And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. -- John 19:39 (KJV)
John does not let us forget where Nicodemus started. He was the man who came to Jesus by night. A ruler with questions. A teacher who did not understand new birth. A cautious man drawn toward the light while keeping one foot in the dark.
Now he comes again, and the timing is costly. Jesus is dead. The crowds have turned ugly. The disciples have scattered. There is no miracle to watch and no public advantage to gain. Nicodemus steps into the open with spices fit for honor.
The Man Who Came Back
Some faith grows slowly enough that other people may miss it. Nicodemus does not move from night to noon in one scene. John shows him asking questions, speaking a careful word for justice, then carrying myrrh and aloes to the body of Jesus.
That should make us patient with people who are moving toward Christ by inches. The Lord knows how to lead a hidden seeker into public obedience.
Costly Faith
The spices mattered. About an hundred pound weight was not casual generosity. Nicodemus brought weight, expense, and public association. He put his reputation beside a crucified man when many others kept their distance.
The burial was not the triumphant moment. Easter had not arrived. He honored Jesus in the silence between loss and resurrection, before hope had a sunrise.
Where has your faith stayed hidden because public obedience would cost you something? There are seasons when love for Jesus looks less like a speech and more like carrying what honor requires. Nicodemus came in daylight at last, and his hands told the truth.