5 Books for Easter Preparation for the Passion Weekend

5 Books for Easter preparation for the Passion Weekend. Be heart-ready for the important days of remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We look forward to the Easter holiday as a joyful celebration.

All about pastel colors and beautiful clothes.

Family time and delicious food.

You probably have family Easter traditions. My mom used to make what we called Easter buns. Her version of hot cross buns.

Yet, honestly, that isn’t what Easter is all about, is it?

The most important thing is to take the time to prepare our hearts to get the true meaning.

This year, in the midst of all that our country and the world is going through right now, I didn’t want to read all the tragic stories about Easter.

I wanted to just concentrate on the joy and the pastels and the green grasses.

But you can’t truly celebrate the joy without first experiencing the pain. To feel, deep in your heart, the true sacrifice of Jesus’ death. The horrible betrayal, the deep sense of abandonment from His Father; the physical pain and the mental anguish.

At our house, we have a few books we get out the weeks before Easter to prepare our hearts and souls.

Books To Read for Easter Preparation

The Day Christ Died

by Jim Bishop

The inspiring classic on the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life.

“This simple, direct account of Jesus’s last hours traces the route that led from Gethsemane to a windswept hill called Golgotha. Bishop’s meticulous research has uncovered many little-known facts that help the reader appreciate more deeply what Christ suffered.”

We owned this book a few years before I actually read it.

But when I did, it took me right there. Into the streets of Jerusalem and the mobs and the noise.

And gave me a Good Friday heart, wishing I was there with the Marys and the other women, showing my pain and adoration.

Within the Halls of Pilate

by David T. Lusk

Stand with Jesus before the Roman governor, hear his words… contemplate the lessons learned.

The author says, “It was in the summer of 1974 that Pontius Pilate, the late governor of Judea moved in to live with me.”

He went to visit his pastor one day, and the pastor gave him a vintage volume to read while he waited for his turn with the pastor.

As he waited and read, the title of an ancient sermon popped out: “Why, What Evil Has He Done?”  The author’s mind began spinning and, after a summer of meditation, resulted in this inspirational book that draws spiritual lessons from Pilate’s dilemma.

It’s not easy reading. It is insightful. I need to read it again. It’s been too long.

Behold the Man

by Michael James Fitzgerald

A Biblical Narrative of the Last Days of Christ.

This book retells the events of the last days of Jesus in chronological order, tying each part to the scriptures of the King James Bible. The author took the scriptures from each of the Gospels where that event is recorded, and combined them into an everyday retelling very close to scripture.

This book does not give the author’s opinions, but simply tells the story, as if you were reading the Bible. The difference is that you read one account, versus all the accounts from the different Gospels.

I’m not suggesting that this should replace reading the story in each Gospel from the Bible. It is very important to read all the scriptures as they were written in the Bible. Yet, it is an inspiring experience to read the last week of Jesus, beginning to end, with all the details.

Vinegar Boy

by Alberta Hawse

Encounter Christ through the dramatic story of Vinegar Boy.

Abandoned by his parents and shunned from society, Vinegar Boy is certain he’ll be adopted once Jesus removes the ugly birthmark that scars his cheek. But he never comes in close contact with Jesus, until he carries the drugged vinegar wine to a crucifixion. The crucifixion of Jesus! You can imagine his joy, yet trepidation at the shortness of time, to find himself face to face with the only One who can heal his face. Will he get his miracle?

He does, but it’s not what you would think.

Our whole family has enjoyed this fictional story. We used to read it aloud in the week before Easter, for family devotions.

Ben Hur

by Lew Wallace

A Tale of the Christ.

This novel is an unlikely choice, as it’s not considered a Christian book today. The world has turned it into a chariot race won by a falsely accused hero. But that’s not what the author had in mind.

The book’s Part 1 is all about the wise men travelling to see the newborn Jesus. In Part 2 we meet Ben Hur and his childhood friend, Massala. Massala turns against Ben Hur and tries to convince the Romans that Ben Hur assassinated the governor of the time. The ending Part is the crucifixion.

Ben Hur’s fictional life with all it’s trials and severe setbacks, parallels Jesus’ time on earth, and the author brings them into contact with each other throughout the book.

Ben Hur is there at the crucifixion. Jesus’ example of suffering gracefully and forgiving his murderers has a profound effect on his life.

This book was the best-selling book of the 19th century, and its still a popular read.

2 Books of Easter Preparation I Want to Read:

And The Angels Were Silent

by Max Lucado

To quote a description of the book:

You can tell a lot about a person by the way he dies.

In the last week of his life, Jesus deliberately sets his face toward Jerusalem and certain death. This is no ordinary week. Even the angels are silent as they ponder the final days of Jesus Christ.

This is no ordinary walk. Jesus doesn’t chatter. He doesn’t pause. Jesus is on his final journey.

He walks determinedly to the holy city, angrily into the temple, wearily into Gethsemane, painfully up the Via Dolorosa. And powerfully out of the vacated tomb.

Master storyteller and best-selling author Max Lucado invites you: “Let’s follow Jesus on his final journey. For by observing his, we may learn how to make ours. And discover what matters to God.”

Amazon.com

The Women of Easter

by Liz Curtis Higgs

Again, the book’s description says it best:

You’re about to meet three women named Mary, each of whom has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Mary of Bethany prepares the way for the Lord’s burial when she anoints His feet and fills the air with her perfume. His mother, Mary of Nazareth, remains by His side from His first breath to His last, her loyalty unwavering. Mary Magdalene, delivered of seven demons, bravely supports her Teacher through His darkest hours, then proclaims the glorious news of His resurrection.
What a trio. What a Savior

Your mind and emotions will be engaged and your faith strengthened as each scene unfolds, preparing your heart for a richer, deeper Easter experience. Liz Curtis Higgs, a seasoned Bible teacher and award-winning novelist, combines her storytelling skills with a thorough verse-by-verse study of Scripture as together you explore the remarkable lives of The Women of Easter.

“The Lord’s resurrection is the most glorious, victorious moment in history. You and I will watch these ancient scenes unfold through the eyes of the three women who were mitnesses, who were there. Just the thought gives me goose bumps. All three Marys will show us what happens when we encounter a loving Savior and are transformed. That’s what Lent is all about. A time of renewal. A season of grace.”

Amazon.com

Remember the Message of the Cross
as you read books of Easter preparation.
To those who are saved, it is the very power of God.

Wishing you a Blessed Easter