And a young man ran away naked.

 

And a young man ran away naked.

 

Mark 14:51-52『And there followed him a certain young man(νεανίσκος), having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:And he left the linen cloth(σινδόνα), and fled from them naked.

καὶ νεανίσκος τις συνηκολούθει αὐτῷ περιβεβλημένος σινδόνα ἐπὶ γυμνοῦ, καὶ κρατοῦσιν αὐτόν

The Greek word for youth is neaniskos (νεανίσκος), and its root can be found in neo (English new), which means new or fresh. In this story, Mark records what happened after all of Jesus' disciples ran away on the day he was arrested. This situation is reminiscent of the incident that occurred in the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 3. It is said that when Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had commanded her not to eat from, her eyes were opened and she thought she was naked, so she sewed fig leaves together and made herself a skirt.

This incident in the Garden of Eden symbolically expresses the story of the angel who sinned in the kingdom of God. This is the story of an angel who did not keep his position, betrayed God, had his clothes removed, and was imprisoned in darkness. The incident in which the angel betrayed God can be seen as the same as the incident in which his disciples betrayed Jesus. Regarding a young man, people assume that on the surface it is Mark himself, but this can be seen as a person symbolizing a disciple of Jesus. It symbolizes those who betray God and are naked, and the disciples who betray Jesus and run away.

It is said that the young man wore a linen blanket (Sindo or σινδόνα). Sindona is a type of sackcloth. Revelation 11:3 says, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Sackcloth is coarse linen (made from goat hair or camel hair). It reminds me of John the Baptist and Elijah. In Jonah 3:6, “For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” It means repentance. In Matthew 11:21, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin!” woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.』

Because Jerusalem was destroyed, John the Baptist proclaimed repentance. The two witnesses are deeply related to the work of restoring the church. Repentance is essential to restore the fallen church.

 

Sinners must wear sackcloth, but taking off the sackcloth and running away means corruption. Although the young man was not one of the twelve disciples, he may have been one of the group of followers of Jesus. Through the story of a young man, everyone in the world abandons Jesus before the cross and runs away. It tells us that no matter how much we call Jesus Lord, if the flesh reacts in front of the cross, it will do so instinctively.

John 13:36-38 『Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said to him, Lord, why cannot I follow them now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.』

After Jesus says this, a sermon follows. The sermon that begins in chapter 14, verse 1, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” is very long. Continuing in chapter 15 verses 1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit..』And in 15:26-27, he preaches about the Holy Spirit.『But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning .』

This sermon continues until chapter 16. So finally, in verse 30 of chapter 16, the Jews confess, “Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.”

These are Jews who came to see Jesus. After listening to the long sermon in chapters 14-16, they were moved and said this to Jesus. However, in 16:31-32, Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. Do you believe what you said? This is a rebuttal.

It is not that Jesus is scolding, but that everyone is like the life that Adam and Eve had before being united with the cross, the event of his death on the cross and his resurrection three days later. This is the life that hides in the forest of the Garden of Eden. This is a life that has no choice but to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is a life lived according to the fleshly thoughts that are enemies of God.

No matter how many miracles the disciples of Jesus experienced during the three years and no matter how much they learned the word of God directly from Jesus, they were still their old lives before the cross. Many church people today also end up in this state if they are not united with the cross. However, they are seeking the experience of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the work of the Holy Spirit without being united with the cross. That is proof that you have not repented.

The young man who ran away must have felt regret and shed tears like Peter. The resurrected Christ came to his twelve disciples and showed his resurrected body to many other disciples. A young man may also have been included here. When a young man who runs away repents and returns, he is reborn as a new young man. Jesus breathed on his disciples and poured out his Holy Spirit. The young man would also have received the Holy Spirit. So it contains the message that young man is resurrected to new life with Christ.

Even if people have left God, if they repent (wearing sackcloth) and return to God, God will clothe them with the holy clothes of Christ (clothes of righteousness). The true gospel preaches that all human beings are sinners who have no choice but to die, and therefore believers must die with Jesus on the cross. This is faith. The believer is united with the death of the Lord. It is not a union with the world, but a union with the cross. Those who die by being united with the cross will also be united with the resurrected Christ and receive the glory of present resurrection. The young man who ran away will return to God as a new young man.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The tradition of the elders

  The tradition of the elders   Mark 7:5-9  『 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? He answered and said to them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 』 In the Galilee region, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They came with accusations against Jesus. This is because Jesus' disciples neglected washing their hands, a Jewish ritual of purification. They called it  “ the tradition of the elders. ”  The Jewish leaders ...
Read more

Question 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?

  Question 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant? Answer. The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in his free provision and offering to sinners of mediation, and of life and salvation by it; and by requiring faith as the condition of their entering into a relationship with Christ, the mediator; and by promising and giving the Holy Spirit to all his elect, he works faith in them, with all other saving graces, and enables them to do all holy obedience; which obedience is a true evidence of their faith and gratitude to God, or the way which God hath appointed for their salvation. If we divide God's covenant into two for convenience, the covenant that appears in the Old Testament is called the first covenant, and the covenant that appears in the New Testament through Jesus Christ is called the second covenant. Luke 22:15-16 “ And he said to them, ‘ I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will n...
Read more

Question 49. How did Christ humble himself in his death?

  Question 49. How did Christ humble himself in his death? Answer. Christ humbled himself in his death, in being betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his own disciples, mocked and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, suffering under persecutors, struggling with the fear of death and the powers of darkness, feeling and enduring the terrible wrath of God, laying down his life a sacrifice for sin, and enduring the pains, shame, and cursed death of the cross. Matthew 27:28-30 “ And they stripped him of his clothes and put a scarlet robe on him. Then they platted a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they put a reed in his right hand. Then they knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘ Hail, King of the Jews! ’ Then they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ” Jesus did not humble himself before the death on the cross, which was condemned by the Jewish leaders as a blasphemer, but humbled himself before the justice of God. And he endured and endured ...
Read more