Who was the young man who fled naked in Mark 14:51-52?
Mark 14:51 - 52
ESV - 51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him. 52 But he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
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Asked July 01 2013
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
This event occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus was betrayed and captured. Mark 14:51-52 describes a young man who, wearing only a linen cloth, followed Jesus. When he was seized by...
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Michael Bartlett
Supporter
And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: (Mark 14:51 KJV). We must remember that everything in scripture has been placed there for a purpose for God is the most purposeful being in the universe. Consequently, it is unwise to disregard this part detailing of the arrest of Jesus. Each of the gospels give an account of the arrest of Jesus and each gives us insight to the event from slightly different perspectives. (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and John 18). Mark mentions the account of the naked young man. John gives details of the conversation. Mark and Luke's account mentions a great armed multitude coming to arrest Jesus and John mentions a band but both mean a cohort which suggests up wards to 600 men. This was no small group which indicates the power they believed Jesus had based on His reputation. He had raised the dead, healed the sick and fed multitudes. They were taking no chances. Some have suggested that the naked boy was John. This would mean John was sleeping near naked in the garden while Jesus prayed. Unlikely I would think. Others suggest that it was a disciple (John Mark?) in the city hearing of Jesus' arrest ran to the site. It seems unlikely that given the distance from the city to the garden a near naked man running through the city to the garden would make it in time. John tells us who this was in his account through the conversation. It began with Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? (John 18:4 KJV). They answered Jesus of Nazareth. Here is biggest clue given in Jesus' answer. Jesus saith unto them, I am he (John 18:5 KJV). The key is "I am". The same phrase used by God to identify Himself to Moses. Note what happened at this phrase. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:6 KJV). The words here actually mean the great multitude was hit with a powerful force so great they all were forced backwards and hit the ground. Jesus identified Himself as God. What about the naked boy? Well this area is known as a burial place for wealthy Jews to bury their loved ones. It is apparent that when Jesus release the words "I am" with the power of God this young man who had recently died and been buried in the vicinity was also hit with the power of God raising him from the dead. The type of linen cloth mentioned is the type used by wealthy Jews to buried their dead. This young man suddenly raised up and undoubtedly confused ran into the crowd seeking who had raised him. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: (Mark 14:51 KJV) And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. (Mark 14:52 KJV). Jesus was letting everyone know they were not taking Him but rather He was giving Himself up because it was His Father's will. He know what was to come so the resurrection of the young man was a clear reminder of the resurrecting power of God to come once He had laid down His life for us.
Lena Wms
Supporter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I personally believe that the point Mark was attempting to make in including this young man in his account of Jesus' arrest was this, although they had promised Jesus they would "die" with Him, when it came down to just being arrested, some fled. Even to the point of leaving behind their garments, they would rather be naked in the city than say they were with Jesus. What lesson this is for us today! As the persecution of Christianity is steadily on the rise, already in many countries it is a capital crime to be a Christian, how will we handle being questioned of our loyalty to Jesus? Will we run? Will we hide? Would we rather stand naked in the midst of the world than to admit we are with the Master of the Universe? We should not judge this young man harshly as we see that we all have the same terror inside of us. We all can make our boast about what we will and will not do as the disciples did. Yet as Peter discovered, bitter tears follow boasting. Matt 26:75 We must pray now and ask Jesus to make us strong that in that day, that hour we will be so full of His Love and His Spirit it will flow out and convert our captors as with Paul and Silas. Acts 16:23-32. Will suffering come, well, look at what Paul said: 2 Timothy 3:12 KJVS Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. If you bow your head to pray, someone will take offense and begin to persecute you. Why? Because it is Written! Be Blessed Lena
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Several scholars believe that Mark was the young man described in Mark 14:51-52. Early in church history, it was suggested that this was Mark, the Gospel writer himself.
Scott Broberg
Supporter
While the exact identity of the young man who fled naked in Mark 14:51–52 remains uncertain, scholars have proposed several interpretive possibilities. Each possibility offers deeper insight into how the Gospel of Mark communicates meaning to its first-century audience. One widely recognized theory among scholars is that this young man may be Mark himself. In ancient literature, it was not uncommon for an author to insert himself anonymously into the narrative. A well-known example of this technique appears in the Gospel of John, where the “disciple whom Jesus loved” is traditionally understood to be John himself. First-century audiences would have recognized this literary device. It allowed the author to include himself in the narrative while maintaining humility. If this is the case with Mark, the inclusion of this fleeing young man could be Mark’s way of acknowledging his own failure and vulnerability during Jesus’s arrest—an honest and personal touch that resonates with the Gospel’s overall tone of human weakness in contrast to divine faithfulness. There is another explanation rooted in first-century Jewish interpretive tradition. We must remember that when Mark wrote his Gospel—drawing on the teachings of Peter—there was no New Testament. The Scriptures of the early Jesus followers were the Hebrew Scriptures (what Christians today call the Old Testament). New Testament writers, therefore, often employed interpretation techniques grounded in Jewish hermeneutics. One such method was called PaRDeS, an acronym for four levels of interpretation: • Peshat – the plain, surface meaning of the text. • Remez – a “hint” or allusion that points the reader to another Scripture. • Drash – means to seek, inquire, or investigate. A parable is a type of Drash. Jesus uses parables to seek out deeper meaning. • Sod – the hidden or mystical meaning beneath the surface. The Hebrew word pardes also means “orchard.” This brings to mind the image of Scripture as an orchard full of rich fruit. It is also where we get the word Paradise. How do we find the ripe fruit in the orchard? Through the interpretive technique of Pardes.. In the case of the young man in Mark 14, we find what may be a Remez – a hint - to Amos 2:16: “Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord. In context, Amos is speaking of the Day of the Lord—a day of divine judgment. It is a day so fearful that even the strongest will flee in shame and vulnerability. Compare this to Mark 14:50–52, where we’re told that all the disciples fled, and then this strange young man flees naked, abandoning his linen garment. By including this detail, Mark may be hinting to his Jewish audience, steeped in the language and symbolism of the Hebrew Scriptures, that this night of Jesus’s arrest was a kind of “Day of the Lord.” Judgment had come, and even the most faithful (the disciples) could not stand under its weight. This also casts a shadow of shame and failure—themes that run through the Passion narrative. The disciples had claimed courage and loyalty, but when the moment of testing came, they ran. By connecting this moment to Amos 2:16, Mark may be subtly saying to his audience: “Even the bravest among us fled. Don’t be so quick to judge.” If the young man is indeed Mark himself, this passage becomes an act of confession: “I was there. I ran. I was no braver than the rest.” But even if the young man is not Mark, the symbolic remez to Amos offers a theological statement: all humanity fails under the weight of divine judgment—only Jesus stands faithful.
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