Bible Reading Plan for Lent: A 40-Day Guide to Easter
Matt · April 28, 2026
A Lent Bible reading plan walks you through 40 days of focused scripture from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Most plans concentrate on the gospels, the road to the cross, and Old Testament passages that point forward to Jesus — giving you a shorter, themed alternative to a full year-long plan.
Why Lent is a great time to reset your Bible reading
Lent has a built-in finish line, which is one of the reasons it works so well. Forty days is long enough to feel like a real season of growth, but short enough that you can see the end from the beginning. If you've fallen off a year-long plan or you've never done one before, Lent gives you a low-stakes on-ramp.
The traditional themes — repentance, fasting, simplicity, preparation for Easter — also shape what you read. Instead of trying to cover every book of the Bible, a Lenten plan zooms in on the parts of scripture that lead to the cross and the empty tomb. That focus tends to make the daily reading feel weightier and more connected to where the calendar is taking you.
How to structure a 40-day Lenten plan
There's no single official Lent reading plan, so most people pick a structure that fits how they want to grow. Three common approaches work well for almost anyone:
Read through one gospel. Mark has 16 chapters, John has 21, Matthew has 28, Luke has 24. Spread the chapters across 40 days and you'll finish on or around Easter. Mark is the shortest and moves fast. John is the most reflective and works well for slower meditation.
Walk the path to the cross. Spend the first three weeks in Old Testament passages that anticipate Jesus (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Genesis 22, the Passover in Exodus 12). Then move into the gospel accounts of the last week of Jesus' life for Holy Week itself.
Pair scripture with a Lenten theme. Pick one short passage per day connected to themes like repentance (Psalm 51), humility (Philippians 2), suffering (1 Peter), or the kingdom (Sermon on the Mount). This works well if you want shorter readings paired with longer reflection.
If you're already using Bible In A Year, you can layer Lent on top of your normal plan or pause your regular reading and do a Lenten track for the season — both are reasonable.
Practical tips for sticking with it
Pick a fixed time and place before Ash Wednesday. The people who finish a Lenten plan almost always decide when and where they'll read before day one — not as they go. Mornings work for most people because the day hasn't been hijacked yet.
Read with a pencil. Lent is short enough that you can mark up every passage you read. Underline what hits you. Write a question in the margin. You'll be surprised how much you remember at Easter.
Plan for Holy Week separately. The last week of Lent is the densest part of the gospels — Palm Sunday, the cleansing of the temple, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the crucifixion. Build in extra time those days, even if the rest of your plan was lighter.
Don't quit if you miss a day. Lent isn't graded. If you skip Tuesday, pick back up Wednesday on Wednesday's reading — don't try to "catch up" two days at once. Catching up is usually how people quit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chapters do you read per day during Lent?
It depends on the plan, but most Lenten plans aim for one short chapter or roughly 15–25 verses per day. If you're reading a single gospel across 40 days, you'll average less than one chapter per day, which keeps the reading meditative rather than rushed.
Can you do a Lenten Bible reading plan if you're not Catholic?
Yes — Lent is observed by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Orthodox, Methodists, and many non-denominational Christians. The 40-day journey to Easter is a Christian tradition, not a Catholic-only one, and any believer can use the season as a focused time of scripture reading.
What's the best gospel to read during Lent?
Mark is often recommended because it's the shortest and moves urgently toward the cross — Mark spends a disproportionate amount of his gospel on the final week of Jesus' life. John is a great second choice for readers who want longer, more reflective passages.
Do Sundays count in the 40 days of Lent?
Traditionally, no — the 40 days of Lent exclude Sundays, which are considered "mini-Easters." That means there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, with Sundays as breaks. Some reading plans use Sundays as catch-up or rest days, while others read straight through.