8 Day Easter Devotional: Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, 2025
Read: Matthew 21:1-11
Reflect
Imagine yourself in this scene. You’re watching this crowd of people celebrate the arrival of a man whom you’ve heard rumors about. You hear people shouting “Hosanna,” and see them waving palm branches. You’ve heard that He heals sicknesses and brings people back from the dead, and you’ve heard people say that He is the Messiah – the promised King who would save God’s people. What’s going through your head as you watch Jesus enter Jerusalem?
When the citizens of Jerusalem saw that Jesus’ arrival was accompanied by cheering and celebration, they couldn’t help but ask, “Who is this?” How would you answer that question?
Respond
Spend a few minutes in prayer telling Jesus who He is to you.
What do you need today? What are you grateful for today? Is there anything you need to get off your chest? Tell Jesus about it.
Replies
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The Sting of Judas' Betrayal - Easter Devotional - April 14
“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand Him over.” Matthew 26:14-16
It’s easy for us to overlook how Jesus might have felt with the betrayal by Judas. We read in Scripture that Jesus knew His mission on earth and was ready to fulfill it, including knowing that Judas would betray Him, yet we often don’t consider the human side.
It stings when someone we love and trust hurts us, whether through betrayal, rejection, or abandonment. It’s a deeper wound than those caused by casual acquaintances and even strangers who reject us because our expectations are so much higher for those we love and believe love us, too.
Fully human and fully God, Jesus expressed human emotions like us, including anger, sorrow, grief, compassion, love, as well as physical conditions such as tiredness, hunger, and thirst.
Jesus recognized that those who crucified Him didn’t understand what they were doing, as stated in some of His final words before death: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots” (Luke 23:34).
Still, though Jesus knew the betrayal was coming, Judas had been His companion, traveling together, sharing meals, lodging, praying together, ministering together, and more. It’s easy for us to dismiss what emotions Jesus may have experienced with Judas’ betrayal because He is God.
But, fully human, He may have felt some of the same ways we’ve felt when experiencing betrayal and the loss of a close friendship or family relationship.
Just because Jesus saw Judas’ betrayal coming doesn’t mean it didn’t sting and grieve His heart.Before Judas made the betrayal deal with the chief priests, Scripture gave us clues that he was not committed to Jesus and His ministry.
As John 12:1-3 describes, while Jesus and the disciples were having dinner in Bethany, with Lazarus and his two sisters, as Martha served the meal, Mary poured expensive perfume over his feet, washing them and drying them with her hair.
“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:4-6).
At the last supper, we read that it troubled Jesus to talk about being betrayed. “After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray Me’” (John 13:21).
Jesus explains to His disciples how one of them is going to betray Him, fulfilling Psalm 41:9, which states, “Even My close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared My bread, has lifted up his heel against Me.”
Jesus knows firsthand what it’s like to have someone very close go behind His back and betray Him. He understands the sting, the pain, and the disappointment that comes with having someone we trust sell us out for their own profit and benefit, whether a business partner, co-worker, spouse, family member, or neighbor.
If and when we experience betrayal, the Apostle Paul reminds us where we can turn, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Let’s pray:
Dear Father, Thank you for all You endured here on earth for our sakes, for going through the sting of rejection so that we might receive salvation and atonement for our sins through Your sacrifice and Your blood that was shed on our behalf. In Jesus’ name, Amen.1 -
Easter Means No More Condemnation
By Rick Warren“Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us” (Ephesians 1:7 CEV).
Have you ever wondered who put Jesus on the cross?
It wasn’t Judas or Caiaphas. It wasn’t Pilate. It wasn’t even the religious leaders who hated Jesus.
This may shock you, but there are two answers.
First, it was God. The Bible says it was his plan from the very beginning. It’s the reason he came to earth. The Bible had predicted his death hundreds of years earlier.
But the other answer is us. You put Jesus on the cross, and so did I. If we had never sinned, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die. Romans 4:25 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (NIV).
Because Jesus died on the cross, our sins are forgiven.
We’re all imperfect. We have sin that makes us feel guilty about our past. We have regrets. But God doesn’t want us to live with that guilt.
That’s why Jesus died!
Ephesians 1:7 says, “Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us” (CEV).
Guilt wastes a ton of energy. It wears us out and robs us of peace of mind.
Too many believers are saved but don’t act like it. They’re full of shame and guilt. It dominates everything they do.
They believe in Jesus, but they haven’t been set free from the condemnation of sin.
Romans 8:1 says, “Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT).
“No condemnation” means God doesn’t judge you for all the things you’ve done wrong if you’ve trusted in Christ Jesus.
He took your punishment on the cross. God doesn’t have to condemn you, because Jesus took your condemnation.
That’s what Easter is all about. You’re forgiven. Jesus died for you. You can live with hope and not condemnation.
You can be free.
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Waiting at the Cross
by Fred AlbertiHe is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16
During this time of remembrance of Christ's sacrifice I am prone to wonder about the angels.
I see them standing at attention internally grieving over the suffering of their creator. Jesus was not merely the creator of just mankind. The Bible says that it was by Him that all things were created. This was their creator in the flesh suffering a brutal death.
I imagine more than a few wishing to dispense with the humans who were causing this atrocity. Matthew records Jesus stating, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53).
What incredible self-control! What awesome love to bear the punishment of the cross when it could have all ended so easily.
In talking about the prophets, Peter reveals that the angels long to look into this whole business about redemption and the good news of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:12).
They didn't understand why all this was happening. All they knew was their King was being murdered.
Then I hear amongst the mass chaos of the darkness and the rumbling of the earthquake as the Roman Centurion and the witnesses to Jesus death beat their chests proclaiming, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
(Read Luke 23:47-48 and Matthew 27:54).
It was over. Jesus was dead. Now it was time to bury Him in a borrowed tomb.
Three days later I imagine the angels clamoring to be on the special detail that was posted. Who would get to roll back the stone?
Who would get to wait in the empty tomb to deliver the wonderful news?
"He is not here, He has risen" (Matthew 28:6).
Oh, what a glorious pronouncement. I wonder just how the angels rejoiced. Were they slapping each other on the back? Were they shouting in victory? Were they beaming with joy over the news that their King was no longer in the grave?
How will we celebrate that day?
How will we honor the death and resurrection of the creator of the universe?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When you make your Easter eggs this year do one with angel wings on it to remember the angel's words, "He is not here, He has risen."
Further Reading
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The Kingdom on Display
by Mike DeVriesBut we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. —1 Corinthians 1:23-25
Brokenness. Humiliation. Weakness.
This is not the image that we want to embrace in a Messiah, is it? We want strength. We want power.
In other words, we want an empire.
The force that ruled the known world in the day of Jesus was the Roman Empire.
Supposedly bringing about a universal reign of peace, it ruled by force and by oppression. Taxation. Military occupation. Extortion. Corruption. Crucifixion.
Often, we forget what the cross symbolized in the landscape of the first-century world. It did not symbolize forgiveness. It did not symbolize sacrifice and love.
It symbolized oppression. It symbolized domination. The cross was the way the Roman Empire dealt with political insurrectionists. It was a show of force.
To be crucified was to be humiliated, de-humanized. The crucifixion was so hideous that it took centuries before the Church could visually express it in art.
A kingdom of freedom over a kingdom of bondage.
A kingdom of liberation over a kingdom of oppression.
A kingdom of generosity over a kingdom of greed.
A kingdom of love over a kingdom of power.
A kingdom of light over a kingdom of darkness.
Almighty God,
We acknowledge that You are the Holy One of blessing and that Your presence fills all creation. As we gaze upon Your Son, Your beloved, we see the clash of two kingdoms.
One fueled by power and oppression, the other by love and generosity. May we always be found on the side of love, even though the way may lead to a cross. Amen.
GOING DEEPER
1. In the way you live life, which of the two kingdoms are you advancing in this world?
2. In what areas of your life do you need to realign yourself with the values of the kingdom of God? How can you begin to do this today?FURTHER READING:
1 Corinthians 2:6-8; 15:24-250 -
Good Friday, April 18
Finished!When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. —John 19:30
The cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning. His birth was so there would be His death. The incarnation was for our atonement. He was born to die so that we might live. And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: “finished.”
In the original Greek, it was a common word. Jesus probably used it after He finished a project that He and Joseph might have been working on together in the carpentry shop. Jesus might have turned to Joseph and said, “Finished. Now let’s go have lunch.” It is finished. Mission accomplished. It is done. It is made an end of.
So what was finished? Finished and completed were the horrendous sufferings of Christ. Never again would He experience pain at the hand of wicked men.
Never again would He have to bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken of God. That was completed. That was taken care of.
Also finished was Satan’s stronghold on humanity. Jesus came to deal a decisive blow against the devil and his demons at the cross of Calvary. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who hadthe power of death.” This means that you no longer have to be under the power of sin. Because of Jesus’ accomplishment at the cross, finished was the stronghold of Satan on humanity.
And lastly, finished was our salvation. It is completed. It is done. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. His righteousness was transferred to our account.
So Jesus cried out the words, “It is finished!” It was God’s deliberate and well-thought-out plan. It is finished—so rejoice!
Greg Laurie
One Place- Harvest Ministries
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Saturday, April 19, 2025
The Silence of the Tomb
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT)
The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is known as Silent Saturday.
Silent because the Bible has little to say about it, aside from a passage in Matthew 27 in which the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to post guards at Jesus’ tomb to keep His disciples from stealing His body and claiming that He rose from the dead.
Silent because Jesus’ lifeless corpse had been sealed in a tomb.
Silent because it seemed there was nothing left to say. Death, it appeared, had gotten the final word.
Think about where Jesus’ disciples were on Silent Saturday—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. Judas Iscariot was dead. After he learned that Jesus was going to be put to death, he tried to return the thirty pieces of silver he’d been paid to betray Him. And then, unable to live with his guilt, he hanged himself.
Peter was disgraced and demoralized. After all his bold talk, he had hidden in the shadows while Jesus faced His accusers. Three times people had recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples. And three times had Peter denied knowing Him.
John was taking care of Mary, as per Jesus’ instructions on the cross. The other disciples were scattered, hiding out in their safe houses. They were dumbfounded, terrified, and wondering whether they had wasted the previous three years of their lives.
Think about where the rest of the world was on Silent Saturday. The religious leaders and Roman authorities were congratulating themselves for taking care of their Jesus problem once and for all. No doubt they were looking forward to a return to normalcy. The people of Israel were looking for the next would-be messiah they could celebrate and then abandon.
The world was a place with no hope. A place where sin and death still reigned supreme. A place where Jesus, His teachings, and His miracles would soon fade from memory and be lost to history.
The apostle Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19 NLT).
If the cross was the end for Jesus, we would have no hope for reconciling with God, no hope for eternal life, and nothing to look forward to beyond our brief time in this world. And the people to be pitied on Silent Saturday are the ones who understood those implications.
Silent Saturday was a dark day. And they say it’s always darkest before the dawn. Nowhere was it darker than inside Jesus’ tomb. But as the first lights appeared in the sky on Sunday morning, there was a stirring in that tomb, a rustling of grave clothes, as the promise of eternal life became a glorious reality.
Reflection question: In the silence of this Saturday before Easter, what is on your heart?
Devotion by Greg Laurie
One place Ministry
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Easter Sunday April 20
A Risen Savior!When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 20:20Bible Reading:
The Easter Bunny is a very old rabbit. We can date his birth to 1682, when a German Lutheran named Georg Franck von Franckenau wrote a story about an Easter hare bringing eggs to children.
It’s fun to have traditions our children enjoy, but let’s help everyone around us truly appreciate the historical reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ. Most of all, let’s each come to the empty tomb for a fresh transfusion of joy.
John 20:20 contains a great understatement—Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Imagine the emotion packed into the word “glad”! They were thrilled, overwhelmed, lighthearted, exhilarated, and rejoicing. We should share their attitude!
The Resurrection prepares us, not just for our future in heaven but for now. We may have seasons of trouble in our lives, but never a moment when our risen Lord has forgotten or forsaken us. Determine to rejoice today. Shout: Praise the Lord! I serve a risen Savior!
The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…He’s risen! Charles R. Swindoll
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