Home > Reading > Daily Reading – January 3, 2020

Is. 28:1–13

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed,

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine.

2Look, the Lord sends a strong, powerful one.

With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm,

with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm,

he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand.

3The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards

will be trampled underfoot.

4The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest—

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it.

5At that time the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will become a beautiful crown

and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.

6He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions

and strength to those who defend the city from attackers.

7Even these men stagger because of wine;

they stumble around because of beer—

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions,

they totter while making legal decisions.

8Indeed, all the tables

are covered with vomit,

with filth, leaving no clean place.

9Who is the Lord trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining a message?

To those just weaned from milk!

To those just taken from their mother’s breast!

10Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish,

senseless babbling,

a syllable here, a syllable there.

11For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue

he will speak to these people.

12In the past he said to them,

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted.

This is where rest can be found.”

But they refused to listen.

13So the Lord’s message to them will sound like

meaningless gibberish,

senseless babbling,

a syllable here, a syllable there.

As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk,

and be injured, ensnared, and captured.

(NET Bible)

Ps. 3

3:1 A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom.

Lord, how numerous are my enemies!

Many attack me.

2Many say about me,

“God will not deliver him.” (Selah)

3But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me;

you are my glory and the one who restores me.

4To the Lord I cried out,

and he answered me from his holy hill. (Selah)

5I rested and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord protects me.

6I am not afraid of the multitude of people

who attack me from all directions.

7Rise up, Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth of the wicked.

8The Lord delivers;

you show favor to your people. (Selah)

(NET Bible)

John 2:1–22

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 3When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 4Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.” 5His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

6Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. 7Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. 8Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did. 9When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days. 13Now the Jewish Feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. 15So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”

18So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” 19Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for 46 years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?” 21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 22So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.

(NET Bible)

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

[Luther writes]: “If I am to examine the spirit I must have the Word of God; this must be the rule, the touchstone, the lapis lydius, the light by means of which I can see what is black and what white.” … “ is is decisive; it does not matter what name he [the preacher] has, if he only teaches faithfully … has the Word of God as a plumb line.” … “What then, will you do? Will you condemn them? No, I do not want to condemn Benedictum and others, but I will take their books and go with them to Christ and his Word as the touchstone and compare the two.” … “If one says, the church or the bishops decided this, then answer: Come, let us go to the touchstone and let us measure with the right yard- stick and examine whether it agrees with the Pater Noster and with the Articles of Faith and whether he also preach forgiveness of sins. If it agrees with what Christ taught us, then let us accept it and do according to it.” (81)

Alternative:
[Luther writes:] “Paul takes them all together, himself, an angel from heaven, teachers upon earth, and masters of all kinds, and subjects them to the holy Scripture. Scripture must reign as queen (haec regina debet dominari), her all must obey and be subject to. Not teachers, judges, or arbiters over her, but they must be simple witnesses, pupils and  confessors of it, whether they may be the Pope or Luther or Augustine or Paul or an angel from heaven” … —“I let you cry in your hostility that Scripture contradicts itself, ascribing righteousness now to faith and then to works. It is impossible that Scripture contradict itself; it only seems so to foolish, coarse, and hardened hypocrites” … — “We abandon the talk of the Jews and stick to St. Paul’s understanding which, not without cause, emphasizes the little word ‘seed’ and thereby indicates that Holy Scripture in Gen. 12:3 and 22:18 speaks of a single seed not of many, and says plainly that Christ is such seed. Paul does so out of a genuine apostolic spirit and understanding. We Christians do not care if such interpretation does not please the Jews. Paul’s interpretation weighs more with us than all glosses of the rabbis” … — “One letter, even a single tittle of Scripture means more to us than heaven and earth. Therefore we cannot permit even the most minute change.” (82–83)

–Johann Michael Reu, Luther on the Scriptures

This daily Bible reading guide, Reading the Word of God, was conceived and prepared as a result of the ongoing discussions between representatives of three church bodies: Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The following individuals have represented their church bodies and approved this introduction and the reading guide: LCC: President Robert Bugbee; NALC: Bishop John Bradosky, Revs. Mark Chavez, James Nestingen, and David Wendel; LCMS: Revs. Albert Collver, Joel Lehenbauer, John Pless, and Larry Vogel.

Learn More