Suffering in the Bible

Paul describes apostles as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. He challenges the Corinthians' arrogance, reminding them that everything they have is a gift. He warns that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Peter writes to scattered believers, praising God for a living hope through the resurrection. Their faith, more precious than gold, is being tested. He calls them to set their hope fully on Christ's grace and to be holy in all conduct, since they were redeemed not with perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ.

Believers are living stones being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. They are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Peter urges them to live honorably among pagans. He holds up Christ as the example of suffering unjustly—when He suffered, He did not retaliate but entrusted Himself to God.

Peter instructs wives and husbands on mutual respect in marriage. He urges all believers to be compassionate, humble, and ready to give an answer for the hope within them, with gentleness and respect. Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.

Peter calls believers to arm themselves with Christ's mindset of suffering. He urges them to live for God's will, not human desires, and to use their gifts to serve others. Do not be surprised by fiery trials—rejoice that you share in Christ's sufferings. Judgment begins with God's household.

Peter exhorts elders to shepherd God's flock willingly and humbly, not for gain. He urges younger believers to submit to elders. He commands all to cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. He warns them to be alert—the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Saul massacres 85 priests at Nob for helping David, fulfilling the prophecy against Eli's house. Only Abiathar escapes and joins David. David gathers a band of 400 outcasts at the cave of Adullam.

The Philistines defeat Israel at Mount Gilboa. Saul's sons, including Jonathan, are killed. Wounded by archers, Saul falls on his own sword rather than be captured. The men of Jabesh-gilead bravely recover and cremate the bodies.

Paul defends his ministry among the Thessalonians, recalling how he and his companions shared not only the gospel but their very lives. They worked night and day so as not to be a burden. He describes his deep affection for them, like a mother nursing her children and a father encouraging them.

Paul sent Timothy to strengthen the Thessalonians during persecution and is overjoyed at Timothy's report of their steadfast faith and love. He prays earnestly to see them again and for their love to increase and overflow toward one another and everyone.

Paul opens by praising God as the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others. He describes his severe suffering in Asia and explains why he delayed his visit to Corinth—not from fickleness but from care.

Paul describes carrying the gospel as treasure in jars of clay, showing that the surpassing power belongs to God, not human vessels. Though hard pressed, he is not crushed. He fixes his eyes on what is unseen and eternal, declaring that our light and momentary troubles achieve an eternal weight of glory.

Paul appeals to the Corinthians not to receive God's grace in vain. He describes his ministry's hardships and paradoxes—sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich. He urges believers not to be yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has light with darkness?

Paul reluctantly boasts to match his opponents' claims, listing his sufferings: beatings, shipwrecks, dangers, sleepless nights, hunger. He has been whipped five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and shipwrecked three times. He also experienced a dramatic escape in a basket over a wall.

Paul recounts being caught up to the third heaven—paradise—hearing inexpressible words. To keep him humble, he was given a thorn in the flesh. Three times he pleaded for its removal, but God replied: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul therefore boasts gladly in his weaknesses.

The Shunammite woman's land is restored after Gehazi tells the king of Elisha's miracles. Elisha weeps prophesying that Hazael will become king of Aram and bring terrible suffering to Israel. Jehoram and Ahaziah, wicked kings of Judah, are introduced.

David is cursed by Shimei of Saul's family as he flees. Ziba falsely claims Mephibosheth has turned traitor. In Jerusalem, Absalom follows Ahithophel's counsel to publicly claim David's concubines, signaling a permanent break.

Paul commends the Thessalonians for their growing faith and love amidst persecution. He assures them that God's righteous judgment will bring relief to the afflicted and retribution to those who trouble them when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire.

Paul writes his final letter from prison, urging Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God. He reminds him that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline. He calls Timothy to join in suffering for the gospel, not being ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.

Paul urges Timothy to be strong in grace and to entrust the faith to reliable people who can teach others. He uses the metaphors of soldier, athlete, and farmer to describe disciplined ministry. He instructs him to avoid foolish arguments and be a worker who correctly handles the word of truth.

Paul warns of terrible times in the last days—people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, and treacherous. He urges Timothy to continue in Scripture, which is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, equipping the person of God for every good work.

Ananias and Sapphira lie about their offering and fall dead. The apostles perform many signs and wonders. The Sanhedrin arrests them but an angel frees them. Gamaliel counsels caution, and the apostles rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer for Christ's name.

Stephen delivers a powerful speech recounting Israel's history from Abraham to Solomon, showing the nation's pattern of rejecting God's messengers. He accuses the council of resisting the Holy Spirit. As they stone him, Stephen sees Jesus standing at God's right hand and prays for his killers' forgiveness, becoming the first Christian martyr.

Persecution scatters the believers, spreading the gospel. Philip preaches in Samaria with signs and wonders. Simon the sorcerer seeks to buy the Spirit's power. Philip is directed by an angel to an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah; Philip explains the gospel and baptizes him on the road.

Paul and Barnabas preach in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. In Lystra, Paul heals a lame man, and the crowd tries to worship them as gods. They refuse, pointing to the living God. Paul is stoned and left for dead but rises and continues. They appoint elders in every church and return to Antioch.

Paul begins his second missionary journey with Silas. Timothy joins them. The Spirit redirects them to Macedonia through a vision. In Philippi, Lydia is converted, and Paul and Silas are imprisoned for casting out a spirit. At midnight they worship, an earthquake frees them, and the jailer believes. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

Paul travels to Jerusalem despite warnings from prophets about his arrest. He visits James and the elders, who report the growth of the Jewish church. Paul is seized in the temple by a mob who falsely accuse him of defiling it by bringing Gentiles inside.

Paul addresses the hostile Jerusalem crowd from the temple steps, sharing his testimony: his former persecution of Christians, his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, and his commission to the Gentiles. The crowd erupts when he mentions Gentiles, and the Roman commander orders him examined.

Paul defends himself before Governor Felix, accused of sedition and profaning the temple. He testifies about his faith in Jesus and the resurrection. Felix, frightened by Paul's teaching on righteousness and self-control, delays judgment and keeps Paul imprisoned for two years, hoping for a bribe.

Festus replaces Felix, and the Jewish leaders press charges against Paul. Paul appeals to Caesar, exercising his right as a Roman citizen. King Agrippa arrives, and Festus invites him to hear Paul's case, admitting he has no clear charge to send to the emperor.

Moses presents the fullest statement of covenant blessings and curses. Blessings for obedience include prosperity, military victory, agricultural abundance, and honour among nations. Curses for disobedience are far more extensive — disease, drought, defeat, siege, exile, and scattering among the nations. The chapter prophetically describes events that would unfold centuries later.

The Teacher observes oppression, envy, and loneliness under the sun. Two are better than one because they can help each other. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king.

A man who has wealth but cannot enjoy it—this is a grievous evil. God may give prosperity but withhold the power to enjoy it. No amount of longevity or offspring compensates for a joyless existence.

A collection of reflections on wisdom, suffering, and balance. A good name is better than fine perfume. Sorrow is better than laughter because it deepens the heart. Do not be overrighteous or overwicked. No one on earth is truly righteous.

All share the same fate—death—regardless of righteousness or wickedness. The living at least know they will die. The Teacher advises: eat, drink, and enjoy life with the one you love, for this is your lot. Time and chance happen to everyone. Wisdom is better than strength but is often overlooked.

Haman, promoted to highest official, is enraged when Mordecai refuses to bow to him. He plots to destroy not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout the Persian Empire. He casts lots (purim) to choose the date and obtains the king's decree for genocide.

The Israelites multiply greatly in Egypt and a new Pharaoh, who does not know Joseph, enslaves them with harsh labour. Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn boys, but they fear God and defy the order. Pharaoh then commands that every Hebrew baby boy be thrown into the Nile.

Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh and demand that he let Israel go to worship in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and increases the Israelites's workload by withholding straw for brickmaking. The Israelite foremen blame Moses and Aaron, and Moses cries out to God in frustration.

God commands Ezekiel to perform dramatic sign-acts: build a model of Jerusalem under siege, lie on his left side for 390 days and his right for 40 days representing years of Israel and Judah's punishment, and bake bread over dung as a sign of unclean food in exile.

On the very day Babylon besieges Jerusalem, God tells Ezekiel to boil a pot symbolizing the city's bloody corruption. Then God takes Ezekiel's wife — the delight of his eyes — and commands him not to mourn publicly, making his grief a sign to the exiles.

The serpent deceives Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, and Adam follows. Their disobedience brings sin, shame, and death into the world. God pronounces curses but also promises that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head.

Joseph, Jacob's favoured son, receives a special coat and has dreams foretelling his family's future submission to him. His jealous brothers plot to kill him but instead sell him to Midianite traders heading to Egypt. They deceive Jacob with Joseph's bloodied coat, and Jacob mourns believing his son is dead.

Joseph serves in the house of Potiphar in Egypt and prospers because the Lord is with him. Potiphar's wife repeatedly tries to seduce Joseph, but he refuses, saying he will not sin against God. She falsely accuses him and Joseph is thrown into prison, where the Lord continues to bless him.

In prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker. The cupbearer's dream means he will be restored to his position in three days; the baker's dream means he will be executed. Both come true exactly as Joseph predicted, but the cupbearer forgets to mention Joseph to Pharaoh.

Habakkuk boldly questions God: Why do you tolerate injustice in Judah? God's shocking answer: He is raising up the Babylonians to punish them. Habakkuk protests again — how can a holy God use a more wicked nation to judge a less wicked one?

The author warns against drifting from the great salvation announced by the Lord. Jesus was made lower than the angels for a time so that by dying He might destroy the power of death and free those held in slavery by the fear of death. He became like us to be a merciful and faithful high priest.

Jesus is designated by God as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek—not the Levitical order. During His earthly life, He offered prayers with loud cries and tears. Though He was a Son, He learned obedience through suffering. The author rebukes readers for spiritual immaturity, still needing milk instead of solid food.

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. God disciplines those He loves as a father. Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

An oracle against Moab describing the nation's devastation. Isaiah shows genuine grief over Moab's suffering — his heart cries out for them — revealing God's compassion even in judgment of enemy nations.

God challenges stubborn Israel: He declared things beforehand so they couldn't credit idols. He refines them in affliction's furnace and calls them to leave Babylon. Yet there is no peace for the wicked.

The third Servant Song: the Servant's obedience despite suffering. He offers his back to those who strike him and his cheeks to those who pull out his beard. He sets his face like flint, trusting God to vindicate him — a clear foreshadowing of Jesus's passion.

Zion is told to awake, put on beautiful garments, and shake off chains. The famous declaration: how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. The chapter ends with the fourth Servant Song beginning — the Servant will be disfigured beyond recognition.

The climactic Suffering Servant passage: He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. He bore our griefs, was pierced for our transgressions, and by His wounds we are healed. He was led like a lamb to slaughter. The most detailed messianic prophecy in the Old Testament.

James addresses trials as opportunities for growth—consider it pure joy when you face trials because the testing of faith produces perseverance. He urges believers to ask God for wisdom without doubting. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights. Be doers of the word, not hearers only.

God reminds Judah of the covenant they broke — the terms of the Mosaic covenant they swore to keep. A conspiracy against Jeremiah's life is revealed, even from his hometown Anathoth, showing the personal cost of his prophetic ministry.

Jeremiah dares to question God: why do the wicked prosper? God's answer is sobering — if running against men exhausts you, how will you compete with horses? The chapter describes God's grief over abandoning His beloved land to enemies.

Even Moses and Samuel couldn't intercede for this people. Jeremiah's personal anguish deepens — he wishes he'd never been born. Yet God's words were his joy and delight when he found them. God promises to make Jeremiah a fortified wall of bronze.

After being beaten and put in stocks by the priest Pashhur, Jeremiah pours out one of Scripture's most anguished laments. He curses the day of his birth yet cannot stop prophesying — God's word is like fire shut up in his bones.

Jeremiah preaches the Temple Sermon (chapter 7) and is arrested, tried for blasphemy, and nearly executed. Elders defend him by citing the precedent of Micah the prophet. He narrowly escapes death, while prophet Uriah is not so fortunate.

During a brief respite in the siege, Jeremiah tries to leave Jerusalem and is arrested as a traitor. Imprisoned in a dungeon, Zedekiah secretly consults him. Jeremiah repeats his message: Babylon will conquer. The king gives him better quarters but won't heed the message.

Officials throw Jeremiah into a muddy cistern to die. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch, courageously rescues him with old rags as padding under the ropes. Zedekiah again consults Jeremiah secretly but lacks courage to follow God's counsel to surrender.

Ishmael, of royal blood, assassinates Governor Gedaliah and massacres his supporters in a horrific act of political violence. He takes captives, but Johanan leads a rescue mission. The survivors prepare to flee to Egypt against God's will.

A brief personal message to Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful scribe. When Baruch grieves over his hard life, God tells him not to seek great things for himself — in a time of universal disaster, having his life spared is gift enough.

Jesus heals a man born blind, demonstrating that He is the light of the world. The Pharisees investigate and expel the man for testifying about Jesus. The healed man's growing faith contrasts with the willful blindness of the religious leaders.

Jesus teaches the allegory of the vine and branches—apart from Him, we can do nothing. He calls His followers friends and commands them to love one another, declaring that the greatest love is to lay down one's life for friends. He warns them the world will hate them as it hated Him.

Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, promising the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth, convict the world of sin, and glorify Christ. He assures them that their grief will turn to joy, like a woman in labor. He declares: In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

Jesus is arrested in the garden after Judas' betrayal. Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. Jesus is questioned by Annas and Caiaphas, then brought before Pilate. Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. Jesus tells Pilate His kingdom is not of this world.

Pilate has Jesus flogged, mocked, and presented to the crowd. Despite finding no guilt, he hands Jesus over. Jesus carries His cross to Golgotha and is crucified. He entrusts His mother to John, declares it is finished, and gives up His spirit. His side is pierced, and He is buried in a new tomb.

Job is introduced as a blameless and prosperous man. Satan challenges God that Job only worships because of his blessings, and God permits Satan to test Job. Job loses his children and possessions but worships God.

Satan strikes Job with painful boils after God permits a second test. Job's wife tells him to curse God and die, but Job refuses. Three friends arrive to comfort him and sit in silence for seven days.

Job breaks his silence and curses the day of his birth. He longs for death and questions why life is given to those in misery. This raw lament opens the poetic dialogue section of the book.

Eliphaz begins his first speech, arguing that innocent people do not suffer and that Job should seek God. He recounts a mysterious vision in the night that reinforced his belief that no mortal is righteous before God.

Eliphaz continues his counsel, urging Job to accept God's discipline as a blessing. He describes God's power to humble the proud and exalt the lowly, assuring Job that restoration follows repentance.

Job responds to Eliphaz, defending the depth of his anguish. He compares his friends to unreliable seasonal streams and asks them to show him where he has sinned rather than offering empty comfort.

Job addresses God directly, describing life as hard service and his nights as filled with restlessness. He questions why God watches him so closely and asks to be left alone in his misery.

Bildad speaks, arguing that God does not pervert justice and that Job's children must have sinned. He urges Job to seek God and promises restoration if Job is truly pure and upright.

Job acknowledges God's power and wisdom but questions how a mortal can be righteous before God. He longs for a mediator between himself and God, feeling unable to present his case fairly.

Job pours out his complaint to God, questioning why God formed him only to destroy him. He asks God to remember that he was made from clay and pleads for a brief respite before death.

Zophar speaks harshly, accusing Job of empty talk and insisting that God is actually punishing him less than he deserves. He urges Job to repent and promises that life will become brighter than noonday.

Job responds with biting sarcasm, declaring that he is not inferior to his friends. He describes God's sovereign power over nations, rulers, and nature, showing that God's ways transcend simple retribution.

Job declares he will argue his case directly before God, willing to risk his life for vindication. He tells his friends to be silent and warns that their false defence of God is itself sinful.

Job reflects on the brevity and frailty of human life, comparing humanity to a flower that withers. He wonders whether there is hope beyond death and longs for God to remember him after he passes.

Eliphaz begins his second speech, growing harsher. He accuses Job of undermining piety and claims that Job's own mouth condemns him. He paints a vivid picture of the wicked person's fate as a warning.

Job calls his friends miserable comforters and describes God as an adversary who has shattered him. Yet he appeals to a witness in heaven who will vouch for him, expressing a glimmer of hope amid despair.

Job describes his broken spirit and fading hope. He challenges God to provide a pledge for him since no one else will stand as his guarantor. He sees only the grave ahead.

Bildad delivers his second speech, describing the terrors awaiting the wicked in graphic detail. He portrays their downfall as certain and complete, implicitly accusing Job of being among the wicked.

Job cries out against his friends' cruelty and his own isolation. In a stunning declaration of faith, he proclaims that his Redeemer lives and that he will see God in his own flesh, even after death.

Zophar's second speech describes the short-lived triumph of the wicked. He argues that ill-gotten gains will be vomited up and that God's wrath will rain down upon the unrighteous.

Job demolishes his friends' theology by pointing out that the wicked often prosper, live long lives, and die peacefully. He argues that experience contradicts their neat retribution framework.

Eliphaz's third speech makes specific false accusations against Job, claiming he oppressed the poor and denied bread to the hungry. He urges Job to return to God and be restored.

Job longs to find God and present his case, confident he would be acquitted. Yet God seems hidden and unreachable. Despite this, Job declares that God knows the way he takes and he will come forth as gold.

Job describes injustice in the world: the wicked move boundary stones, oppress orphans, and exploit the poor while seemingly escaping punishment. He questions why God does not set times of judgment.

Bildad's brief third speech emphasizes God's dominion and questions how any mortal can be righteous before God. He compares humanity to maggots and worms before divine majesty.

Job responds with awe-filled poetry about God's power over creation: stretching the north over empty space, hanging the earth on nothing, and controlling the waters. He declares these are but the outer fringe of God's works.

Job maintains his innocence with an oath, declaring he will never admit his friends are right. He then describes the ultimate fate of the wicked, showing he agrees with the principle but not its application to himself.

Job reminisces about his former life of honour and influence. He was respected at the city gate, helped the poor, and was like a king among his troops. This contrast with his current state deepens his grief.

Job describes his present humiliation. Those he once helped now mock him. His body is wracked with pain and God seems to have become cruel. He cries out but receives no answer.

Job delivers his final defence, a comprehensive oath of innocence covering sexual purity, honesty, generosity, idolatry, and treatment of servants. He challenges God to bring charges or vindicate him.

Young Elihu enters, angry at Job for justifying himself rather than God, and at the three friends for condemning Job without answering him. He claims to speak by the Spirit and prepares his case.

Elihu argues that God speaks through dreams and suffering to turn people from destruction. He describes a mediating angel who finds a ransom for the sufferer, offering a more nuanced view than the three friends.

Elihu defends God's justice, arguing that the Almighty cannot do wrong and governs with perfect equity. He accuses Job of adding rebellion to his sin by questioning God's fairness.

Elihu argues that human righteousness or wickedness does not affect God, who is far above the clouds. He suggests that the oppressed cry out but do not truly seek God as their Maker.

Elihu proclaims God's greatness and argues that suffering can be instructive. Those who listen to God are restored to prosperity, but those who refuse perish. He points to God's majestic works in nature.

Elihu marvels at God's power displayed in thunderstorms, ice, and weather. He urges Job to consider God's wondrous works and acknowledge that the Almighty is beyond human comprehension, setting the stage for God's speech.

God finally speaks from the whirlwind, asking Job where he was when the foundations of the earth were laid. Through a series of unanswerable questions about creation, God reveals Job's limited understanding of cosmic governance.

God challenges Job to answer, and Job humbly puts his hand over his mouth. God then describes Behemoth, a mighty creature that demonstrates divine power far beyond human ability to control.

Job repents in dust and ashes, saying he now sees God with his own eyes rather than by hearsay. God rebukes the three friends and vindicates Job. God restores Job's fortunes, giving him twice what he had before.

Jerusalem sits desolate like a widow, once great among nations now a slave. The city weeps bitterly in the night with no one to comfort her. She acknowledges her rebellion while crying out to God in her suffering — a raw lament over the fall of the holy city.

God Himself is the destroyer — He has swallowed up Israel without pity, demolished His own sanctuary, and silenced praise in Zion. The prophet weeps until his eyes fail. Young and old lie in the streets. The chapter confronts the devastating reality that God judges His own people.

The heart of Lamentations: from the depths of despair, the poet declares that God's mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. This chapter moves from deepest darkness to the Bible's most profound expression of hope amid suffering.

The sacred gold is scattered, children beg for bread, and nobles once fairer than snow are blacker than soot. The horrors of the siege are described in graphic detail — mothers boiling their own children. Edom is warned that its turn for judgment is coming.

A communal prayer for restoration. The people describe their humiliation: strangers occupy their homes, they work under cruel taskmasters, and joy has left their hearts. They plead: Restore us, O Lord — unless you have utterly rejected us. The book ends with an unanswered question, leaving hope and uncertainty in tension.

Judas conspires to betray Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the new covenant in His blood. He predicts Peter's denial, prays on the Mount of Olives in such agony that His sweat becomes like drops of blood, is arrested, and Peter denies Him three times.

Jesus is tried before Pilate and Herod, neither finding guilt. Pilate offers to release Him but the crowd demands Barabbas. Jesus is crucified between two criminals; one repents and Jesus promises him paradise. Darkness covers the land, the temple curtain tears, and Jesus commends His spirit to the Father.

Wise men from the East follow a star to worship the newborn King, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Herod's jealous rage leads to the massacre of innocents, and the holy family flees to Egypt before settling in Nazareth.

Jesus commissions the twelve apostles, giving them authority over unclean spirits and diseases. He sends them out with mission instructions, warning of persecution but encouraging them not to fear. He teaches that whoever loses their life for His sake will find it.

Herod executes John the Baptist. Jesus feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fish, then walks on water. Peter steps out in faith but begins to sink when he takes his eyes off Jesus, who immediately reaches out to save him.

Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where all receive the same wage regardless of when they started. He again predicts His death and resurrection. The mother of James and John requests seats of honor, and Jesus teaches that greatness comes through serving others.

The events leading to Jesus' crucifixion unfold: the plot to kill Him, the anointing at Bethany, Judas's betrayal, the Last Supper where He institutes communion, the agony in Gethsemane, His arrest, and trial before the Sanhedrin. Peter denies knowing Him three times.

Jesus is tried before Pilate, who finds no fault in Him but yields to the crowd demanding crucifixion. Judas returns the silver and hangs himself. Jesus is mocked, beaten, and crucified between two criminals. Darkness covers the land, the temple veil tears, and Jesus gives up His spirit. Joseph of Arimathea buries Him in a new tomb.

Jesus is rejected in His hometown of Nazareth. He sends the Twelve out in pairs and John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod. Jesus feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fish, then walks on water to reach His disciples' boat in a storm.

After feeding four thousand, Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, but Jesus begins revealing His coming suffering and death. He teaches that following Him means denying yourself and taking up your cross.

Jesus delivers His prophetic discourse on the Mount of Olives, warning of the destruction of the temple, false messiahs, tribulation, and the coming of the Son of Man in glory. He urges His followers to stay alert because no one knows the day or hour.

A woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume at Bethany. Judas agrees to betray Him. Jesus shares the Last Supper, institutes the new covenant, and prays in Gethsemane. He is arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin, and Peter denies Him three times.

Jesus is tried before Pilate, who releases Barabbas instead. Soldiers mock Jesus with a purple robe and crown of thorns, then crucify Him. Darkness covers the land, Jesus cries out and breathes His last, the temple curtain tears, and a centurion declares He was truly the Son of God.

Paul writes from prison with joy, confident that God who began a good work in the Philippians will carry it on to completion. He expresses his desire to depart and be with Christ but knows remaining is more necessary for their sake. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

A penitential psalm of deep distress. David cries out for mercy, exhausted by grief and illness. He asks how long his suffering will last and pleads with God to save him because of unfailing love.

A lament over the arrogance of the wicked who prey on the helpless while believing God does not see. The psalmist calls on God to arise and defend the orphan and oppressed, trusting that God hears their desire.

One of the shortest and most honest lament psalms. David asks "How long?" four times, wrestling with God's seeming forgetfulness. Yet he chooses to trust in unfailing love and ends with a song of praise.

A messianic psalm of suffering that begins with the cry Jesus quoted on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It describes pierced hands and feet, divided garments, and mockery, yet ends in universal praise.