Streaker
Mark 14:43-52
Who is the naked man who ran off when Jesus was arrested?
Photo by Günter Valda on Unsplash
Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled." All of them deserted him and fled. A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked. - Mark 14:43-52
The Greek word Mark uses in order to describe the young man is neaniskos.
This word refers to a young man in his prime, someone about to take on the role of an adult, someone strong and fit.
Mark uses the same word to describe the man in the tomb when Jesus is resurrected, and John uses this word when addressing his writing to the reader.
We could interpret this symbolically, with the naked man representing humanity in its purest form. Adam and Eve were described as being naked in the garden before God chose to cover them after they had sinned.
So, the naked man could represent that encounter with the divine, our stripping naked in God's presence.
Now, some have said that the naked man is Mark himself, and that is possible, and it is the simplest explanation. However, Mark's writing style is impersonal and anonymous, which may suggest that it is an eyewitness account of the event. None of the other Gospels mentions this runaway man.
For us, reading this today, it seems to be an odd insertion. The attempt to grab onto this man by pulling off his loincloth is unusual.
If they grabbed hold of him, would they have grabbed his cloth?
Some theologians suggest that the transformation from naked shame to being clothed in white at the tomb is suggestive of our spiritual transformation through Christ, but John Mark was writing what he learned from Peter, and I wonder if Peter would have been so symbolic in his telling of the story, unless the man running away and the one at the tomb represent Peter himself.
His shame in abandoning Jesus is transformed when he arrives at the empty tomb.
For us, this abandonment and return represent our journey with Jesus. We may find ourselves running off on our own, filled with fear in our youth, only to come back later on.
We may still be strong and in our prime once we discover the truth, but we are given a new heart and soul and mind.
So, maybe the story of the disciples abandoning Jesus is a story of hope for all of us. We can reject now what we find true later. Eventually, it all makes sense to us, and we realize how naked we were.
More to come...