What Happened to Jesus' Disciples?

Just before He was arrested, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. His prayers were very intense and sorrowful, but the apostles all fell asleep, numerous times. Jesus said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners” (Matthew 26:45). At the last supper, Jesus had said to all His disciples, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me,” (Matthew 26:31). John reports, “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your home, You will leave me all alone” (John 16:31). So, when Jesus was arrested, everyone, including “all the disciples deserted Him and fled”  (Matthew 26:55).

When Jesus was taken before Caiaphas, the high priest, Peter alone followed at a distance right into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see the outcome of Jesus’ trial. While he was sitting there, a servant girl came to Peter and asked him if he wasn’t with Jesus. He replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” (Matthew 26:70) Then he went out to the gateway and another servant girl said to the crowd that Peter had been with Jesus. Peter again denied with an oath that he didn’t know what they were talking about. After a little while,  the people standing around went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away. Then he began to call down curses and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’” (Matthew 26:73-74) When Jesus was crucified, the only ones watching Him from a distance were many women, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, and John. Other than John, none of the disciples were there at the crucifixion.

All of Jesus’ disciples deserted Him. These men who had followed Jesus for three years, cut out and left Jesus behind to be killed. However, after Jesus’ death, all of the disciples, including Jesus’ brother James (who thought his brother was crazy before Jesus’ death) and Paul (who persecuted the Christians) spread to the ends of the then known countries preaching the Gospel and most of them died a martyr’s death defending Jesus Christ. What happened to make this spectacular change and what do we know about each apostle’s life after Jesus’ death?

Let's find out together...