Mark 14:51-52 — Why Do We Flee?

 Mark 14:51-52

"And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”

Comments:

The young man with the linen cloth thrown around his otherwise naked body is something of a mystery. It has long been supposed that this was John Mark, the nephew of Peter, the one who would later write down Peter's gospel which we now call the Gospel of Mark. It intrigues me as to why he was naked with only a linen cloth "thrown around" him. Perhaps he had seen the mob leaving the city and being roused from his sleep followed without taking the time to get fully dressed. It is a testimony to the authenticity of this Gospel as this detail of humiliation from the author's life is included in it.

There is a certain resemblance in this situation to Joseph's flight from Potiphar’s wife. She grabbed his robe and tried to seduce him but he fled leaving his cloak behind. Here it was the young men that seized John Mark. He too, left his garment such as it was and fled. One fled in an effort to honor God. The other fled in an effort to save himself. 

If we follow the Lord, and are covered by his robe of righteousness, yet when we encounter persecution we flee then we should draw this lesson—we flee naked. Our covering is left behind. Zeal to leave everything behind and follow Jesus is good, but enduring to the end in Christ is better. “The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

When I was a teenager, I was often quick to quit if things were tough. Until I met my wife and told her I wouldn't quit or walk away. The Lord has tested me on this issue over 35 years of marriage, through some very long-term prayer requests (some answered yes, some no), a 14-year international adoption process, two layoffs, and a 5+ year return to seminary to complete a doctorate in order to teach young pastoral ministry students not to quit.

In Acts 15:36-38, John Mark would be the source of disagreement between Paul and Barnabas because he had bailed on them and not finished the mission (probably because he had disagreed with their emphasis on Gentiles). Barnabas continued to mentor him, not giving up, and Mark would eventually become an overcomer that even Paul would consider useful (2 Timothy 4:11) and a fellow worker (Philemon 1:24). 

There was hope for Mark and there is hope for us...because of the love of Christ we too can endure with him. It is not about willpower. It is about the transforming love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)