You know you want to read the Bible during Lent, but where exactly should you start? The Bible has 66 books, and if you've only got 40 days, trying to figure out which ones will actually help you prepare for Easter can feel overwhelming.
Some people will tell you to start a reading plan that takes you through all four Gospels. Others recommend sticking with one Gospel and really going deep. Still others suggest reading from both the Old and New Testament to get the full picture of God's redemptive work. All of that advice is good, but it doesn't really answer the basic question: which books of the Bible are actually best for Lent?
Certain books align with the themes of Lent better than others—books about sacrifice, suffering, deliverance, repentance, and redemption. These books help us understand what Jesus was walking toward during His final days and why His death and resurrection matter so much.
Why Certain Books Are Better for Lent Than Others
Lent isn't just any season in the church calendar. It's 40 days set apart to remember Jesus's 40 days in the wilderness, to reflect on His journey to the cross, and to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter morning.
The themes running through Lent are specific: wilderness and temptation, repentance and turning from sin, sacrifice and suffering, God's faithfulness despite human failure, and ultimately redemption and hope. Not every book of the Bible addresses these themes directly.
For example, reading the book of Nehemiah during Lent isn't wrong, but it's not going to connect with the season's focus the way Isaiah or Mark will. Nehemiah is about rebuilding walls and organizing a community—good stuff, but not particularly relevant to preparing for Good Friday and Easter.
The books that work best for Lent are the ones that either prophesy about Christ's coming sacrifice, show us the pattern of God's deliverance throughout history, or walk us through Jesus's life, death, and resurrection directly. These books meet us where Lent is trying to take us spiritually.
The 7 Best Books of the Bible to Read During Lent
1. The Gospel of Mark
If you only read one book during Lent, make it Mark.
Mark is the shortest Gospel, which makes it manageable even if you're starting late or have limited time. But don't mistake short for shallow. Mark moves with urgency from the beginning of Jesus's ministry straight through to His death and resurrection. There's no birth narrative, no genealogy—Mark starts with Jesus's baptism and ends with the empty tomb.
This Gospel emphasizes Jesus's suffering and His authority. You see Jesus healing, casting out demons, forgiving sins, and ultimately going to the cross. Mark doesn't waste words. The focus stays on who Jesus is and what He came to do: die for our sins and conquer death.
Reading Mark during Lent keeps you focused on the same thing Lent is focused on—the cross. You're not distracted by side stories or long discourses. You're walking with Jesus from the Jordan River to Golgotha, watching Him move steadily toward the reason He came.
Orthodox monasteries read all four Gospels during Holy Week. Mark alone captures the essence of that week in the starkest, most direct way possible.
2. Genesis
This might surprise you. Why would an Old Testament book written thousands of years before Jesus be one of the best books for Lent?
Because Genesis is full of Christ.
When you read Genesis during Lent, you see the foundations of everything Jesus came to fulfill. You read about Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, on a mountain—and then God providing a ram instead. That story is a picture of God sacrificing His only Son, except no angel comes to stop it.
You read about Joseph, betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, thought to be dead, and then appearing alive and seated in a position of power. When his brothers come to him, he saves them and forgives them. Joseph's story mirrors Jesus's betrayal, death, resurrection, and the salvation He offers to those who rejected Him.
You read about the 12 sons of Israel who become the 12 tribes—a foreshadowing of the 12 apostles and the new Israel of God, which is based on faith, not bloodline.
Genesis ends right before the Passover and Exodus, setting the stage for God's great act of deliverance. During Lent, reading Genesis reminds you that God has always been working out His plan to save His people, and everything pointed forward to Jesus.
The Church has traditionally read Genesis during Lenten services because it shows the beginning of God's redemptive story that reaches its climax on the cross.
3. Isaiah
Isaiah is called the gospel before the Gospels because it's so full of prophecy about Jesus.
You read about the Virgin conceiving and bearing a son called Immanuel—God with us. You read about the Suffering Servant who was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, who bore our sins and by whose stripes we are healed. You read that He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.
All of that is Jesus.
Isaiah also confronts what real fasting looks like. In chapter 58, God says He's not impressed with religious people who go through the motions of fasting with sackcloth and ashes while their hearts remain unchanged. True fasting, God says, is loosing the chains of injustice, sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the homeless into your home, clothing the naked.
That message hits hard during Lent when it's easy to focus on what we're giving up—chocolate, social media, coffee—without examining whether our hearts are actually turning toward God and loving people the way He calls us to.
Isaiah keeps the focus where it belongs: on a God who is faithful even when His people aren't, on a coming Messiah who will suffer and die to save us, and on a call to genuine repentance that changes how we live.
4. The Book of Hebrews
Hebrews is the book that explains why Jesus's death mattered and what it accomplished.
The author of Hebrews walks through the entire Old Testament sacrificial system—the priests, the tabernacle, the animal sacrifices—and shows how all of it pointed to Jesus. He's the great high priest. His sacrifice wasn't the blood of bulls and goats but His own blood. He didn't enter an earthly sanctuary but the heavenly one. And He didn't have to offer sacrifices over and over again because His sacrifice was once for all.
Reading Hebrews during Lent deepens your understanding of what Jesus did on the cross. It's not just that He died. It's that His death fulfilled everything the Old Testament sacrifices could only symbolize. He made atonement for sin permanently. He opened the way into God's presence. He became the perfect mediator between God and humanity.
Hebrews also warns believers not to neglect so great a salvation. If you're observing Lent, that warning matters. This season is about taking seriously what Jesus did and what it cost Him. Hebrews makes it impossible to be casual about the cross.
5. Exodus
Exodus is the story of deliverance.
The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt, oppressed and crying out to God. God hears them and sends Moses to deliver them. Through a series of plagues, God demonstrates His power over every false god the Egyptians worship. Then comes the Passover—every household must sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts so the angel of death will pass over them.
That Passover lamb is Jesus. His blood saves us from death. His sacrifice delivers us from slavery to sin.
After the Passover, God leads the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness where He provides for them even though they complain and rebel. Moses goes up the mountain to receive God's law. The people build a golden calf and turn away from God almost immediately. Yet God remains faithful. He doesn't abandon them.
During Lent, reading Exodus reminds you that God's whole story is about deliverance. He doesn't leave His people in bondage. He makes a way out. And Jesus is that way.
Moses himself is a picture of Christ—a deliverer, a mediator between God and the people, someone who leads them through the wilderness toward the promised land.
6. Proverbs
Proverbs might seem like an odd choice for Lent because it's not about prophecy or the Gospel story. It's a collection of wisdom sayings.
But Lent isn't just about reflecting on Jesus's suffering. It's also about repentance and changing the way you live. That's where Proverbs becomes incredibly practical.
Proverbs tells you that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It warns you not to be a fool. It teaches you not to chase after wealth, pleasure, or sin. It shows you what a godly life looks like in everyday decisions—how you speak, how you handle money, how you treat others, how you respond to correction.
Reading Proverbs during Lent keeps you from turning Lent into just an emotional or intellectual exercise. Proverbs confronts your actual behavior. It asks whether you're living wisely or foolishly. It challenges you to pursue wisdom more than gold and to value knowing God above everything else.
The Church traditionally reads Proverbs during Lent because it's about basic Christian virtue—learning to obey God in the ordinary rhythms of life. That's as much a part of repentance as anything else.
7. The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew gives you the fullest account of Jesus's teaching and His passion.
You get the Sermon on the Mount with its teachings on prayer, fasting, and where your treasure should be. You get the parables about the kingdom. You get Jesus's confrontations with the religious leaders who cared more about their traditions than about God's heart. You get the parable of the sheep and the goats, where Jesus says that how you treat the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned is how you treat Him.
Matthew was written for a Jewish audience, so it constantly shows how Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy. That makes it a powerful book to read during Lent because you see over and over again that Jesus's death wasn't an accident or a tragedy—it was the plan all along.
Matthew's account of the crucifixion and resurrection is detailed and powerful. Reading it during Lent takes you step by step through Jesus's final days in a way that prepares you emotionally and spiritually for Holy Week and Easter.
How to Actually Read These Books During Lent
You don't have to read all seven of these books during Lent. That would be a lot, and trying to cram them all in might leave you feeling rushed instead of reflective.
Pick one or two based on where you are spiritually.
If you've never read through a Gospel and really paid attention to Jesus's death and resurrection, start with Mark. It's short enough to read in a few sittings, but rich enough to transform how you understand Jesus.
If you want to see how the Old Testament points to Jesus, pair Genesis with Hebrews. Reading them together shows you the promises God made and how Jesus fulfilled them.
If you're looking for both prophecy and teaching, go with Isaiah and Matthew. Isaiah prepares you to see Jesus as the Suffering Servant, and Matthew shows you that Servant in action.
If you need practical wisdom alongside the Gospel story, combine Proverbs with Mark. Proverbs will challenge your daily choices while Mark keeps your eyes on the cross.
Don't worry about reading whole chapters every day if that feels like too much. Read a chapter or even a few verses, then sit with what you read. Let it settle into your thoughts. Ask God to show you what He wants you to see in the passage.
Consistency matters more than speed. It's better to read a little bit every day and actually think about it than to rush through large sections just to check them off a list.
What Makes Gospel Reading Different From Other Books
The Gospels are different because they show you Jesus directly. You're not reading about types and shadows or prophecies yet to be fulfilled. You're watching Jesus heal, teach, suffer, die, and rise.
Old Testament books like Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, and Proverbs are essential because they give you context. They show you the foundation that Jesus built on, the promises He fulfilled, the patterns He completed. But the Gospels are where you meet Jesus face to face.
During Lent, reading both Old Testament and Gospel passages together gives you the full picture. You see the problem (humanity's sin and need for deliverance) and the solution (Jesus's sacrifice and resurrection). You understand that what happened on the cross wasn't random—it was the culmination of everything God had been working toward since Genesis.
But if you can only read one type of book during Lent, read a Gospel. That's where the story of Lent lives—in Jesus's journey to the cross and out of the tomb.
Moving Through Lent With Scripture as Your Guide
Lent isn't about perfect performance. You might miss days. You might start a reading plan and not finish it. You might choose one of these books and find yourself distracted or struggling to focus.
That's fine. Lent isn't a test you pass or fail.
What matters is that you're turning your attention toward Jesus, opening the Bible, and letting God speak to you through His Word. These seven books—Mark, Genesis, Isaiah, Hebrews, Exodus, Proverbs, and Matthew—offer the richest spiritual nourishment during this season because they're soaked in the themes Lent is built on: repentance, sacrifice, suffering, faithfulness, and redemption.
Pick one. Start reading. Let God meet you there. That's what Lent is for.
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