There are many methods for reading the Bible and God blesses them all. The plan we have followed each of the last two years at King of Grace was to read the Bible in its entirety. Our plan in 2026 will be the opposite—saturation in just one book of the Bible. This method is little practiced yet may be the most significant key to living a life shaped by God’s word.
We will read the Gospel according to St. Matthew forty times this year—weekly from Feb–Nov. Is that a shock? But if you read the whole Gospel forty times do you think you will know it better? I think it’s hard to anticipate how much you will be blessed by this method. And as 40 of our 52 Sunday morning Gospel readings in 2026 will be from St. Matthew’s Gospel, you will understand those Sunday morning selections much better.
February
This month, simply read through the Gospel according to St. Matthew at least four times. You may read the entire book in one sitting or follow this five-day plan each of the four weeks. (If you have the Messiah volume of The Immerse Bible, these are the week 6 readings.)
But please do not read with a study Bible or commentary. You will have many questions but the struggle of contemplating is more important than quickly reading someone else’s answer, which tends to go in one ear and out the other. I will tell you in a future month when you may read a study Bible.
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28
Perhaps you are wondering what version to use. Any of the major published translations available are good. NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV, NLT, and so forth. For now, pick one and stick with it; we will switch to other versions some months from now.
March
This month, consume the Gospel according to St. Matthew at least four times, but in a mixture of reading and listening to the entire book. You do not need to sit down to exclusively listen, but may listen while working or exercising or driving or getting ready in the morning. You may even listen as you fall asleep at night.
You may listen to your preferred translation at YouVersion.com or in many other apps. An audio version already divided to match these five readings from week 6 of the Messiah volume of The Immerse Bible can be found at immersebible.com/messiah or also searched in podcast apps.
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28
April
This month, again read or listen to the Gospel according to St. Matthew four times, but try reading the Gospel aloud yourself at least one of those times. You will be amazed what reading aloud will do for your understanding. Read as if you were reading a good story to a child—with inflection and even using different voices. Read with passion as if you were attempting to reach the hearts of listeners. You may read to another person or simply aloud by yourself. And you will probably find that you prefer your own presentation over anything you’ve listened to so far.
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28
(If you have the Messiah volume of The Immerse Bible, these are the week 6 readings.)
May
This month, again consume St. Matthew’s Gospel four times, using any of the previous month’s methods that you prefer (reading, listening, speaking), but make sure at least two of those times through are with a printed copy of the Gospel and a pen in your hand. You may use your favorite Bible or easily print the Gospel on letter paper or ask me for a printed copy.
You are looking for repeated significant words or phrases and you may want to color-code those repetitions or use different symbols or different shapes. You are looking for major sectional transitions and the relationships between the parts. You may jot down questions in the margins or revelations about the text the Holy Spirit presents to you. Still resist using a study Bible or commentary—the process is the point, not the answers.
June
On Sunday mornings in the past half of the church year we have had a few readings from St. John’s Gospel interspersed with our readings from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Now in the Pentecost season we will begin 25 weeks of readings exclusively from St. Matthew’s Gospel.
This month, as you consume the Gospel four more times, you may begin to use a study Bible or commentary if you wish. Here again is our five-day reading plan for each week:
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28
July
This month continue reading the Gospel according to St. Matthew weekly. But also read it aloud at least once with someone else. Either of you can read or listen or you can take turns. Remember to read with inflection and interest as if you were the author attempting to reach the hearts of your listeners.
Perhaps you’ll read with your spouse or kids before dropping off to sleep. There’s no pressure about how much to read at any one time. Just put a marker in and pick up again tomorrow. Or you may wish to read with a friend or relative over phone or video as a way to engage in good spiritual activity together. When someone has something to say, stop reading and talk about it.
August
You’ve read and been saturated in a single translation 20 times or more by now. This month it’s time to switch translation versions. Any of the major published translations are good (NIV, ESV, NKJV, NASB, and NLT are the principal contenders). Thorough familiarity with your primary translation will help highlight those areas of difference (and thus interest) with this new translation and a few new insights will quickly pop out.
Here again is a five-day reading plan.
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28
September
Perhaps by now you have read St. Matthew’s Gospel so many times you’ve lost count. And are you bored with it? No, its pattern of thinking has finally begun to fill and re-shape your mind, which is the goal we have been pursuing the whole time.
This month you may switch translation again if you’d like, using a third or even fourth version. Read silently or aloud or listen to or share the Gospel with a friend four more times.
October
So far you have read silently and aloud and listened to several translations and have used some good study Bibles and commentaries along with good conversation with other Christians to answer some of your questions. Now it’s time to work toward new insights that you never thought to have questions about in the first place.
As you read the Gospel according to St. Matthew four times this month, use a map to look up the places in the Gospel. The Holy Spirit recorded the names of mountains, roads, waterways, and cities for a purpose. Use the maps in the back of your Bible or visit a site like BibleAtlas.org. Look up sites in Google Maps and you will find many photos tourists have uploaded and shared that will help you picture the place and imprint the text on your mind.
November
This is the last month of our Bible reading plan for 2026. If you have read the Gospel according to St. Matthew each week, you will complete 40 readings by the end of the month. You will know the major theme of this Gospel and how that theme is developed. You will have been far more able to fit each week’s Sunday morning reading into its context. In this last month of the liturgical church year, we will focus on the coming of the kingdom of God and the invitation to all people to enter it with us. Read this Gospel a final four times with the end in mind.
- Matthew 1–7
- Matthew 8–13
- Matthew 14–18
- Matthew 19–25
- Matthew 26–28