Jesus Spends a Night in Prison with Jude 

In April of 19 CE, when Jesus was twenty-five years old, he decided that he would take his brother Jude to Jerusalem for Passover, as he had done with James, Simon, and Joseph. At this time, Jude was fourteen years old and he had just graduated from synagogue school. This was to be his first trip to Jerusalem.

Jude was already something of a troublemaker and a political activist against Roman rule, so Jesus was careful to travel to Jerusalem by a route that would help them steer clear of trouble with the Roman authorities. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they went immediately to the temple, which was a great thrill for Jude. And on the way, they ran into Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, who invited them to his home in Bethany for Passover supper that night.

While Jesus and Lazarus were talking, Jude happened to overhear a Roman guard making disrespectful remarks about a Jewish girl who was passing by. Jude was immediately enraged, and he loudly voiced his resentment at such an affront, all within the hearing of the guard.

Romans soldiers were not tolerant of anything that looked like Jewish disrespect, so the guard placed Jude under arrest. This action awakened all of Jude’s anti-Roman sentiments. Before Jesus could caution him to be quiet, all of these suppressed sentiments came loudly pouring out. Jude was immediately taken to the military prison, and Jesus stayed by Jude’s side.

Jesus tried to get a hearing for Jude or a quick release from custody. But since it was the day before Passover, they would not presume to hear charges against a Jew. And so Jude had to remain in jail overnight. and Jesus stayed with him. As a result, Jude missed the ceremony that would have received him as a “son of the law,” making him a full citizen of Israel. In fact, it would be several years before Jude was able to experience this formal ritual; it finally took place when he happened to go to Jerusalem another time in connection with the Zealots, a patriotic organization to which he belonged.

The next day, Jesus came before the judge at the military prison and pleaded Jude’s case. He apologized for his brother’s behavior, citing his youth and also the circumstances of the boy’s run-in with the guard that led to his arrest. Jesus persuaded the magistrate that there may have been some excuse for his brother's unwise outburst. So the judge sternly warned Jude to not act in such a rash manner again and then released the pair. But before they left, the judge warned Jesus that he had better keep an eye on Jude, or he was likely to “make a lot of trouble for all of you.” And that was actually the truth because Jude did make trouble for Jesus and the trouble was always for the same reason: Jude clashed with the Roman authorities with thoughtless and emotional patriotic outbursts.

Jesus and Jude walked to Bethany that evening, explaining to Lazarus and his sisters why they had missed attending the Passover supper. And the next day, they left Bethany for Nazareth. No one at home knew what had happened and Jesus did not disclose any of it to the family. But after about three weeks, Jesus had a long talk with Jude about it. And after this talk, Jude himself told the family what had happened. Jude would always remember how patient, kind, and understanding Jesus was during this entire stressful experience.