trial before the Sanhedrin full of false witnesses and trumped up charges. When asked if He is the Messiah, Jesus affirms it and adds He will return on the clouds in glory. This statement leads the high priest to accuse Him of blasphemy. The guards beat and mock Jesus, spat on Him, and strike Him in the face. Meanwhile, Peter is in the courtyard denying he even knows Jesus, just as Jesus said he would. Justice and loyalty are nowhere to be found in Jesus’ hour of need.
Day 6 – Mark 14:66-72
We return for a closer look at Peter’s denial of Jesus on the night of His arrest. While Jesus is being unjustly tried and brutalized, Peter lingers in the courtyard warming himself by a fire. There he denies knowing Jesus not just once, but three times. After his third denial, the rooster crows and Jesus turns to look at Peter, triggering Peter’s remorse. He remembers Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed twice. Peter weeps bitterly, learning the weakness of his own devotion.
Day 7 – Mark 15:1-15
In the morning, the religious leaders bring Jesus before Pilate, pressuring him to authorize the death sentence. Pilate questions Jesus but cannot find any crime He has committed. Wanting to appease the crowd, Pilate offers to release a prisoner as was the custom during Passover. But the crowd calls for Barabbas, a convicted criminal, to be released instead of Jesus. “Crucify Him!” becomes their chant. A cowardly Pilate gives in and hands Jesus over to be executed by crucifixion.
Day 8 – Mark 15:16-32
The Roman soldiers brutally mock Jesus before leading Him away to be crucified. They dress Him in a purple robe, twist thorns into a crown and jam it on His head, put a staff in His hand, and pretend to honor Him as King of the Jews. They spit on Him and repeatedly strike Him in the head with the staff, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. When they tire of their sport, they take Jesus to Golgotha where He is nailed to a cross between two criminals. Passersby and the criminals join in taunting Him.
Day 9 – Mark 15:33-41
While Jesus hangs on the cross, darkness covers the land from noon until 3:00 pm. Then Jesus cries out asking why God has forsaken Him. Those who hear Him mistake this agonized lament for a call to Elijah. Jesus breathes His last breath. At that moment, the temple curtain covering the Most Holy Place tears from top to bottom, signaling access to God’s presence is now open to all through Christ’s sacrifice. A Roman centurion standing guard declares Jesus as the Son of God. The faithful women who followed Jesus stand at a distance, their grief mixed with awe.
Day 10 – Mark 16:1-8
On Sunday morning, three of the women who witnessed the crucifixion return to the tomb with burial spices for Jesus’ body. To their shock, they find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty except for a young man dressed in white. He tells them Jesus has risen from the dead and instructs them to tell the disciples He will meet them in Galilee. Overcome with amazement and alarm, the women flee and say nothing to anyone initially. The resurrection has happened, but the good news will take time to sink in.
Day 11 – Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew’s Gospel gives us another perspective on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem before Passover. The large crowd spreads cloaks and branches on the road, welcoming Jesus as the Messiah – “the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” As Jesus enters Jerusalem, “the whole city was stirred.” Many begin asking, “Who is this?” The crowd answers, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Excitement and hope run high for the One who does miracles in their midst. But the nature of Jesus’ messianic mission is not yet clear to them.
Day 12 – Matthew 26:1-5
These verses reveal the determination of the religious leaders to have Jesus executed. Matthew notes they will wait until after the Passover feast because they fear the reaction of the people. But their course is set – when the opportunity arises, they will kill Him. Though Jesus has done no wrong, He is viewed as a threat to their power and influence over the people. They cannot see that Jesus’ kingdom transcends earthly measures. Their scheming will lead to the crucifixion, but it cannot stop God’s redemptive plan.
Day 13 – Matthew 26:6-16
Once again we read about the woman who anointed Jesus’ head with expensive perfume, prompting Judas’ objection. Jesus says her act prepares Him for burial and will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached. What seems wasteful from a human perspective makes sense in light of Jesus’ mission. Directly after this, Judas seeks out the chief priests saying, “What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?” Their crafty plotting and betrayal seem to be thwarting Jesus, yet God’s purposes prevail.
Day 14 – Matthew 26:17-30
As Jesus eats the Passover meal with His disciples, He institutes what we call communion or the Lord’s Supper. He breaks the bread, saying, “This is my body.” He gives them the cup, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus launches a New Covenant between God and man through His sacrificial death. Even though betrayal looms, Jesus uses His final hours to teach His followers and establish this remembrance of Him.
Day 15 – Matthew 26:31-35
After the Passover meal, Jesus warns the disciples they will all desert Him when He is arrested. Peter fervently vows He will never fall away, even if he must die with Jesus. But Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him three times before the rooster crows that very night. Jesus knows the weakness of human devotion and courage. Soon the disciples will scatter in fear, leaving Jesus to face the cross alone. But Jesus also knows God’s sovereign plan cannot be stopped, no matter how bleak the circumstances look.
Day 16 – Matthew 26:36-46
In Gethsemane, Jesus is deeply distressed and asks His inner circle – Peter, James and John – to keep watch with Him while He prays. He knows what lies ahead and wishes to avoid the cup of suffering, yet submits to the Father’s will. Three times Jesus returns to find them sleeping. “My betrayer is at hand,” He says. Before Judas arrives, Jesus rouses the disciples with, “Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Though Jesus faces His hour of trial alone, He thinks of His wavering followers to the end.
Day 17 – Matthew 26:47-56
Judas leads a detachment of soldiers and officials from the chief priests to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus faces His betrayer without resistance, healing a servant’s ear that Peter struck with a sword. He says He could call on legions of angels if He wished, but submitting to death has been His destiny since creation. When the disciples flee, Jesus’ words come true: “You will all fall away because of me this night.” Yet even in their scattering, the Scripture will be fulfilled to bring about redemption for all.
Day 18 – Matthew 26:57-68
Jesus is brought before Caiaphas the high priest where false witnesses bring charges against Him. Jesus remains silent until Caiaphas asks if He is the Messiah. Jesus responds, “You have said so,” and adds He will be “seated at the right hand of Power” and “coming on the clouds of heaven.” Provoked by this claim of identity, Caiaphas accuses Jesus of blasphemy. The guards spit in His face, punch Him, and taunt Him for prophesying. The injustice against the Son of God is rampant, yet He submits knowing it will accomplish God’s plan.
Day 19 – Matthew 26:69-75
While Jesus faces brutal treatment from the chief priests, Peter is in the courtyard facing a test of courage. Three different people recognize Peter as one of Jesus’ followers, but each time Peter denies knowing Him. After the third denial, the rooster crows and Jesus turns to look at Peter, triggering Peter’s sorrow and regret. Moments earlier, Peter had sworn he would never deny Christ, yet fear overcame faith. Now Peter learns firsthand the cost of following Jesus and the emptiness of failing Him.
Day 20 – Matthew 27:1-14
Jesus is bound and brought before Pilate on charges invented by the chief priests. Pilate questions Jesus while the crowd grows angry and demanding. Amazingly, Jesus does not defend Himself or try to prove His innocence. He knows these events are unfolding according to God’s grand plan of redemption. When Pilate asks if He hears the charges against Him, Jesus gives no reply. Speech cannot stop the momentum of evil and envy pouring out against the Son of God. Jesus’ silence underscores His submission to God’s will.
Day 21 – Matthew 27:15-26
At Passover it was customary for the governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. Pilate offers to release Jesus, knowing He is innocent. But stirred up by the chief priests, the crowd demands freedom for Barabbas, a notorious criminal. When Pilate asks what he should do with Jesus, the crowd shouts, “Crucify him!” Though Pilate washes his hands to avoid responsibility, he gives in to the mob mentality and hands Jesus over to death by crucifixion. God’s ultimate plan of redemption cannot be swayed by evil schemes or crowds.
Day 22 – Matthew 27:27-44
The Roman soldiers mock Jesus as king, spitting on Him, striking Him, crowning Him with thorns and leading Him away to be crucified. As He hangs on the cross, people continue to revile Him saying, “Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God!” Even the criminals being crucified with Jesus join in taunting Him. Darkness covers the land for three hours as Jesus cries out in anguish. The onlookers mistake His cry for a call to Elijah. Through it all, Jesus utters no threats or defense. He willing gives His life for the salvation of sinners.
Day 23 – Matthew 27:45-61
At the moment of Jesus’ death, the temple veil splitting shows His sacrifice has opened the way to God for all people. Seeing the earthquake and other signs, the centurion declares, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Though most still don’t grasp it, Jesus’ true identity and purpose have been established. In the midst of chaos and darkness, God’s redemptive plan remains on course. After taking Jesus’ body from the cross, Joseph of Arimathea has Him wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a new tomb, setting the stage for Easter morning.
Day 24 – Matthew 28:1-10
Two women come to Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning bringing burial spices. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord descends, causing an earthquake. He announces Jesus has risen from the dead. The angel invites the women to see the empty tomb and then go tell the disciples. On their way to share the news they meet the risen Jesus! They fall at His feet in worship as Jesus tells them not to be afraid but to tell His followers to go to Galilee. His death was not the end, but the gateway to resurrection life and hope.
Day 25 – Matthew 28:16-20
On a mountainside in Galilee, the disciples meet the resurrected Jesus. Though some doubted, Jesus draws near and sends them into the world to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them to obey all He commanded. And Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” After walking through the horrific events of the crucifixion, we close our Easter reading with this promise and commissioning. His death put away sin, the resurrection points to new life, and His abiding presence empowers us to share the Gospel.