Bible Discussion Thread

 
  • Stephen Metzner on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    What is the meaning behind Mark 14:50-51What is the Bible saying to me?
  • Suze - In Reply on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    It's just the narrative of what actually happened , the disciples who had been with Jesus in the garden were afraid and they ran away . I think , like Gigi , that this person who lost his garment was probably Mark , but we could be wrong of course .
  • GiGi - In Reply on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    Dear Stephen,

    this is an interesting verse about the young man who covered himself with a linen cloth because he was naked. When an attempt was made to cease him, he fled naked, leaving the cloth behind. I do not know why this was included, unless the young man was the author, Mark, and included to indicate that he was an eye-witness to this event. Why he was naked is unknown, but he was in the Garden of Gethsemane at night for a reason we are not told.

    I'm interested to find out more, so am looking forward to more replies.
  • Jesse - In Reply on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    GiGi,

    Here is what I have learned a while back about this incident of the cloth and the young man in Mark 14:51-52. This is only found in Mark's gospel, and it is a very interesting story. You won't find it in any other gospels except here, which tradition tells us this is probably John Mark. In Verse 51, you have this young man who was covered in a linen cloth. So he was covered, not naked, except for underneath the cloth. But he was not dressed in his normal clothing, only covered in this cloth.

    So that would explain why when they went to grab him, the cloth would come off, and he would run away naked. And also, why he was naked underneath the cloth.

    I say this because in the Greek text, when it talks about this linen cloth, it is something that you throw over yourself when you get out of bed. But what is he doing out there in the middle of the night with just a covering on, not his regular clothes, just something you throw on yourself when you are getting up out of bed?

    Well, if indeed they went to Mary's home in Jerusalem to see if Jesus was eating the Passover and had been there, it would've woken up John Mark. We see in this chapter that it was in the middle of the night. And in a hurry, he threw something over himself (the linen cloth) to go out and find out what's going on. He followed them all the way over to the mountain. But it is interesting that Mark is the only one that mentions this, this young man who flees naked into the night.
  • GiGi again - In Reply on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    Thank you Jesse
  • MARK 14:50 message - In Reply on Mark 14 - 2 years ago
    Mere hours before, Jesus tells the disciples that they will soon abandon Him. He quotes Zechariah 13:7: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." The disciples vehemently deny that they would do such a thing ( Mark 14:31). To Jesus, who knows what will happen, it's already a certainty. His prophecy isn't to shame the disciples, but to tell them that after they scatter, they are to meet up again in Galilee ( Mark 14:28).

    It's common for us to fear our sin. We may do something ambiguous and worry whether it's against God's will. Or we may make a vow that we will not commit a specific sin and despair when we inevitably fail. Or we, try to justify what we want to do to settle in our own minds that it is not sin. There are many ways in which we try to convince ourselves that what we do isn't sin. But those machinations are filled with pride and selfishness. We will sin. Every believer sins. We don't stop sinning when we become Christians. Jesus told the disciples they would scatter, and they do. It doesn't surprise God when we sin. The whole point of Jesus' coming is to cover those sins.

    We do need to avoid sin ( 1 Corinthians 10:31). We do need to consider whether the action we're considering is in God's will. But it's also sin to concentrate on sin so much we lose focus on God. Instead of dwelling on whether something was a sin or if the thing we want to do is a sin, we need to remember that after it all, Jesus promises to forgive and restore us. We sin far more than we imagine, and if we accept Him, He forgives every sin. When we learn to rest in that forgiveness, obeying becomes a lot easier. And, ironically, we're less likely to sin in the first place.

    Mishael: find strength in the Lords supper. He washes our feet. We wash each other's. Walk in forgiveness, with everyone. Be the earth body of Jesus, who would bless those good, and wretched. Pray as would.



This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.

Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
 

Do you have a Bible comment or question?


Posting comments is currently unavailable due to high demand on the server.
Please check back in an hour or more. Thank you for your patience!