Core of the Faith of Early Christians
Why did the disciples and followers of Christ Jesus forsook Him and ran away when Christ Jesus was arrested by the Jewish authority and Roman soldiers?
Didn't Christ Jesus beforehand educate and train them so that they could cope with such an incident? Didn't Christ Jesus enhance their spirits so that they could have faced such an incident calmly? But they fled Gethsemane and the site of arrest of Christ Jesus with horror and fear. So why?
The disciples and followers of Christ Jesus at the time were all Jewish people. They knew how revolutionary the teachings by Christ Jesus were. They must have known that the Jewish authority should be offended at His teachings and take their revenge on Christ Jesus. But they must have believed that God or angels were protecting Christ Jesus from those authorities. So, no matter how dangerous the teachings and movements of Christ Jesus were to Him and them, they thought that Christ Jesus and they were safe. But, as the authorities and Jewish priests actually launched an attack and could arrest Him without interference from God, their belief and confidence in God and Christ Jesus faltered and crumbled. Because the disciples, including Peter, and followers thought that Satan defeated God, they were afraid so much, fleeing Gethsemane and the site of arrest of Christ Jesus.
The teachings of Christ Jesus were related to salvation of souls of the disciples and followers. They were not directly related to the battle between God and Satan. So, the disciples, including Peter, and followers were not well prepared for crude attacks by Satan on Christ Jesus coming real. It was the matter at a different phase. If Satan and its soldiers, namely Jewish authorities and Roman soldiers, could directly attack Christ Jesus, the disciples and followers, they thought, could not be also safe; they could be also victims like Christ Jesus. How terrible it was, they thought, to be arrested and judged by those authorities, as they would be stoned to death! All they had to do was run away!
It was the degree of fear and horror they felt that should be understood. In other words, they knew how much the teachings of Christ Jesus had offended Jewish priests and the Jewish authorities. They knew that the teachings of Christ Jesus were revolutionary enough to challenge Jewish priests and the Jewish authorities. And, they must have also realized that Satan would use Jewish priests and the Jewish authorities as its soldiers in the battle between Christ Jesus and Satan. And, they really saw Satan actually succeeding in capturing and persecuting Christ Jesus. Next, they must face Satan without protection by Christ Jesus and God. So, they lost their nerve and broke away.
In other words, the great tension and pressure of the battle between God and Satan fell on the disciples and followers without any protection. If we cannot understand these tension and pressure, we cannot truly understand the Gospels.
So, they hid until Christ Jesus resurrected after execution. But, the fact that Christ Jesus resurrected made them regain the confidence in Christ Jesus and God they had had once. Satan could not destroy Christ Jesus! So, they realized that they should not be afraid of Satan and its soldiers, the Jewish and Roman authorities. This conviction became the core of the faith of Early Christians.
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Luk 1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luk 1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.