Zechariah 11:8, 9

1600 years ago Christians began calling the last days of Jesus’ life “Holy Week.” This eight-day reading plan will explain what happened on each of Jesus' final days and why those events, while often tragic, are ultimately good news. Each day there will be a short reading from a psalm, one of the Old Testament prophets, and a few verses from the New Testament. There will also be a short devotional to guide you through those passages and see the significance of Jesus' last days on earth.

Like Haggai, Zechariah prophesies during the post-exilic period as Israel began resettling in the Promised Land. Zechariah encourages Israel to remain faithful and prophesies of a coming righteous King who will bring salvation to His people (Zechariah 9:10). This book reminds us that we too must be to what God has called us to, always hopefully anticipating when God Himself “will be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

In this 8-day study, we will walk through the passion narratives and unpack how Jesus and his disciples understood them as fulfillments of Old Testament prefigurations of Jesus. Our starting point is that Jesus himself was the first to point out these scriptural connections to the disciples (Luke 24:44-46). And, just as the Holy Spirit opened their minds to understand the things Jesus taught them, we will ask the Spirit to similarly illumine us (John 14:26; 16:12-15).