“Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” (John 19:39)
This is the third reference to Nicodemus in John. (He appears only in John.) Nicodemus is first mentioned when he meets with Jesus at night in chapter 3. There, he seemed to be intrigued by Jesus, acknowledging that Jesus was clearly a “teacher sent from God” (3:2). Nicodemus appears to be searching for answers to better understand Jesus.
He appears again in John 7. There, he reminded his fellow Pharisees that Jewish law requires a person to be heard before he is judged. Though he did not proclaim to be on Jesus’s side, his reminder of Jewish law caused the other Pharisees to ask if he was also from Galilee. It is hard, if not impossible, to know how committed to Jesus, even if secretly, Nicodemus was at this point. It could be that his fellow Pharisees were so committed to busting Jesus that even a reminder of their own law seemed like fidelity to their enemy. Or, it could have been the way Nicodemus presented himself in that moment that said more than John reveals.
Finally, Nicodemus appears to be all in by the time he helps gather Jesus’s body for burial. At this point, Nicodemus is clearly presenting his connection to Jesus.
In the story of Nicodemus, I see my own story of coming to faith. It started with interest. Then a season of maybe-in-maybe-not. And finally, I was all in. Those are not biblical phrases, but I think they helpfully describe the three phases I see in Nicodemus’s story, and my own.
Father, thank you for pursuing me all the way to belief and beyond. There is no one like you. Amen.
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