We're less than two weeks away from one of the biggest holidays in the Christian world. That's right: Easter is almost here. Since Ash Wednesday well over a month ago I've joined millions of others around the world in working my way through extra Biblical devotions for the season of Lent. But I know not everyone wants to spend some 7 weeks really immersing themselves in study, prayer and other activities to help them prepare for honoring and celebrating Good Friday and Easter. But whether you wanted to and didn't get started or didn't stay committed, or didn't think you wanted to spend that much time diving in before Holy Week, today I thought I'd share some passages that you could check out over the next two weeks to help you prepare for Easter along with a thought or two about what you might learn from or look for in the story. If the story is found in more than one book of the New Testament I included each of the references, and here's an online Bible if you need one.
Tuesday (today): Jesus' baptism: Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:21-22. This is one of the first public events in Jesus' few years of ministry, and especially important because God is very clear about who Jesus is and the fact that He supports Him.
Wednesday: Jesus' temptation: Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13. Part of Jesus' life on Earth was being fully human, which meant that He dealt with temptation just like we do, and the story told in Matthew and Mark ends with God reminding Jesus that He's not alone in this journey.
Thursday: Jesus heals a man born blind: John 9:1-41. I revisited this story this past week and had forgotten how much depth there was to it. It's full of faith, simple answers and actions, and people honest about what they do and don't know.
Friday: Jesus heals a crippled man: Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26. This story is one of teamwork, courage, commitment, and Jesus' healing miracles; a reminder that it's OK to ask for help when you need it and to be persistent about getting that help.
Saturday: Jesus and the woman at the well: John 4:3-42. I shared about this story recently in a blog post, about the importance of listening to others and being open to hearing the stories of those who are different than you are. It's also an incredible story about being willing to share the Good News with others.
Sunday (Palm Sunday): Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-38, John 12:12-19. This is one of the few real celebrations of who Jesus actually is during His Earthly ministry, even if people didn't really know the whole scope of who they were celebrating at the time.
Monday: Jesus clears the temple: Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48, John 2:13-22. An important reminder to be respectful of and care for places that are supposed to be Holy and sacred.
Tuesday: The Transfiguration: Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36. This story gives us a glimpse of the power of Jesus, an idea of what Heaven might be like, and it was a special gift to a few of Jesus' friends.
Wednesday: Jesus calms the storm: Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25. It's really a short story, and one of several that have to do with Jesus and water, but I include it because of two facts: it shows Jesus' power (He calms the storm) and it shows His humanity (nap time!).
Thursday (Maundy Thursday): First communion: Matthew 26:17-25, Mark 14:1-31, Luke 22:1-37, John 13. This is where things really get real for Jesus' closest friends as He starts revealing some things that will be happening very soon and also sets up the practice of communion as a way that we can stay connected with Him and these events.
Friday (Good Friday): Matthew 26:36-27:66, Mark 14:32-15:47, Luke 22:39-23:56, John 17-19:42. There were a ton of events that went on in the last hours of Jesus' fully human/fully divine Earth life, and it really looked like so many things were conspiring against Jesus that brought Him to where these stories end: dead and buried.
Saturday: Resurrection of Lazarus: John 11:1-44. This story was kind of a preview for what would happen to Jesus on Easter Sunday, and it also shows exactly how close Jesus got with some people during His time, close enough that He really loved them and was sad to have lost this friend.
Sunday (Easter): Jesus' Resurrection: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20. Of course we end with the celebration of Jesus being Resurrected and alive again, and while of course we should celebrate along with all who were there to experience the first Easter, we're also reminded that it's OK to sometimes have doubts and that Jesus will reassure you of the truth.
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