On the day Jesus was captured, who was he with among his disciples, and what happened?

The day Jesus was captured, also known as the night of his betrayal, is a pivotal event in the New Testament. According to the Gospels, on this night Jesus was with his disciples in a garden on the Mount of Olives, where he was arrested and taken into custody by the Roman authorities. In this blog post, we will explore who Jesus was with among his disciples on this fateful night and what happened.

The Gospels differ slightly in their accounts of who was present with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal, but all agree that there were a total of twelve disciples present. These twelve disciples were Simon Peter, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.

As the night progressed, Jesus became increasingly distraught and asked his disciples to watch and pray with him. He went off by himself to pray, and upon returning found his disciples asleep. He admonished them, saying "Could you not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40).

It was at this point that Judas Iscariot arrived with a group of soldiers and officials sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to arrest Jesus. Judas had agreed to betray Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver, and had identified Jesus to the authorities by giving him a kiss on the cheek.

When the soldiers arrived, one of Jesus' disciples (identified as Simon Peter in John 18:10) drew a sword and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. Jesus rebuked him, saying "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52).

Jesus then allowed himself to be taken into custody and led away to face trial before the Sanhedrin and ultimately before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The events that followed led to Jesus' crucifixion and death, followed by his resurrection on the third day.

The night of Jesus' betrayal is a powerful reminder of the human frailty and weakness that characterized even his closest followers. Despite their professed love and devotion to Jesus, the disciples were unable to stay awake and pray with him when he needed them most. Moreover, the betrayal of Judas Iscariot serves as a stark reminder of the power of greed and the dangers of putting personal gain above loyalty and integrity.

Yet despite these human failings, the story of Jesus' capture and crucifixion is ultimately one of triumph and redemption. Through his suffering and death, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate sacrifice of love and paved the way for the salvation of all those who believe in him.