Nicodemus, New Testament

The Gospel of John records Jesus' connections to Nicodemus, who, though his name might suggest otherwise, served as a pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus seeks a better understanding of this man he has heard so much about, but he is not willing to jeopardize his own status by being seen with Jesus in public. Instead, he comes to him at night. All he knows at this point is that no one in his own group is capable of the things Jesus has done, and that therefore Jesus must possess divine authority.
 It would have been natural for Jesus to be suspicious of this man who appears in the night, but he must have seen something in Nicodemus which denoted sincerity, if not bravery. He proceeds to explain the necessity of receiving baptism, a concept that does not seem familiar to Nicodemus.
The scriptures do not show a definitive conclusion to this conversation, but subsequent verses have Jesus introducing Nicodemus to the fact that his life would have many changes if he chose to become a disciple. 
Nicodemus' name is mentioned twice more in the scriptures. When the problem of Jesus, as seen by the pharisees, is discussed, Nicodemus reminds the group that no action could be legally taken against him without his having the opportunity to speak on his own behalf. Even this modest suggestion is rejected by the pharisees, who point out that the Messiah, according to previous prophecies, would not come from Galilee, and so it wouldn't matter what this Nazarene might say. He simply could not be who he claimed to be.
Following the crucifixion, Nicodemus, perhaps out of personal feelings of guilt that he had not intervened on Jesus' behalf, donates spices intended for use in preparing Jesus' body for burial.
Final judgement of those, like Nicodemus, whose lives touch Jesus at one or two points in life, must be left to Someone with all the facts to make an accurate judgement. Was there a waste of leadership ability here, or a loss of public testimony that the Jews might have heard? Perhaps. But there were no doubt many who were frightened away from becoming believers - men and  women who concluded that it would have been "too hard" to fully adopt the teachings of this Galilean whom many would have seen as "doomed".