Monday April 6th 
The Weight of Our Sin
Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
      And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
            2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
      and like a root out of dry ground;
                  he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
      and no beauty that we should desire him.
            3 He was despised and rejected by men,
      a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
                  and as one from whom men hide their faces
      he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
      and carried our sorrows;
                  yet we esteemed him stricken,
      smitten by God, and afflicted.
            5 But 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.
            6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
      we have turned—every one—to his own way;
                  and the LORD has laid on him
      the iniquity of us all.

Devotional: Before Jesus ever felt the nails, He experienced something far worse in Gethsemane—the crushing weight of our sin and separation from His Father. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be "despised and rejected," bearing our griefs and sorrows. When Jesus sweat drops of blood in the garden, He wasn't just anticipating physical pain; He was looking into the cup of God's wrath meant for us. Every sin, every rebellion, every moment of our turning away from God—Jesus saw it all and chose to drink that cup anyway. Today, consider the gravity of what your sin cost Jesus. His suffering reveals both the seriousness of our condition and the magnitude of God's love.

Reflection: What sins am I holding onto that Jesus already paid for? How does understanding His substitutionary sacrifice change how I view my relationship with God?

 
Tuesday April 7th
Abandoned So We Won't Be
Reading: Matthew 27:45-54 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Devotional: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" These words pierce the heart of the gospel. Jesus, who had always enjoyed perfect communion with His Father, experienced complete abandonment. The silence from heaven that began in Gethsemane reached its climax at Calvary. God turned His back on His own Son—not because Jesus deserved it, but because we did. This wasn't divine cruelty; it was divine love. Jesus became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The torn temple curtain symbolizes what His abandonment purchased: our access to God. Because Jesus was forsaken, you never have to be. When you feel alone, remember: Jesus endured ultimate aloneness so you could have eternal fellowship with God.

Reflection: Have I experienced feeling abandoned? How does knowing Jesus chose abandonment for me bring comfort to my loneliest moments?



Wednesday April 8th
The Suffering Servant
Reading: Mark 14:32-42 32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Devotional: Three times Jesus prayed, "Remove this cup from me." Three times He received silence. Even His closest friends couldn't stay awake to support Him in His darkest hour. Jesus experienced the full weight of human weakness, fear, and isolation. Yet in His weakness, He demonstrated ultimate strength: "Not my will, but yours be done." This wasn't resignation; it was resolution. Jesus chose obedience despite overwhelming dread because He loved you more than He feared suffering. His distress in Gethsemane reveals that salvation wasn't easy—it cost God everything. When you face your own Gethsemane moments, remember that Jesus understands. He's been in the place of desperate prayer, and His "yes" to the Father secured your eternal "yes" from God.

Reflection: What "cup" am I facing that requires me to surrender my will to God's? How can Jesus's example in Gethsemane strengthen my obedience?


Thursday April 9th
The Innocent for the Guilty
Reading: Matthew 27:15-26 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Devotional: Barabbas should have died that day. A murderer, a rebel, a man deserving punishment—yet he walked free because Jesus took his place. Barabbas means "son of a father," representing every human being. We are all Barabbas. We all deserve the punishment Jesus received. The crowd chose a guilty criminal over the innocent Son of God, and in that choice, the gospel was displayed. Jesus didn't die because the Romans were cruel or because the Jews rejected Him. He died because you and I needed a substitute. Imagine Barabbas going home that night, knowing someone else died in his place. That's your story. That's the gospel. You're not saved by being good enough; you're saved because Jesus was good enough for you.

Reflection: Do I live with the gratitude of Barabbas, or have I forgotten that I deserved the cross Jesus bore? How should this truth change my daily life?



Friday April 10th
 He Is Risen—Go Tell
Reading: Matthew 28:1-10 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”


Devotional: "He is not here; He has risen!" Without the resurrection, the cross would be tragedy, not triumph. Jesus's rising from the dead proved that God accepted His sacrifice for sin. Death couldn't hold Him because He conquered it for us. Notice Jesus's first message to His disciples who had abandoned Him: "Go tell my brothers." Not "those traitors" or "those failures"—my brothers. The resurrection reveals not just Jesus's power over death, but His grace toward sinners. Peter denied Him three times, yet Jesus called him brother. You may have failed Jesus repeatedly, but the risen Christ calls you His own. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you today, transforming your failures into testimonies of grace.

Reflection: How does the resurrection change everything about my faith? Who are the "brothers and sisters" I need to tell about the risen Savior today?