The Jewish Supreme Court known as the Sanhedrin had already found Jesus Christ guilty of blasphemy and condemned him to die, setting in motion the events culminating in his death by crucifixion a few hours later. Why then would two of the most influential members of the Sanhedrin risk alienating their colleagues by removing Jesus' body from the cross and giving him a proper burial? Didn't they realize it was a lost cause--that Jesus' death proved he couldn't be either the Messiah or the son of God? Yet Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea risked everything they had worked so hard for throughout their lives by identifying with Jesus at a time when even his friends and disciples had deserted him. What had they learned in their investigations into Jesus' background and ministry that caused them to take such drastic action? For that matter, why had they investigated him in the first place? Is Jesus the Messiah--and what relevance does that have for us two thousand years later?.