With the death of Christ the hopes of His disciples also died. Until the last they had not believed that He would die; they could hardly believe that He was dead. They were overwhelmed with sorrow, and nothing that He had said gave them comfort now. Their faith in Jesus had died, but never had they loved their Lord as now, never had they felt their need of His presence so much. HH 355.6
Christ’s disciples longed to give Him an honored burial, but they did not know how to accomplish this. People put to death for treason against the Roman government were assigned to a burial ground for criminals. John and the women from Galilee could not leave the body of their Lord to be handled by unfeeling soldiers and buried in a dishonored grave. Yet they could expect no favors from the Jewish authorities and had no influence with Pilate. HH 356.1
In this emergency, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came to the disciples’ help. Both were members of the Sanhedrin, were wealthy and influential, and were acquainted with Pilate. They were determined to see that the body of Jesus received an honorable burial. HH 356.2