Daily Lectionary

May 13, 2025

May 12, 2025 May 14, 2025

These daily readings from the EHV follow the one-year daily lectionary provided in Christian Worship: Hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book, and the Treasury of Daily Prayer. In this lectionary, two readings of 15-25 verses each are provided for each day. Under this plan, nearly all of the New Testament and approximately one-third of the Old Testament are read each year. These readings fit well within the daily offices of Matins, Vespers, or Compline as daily family devotions.

Leviticus 10:1-20

The Penalty for Nadab and Abihu's Disobedience

10¹Now Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his incense pan, put coals on it, and laid incense on it, and they presented unauthorized fire in the Lord's presence, which was not according to his command. ²Then fire came out from the Lord's presence and consumed them. This is how they died in the Lord's presence.

³Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord said: ‘I must be treated as holy by those who are near me. I will be glorified in the sight of all the people.’” But Aaron remained silent.

⁴Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and said to them, “Come forward and carry your cousins^[] outside the camp, away from the sanctuary.” ⁵They came forward and carried them outside the camp by their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.

⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons: “Do not dishevel your hair and do not tear your garments, so that you will not die, and so that wrath does not come down on the whole congregation. But your relatives,^[] all the household of Israel, may weep because of the blazing fire that the Lord has ignited. ⁷You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, because the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did as Moses had ordered.

⁸The Lord spoke to Aaron: ⁹“When you enter the Tent of Meeting, you and your sons shall not drink any wine or beer,^[] so that you will not die. This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations. ¹⁰You must distinguish between what is holy and what is common, what is unclean and what is clean, ¹¹and you must teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”

¹²Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons: “Take the grain offerings that are left over from the offerings for the Lord made by fire,^[] and eat them as unleavened bread beside the altar, for they are most holy. ¹³You shall eat them in a holy place, because they are your allotment and the allotment for your sons from offerings for the Lord made by fire, for that is what I have been commanded. ¹⁴But you and your sons, and your daughters as well, may eat the breast that is waved and the thigh that is elevated in any clean place, for they have been assigned as something due to you and to your children as your allotment from the sacrifices of the fellowship offerings of the Israelites. ¹⁵In addition to the offerings made by fire from the fat pieces, they are to bring the thigh that is elevated and the breast that is waved in order to wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. They shall be a permanent allotment for you and for your children with you, just as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering, he discovered that it had already been burned. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and said, ¹⁷“Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the proper place in the sanctuary? It is certainly most holy since the Lord has given it to you for bearing the guilt of the community by making atonement for them in the Lord's presence. ¹⁸Since its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary, you definitely should have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.”

¹⁹Aaron replied to Moses, “Even though they presented their sin offering and whole burnt offering in the Lord's presence today, such things have happened to me! Would the Lord have approved if I had eaten the sin offering today?”

²⁰When Moses heard this, he approved.

Luke 9:37-62

Jesus Heals a Boy With a Demon

(Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29)

³⁷The next day, after they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸Just then a man from the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child. ³⁹See, a spirit takes hold of him, and suddenly he screams. Then it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him and constantly tortures him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

⁴¹Jesus answered, “O unbelieving and perverse generation,^[] how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

⁴²As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him down and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³They were all astonished at the majesty of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

(Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32)

While everyone was amazed at all the things Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴“Let these words sink into your ears^[] and remember this: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵But they did not understand what he was saying. It was hidden from them so they did not grasp it. And, they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

Who Is the Greatest?

(Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37)

⁴⁶An argument started among them about which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷Since Jesus knew the thoughts of their hearts, he took a little child and had him stand next to him. ⁴⁸Then he said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives him who sent me. In fact, the one who is least among all of you is the one who is great.”

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

(Mark 9:38-41)

⁴⁹John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he is not following you along with us.”

⁵⁰But Jesus said to him, “Do not try to stop him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”

Jesus Is Determined to Go to Jerusalem

⁵¹When the days were approaching for him to be taken up, Jesus was determined^[] to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²He sent messengers ahead of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him. ⁵³But the people did not welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”^[]

⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them. “You don't know what kind of spirit is influencing you. ⁵⁶For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people's souls, but to save them.”^[] Then they went to another village.

Follow Jesus

(Matthew 8:19-22)

⁵⁷As they went on the way, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹He said to another man, “Follow me!”

But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹Another man also said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say good-bye to those at my home.”

⁶²Jesus told him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”