This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
You can download a foldable bookmark here: 2026
15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”1 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word2 of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides.3 And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?4 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.5
29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
[1] 15:5
[2] 15:6
[3] 15:14
[4] 15:17
[5] 15:28
(ESV)
One of my favorite series of commercials was for V8 vegetable juice. They feature people eating all sorts of cholesterol packed, calorie laden, trans-fat drenched foods, only to be bopped on the head by someone with a higher health IQ. The commercial's announcer then informs us: "Could've had a V8. 100% vegetable juice. With three of your daily vegetable servings in every little bottle."
Perhaps there is nary a one of us who could not improve our eating habits, at least a little bit. My vices include ice cream, chocolate, and lots and lots of cheese. I've also been known to enjoy a burger from time to time. And for me, the greasier, the better. Just the other day, in fact, I went over to the Longhorn Café and scarfed down a cheeseburger. It was deliciously sinful. Sure, I could've ordered a salad. Or sure, I could've ordered the grilled chicken. But that would've not been nearly so delicious as a burger which turns its own wrapper clear from its grease. I could've eaten healthy. But I didn't.
I have found that there are many things which many of us wish we could've done differently. But when we are faced with so many choices, ranging from the mundanely incidental to the profoundly life-altering, we inevitably make poor decisions. "I could've spent more time with my kids when they were growing up," a father in the twilight years of his life might bemoan. "I could've saved more rather than spent everything I have," a deeply indebted person might lament. But as the old saying goes, "Could've, should've, would've." Just because we could've, doesn't mean we did.
In our text for today from Matthew 15, we meet a woman we meet a Canaanite who is tirelessly caring for her demon-possessed daughter. Matthew tells us that she is from "the region of Tyre and Sidon" (verse 21). Now, as a rule, Matthew does not indicate a person's whereabouts as a mere travel log. Rather, some theological import often accompanies a location. So it is with these twin cities. For just a mere three miles northwest of Sidon was a temple to Eshmun, a pagan god of healing whose origins date back to at least the Iron Age. If a woman like this needed healing for her demon-possessed son, she could've gone to make an offering at Eshmun's temple. Indeed, that's what her friends, neighbors, and relatives would've expected she should've done. But she doesn't do that. Instead, she turns to a healer she has just recently heard of. She turns to a healer named Jesus: "Lord, Son of David," she cries out, "Have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession" (verse 22). This woman takes a chance on someone she scarcely knows anything about. And she is hoping against hope that he can help her.
But instead of helping her, Jesus shocks her: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," Jesus quips (verse 24). In other words, Jesus is saying, "I'm only interested in helping holy Israelites, not pagan Canaanites." But this woman will not be detoured. So she persists, "Lord, help me!" Jesus replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs" (verses 25-26)? Wait. Did I hear that right? Did Jesus just call this woman a dog? Yes, he did. And in that day, as in ours, calling someone a "dog" was not a term of endearment. It was a term of revilement.
At this point, this woman had to have been thinking, "I could've gone to Eshmun's temple. I could've possibly had my daughter healed by a priest there. Maybe I've made the wrong choice going to this Jesus." But this woman, desperate for help, makes one last-ditch effort to curry Jesus' help and healing: "Yes, Lord," she says, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (verse 27). This woman refuses to walk away from Jesus without some scrap of blessing. He may insult her, belittle her, and beleaguer her, but this woman just won't give up on Jesus.
Perhaps, like this woman, you've been tempted to give up on Jesus. Maybe you've prayed a prayer that has gone seemingly unanswered. Maybe you've suffered a tragedy that has made you question God's goodness if not his very existence. Maybe you've encountered a steady stream of unfulfilled hopes, dreams, and wishes that have driven you to other avenues to seek fulfillment. And even if you haven't officially "given up" on Jesus, you've at least thought, "I could've gone some place other than Christ's for help. And maybe I could've gotten better 'results' than I did with Jesus." If you've ever felt this, said this, or thought this, then I want you to remember the persistency of this Canaanite woman. For she just won't give up on Jesus. And Jesus hears. And Jesus eventually helps: "'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour" (verse 28).
Even if we could've gone somewhere other than Jesus, that doesn't mean we should've. For the only real place for healing, hope, and help is Jesus. So today, even if you could've despaired, or could've sinned, or could've walked away from faith in a moment of trial, don't. Instead, go to Jesus. And rely on him for all you need. For, in the end, he helps that Canaanite woman. And, in the end, he'll help you too.
44:1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their1 wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. 13 I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said,2 “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
(ESV)
Once the fugitives from Judah arrived in Egypt an assembly was convened of all the Jews who had sought refuge there in various places at various times. Jeremiah spoke the Word of the LORD to the assembly, reminding them of the devastation that had come upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their idolatry. Through His prophet God reminded them of His faithfulness in speaking to them through all the prophets He had sent to them. Because they refused to listen and repent, the cities of Judah and Jerusalem, the capital, had become a wasteland. God asked why they continued to provoke him to anger even then, by making offerings to the gods of the Egyptians. He warned that they would become a curse and a taunt to all the nations because of their idolatry. Had they so quickly forgotten all of the evil of their fathers, and the kings of Judah, which the prophets had condemned? God's word to them was strong and harsh: "Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah." God warned that the remnant that should have been preserved in the Promised Land would be destroyed by the sword and by famine. None of them would return except for a few fugitives. In the hardness of their hearts the people refused to listen, instead arrogantly promising: "we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem." They actually had the gall to claim that this was the reason they previously prospered and had plenty of food! Thus, they actually credited good gifts from the One True God to the idols of Egypt! In fact, they blamed all of their present troubles on the fact that they had stopped making offerings to these false gods. All of this had been done by the women with the full support of their husbands, who should have been faithful spiritual leaders of their households. In truth, these sadly mistaken people had everything backwards, but we still see that frequently today in the spiritual confusion that exists in our own society. How important it is to listen carefully to the Word of the LORD, and obey the voice of His prophets, even when we hear it in Scripture today!
38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my heart the insults1 of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O LORD,
with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.
[1] 89:50
(ESV)