Crucifixion was horrible.  Horrible to endure, and horrible to watch.  After the death, what should happen to the body?  In Roman eyes, there should be no dignity for the criminal, especially if the charge was treason.  The body would normally be left decomposing for several days as a warning to others.  However, in Jewish eyes there was a curse on the crucified (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) and the bodies must be taken down from the cross before nightfall.  Jesus had voluntarily given up His spirit (Psalm 31:5: Luke 23:46) and His body died (John 10:18) before the soldiers expected.  The two criminals were still alive, and their legs were broken to hasten death.  But Jesus had been abandoned by His disciples, accused of blasphemy by the Jews and condemned as a traitor by Pilate.  Who would honour the dead Saviour and bury His body decently?
 
Joseph from Arimathea stepped forwards, albeit very late, to choose to publicly honour Jesus.  He was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin Council which condemned Jesus, although he did not agree with the verdict.  Like Simeon, he was looking for God's kingdom to come (Luke 2:25-35).  Joseph had an inner compulsion to honour Jesus although he had died.  Having had a new rock tomb cut for himself and his family, Joseph decided to place the body of Jesus there.  So, he asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body to his own grave.  Having been one of the Council of accusers Joseph was a safe person to take possession of the corpse; Pilate was relieved and nobody else cared.  

But Joseph's actions were already prophesied in Isaiah 53:9: "He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth."  Working with Nicodemus (another Sanhedrin Council member who previously visited Jesus under cover of darkness (John 3:1-21)), the two men embalmed Jesus’ body with 35 kilogrammes of embalming spices and carried the heavy weight to the rock tomb (John 19:38-42).  Joseph was true to his convictions at last.  Jesus was not guilty, but His death made Joseph aware of his own guilt and one day he would join Jesus in His grave.  It was a sort of baptismal confession.  The Apostle Paul puts it like this, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

The truth is that there is no blessed eternal life for anyone, unless we reckon that the death of Jesus should have been our death; and that sin's curse on us was carried by Him (Galatians 3:13).   But for those of us who rejoice in Jesus' sacrifice, we need to be bold and courageous like Joseph in identifying with Jesus in His death.  We must be unafraid and unashamed of Him, because we are honoured to be part of His kingdom (Romans 1:16).  Today is the day to step out of the shadows and confess that you truly honour Christ.