Nicodemus by Night

Pharisee, ruler of the Jews; comes by night with respectful question; struggles with born again; later defends Jesus in the council; brings a hundred pound weight of spices to the burial. Failure mode: Slow approach from inside the establishment. Restoration path: Begin in the night; speak up in the council when you can; come fully at the burial. Markers: high standing; cautious nighttime approach; intellectual struggle with new birth; defends procedurally later; public costly act at the end