As I wrote in my last blog, this is known as Holy Week. At it’s root, “holy” simply means “to set apart.” In my last post I encouraged you to live differently this week. To press into your spiritual journey in ways you normally don’t.
So I decided to go into my “blog archives” and share this post about what I truly believe is the perfect Bible reading plan for Holy Week or for Good Friday itself! Read on…
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are four biographies of Jesus. Instead of being four carbon-copy accounts, each could be viewed as a portrait that “paints” Jesus in a particular way.
While each author was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write what they wrote, each one emphasized certain details, omitted others, and at times compressed the narrative for reasons God only knows (literally!). So when any given event appears in more than one gospel, it’s a great idea to read each account of it because in doing so, you’ll get the complete picture.
This is especially true when it comes to the final 24 hours of Jesus’ life. Below is a harmonization of the gospel accounts from the Last Supper to the moment Jesus’ lifeless body was placed in the tomb. You could consider this the all-inclusive or unabridged version of the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life in the actual order that the events happened.
I chose to break the story up into 6 distinct “Acts” because the number 6 represents incompleteness/imperfection. In this way, Act 7 – the Resurrection – completes and perfects the narrative.
I encourage you to grab your favorite Bible and read these Scriptures in the order shown below. Take your time as you do this. Slowly turn the pages as you flip between each gospel account. Reflect as you read. Pray. And may this narrative come alive to you like never before….
Act 1: The Last Supper
- Matthew 26:17-20
- John 13 (all)
- Matthew 26:26-29
Act 2: From the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane
- John 14 (all)
- John 15 (all)
- John 16 (all)
- John 17 (all)
- Luke 22:39-46
Act 3: Betrayal and Arrest
- John 18:2-11
Act 4: On Trial
- John 18:12-14,19-23
- Mark 14:53-72
- Matthew 27:1-14
- Luke 23:6-25
Act 5: Crucifixion and Death
- Matthew 27:27-30
- John 19:16b-30
- Mark 15:38-41
Act 6: Burial
- Luke 23:50-56
***We’d love everyone to “go” to our church twice this weekend. Our Good Friday sermon will be available on our website first thing on April 10th so you can view it anytime that day. In addition, we will have an entire online church experience for you to engage in on Good Friday! (And the same for Easter Sunday!). More details about both services can be found at themission.church***
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