Holy Week Bible reading plan: day by day from Palm Sunday to Easter

This Holy Week Bible reading plan takes you through the last eight days of Jesus' life, from Palm Sunday, March 21, 2027 to Easter Sunday, March 28, 2027. Each day has one core reading, from a couple of minutes on Saturday to about 12 on Good Friday, plus a harmony table showing where that day's events appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, so you can read the parallel accounts side by side.

Holy Week (also called Passion Week) is the week between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his resurrection. The four Gospels give it more space than any other part of his life: Mark spends six of his sixteen chapters on it, and John spends about nine of twenty-one. Reading it day by day, on the days it happened, slows you down enough to notice what you usually skim.

A word of honesty before you start: the Gospels don't put a date on every event, and Christians have harmonized them in slightly different ways for centuries. This plan follows the most common order and tells you where the Gospels differ, so you can read with confidence instead of confusion.

Holy Week 2027 at a glance

If you'd like to see each scene explained, with the people and places in context and a short quiz afterward, the app's Bible stories cover the whole Passion, from the triumphal entry to the empty tomb.

Palm Sunday, March 21: the King comes to Jerusalem

Core reading: Luke 19:28-44 (about 3 minutes).

Jesus sends two disciples for a colt, rides down the Mount of Olives, and the crowd spreads garments on the road and praises God. Then, as he sees the city, he weeps over it (Luke 19:41). Luke is the only Gospel that records those tears, which is why it's the core reading today.

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

Think about: the crowd praised Jesus as king, and within days a crowd shouted for his crucifixion. What kind of king were they expecting? Read the triumphal entry for the background.

Monday, March 22: the fig tree and the temple

Core reading: Mark 11:12-19 (about 2 minutes; add Isaiah 56:6-7 to see the verse Jesus quotes).

On the way back into the city, Jesus curses a fig tree with leaves but no fruit, then drives the buyers and sellers out of the temple: "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Mark 11:17).

Where the Gospels differ: Matthew seems to place the cleansing on Palm Sunday itself, while Mark puts it the next day. Mark is more precise about days here, and Matthew often groups events by theme. John's temple cleansing comes three years earlier; many readers think Jesus cleansed the temple twice, while others think John placed the one event for theological reasons. See Jesus drives the merchants from the temple and the withered fig tree.

Think about: the fig tree had leaves (it looked alive) but no fruit. What does that say about the busy temple?

Tuesday, March 23: a long day of questions

Core reading: Mark 11:20 to 12:44 (about 10 minutes). Optional: Mark 13, the teaching on the Mount of Olives.

Tuesday is the busiest day in the Gospels. The leaders challenge Jesus' authority, he tells the parable of the wicked husbandmen, answers the question about paying taxes to Caesar, the question about the resurrection, and the question about the greatest commandment, and finally points out a poor widow who gives "two mites". That evening he speaks about the destruction of the temple and the end of the age.

Where the Gospels differ: the Synoptic Gospels don't say every one of these debates happened on a single day; many harmonies spread them over Tuesday and Wednesday. Placing John 12:20-50 here is also a harmony choice, since John doesn't date it.

Think about: asked for the greatest commandment, Jesus answers with two (Mark 12:29-31). Which one are you more likely to neglect this week?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Wednesday, March 24: the plot and the perfume

Core reading: Mark 14:1-11 (about 2 minutes).

"After two days was the feast of the passover" (Mark 14:1), the leaders look for a way to arrest Jesus quietly. At Bethany a woman breaks an alabaster box of costly ointment over his head, and Jesus says she has anointed his body for burial. Right after, Judas goes to the chief priests, who promise him money. Some traditions call this day Spy Wednesday because of that deal.

Where the Gospels differ: John places the anointing "six days before the passover" (John 12:1), before the triumphal entry, while Mark and Matthew tell it here. Mark and Matthew may be telling it at this point to set it beside Judas's betrayal, a contrast between lavish love and cold calculation. Read Mary of Bethany's perfume and meet Judas Iscariot.

Think about: the disciples called the gift a waste. Jesus called it "a good work" (Mark 14:6). What would wholehearted devotion look like for you this week?

Quick quiz: Mark

Where do the four men lower the paralytic down to Jesus?

Through a windowThrough the roofThrough the doorThrough the courtyard

What name does the unclean spirit in the country of the Gadarenes give?

LegionBeelzebulAbaddonMammon

How much does the poor widow put into the temple treasury?

One gold coinFive denariiTwo small coinsThirty pieces of silver

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Maundy Thursday, March 25: the supper, the garden, the arrest

Core reading: John 13:1-17, then Mark 14:12-52 (about 9 minutes). Optional: John 14 to 17, Jesus' farewell words and prayer.

"Maundy" comes from the Latin for "commandment", after Jesus' words that night: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another" (John 13:34). Jesus washes the disciples' feet, shares the Passover meal, gives the bread and the cup, predicts Judas's betrayal and Peter's denial, prays in Gethsemane while the disciples sleep, and is arrested.

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Where the Gospels differ: Matthew, Mark and Luke clearly present the supper as the Passover meal (Mark 14:12). John times things so that the next morning the leaders still hadn't eaten the Passover (John 18:28), and Jesus is crucified on "the preparation of the passover" (John 19:14). Scholars explain this in several ways, including different calendars in use or John's wording referring to the wider feast. All four agree the supper was on the night before Jesus died. Read the Last Supper and Gethsemane and the arrest.

Think about: Jesus washed the feet of the man who would betray him that night. Whose feet is he asking you to wash?

Good Friday, March 26: the cross

Core reading: John 18:12 to 19:42 (about 12 minutes). Then read one of the other accounts if you have time.

Through the night and morning, Jesus is questioned by Annas and Caiaphas, condemned by the council, denied three times by Peter, tried before Pilate, sent to Herod and back, mocked, scourged and led out to Golgotha. He is crucified between two thieves, darkness covers the land, he dies, and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus lay his body in a new tomb before the Sabbath begins.

The seven sayings from the cross are spread across the Gospels. Here they are in their traditional order:

Where the Gospels differ: Mark says "it was the third hour, and they crucified him" (Mark 15:25), while John says Pilate's final judgment came "about the sixth hour" (John 19:14). Many explain this by different ways of counting the hours or by approximate timekeeping. A minority of Christians also argue for a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion, reading "three days and three nights" in Matthew 12:40 literally; most read it as a Jewish way of counting part-days, with Friday as "the day before the sabbath" (Mark 15:42).

Think about: read Isaiah 53:4-6 after the core reading, written centuries before. Read the crucifixion for the full account.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Holy Saturday, March 27: the silent day

Core reading: Matthew 27:62-66 and Luke 23:55-56 (about 1 minute). Then Psalm 16 or Psalm 88.

The Gospels say very little about Saturday. The women "rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56), and the chief priests asked Pilate for a guard and sealed the stone (Matthew 27:66). That's all.

Think about: the disciples spent this day not knowing Sunday was coming. Psalm 16:10 holds the hope they hadn't understood yet: "thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Peter quotes it about the resurrection in Acts 2:27.

Easter Sunday, March 28: he is risen

Core reading: John 20:1-18 and Luke 24:13-35 (about 6 minutes). Optional: John 20:19-31 for the evening appearance and Thomas.

Women come to the tomb at dawn and find the stone rolled away. Angels announce that Jesus is risen. Peter and the beloved disciple run to the tomb. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and that evening to the gathered disciples.

A note on Mark 16: the KJV includes Mark 16:9-20, but many modern Bibles set those verses apart because the oldest surviving manuscripts end at Mark 16:8. Christians hold different views on whether they were part of Mark's original Gospel. The resurrection appearances they describe are also told in the other Gospels.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Read Mary Magdalene in the garden and the disciples on the road to Emmaus, then celebrate with our Easter Bible trivia, which follows the same day-by-day order.

How to keep Holy Week well

Read the core reading every day, and the harmony when you can. The core readings add up to 271 verses (about 6,200 words in the KJV), well under an hour for the whole week at an unhurried pace. The full four-Gospel account of the week is about 1,200 verses, three to four hours, so save it for a slower year or add one extra Gospel per day.

Pair it with church. Many churches hold services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Read the day's passage beforehand and the service will mean more.

Do it as a family. Read the core passage aloud at dinner. Kids remember Palm Sunday, the foot washing and the empty tomb best, so act those out if they're young.

Start earlier next time. If this plan helps, try the six weeks before it: our Lent Bible reading plan reads the whole Gospel of Mark from Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and ends right where this week begins.

Keep going after Easter. The book of Acts picks up the story with forty days of appearances and the ascension (Acts 1:3-11). If you're following our 2027 Bible reading plan, Holy Week falls across weeks 12 and 13, and you'll start the Gospel of John on April 7.

To test what you remember from the week, try the Mark quiz or the Jesus Christ character quiz. And if you want short quizzes after each reading and a calendar that keeps your place, the app's reading plan does that.

Frequently asked questions

When is Holy Week 2027?

Holy Week 2027 begins on Palm Sunday, March 21 and ends on Holy Saturday, March 27, with Easter Sunday on March 28, 2027. Maundy Thursday is March 25 and Good Friday is March 26. Orthodox churches follow a different calendar and celebrate Holy Week from April 25 to May 1, with Easter on May 2, 2027.

What should I read each day of Holy Week?

A simple plan: Palm Sunday, Luke 19:28-44; Monday, Mark 11:12-19; Tuesday, Mark 11:20 to 12:44; Wednesday, Mark 14:1-11; Thursday, John 13:1-17 and Mark 14:12-52; Friday, John 18:12 to 19:42; Saturday, Matthew 27:62-66; Easter Sunday, John 20:1-18. Most take under 10 minutes; Tuesday and Friday are the long ones.

Which Gospel is best for reading Holy Week?

Mark gives the clearest day-by-day sequence, with markers like "on the morrow" (Mark 11:12) and "in the morning" (Mark 11:20). John gives the most detail on Thursday night, including the foot washing and Jesus' farewell words in John 13 to 17. Reading Mark for the early days and John for Thursday and Friday combines both strengths.

Why do the Gospels differ on Holy Week timing?

Each Gospel writer selected and arranged events for his purpose, and ancient writers often grouped material by theme rather than by exact day. The main differences are the timing of the anointing at Bethany, when the temple was cleansed, and how John's Passover timing relates to the other Gospels. Christians have long harmonized these in slightly different ways while agreeing on the core events.

What day did Jesus die and rise again?

Most Christians hold that Jesus was crucified on Friday, "the day before the sabbath" (Mark 15:42), and rose early on Sunday, "the first day of the week" (Mark 16:2). A minority view places the crucifixion on Wednesday or Thursday to read "three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40) literally. All agree he rose on the first day of the week.

Is Holy Week the same as Passion Week?

Yes, the two names are used for the same week, from Palm Sunday to Easter. "Passion" comes from the Latin word for suffering and refers to Jesus' suffering and death. Some churches use "Passion Sunday" for Palm Sunday itself, and some use "Holy Week" only for the days from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday.