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Many of you have heard some of
the silly Bible trivia questions that come up every so often,
like “Where is baseball first mentioned in the Bible?” The
answer, “Genesis 1:1, ‘In the beginning.’” Or the
question, “Where does Jesus preach against television in the
Bible?” Answer: “When he comes down from the Mount of
Transfiguration after the disciples have seen him and Moses
and Elijah together and Jesus says, ‘Tell the vision to no
one.’” (See Matthew 17:9)
What about this question: where
is “streaking” mentioned in the Bible? Answer: Mark 14:51-52:
“A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was
following Jesus. They tried to arrest him, but he ran away
naked, leaving the linen cloth behind.”
It is certainly a strange
story, and a somewhat strange text. It reminds me of the story
of the minister who went to call on a woman one day at her
home. He knocked on the door and could hear some motion
inside, but no one came to the door. Finally, after knocking
several times, he pulled out a calling card and wrote on it a
quotation from Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I am standing at the
door knocking. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will
come in…” A few days later he got a note in the mail from the
woman. It said, simply, “Genesis chapter 3, verse 10; ‘I heard
the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was
naked, and I hid myself.’”
Our setting today comes from
the time of Jesus’ arrest by Jewish authorities. He had just
shared the meal in the Upper Room with his disciples. When the
meal was finished, they went out to the Garden of Gethsemane
to pray. There is good evidence that Jesus used this garden
often—perhaps by prior arrangement with whoever owned the
property. Jesus invited his disciples to watch while he went
apart to pray for a while. They of course fell asleep.
Suddenly there was a great commotion. A crowd comes to arrest
Jesus. Judas, one of the disciples, is leading the crowd. He
betrays Jesus with a kiss. All of the disciples flee in great
fear. Then comes this little note, “A certain young man
dressed only in a linen cloth was following Jesus. They tried
to arrest him, but he ran away naked, leaving the linen cloth
behind.”
Who is this man? Probably
you’ve scarcely ever noticed this story before—maybe never.
Perhaps it would be helpful to see this like an old photograph
in a family album or in a newspaper. Do you remember those
newspaper photographs that appear once in a while? It shows a
number of people in a crowd from the 1920s. You can see their
faces. Each person is named one by one. Except there is one
person who is always marked, “Name unknown,” and then the
editors of the paper will ask this question, “Does anyone
recognize this man?”
Can you see this Biblical
snapshot? Can you see the picture just before the crowd breaks
up? Who is this man, lurking in the darkness, wrapped only in
a linen cloth? Why is he included in Scripture? Why does Mark
consider the story important enough to put it there? The
speculation about who he is has gone on for centuries.
ONE OF THE DISCIPLES?
Perhaps he was one of the
disciples. The story tells us the disciples fled for their
lives. This man also fled. Maybe he is a disciple. Let’s look
into the picture and see. Count the disciples. There they
are—can you name them? There are James and John, there is
Bartholomew and Thaddeus, there are Philip and Thomas. You
count ten in all. Aha! Maybe it is one of the
disciples. No…there is Judas. Judas is with the crowd that has
come out to arrest Jesus. Who is missing? It’s Peter. Maybe
the man is Peter. Then suddenly you see Peter over on the
other side of the picture with his sword drawn, as though he
was going to take on the whole crowd single-handedly and
protect his Master.
All of the disciples are there.
So that eliminates that possibility. This is not one of the
twelve.
MAYBE IT’S MARK
Maybe this is Mark himself, the
writer of the Gospel. Maybe Mark writes this sort of like an
old Alfred Hitchcock film. Do you remember the Hitchcock
films? Hitchcock himself always had a cameo appearance
somewhere in the movie. It was a fleeting moment, just a
glimpse—but you could always watch for him to appear. He
always did.
Maybe this is Mark. Maybe Mark
was there that night. Maybe he saw it all. Maybe this is like
an artist’s signature on a painting. My wife designs
individualized greeting cards for people. On the back page she
always has a little special signature that indicates the cards
have been made by her. Maybe that’s what Mark is doing here.
Maybe that’s why the story feels
like an eyewitness account. Mark’s entire gospel feels
like it was written by someone who was actually there and saw
the events. Maybe Mark is the guy in the picture.
ANOTHER THEORY
Or, here’s another theory. The
Scripture says that he is a young man. Some people have
speculated that he was the son of the family who owned the
house with the upper room where Jesus had the Last Supper with
his disciples. The young man lived in the house with his
family. He had gone to bed early. Then he heard Jesus and the
disciples leaving very quietly and almost secretively. He
sensed that something was happening.
Perhaps he grabbed a sheet and
wrapped it around him. (Scripture would indicate that he was
one of those people who slept without a nightie!) He followed
them out into the garden. He watched what transpired. We don’t
know his name. But maybe he’s the one in the picture. Can you
see him? He’s off there to the side, standing just behind a
tree, by himself.
OR ANOTHER THEORY
Let’s look at another theory.
Are you amazed at how many there are? The fact is, people have
studied this passage closely. There has been a lot of
detective work that’s gone on here. Somebody noticed that the
word for the linen sheet is the same word that is used for a
baptismal garment in the life of the early church.
Baptism was a very special
moment for the early church. It was usually held at night,
often just before dawn. Quite frequently it was held just
before the dawn of Easter day. It was always held outside
somewhere, perhaps in a garden near some water. The persons to
be baptized removed their clothing. They were baptized. When
they emerged from the water a linen cloth was wrapped around
them symbolizing the new life. That word for the linen cloth
of the newly baptized Christian is the same word that is used
in this story.
So who is this man? Who do you
think he is? I think he’s every baptized believer. In other
words, he’s you and me.
If you read the story carefully
you’ll notice that it says he followed Jesus for a little
while out of the garden. But when they tried to arrest him, he
left the sheet and ran away. He actually stuck it out a little
longer than the eleven disciples may have. This man is you and
me.
Helmut Thielicke was one of the
great preachers in Marburg, Germany, during and after World
War II. He helped his congregation through the trauma and the
terror of the war. He tells of the time when his son was two
years old. One of the ways they played together was in front
of a mirror. They would do antics and make faces in front of
the mirror. The son loved to play the game. But Thielicke says
that one day his son suddenly looked into the mirror, long and
hard. Then he turned to his father and said in his own
childish words, “Daddy, that’s me! That’s me in that mirror.”
I think that’s why the story of
the man who ran away naked is in the Scriptures. Mark wants
you and me to say, “Uh oh, that’s me.” He wants us to say,
“You know, sometimes when the going gets tough, I get going
the other way.”
This is not just a curious lost
name in an old photograph. This is not Mark’s personal
signature on his own Gospel. This is not a story about a
disciple who abandoned Jesus. This is a story that causes us
to say, “Hold on a minute. I think I recognize that man. I
think it’s me.”
I am baptized. That’s the
importance of the name of the cloth that the man wears. I said
“yes” to the question, “Do you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior into your life, and pledge allegiance to his kingdom?”
I said “yes” to the question, “Will you try to live a
Christian life as God gives you the grace to do so?” I said
“yes” to the questions of discipleship. But sometimes when the
going gets tough, I am susceptible to leaving those promises
behind.
Perhaps that is best reflected
in one of the prayers of the church which reads, “I have left
undone those things that I ought to have done, and I have done
those things which I ought not to have done.”
Please note that this is not a
matter of condemnation by Mark, the Gospel writer. That is not
Mark’s purpose. This is not Mark’s way of saying, “Look out,
God’s gonna getcha!”
Rather, Mark is acknowledging
that sometimes it’s a struggle to be a believer, and sometimes
that struggle will come your way. Sometimes your faith will be
tested. Sometimes the issues are too heavy to be fully
understood. Sometimes there are some battles to be fought and
some crosses to be carried.
And Mark is also saying that
there is some awkwardness about being a follower of Jesus. And
that awkwardness must be overcome before you can get to
Easter. Some struggles will come before you can celebrate
Easter.
That’s why this coming week in
the life of the church is a sacred pilgrimage. That’s why you
need to be here on Thursday night and spend some time in a
very quiet Last Supper. That’s why you need to experience the
power of the Tenebrae service on Friday night—the service of
darkness. That’s why you may want to choose to fast and pray
one or two days during this coming week. That’s why you may
want to come on Thursday or Friday afternoon and walk the
Labyrinth, maybe for the first time. That’s why you may want
to experience the renewal of your baptismal vows this coming
Saturday night before Easter.
Walk through Holy Week in all
of its varied forms and solemnity. Do it so that you can
really celebrate the victory of Easter. Do it so that you can
experience the power of Easter here and now.
I think all of this is in the
story. All of it is contained in that nameless face in the old
photograph. It is the story of your baptism and your baptismal
vows—the story of your attempts to be a faithful follower. It
is also the story of your cowardice and mine when we break
rank and run.
And like the stories of so many
others in the New Testament, it is also the story of the
amazing grace that is found and given in the cross of Calvary
and the glory of Easter.
[1]
For much of the outline of this sermon, I am indebted to a
message by Mark Trotter, First United Methodist Church of San
Diego, California, preached in March of 1988 and then again in
April of 2000. Most of the illustrations are my own. Much of
the research regarding this passage was his.
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