The Naked Young Man

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

Mark 14:51-52 NKJV

The scene takes place in Gethsemane at the time of Jesus' arrest, where an anonymous young man rushed in wrapped only in a sheet. When he wrote, the author was thinking of his readers at the time; however, the Word continues to speak to us with the same force. The opening words of the Gospel declare its purpose: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). Mark presents Jesus as the Christ. He does not recount His childhood, but His works: miracles, healings, deliverances. It is a Gospel full of action, written to show that Jesus is truly the Messiah. It will be the centurion beneath the cross who declares that He was the Son of God. But let's return to the young man. When Jesus is arrested, his disciples disappear into the darkness. It is a powerful image: a young man awakened in the night, who witnesses the scene, and at the first threat leaves everything and flees, leaving his cloak in the hands of the soldiers. For some, it could be Mark himself; for others, any young man. The fact that he is not named may be an invitation to identify with him.

Jesus had said, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, sister, and mother” (3:35). He came to seek those who want to remain close to him. He chose twelve disciples who, despite having walked, eaten, and lived with Christ, show limitations, misunderstandings, and fragility. In fact, we read: “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God” (4:11), and immediately after: “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the others?” (v. 13). The disciples saw Jesus, listened to Him, touched Him... yet they did not understand. This Gospel is addressed to those who, like us, sometimes do not understand where God wants to lead them. Jesus never casts out those who do not understand: He continues to love them patiently until the last day of their lives. Even when there is someone like me, like you, like the apostle Peter, who has the presumption to rebuke Him, but hears the reply: “You do not have the sense of the things of God, but of the things of men” (8:32-33). I believe we should ask ourselves this question more often: “Do you have the mind of God?”

The young man who approached Jesus in the middle of the night, in the darkness of his soul, and who, once discovered and surrounded by guards, is seized with fear, conveys a profound message. His gesture of running away can be justified: he is inexperienced, unprepared. We could define him as a believer at the beginning of his journey, still searching, like Nicodemus, for new birth. Leaving the sheet behind then lends itself to further reflection. It could represent what guarantees us a minimum of security, what allows us to leave our condition in the middle of the night, even if it is worthless. The daily need for each of us who intends to follow Jesus to free ourselves from what envelops our “ego.” At the same time, it reveals the presumption of feeling secure, even the desire to be greater and better than others, ignoring the words of the Master who calls us to be servants of all.

The entire Gospel, of which this scene is particularly important, calls us back to our identity as disciples, called to bear witness in the world, with courage and to the very end. Unfortunately, we often think like human beings and not like God. We allow ourselves to be conditioned, we cling to our “ego,” and we end up hindering the work of the Kingdom. Part of the Church today is like the young man: we all seem “awake,” we approach the Lord but not too closely, fearful of having to give an account and, therefore, risking our safety. Times are changing, and what is happening in some parts of the world could become a reality in our part of the world in the near future. If we continue to go out wearing only a sheet, we will never have a say. At the first threat, we will leave our “cloak” behind and flee. May God help us to be His fearful witnesses and defenders of the Truth.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #50

December 08, Daniel 8-10; 3 John

December 09, Daniel 11-12; Jude

December 10, Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1

December 11, Hosea 5-8; Revelation 2

December 12, Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3

December 13, Hosea 12-14; Revelation 4

December 14, Joel; Revelation 5