The arrest of Jesus Christ marks a pivotal moment in the sequence of events leading to His crucifixion. A mob, guided by Judas and led by the chief priests and captains of the Temple, approached with swords and clubs to seize Him. This act of apprehension, carried out under the cover of night, set the stage for the subsequent trials, revealing the intense determination of the Jewish authorities to ensure His condemnation. The illegality of the arrest, characterized by the disregard for established laws, underscores the profound enmity and urgency to silence Him, initiating the chain of judicial proceedings that followed.

In the garden of Gethsemane, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ was arrested, yet He remained in complete control of the situation. He delayed in the Garden as the arresting party approached, then went forth to meet them, voluntarily surrendering Himself. At the moment of arrest, He demonstrated His power over the soldiers, grace towards His disciples, and mercy to His enemies. Despite the darkness, illuminated only by the full moon of Passover, the soldiers did not recognize Him until He asked whom they sought. When they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth," He responded with the majestic words, "I am," causing them to draw back and fall to the ground, rendered helpless by His divine authority until He released them by repeating the question. Jesus showed His power at this critical moment to reveal that He was more than man, but also God manifested in flesh. His death was voluntary, not coerced, as no amount of troops or weapons could have forced Him if He had been unwilling. He made it clear to those arresting Him that they were dealing with someone supernatural, leaving them without excuse for their actions. Additionally, He commanded the officers and soldiers to let His disciples go, displaying grace and fulfilling His earlier prophecies of protection over them. The arrest occurred late at night, around 11 or midnight on Passover, when a mob guided by Judas, led by chief priests and temple captains, came with swords and clubs to seize Him. This sudden action found the authorities unprepared, yet they proceeded with intent, disregarding the proper timing and preparation required under Jewish law for such a significant event.

The arrest of Jesus Christ stands as a pivotal moment marked by profound illegalities that underscore the injustice of the events leading to His trial and crucifixion. Late at night on Passover in 31 AD, a mob guided by Judas, led by the chief priests and captains of the Temple, came with swords and clubs to seize Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, arriving with torches and lanterns under the cover of darkness. This nocturnal arrest violated established rules, as proceedings in capital cases, including arrests, were not to be conducted at night. Further compounding the illegality, the arrest was facilitated by Judas, a traitor and informer, whose involvement contravened Hebrew law derived from Leviticus 19. This law required witnesses to be of good character and forbade testimony from close companions or accomplices, as well as the acceptance of bribes, all of which Judas embodied, rendering his role in the arrest unlawful. Additionally, the arrest lacked a specific and formal accusation of wrongdoing, a necessary basis for legal proceedings that was absent at the time of His apprehension and only sought during the subsequent trial, further highlighting the illegality of the act. These errors in the arrest of Jesus Christ—the timing at night, the use of a disqualified informant, and the absence of a formal charge—should have led to an immediate acquittal, as they represented fundamental breaches of legal standards. This initial act of injustice set the stage for the series of unlawful proceedings that followed, revealing the depth of disregard for legal norms in the pursuit of His condemnation.