Holy Week With Jesus: Reflections and Resources

Hello friends! I hope that your walk through Holy Week with Jesus has been rewarding. I thought it would be helpful to collect some resources for #HolyWeekWithJesus in one place. So, here, on this page, is everything you'll need to finish out the week.

I've included the free printable Holy Week reading guide, a Spotify playlist full of Easter songs, and short reflections on each day of readings. I've selected a key verse from each day's reading and created a simple graphic that you can share on social media if you want. You can find those on the daily reflection pages, linked below. Also, the other day, I came across some really helpful videos from The Gospel Coalition about each day of Holy Week, so I've included those on each day's reflection as well.

I'll update this list each morning for the rest of the week with new reflections for the day. May the Lord draw you ever nearer to him as Easter Sunday approaches.

A Simple Bible Reading Plan for Holy Week

Can you believe that Easter is just over a week away?? Even though I've been anticipating its arrival for weeks, it's hard to believe that it's finally here. I'm so excited! Seriously, Easter is my absolute favorite time of the church year. I love the songs. The pomp. The circumstance. The sheer joy of the resurrection.

But before we can celebrate the resurrection, we have to remember the death. 

Apart from celebrating Christmas and Easter, the church I grew up in didn't really pay much heed to the church calendar. But I need to walk through and reflect on the events of Holy Week. I need to experience the jubilation of Palm Sunday and the rising unrest that followed on Holy Monday and Tuesday. I need to feel the shock of the betrayal on Spy Wednesday and the horror of the arrest on Maundy Thursday. I need to remember the awful reality of the death on Good Friday and the grief that set in on that Holy Sabbath Saturday. And then, maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to really celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

And so this year, to help prepare my heart for Easter Sunday, I've worked out a simple Bible reading plan for Holy Week. Each day, starting on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday, I'll read the corresponding day's events in the Gospel of Luke, as well as a supporting passage from the Old Testament. 

I'd love for you to join me! I've included the entire plan below, but I've also created a little printable that you can tuck into your Bible and use throughout the week. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this post and click on the "download" icon to access the printable, and be sure to drop me a line if you're using the guide! 

Holy Week With Jesus

a simple and free Holy Week Bible Reading Guide

Using This Guide

I hope you find this brief timeline of events helpful as you move through Holy Week with Jesus. If you're reading with me, leave a comment and let me know, or use #HolyWeekWithJesus on social media so we can encourage one another!

Begin each day with a prayer for understanding and clarity. Ask the Lord to reveal himself to you through your reading. Next, read the appropriate scriptures slowly. Take a few minutes to process what you’ve read. Reflect on what it teaches you about the character of God as revealed through Jesus Christ. What did you learn about God? What did you learn about yourself? Reflect on your reading throughout the day. Let it seep into your soul and transform you from the inside out. 

Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem with his disciples riding a borrowed donkey. He arrived to much celebration, but it was the beginning of the end of his human life.

• Read Zechariah 9:9

• Read Luke 19:28-40

Holy Monday

On Holy Monday, Jesus asserted his authority by throwing out anyone and everyone who was doing business inside the temple complex. The Jewish leaders were less than impressed with the display of power.

• Read Isaiah 56:1-8

• Read Luke 19:41-48

Holy Tuesday

On Holy Tuesday, temple leaders challenged Jesus by putting him to the test. Literally. They raised a number of theological debates with him and questioned both his teaching and his God-given authority.

• Read Psalm 118:19-27

• Read Psalm 110

• Read Luke 20

Spy Wednesday

On Spy Wednesday, Jesus continued his teaching, which only riled up Jewish leaders. The tipping point came when a woman honored Jesus by anointing him with really expensive oil. This didn't sit well with Judas, who went straight to the religious authorities and offered to deliver Jesus into their hands.

• Read Luke 21

• Read Mark 14:1-11

Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, where Judas betrayed him. He was arrested and tortured while Peter denied him.

• Read Isaiah 50:4-10

• Read Luke 22:1-65

Good Friday

On Good Friday, the Jewish leaders, with the help of Pilate, subjected Jesus to a mock trial that resulted in a death sentence for the one who would be called the King of the Jews. He was hastily crucified and quickly buried before the Sabbath began that evening.

• Read Psalm 22:1-18

• Read Luke 22:66-71 and Luke 23:1-56

Holy Saturday

On Holy Saturday, not much happened...that we know of, at least. Since it was the Jewish Sabbath, all activity came to a grinding halt, and Jesus' followers had to wait until the next day to properly prepare his body for burial.

• Read Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53

• Read Luke 23:56

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, a couple of women went to Jesus' tomb to anoint him for burial, but when they arrived, he wasn't there. The tomb was empty, and an angel greeted them with the news that Jesus was alive. The women hurried back to tell the others, and Jesus surprised his grieving disciples by showing up in their midst.

• Read Isaiah 52:7-10

• Read Luke 24

Prayers for My Children

Can we just take a minute and talk about how hard parenting is? We've had a rough couple of days with this one. There have been lots of tears, hurt feelings, broken rules, raised voices, and just plain grouchiness.

It has not been fun.

It's been the opposite of fun.

But tonight, after we tucked the girls in bed, I spent a few extra minutes with this one. We talked about sin and forgiveness and grace and repentance. And we talked about how our love for her is limitless, but how there are still consequences for behavior. 
And then I prayed for her.

I prayed for grace and mercy and forgiveness. I prayed that the Lord would lead her and guide her and help her to be the person that he wants her to be. I thanked him for her tender heart. For her silly laugh. For her sweet spirit. For her artist's soul. And I asked Him to be with her. To show her the way. And to make her His very own.

It's so hard to see the seeds of sin flourishing in her little heart. As a mom who's just a tad-bit overprotective, I want to march right in and rip it out, but nothing I do can save her from it. I can't fix it for her. Only God can. She is a sinner in need of grace. We all are. But seeing it in your child?? So, so hard.

Until next time, grace and peace.