Day 40 (April 4 th ) Matthew 27:62-66 62  The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate  63  and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’  64  Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception wou

Day 39 (April 3 rd ) Luke 22:54-56 5 4  Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance.  55  When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  56  Then a female servant, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” Two days before God raised Jesus from the dead, two fires blazed in the night. One is inside the h

Day 38 (April 2 nd ) Mark 14:41 41  " He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" Three days before God raised Jesus from the dead, after the celebration of the Passover the disciples are asleep at the wheel. Not once. Not twice. Three times. Jesus steps back into the circle of drooping heads and heavy eyes and says words that feel like a bell in the night

Day 37 ( April 1 st ) Matthew 26:14-16 14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment, he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. Four days before God raised Jesus from the dead, Judas betrayed. Judas didn’t fall all at once. He didn’t wake up one morning and say, “Today I will betray the Son of God.” No, he w

Day 36 (March 3 1 st ) Matthew 21:23-23:39 23  " When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Five days before God raised Jesus from the dead, He spent the day at the temple teaching. That detail should make you stop and listen. When most of us feel pressure, we rush. When we feel threatened, we hide. When we know hard days ar

Day 35 (March 29 th ) Luke 19:45-48 45  "Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there, and he said, “It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” Six days before God raised Jesus from the dead, He walked into the temple and saw a mess. Not spilled coffee. Not kids wiggling in the pew. Not a loud greeting time. A deeper mess. The temple was meant to be a place where people could meet with

Day 34 (Mar 28 th ) Matthew 21:1-11 " When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,  2  saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.  3  If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” Seven days before Jesus rose from the dead, He rode into Jerusalem.

Day 33 (Mar 27 th ) John 12:3-11 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them [ a ]  with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  4  But Judas Iscariot,…said,  5  “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”… 7  Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it [ b ]  so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.  8  You always have the poor with you, but y

Day 32 (Mar 26 th ) John 12:1-2 S ix days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There, they gave a dinner for him… John drops a little timestamp into the story: “Six days before the Passover.” That’s not just a calendar note. That’s a countdown. Six days before the Last Supper. Six days before betrayal. Six days and a bit before the cross. Six 1/2 days before darkness at noon. And where is Jesus? Not hiding. Not bui

Day 31 (Mar 25 th ) Matthew 20:29–34 "As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord,[a] have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet, but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” 32 Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord

Day 30 (Mar 24 th ) Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 is like a sign God hangs over your life: “Not Condemned.”  Not “maybe later.” Not “unless you mess up again.” Not “until you prove yourself.” It simply says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Condemnation is like that rude parrot that sits on your shoulder and squawks, “Loser! Failure! Not good enough!” It repeats your worst mo

Day 29 (Mar 23 rd ) Psalm 32 1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 While I kept silent, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up[a] as by the heat of summer. 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgr

Day 28 (Mar 21 st ) 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If your hands were covered in mud, you wouldn’t argue with the sink. You wouldn’t say, “Maybe I’ll clean up next week.” You’d head straight for the water. You’d wash up. You’d want to be clean. Our hearts can get messy, too. Sometimes we say something sharp. Sometimes we hide something. Sometimes we do the things we promised we w