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The Gospels in 40 days
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in forty days—two to three chapters a day.
In short
- All 89 chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in 40 days.
- Two to three chapters a day, about fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Reading them consecutively surfaces how differently each writer tells it.
- A common choice for the forty days leading up to Easter.
About this plan
Four accounts of the same life, written for different readers. Matthew connects Jesus to everything that came before. Mark is urgent and physical. Luke pays attention to the people everyone else overlooked. John steps back and asks who this actually was. Reading them back to back in forty days makes the differences obvious in a way that reading one a year never does.
Who it is for
- Men who have read one Gospel and want the whole picture
- Anyone looking for a Lent-length commitment
- Readers ready for more than a chapter a day
The plan
- Day 1MAT 1, MAT 2, MAT 3
- Day 2MAT 4, MAT 5, MAT 6
- Day 3MAT 7, MAT 8, MAT 9
- Day 4MAT 10, MAT 11, MAT 12
- Day 5MAT 13, MAT 14
- Day 6MAT 15, MAT 16
- Day 7MAT 17, MAT 18
- Day 8MAT 19, MAT 20
- Day 9MAT 21, MAT 22
- Day 10MAT 23, MAT 24
- Day 11MAT 25, MAT 26
- Day 12MAT 27, MAT 28
- Day 13MRK 1, MRK 2, MRK 3
- Day 14MRK 4, MRK 5, MRK 6
- Day 15MRK 7, MRK 8
- Day 16MRK 9, MRK 10
- Day 17MRK 11, MRK 12
- Day 18MRK 13, MRK 14
- Day 19MRK 15, MRK 16
- Day 20LUK 1, LUK 2, LUK 3
- Day 21LUK 4, LUK 5, LUK 6
- Day 22LUK 7, LUK 8
- Day 23LUK 9, LUK 10
- Day 24LUK 11, LUK 12
- Day 25LUK 13, LUK 14
- Day 26LUK 15, LUK 16
- Day 27LUK 17, LUK 18
- Day 28LUK 19, LUK 20
- Day 29LUK 21, LUK 22
- Day 30LUK 23, LUK 24
- Day 31JHN 1, JHN 2, JHN 3
- Day 32JHN 4, JHN 5
- Day 33JHN 6, JHN 7
- Day 34JHN 8, JHN 9
- Day 35JHN 10, JHN 11
- Day 36JHN 12, JHN 13
- Day 37JHN 14, JHN 15
- Day 38JHN 16, JHN 17
- Day 39JHN 18, JHN 19
- Day 40JHN 20, JHN 21
Questions
How many chapters are in the four Gospels?
Eighty-nine. Matthew has 28, Mark has 16, Luke has 24, and John has 21. Spread across 40 days that is two to three chapters a day.
What order should I read the Gospels in?
Canonical order—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John—works well and is what this plan follows. If you have never read a Gospel, starting with Mark on its own first is a reasonable alternative.
Keep going
Browse the other reading plans for men, open the full Bible reader, or start with Bible verses for men if you want passages by theme instead of a daily rhythm.