Day by Day with Martin Luther

Read: 1st Kings 5:1-6:38 Acts 7:1-29 Proverbs 16:28-30

“The Visitation”

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
[Isaiah 11:1-2]

Isaiah calls Christ a “Shoot” and says that He sprouts forth like an outstanding and excellent young plant [Isaiah 53:2]. With this expression Isaiah indicates that Christ’s kingdom is always growing. You see, the Spirit and Christ’s Word are always in a state of growing, even though we not not always see it’s growth. They move forward constantly, and as a consequence they bear greater fruit. The world itself sets against it with might and main to cause this branch to wither and dry. It attacks the branch with death, disgrace, poverty, and every evil. God, however, always causes it to grow. He supplies it with enough moisture so that it still grows and flourished even in the burning summer sun.