Unlike Cohen, they didn’t ‘flip’

Michael Cohen, the past longtime personal attorney for President Donald Trump, has been the key witness this past week in the New York case against President Trump, in relation to an alleged illegal payment to pornographic film actress, Stormy Daniels. I’m sure most of you have heard of the background of this case so I won’t dwell on it. Yes, as say on those crime shows on TV, Michael Cohen has definitely “flipped,” and has turned on his old boss.

It was another place and time. Despite tremendous pressure from those in power, they refused to turn against their leader. The authorities would have loved to have evidence against their leader that he was a fraud, an impostor. But they refused, always proclaiming that their leader was who he said he was, and that he did what he did. They did not “flip” and deny their leader. They were the disciples, and their leader was Jesus.

Now you ask, what about Judas? Didn’t he betray Jesus? Yes, but it was before the cross and resurrection. Judas never denied that Jesus was who he said he was. Many biblical scholars feel that Judas’ betrayal was actually an attempt to force Jesus to come forth as the messiah and deliverer of the Jewish people. And to make some money for doing it. Maybe, that is why when it didn’t work out that way, Judas hung himself in regret.

After the resurrection, the pressure the eleven remaining disciples faced was much more than just time in jail. It was beatings, torture and death. An article on the “National Geographic” website chronicled the death of each of Jesus’ disciples. Here’s what they discovered.

Simon Peter “was eventually martyred in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero. As the story goes, Peter asked to be crucified upside down, so that his death would not be equal of Jesus.” Philip was missionary in Egypt, “where he was scourged, thrown into prison and crucified in 54 AD.” Thomas, no longer doubting, preached the gospel as far away as India, “where he angered local religious authorities, who martyred him by running him through with a spear.” When Andrew wouldn’t forsake Christianity, Roman proconsul Aegeates had the disciple crucified in 69 AD, by having him “tied rather than nailed to a cross, so that he would suffer for a longer time before dying.”

Matthew was martyred as a missionary in Ethiopia, Thaddaeus was crucified in Turkey in 72 AD, and Simon the Zealot was crucified in England in 74 AD. James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded in Judea by Herod Agrippa, and James, son of Alphaeus, was beaten and stoned to death by persecutors in Jerusalem at the age of 94. According to accounts, Bartholomew was martyred in India, either by crucifixion or by being skinned alive and then beheaded. Only the disciple, John, was not martyred, but he was beaten, imprisoned, and ended his life in exile on the island of Patmos.

The Roman and Jewish authorities viewed this new religion, Christianity, as a threat to their power. Jesus’ followers were quickly transforming their world with his message of forgiveness, hope and love. If they could get Jesus’ close associates, the eleven disciples, to admit Jesus was a fraud, they could begin to regain control. But there is no record that it ever happened, no record that a single disciple ever flipped.

The disciples were there with Jesus. If he was a fraud, why would they all pay the price they did for their faith? Despite enduring beatings, torture, prison and certain death, there is no historical evidence of any of the disciples denying their faith. Unlike Michael Cohen, after the resurrection, none of the disciples “flipped.” And, for me, this is one time that the fact that there is no evidence actually becomes real evidence.