[Nicodemus] came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.” John 3:2 

Though in timidity, Nicodemus came to Jesus to know the truth. He had witnessed the miracles that Jesus had performed. This led him to the conclusion that this teacher must have been sent by God. No great prophet of old had been able to perform such miracles unless they had been called by God. No matter what the other Pharisees thought of Jesus, Nicodemus knew that he should listen to Jesus. 

When Jesus spoke to him, He opened up a wonder to Nicodemus that a sinful human heart could not comprehend on its own. Nicodemus must be born again if he wanted to see the kingdom of God. He must be born again not physically. No, he must be born again spiritually as the Holy Spirit works faith in him through the waters of baptism. Then, Nicodemus’ spiritual eyes would be opened to the truth that God sent Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all people, of all times, in the world. 

This gospel affected faith in Nicodemus’ heart. We have evidence of this. He is there to defend Jesus at His trial by insisting on following proper legal procedure. He is there after the crucifixion to help prepare Jesus’ body for quick entombment. The words spoken by Jesus took root in his heart. Nicodemus was a truth seeker. 

Jesus has called us to be truth seekers as well, He describes true worshippers as those who worship in spirit and in truth. Truth is only known in the pages of Scripture. And Scripture can only be known if it is studied. 

We often do not realize how essential it is to continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ. Nicodemus lived on the frontlines of a daily battle against the truth. His fellow Pharisees were doing everything they could to discredit the ministry and teachings of Jesus. The evil one continued to prowl around him seeking to keep him from building upon his fledgling faith. And quite possibly Nicodemus’ own human reason screamed out at him questioning why he should still follow a man condemned to the cross. Nicodemus needed to daily stay in the word of God. 

We find ourselves embroiled in this same battle, the battle for our faith. To assume we can be sustained in this battle with a mere monthly or even weekly feeding through a sermon is a foolish thought. It is akin to sending a soldier into intense combat for a week or a month with a single MRE in his pack. The battle is daily. The need for feeding on and growing in God’s word is also daily. Do not be ashamed of or ignore the gospel. Use its power to sustain your faith and share it with others. Blessings, 

Frank Van Brocklin 

Principal/Staff Minister

Coming up at Immanuel Lutheran School: 

❖ Friday, March 5 All Sports Night and Basketball Parents’ Night Celebration

❖ Wednesday, March 15 Academic Challenge at NLHS - 5-8th Grades

❖ Friday, March 17 End of Third Quarter 

❖ Monday, March 20 AR Field Trip - Rainbow Gymnastics