Tuesday, October 3, 2023

A young man wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Mark 14:51-52

As I continue to read the book of Mark, this passage caught me by surprise. These verses are taken from the arrest of Jesus. The story is well known. Jesus has been praying, and the disciples are having difficulty staying awake. Judas appears with a crowd armed with swords and clubs that were sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, using this signal to clearly identify him. Jesus is seized and arrested. In verse 14:50, the scripture says that everyone deserted him and fled. Then, we see this obscure passage. This young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they took Jesus, this man fled naked, leaving his garment behind. Many biblical scholars believe that this was Mark who admitted to having fled as well.

Spurgeon says, “The modest spirit of Mark seemed to say, ‘Friend Peter, while the Holy Ghost moves me to, tell thy fault, and let it stand on record, he also constrains me to write my own as a sort of preface to it, for I, too, in my mad, hare-brained folly, would have run, unclothed as I was, upon the guard to rescue my Lord and Master; yet, at the first sight, of the rough legionaries, at the first gleam of their swords, away I fled, timid, faint-hearted, and afraid that I should be too roughly handled.”

PRAYER: Lord, there are times when I know that I should pray, but I come up with other things to do. Lord, give me a praying spirit. Teach me to say “yes” to your unction to pray. I cannot do it without you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Rolheiser, Ronald. Prayer: Our Deepest Longing. Cincinnati, Ohio: Franciscan Media, 2013.