November 9-15, 2025

Heart Preparation:

This week’s reading is pretty well known. It’s the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. As much as you might’ve known it before, make sure you enter with eyes open to see God’s truths. Even though you might read the same event four different ways, look at each of the individual perspectives that the authors write from. And in it all, know that you are reading the fulfillment of prophecy, you are reading the account of what our hope is built on, the sacrifice of Jesus, and that His sacrifice was fully accepted by God, and therefore you are reading how we are able to be in right relationship with God. Through the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God.


Weekly Reading:

• Sunday, November 9 — Matthew 26, Mark 14
• Monday, November 10 — Luke 22, John 13
• Tuesday, November 11 — John 14–17
• Wednesday, November 12 — Matthew 27, Mark 15
• Thursday, November 13 — Luke 23, John 18–19
• Friday, November 14 — Matthew 28, Mark 16
• Saturday, November 15 — Luke 24, John 20–21

What to Expect:

This week, you are going to be reading another account of Jesus’ final week, often called Holy Week. This stems from His triumphal entry, to being anointed by Mary at Bethany, to clearing out the temple for the abuse that the religious leaders were having with it, to His final evening with His disciples in the upper room, where He institutes the Lord’s Supper.


You will then witness the trial of Jesus, where He stands before the High Priest, Caiaphas (the religious leader), King Herod (the national puppet leader), and Pilate (the governor/political leader). You will read four different accounts of how they treated Jesus, seeing the fulfillment of Isaiah 53, He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed… He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.


Though Jesus was innocent, you are going to read about His crucifixion, facing extreme agony physically (Romans were experts at inflicting pain), emotionally (the soldiers and leaders mock Jesus and humiliate Him, and spiritually (Jesus feels complete separation from God, experiencing His wrath and being forsaken by Him on the cross). He went through all of this for us.


You will then see the greatest moment in the history of the world. Paul states it this way, If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. BUT IN FACT CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD! I hope you shouted that, because it is the news that needs to be shouted from the mountain tops! Christ is not dead, but instead He has conquered death, and we too therefore have a hope because of this very moment that you are going to be reading this week!


Personal Insight:

Every year we celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every year we hear about what He has done for us. Every year we reflect on the fact that He has risen from the dead. But, have we become numb to it? Just as I typed that last couple of sentences in the prior section, I could feel an intensity increase in my striking the keyboard. Jesus is raised from the dead. He promises that through His resurrection we too can be raised from the dead. We don’t have to fear death. It is not the end for us, but the beginning. The beginning of eternal glory. We live in eternal life right now, knowing Jesus, but as Paul says, now we see in part, soon we will see fully. I just got done reading Revelation in my own study, and when you read Revelation with the resurrection fresh in your mind, you have confidence. You see that as much as the spiritual and political forces may try, Christ is victorious! He wins! He proved that already at the resurrection. The cross could not hold Him. The grave could not hold Him. Our sin could not hold Him. He lived a perfect, completely sinless life, in every way, to be the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, so that He is the only one worthy of all praise and glory and honor, and He did it so that we could enter into perfect relationship with the Father, as adopted sons, because we, though unrighteous, are now righteous before the Father because we have received His righteousness! A righteousness not of works, but of faith in the perfect Son of God! Thank you Jesus!


Prayer:

Jesus thank you! That’s it, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Amen!


This week’s devotion was prepared by Andrew Peterman.