Paper 183 Overview: The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

The betrayal and arrest of Jesus were part of a plan that he accepted, knowing it was the Father's will. After praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus moved away from his followers to keep them safe. Judas arrived with guards and soldiers, but Jesus calmly stepped forward and told them who he was.

Most of the apostles ran away, even though they had promised to stay with him. John Zebedee stayed close by, and David Zebedee helped spread news to the others. Even though Jesus was arrested, he stayed peaceful and trusted God, showing he was ready for what was coming.

After Jesus woke up Peter, James, and John in Gethsemane, they found the rest of the apostles were already awake because messengers had arrived looking for David Zebedee. The Greek followers were nervous and had posted a guard who alerted everyone when the messengers arrived. The entire camp was now awake and wondering what was happening.

Jesus went down to the olive press by himself, away from his followers. He did this so his arrest would be peaceful and his apostles would not be taken with him. Jesus knew that his enemies wanted to arrest him and possibly his apostles, too, so he separated himself from them to protect them.

Jesus willingly submitted to his arrest and coming death as part of the Father's will. The cruel treatment he received from his captors was not part of God's plan but was the result of evil actions by wicked men. God did not cause Jesus's suffering or arrange for his mistreatment.

The Father wanted Jesus to complete his life as a mortal man, just like any other human being would. Jesus chose to accept his death naturally, without using his divine powers to escape. The hatred and cruelty shown to Jesus came from evil men, not from God or even from Jesus's spiritual enemies.

After leaving the Last Supper, Judas went to his cousin's house and then to the captain of the temple guards. He informed them he was ready to lead them to Jesus. When they arrived at Elijah Mark's home, Jesus and the eleven apostles had already left, heading toward the Olivet camp.

Judas was worried when he couldn't find Jesus with only eleven men as he had hoped. He feared the armed disciples at the camp and was becoming nervous about his betrayal. When the Jewish authorities couldn't provide enough guards, Judas had to get Roman soldiers through Pilate's approval to arrest Jesus, which took over an hour to arrange.

As the armed band with torches approached Gethsemane, Judas went ahead to greet Jesus with a kiss, hoping to appear as if he was warning Jesus rather than betraying him. About thirty of Jesus's followers rushed down to the olive press when they saw the soldiers coming. Jesus stood calmly between the two groups, ready to face his arrest.

Jesus identified himself to the soldiers directly, making Judas's betrayal kiss unnecessary. After Judas kissed Jesus anyway, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, but Jesus stopped him. The disciples fled as Jesus was bound and led away. Only John Mark witnessed what happened next, and later John Zebedee followed the procession taking Jesus to Annas.

After Jesus was arrested, the apostles gathered at the olive press to discuss what to do. Andrew was no longer in charge, and Simon Zelotes urged them to rescue Jesus. Nathaniel reminded them of Jesus's teachings about non-violence and his instructions to preserve their lives for future ministry.

After much discussion, Thomas convinced the group to scatter for their own safety. By 2:30 in the morning, only David Zebedee remained at the camp with a few messengers. The apostles hid in different places - some in Bethpage and Bethany, others in Jerusalem. Peter eventually returned to the Gethsemane camp in despair, while John stayed close to Jesus as instructed.

A dispute arose between the Jewish temple captain and the Roman officer about where to take Jesus. The Romans decided to take him to Annas first, the former high priest, because they usually dealt with him on Jewish religious matters. Judas walked with them but was treated with contempt by both the Jewish and Roman officers.

John Zebedee was allowed to stay with Jesus because the Roman captain ordered that he should be permitted to remain with his friend. This order protected John throughout the night and the next day. Jesus remained silent during the entire journey to the palace of Annas, not speaking a single word from the time of his arrest.