Easter in the GospelsSample

(Video and written devotion are the same content.)

Welcome to Easter in the Gospels.

From cover to cover, God’s Word is a love story that points to Jesus from beginning to end. Without the resurrection, we have nothing as Christians. Just good stories and a moral man. The Resurrection of Jesus demands our belief that Jesus was not just a man; he is GOD.

This Bible reading plan, Easter in the Gospels, is designed to be immersive for four days. You’ll read through each Gospel writer’s account of Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection. You’ll spend one day in Matthew, one in Mark, one in Luke, and one in John. Each reading is two to three chapters.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels, meaning their order can be aligned, and they can be “seen” together. John does not follow a strict chronological timeline in his writing, and he often shares symbolically instead. John could be considered the storytelling poet of the four gospels.

You may have heard that the gospels differ on some details of the death and resurrection accounts in Jesus’ ministry. I suppose some people would say these details cause reason to ponder credibility, but I disagree. We would have different viewpoints if you and I went to a sports event and watched the final championship play. I might be sitting on one end of the court and you on the other. The angles would provide a variety of details. Our personal observations would differ, but the outcome would be the same. This is true even of eyewitness accounts used as testimony in court cases. The gospel resurrection accounts provide perspectives that indicate different people had different viewpoints, but all share the same outcome, that Jesus died, was buried, and rose the third day to pay the penalty for our sins.

Reading Matthew 26-28 will take you from Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane through the end of the Gospel story written by the apostle Matthew. Matthew provides details on the behaviors of various key characters of the time, including Judas and Pilate. Matthew was definitely a people-watcher. His is the only gospel that mentions an earthquake, the angel who rolled the stone away, and the trembling fear of the guards at the tomb. Those details provide insight into the incomprehensible magnitude of the moment.

The amount of fear that covered the land during these days had to feel tangible. The angel first said to the women at the open tomb, “Do not be afraid.” The first thing Jesus said to the women, “Do not be afraid.” I pray that the reading today encourages your heart to remember that you also do not need to fear. Your God is near. The One who conquered the grave lives inside your heart.

Matthew concludes his book with Jesus' ascension and final promise. Don’t miss the beautiful declaration in the last verse of the last chapter: "And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Father, breathe fresh courage into our souls and help us recognize the power of Jesus resurrected lives in us. Help us live accordingly today.

I’ll see you tomorrow for the book of Mark! Happy reading!